REVIEW | POCHA SEOUL | EDMONTON

 

There's a high concentration of Korean restaurants on 34th Ave, in the strip mall aptly known as K-Mall. You might assume there's some fierce competition between the establishments, but fortunately, they each specialize in something different. You'll find Korean BBQ at Ginseng, fried chicken at Country Coco, katsu at Miga, street food at Gangnam, and Korean-Chinese at Pocha Seoul. Based on the title, you could probably guess where we ended up at.

 

In Korean, pocha is short for pojang-macha. Street food stalls/tents which are lively, casual and inexpensive. They're popular for a quick snack or a warm meal, usually enjoyed over drinks. 

 

It was surprisingly really busy around 2:00pm on a Sunday afternoon (a good sign), but we must have caught the tail end of the lunch rush. In the main dining room, tables are sectioned off with wooden dividers adorned with hangul. We only had to wait a few minutes to be seated, before being ushered into one of their private dining rooms, each room consisting of 2-3 small tables. 

One of my favourite dishes at Pocha is their kkanpungi ($17.99), or spicy garlic fried chicken. It comes in small or large ($27.99), but the small is already such a generous portion with large cuts of chicken. The chicken is boneless, fried in batter, and then stir-fried with veggies and sauce. The chicken is super crispy and almost shatters when you bite into it. I'm almost certain they only use dark meat too (ie. the good stuff). The sauce is sweet, spicy, and garlicky, and coats the chicken almost like a glaze. It can veer on the side of being too sweet for some, but in between bites of other food, the sugar is tempered somewhat. Still really delicious and super addictive.

 

The reason why we were at Pocha in the first place was because LT was craving their bibim naengmyeon ($14.99), spicy cold buckwheat noodles. The noodles are served in a slushy broth with a spicy, vinegary sauce. Before you dig in, you must mix everything together. They also provide you with a bottle of mustard and vinegar to adjust the dish to your taste. Although LT has had this dish in the past, she found the sauce a bit too spicy that day. Texturally, the noodles are super chewy and if you can get past the spice, it's a perfect refreshing dish for a hot summer day.

 

We also got their gan jjajang ($14.99), black bean noodles with "dry" sauce. Gan jjajang is slightly different than regular jjajangmyeon in that the sauce is made to order. It's also a bit more chunky, as it's not thickened with water or cornstarch. Usually it's a couple dollars more but it's worth it in my opinion.

 

You simply pour the sauce over top of the noodles and mix them together.

 

The sauce is aromatic, with al dente vegetables, and a smokey wok flavour. There's also some nuggets of pork throughout but I find them an afterthought since they're usually a bit tough and dry. Despite that, I really enjoyed this! The noodles are the star of the show, and they're chewy and not clumpy at all. The sauce coats the noodles really well, and they're perfectly slurpable.

 

 

I would love to try out the other dishes at Pocha, but it's so difficult not to default to old favourites. Kkanpungi for the win!

Pocha Seoul

www.pochaseoul.ca

9261 34 Ave NW #13

Edmonton, AB

(780) 818-4202

 

- CT

REVIEW | SMOKIN' BARRELS COCINA LATINA | EDMONTON

Industrial areas aren't usually where you would go to in search for good food. But lately, I've been more than pleasantly surprised. Hidden gems are everywhere in the city and one of them is the fairly new Smokin' Barrels Cocina Latina.   

Smokin' Barrels opened in March in a complex just off of 156 Street and 131 Ave. As a latin kitchen, they serve both Mexican and Colombian cuisine. Expect traditional favourites like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas, as well as interesting fusion dishes such as birria poutine or a braised beef burger with Mexican condiments.

I met with KT after we both finished work in the area on Saturday. We found plenty of parking outside since the other businesses were closed by dinnertime. Aside from a couple of people doing takeout, we were the only patrons dining in.

 

The restaurant is pretty casual, where you order and pay first at the counter. We had our pick of tables, which were made out of wooden barrels (cute), as well as countertop seating which runs along the perimeter of the windows.

Our first item was the tacos tradicionales ($17.50) with braised beef barbacoa. We originally wanted to try the spicy chorizo but they were unfortunately out. All taco orders come in three, on top of corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and grilled pineapple. On the side was lime, radish, and salsa. The beef is deeply spiced and pretty juicy. I especially loved the addition of the grilled pineapple which lent some contrasting sweetness to the raw onions. 

Since our visit, tacos now come with a side of rice and beans or chips and salsa for only $16.00. I had no qualms paying the previous price but it's nice that they're adjusting items to be of even greater value for their customers.

 

If there's one dish you have to get, it's the tacos don birria ($19.50, now $19.00). The tacos start off with braised smoked beef brisket. Corn tortillas are dipped in the braising liquid and stuffed with plenty of beef and mozzarella cheese. It's finished on the griddle until crisp and then served with a side of the consommé broth for dipping. The end result is crispy, melty, juicy, and so, so delicious. They can be on the greasy side for some, but hey, fat equals flavour.

 

 

We also tried their homemade empanadas ($24.75, now $18.00). The empanadas are more traditional to what you would find in Columbia. Made out of corn flour, the empanadas are fried and stuffed with your choice of chipotle chicken or tex beef. They came four to an order, with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, pico piña, and guacamole.  

 

The chicken could have been a bit more flavourful but the dough was tender and crisp. These were pretty filling on their own.

 

We couldn't pass on dessert, especially when tres leches ($10.00, now $9.00) was on the menu. Tres leches is a soft vanilla cake soaked in a mixture of three milks, hence its name. There's evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. The cake acts like a sponge, resulting in a super moist cake that's surprisingly not soggy. It's creamy yet light, and not too sweet. A layer of whipped cream and fresh strawberries seals the deal. It's the perfect ending to your meal.

Ever since we ate here, KT has been asking when we could go back for more birria tacos. Soon, I hope. Very soon.

 

Smokin' Barrels Cocina Latina

www.tacoscocinalatina.com

13119 156 ST NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 447-0688

 

- CT