Insadong

Was in the Burnaby/Coquitlam area after doing some hiking in Belcarra. As I was not familiar with the area, someone recommended we go to Insadong, I found out afterwards that this restaurant was a very high rated Korean restaurant from various local newspapers. Honestly, I wasn't super excited about having Korean food, but let's see how it goes. 


As we walked into the restaurant, I noticed the ambiance inside was quite good; it looked very traditional Korean decorations, this set up a comfortable setting for the meal.


Here's what we had:


Beef Shabu Shabu with Vegetable Hot Pot (Medium) $44.99     3.5/5

Beef Shabu Shabu

+

• Beef tasted fresh, it had a good "meat" taste, prepared in nice thin slices; the sauces combined with the beef tasted wonderful
• Beef not too fat
• Vegetables were fresh also, I especially liked the mushrooms
• Side dishes, especially the potatoes, were decent; they were not extremely good though, just regular

-

• Not enough beef for the price in my opinion
• This set was designed for three people, but I was still a little hungry after 
• Gas ran out a few times during the dinner

Vegetables

Beef slices

Side dish

Side dish

Side dish

Overall: The food at Insadong is good and the atmosphere is traditional Korean. However, the prices are a little too expensive for me for the amount of food that I get. I rather go to all you can eat Hot Pot places at this price.

Han Ju Tofu Hot Pot (Crystal Mall)

This restaurant has two stores, one in Crystal Mall in Burnaby, and the other in Union Square in Richmond. I usually go to the Richmond one because it is more convenient. The thing I first noticed as I walked into the Crystal Mall location was that they are in serious need of a renovation, the walls were peeling apart, the menus were ripped, and the whole place needs a renovation in my opinion.


I immediately ordered the same thing I order every time I go to Han Ju, I have literally had this dish for ~50 times I guess; I have been eating this for a long time, but I never get bored of it, it is just too good.


This is what I'm talking about:

Korean Style BBQ with Rice $6.95     5/5
Korean Style BBQ Pork, 2 Kinds of Vegetable, Hot Tofu, Egg; on rice

+

• This thing is addictive, I eat this every time I go here, trust me, if you haven't tried this before, you must!
• The BBQ pork is delicious, it does not taste old, very fresh and good texture
• Hot Tofu is the right level of spiciness, goes well with rice
• Vegetables have strong taste, likely due to some toppings but I do not know what they are, but very good
• Rice is excellent, it is sort of like Taiwanese or Japanese rice, where the rice is sort of sticky; I love this type of rice
• Seaweed soup has good taste, it is hard to describe the taste, but it is good every time
• I finish the entire bowl so that there is not a single thing left in the bowl every time

Overall: I love this place; one of my favourites in Vancouver It is good for a quick and delicious meal. Make sure to drink water after though, there is always a taste I think from the garlic or ginger in my mouth after eating.