Yook opened a bit over 3 years ago, and I remember we were quite excited to have a Korean restaurant so close by! However, we ended up only going once with Smores, which I wrote a review on.

Then, Kook Korean BBQ opened up shortly afterwards and that has been our go-to place for Korean when we are feeling like going somewhere close. There is also the newly opened Rib & Chicken a couple blocks away from Kook now.

We ended up at Yook on a whim. I was craving Korean noodle soup and we were going to go to Kook like usual, but they were closed. I figured I’d write a re-visit post since it’s been 2 years.

The restaurant was clean and organized, with hand sanitizer, contract tracing and socially distant tables. One thing I liked about Yook was the abundance of plants and greenery. The plants also provided some privacy between tables.

Banchan: We started off with the banchan. They were all tasty with no complaints. Also, in the back of the photo, you’ll see the sauce container. I appreciated how they wrapped it during the pandemic to prevent everyone touching the same bottle.

Bibimbap: When this arrived at the table, I was really underwhelmed. Usually bibimbap is served in a hot stone bowl, but this was served in a cold metal bowl that was refrigerated. Perhaps this is normal in Korean restaurants, and if so, I apologize for my lack of knowledge. But my first thought was that wouldn’t the food get cold easier?

Also, we like the stone bowls more because you can spread the rice thinly around the hot bowl and have crunchy rice, a great way to end the dish.

Secondly, bibimbap is usually served with an egg where you mix the egg yolk into the rest of the dish. I was disappointed to see that it didn’t come with an egg. We double checked with the waitress incase this was forgotten, but they told us that the egg was extra.

The bibimbap was tasty so it made up for the initial disappointing thoughts a little bit. I remembered that they have great stir-fry meat dishes, and the beef was very flavourful and tender. Even then, I couldn’t help by thinking it was lacking compared to other restaurants.

Update: I’ve been informed that the stone bowl bibimbap is known as a dol sot bibimbap. The more you learn! Now I know to look for “dol sot” on the menu to make sure it’s a stone bowl.

Dduck mandu gook: I was originally wanting an ox bone soup, but was disappointed that they didn’t have it on the menu. I saw that they had a rice cake soup with handmade dumplings, so I decided to try Yook’s version of it after having a delicious bowl at Tongileo.

The soup broth was comforting and delicious, and tasted like an ox bone soup broth. The rice cakes were chewy, and they also included some sliced scrambled egg and beef strips. The beef was on the tough side so it was hard to chew, and strongly marinated with ginger.

However, the dumplings were plump and delicious, packed full of vegetables and pork.

Yook wouldn’t be a place that I drive purposely too, only if I was in the area. With that said, I would still pick Kook over Yook.

Quietly nestled in a small strip mall in Port Coquitlam, lies an authentic Korean restaurant that goes by both Tongileo or TEO Korean Restaurant. I have never heard of this place until my Korean friend, Fish, told me about it! She lives nearby and this was her go-to for authentic comforting, homemade dumplings and soup noodles.

Her Korean grandma also approves of this place so that’s when you know it’s legit! I rarely go to Port Coquitlam but I made the trek out here one evening to try it.

Tongileo was located in quite a random location, off Lougheed Highway in Port Coquitlam. The storefront doesn’t actually say Tongileo or TEO Korean Restaurant on it.

Instead, it just advertises “Tofu back bone soup” and the restaurant name is on the strip mall sign post. I didn’t realize until driving back home, that it was only minutes away from Coquitlam Center. There is also a small meat shop in this plaza, and I read reviews that they are the same owners as Tongileo but not sure if that’s true or not.

We came on a weekday evening and the restaurant was at full capacity with COVID restrictions. We got the last table so we didn’t have to wait. Yay!

Banchan: The banchan that day was seaweed, kimchi, and sweet potato. They were all tasty and fresh.

Seafood pancake: The seafood pancake was jampacked with ingredients inside, and was flavourful. My only complaint would be that it could have been slightly more crispier but it was still delicious.

Kal-guksu with dumplings: This is Fish’s go-to order, and I ordered it as well! I am a huge lover of a warm bowl of comforting soup noodles. This was my first time trying Korean soup noodles like this!

The dumplings were jampacked with pork and lots of chopped vegetables inside. They were very comforting and tasted homemade, not too salty and simple. I loved how much chopped vegetables were inside and how plump and filled these dumplings were.

The broth was simple and clear, yet flavourful. It felt healthy and safe to eat with my sensitive stomach. There were also some slices of beef in the soup but the star of the show was definitely the dumplings.

The noodles were also handmade and knife chopped, so they were a bit rugged in texture which I loved. I find that these types of noodles carry more soup in the ridges.

Bossam and kimchi: Fish ordered the kal-guksu combo, which came with the dumplings and noodle soup along with bossam and kimchi. The bossam was tender and rich, with a nice fatty taste to it. The kimchi packed a lot of heat and was fresh and crunchy.

Overall, it was a good visit to Tongileo and I’m glad to have ventured out to Port Coquitlam with Fish to try it. It’s a hidden gem in PoCo and it could be hard to find especially since the name of the restaurant isn’t on the storefront, but the food was great.