I’m going to start this week’s review with a slow clap… *Slow clap* dedicated to D.D.O. (Dollard-Des Ormeaux), yes, the West island. Why? Well, bravo dido, for the second review in a row the west has impressed me with not only a legit restaurant but another legit ethnic restaurant. Congratulations! You guys now have an official KFC restaurant… Korean Fried Chicken! I discovered Restaurant Matjip BBQ Coréen recently when I noticed the God-awful pizza place that use to be in this location finally closed and became a Korean restaurant. I had to check it out.
The menu features snacks and appetizers, stews and rice dishes, a bbq section and fried chicken. All of which consisted of a handful of choices and nothing out of the ordinary.
We started with the seafood pancake. I remember having a conversation with someone on IG recently and the person couldn’t fathom a pancake made with seafood. He said pancakes should be sweet, crepes can be sweet or savoury. Expand your horizons kind sir. Koreans have put delicious sea critters in a flapjack and it’s delicious. Deal with it. The haemul pajeon at Matjip was light and fluffy. Sweet from the egg batter and savoury from the seafood and vegetables, the salty dipping sauce balanced everything out.
The tteokbokki with cheese. Sweet and spicy rice cake stew mixed with fish cakes, vegetable dumplings and a hard boiled egg. Although it wasn’t spicy (to me at least), you traditionally eat the egg first. It “protects” your stomach and makes digesting the spicy food easier… if you know what I mean. Plump chewy rice cakes mixed with strips of fish cakes swimming is this glistening sweet and spicy sauce that was addictive. We spooned up the rest of the gravy and ate it like soup at the end.
There are three options of fried chicken. The regular, with sweet and spicy sauce or with garlic soy. The chicken is served as half a chicken, or full. Since we were only two and wanted to try all the flavors, getting three half-chicken orders was a bit crazy. There’s an option for sauce on the side; and that’s the move. Get the plain chicken with the difference sauces on the side to get a taste of everything. The chicken is ridiculous. It was crispy and piping hot. The garlic soy sauce wasn’t garlicky enough for me, but the sweet and spicy was nice. To be honest, I’d be happy eating the plain O.G. Incredible.
The bbq itself is not what you’re thinking where you grill your own food. You order one of three options and it is prepared for you and served cooked. Banchan side dishes are not served with the regular meals (maybe they are, we weren’t given any nor did we ask) but from the menu, it looks like they come with the bbq set meals. I’m excited to come back to try the bi bim bap, gamjatang, and probably the bbq. Their menu reads like a greatest hits list that of a typical Korean restaurant albeit tamed down for the west island – which I’m not even mad about. I believe Matjip is opening the door in introducing Korean food to the west and what legit Korean fried chicken is.
BBQ Coréen Matjip
3343-A Boulevard des Sources, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
(514) 421-3377
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