ottawa foodies

I met up with a friend for dinner at Dolsot Café last week and it was the perfect spot for a blustery winter evening. The restaurant is cosy and once I entered it looked much bigger that I had imagined. The waitress brought us some tea right away so we could sip on it while perusing the menu. She kept topping up our tea throughout the meal which was much appreciated since I was cold ;) I ordered a Dolsot bibimbap which came in a stone (I think) bowl and it came to the table piping hot. The rice on the bottom got nice and crispy and everything was quite tasty. The waitress brought me a bottle of hot sauce to add to taste. My friend got a rice dish with squid and mixed vegetables. She said it was spicier than expected but she enjoyed it.

Had lunch here today. I had the lunch special of chicken bulgoki which came in a bento box with kimchi, glass noodle salad, rice, a daikon and carrot salad, two pieces of sushi, and on the side some miso soup. DH had the hot Korean chicken (don't remember the name of the dish #32) and we shared an order of pork Goyza. Everything was very nicely spiced (hot) and the only disappointment were the Goyza as they were deep fried and soy sauce was the only dipping sauce on offer. Overall, though, we were pleased with our lunch.

Sharing a picture of a not so recent meal. Went there a couple of years ago with a friend and loved it. Definitely good value for money and very good flavours. Also liked the casual ambience.

The seafood pancake was excellent. I had spicy chicken and my friend had the bibimbap.

My much better half saw a review in the newspaper and since I was more of a fan of Korean than Japanese, she could check out some of the more seafood centric dishes and get some sushi while I could score some Bulgogi.

Both times we've gone it's been nearly empty. It's a nice looking place and the only hit against the atmosphere is the assault of easy listening pop music being played over the speakers.

Both times I've had the Chicken Bugolgi and it's been excellent. Flavorful and a little bit spicy with a deep orange sauce. the BH had a hot pot dish with roe and a bento with kimbap the other times.

The prices are nice, the service is good and the food is excellent, can't recommend it enough.

Overall not a bad place. I'd rate it second only to Alirang in Ottawa. I can't speak to how it used to be 4 years ago but it doesn't taste frozen right now. The Arum market attached is well stocked with Korean and Japanese merchandise and any dishes you might need for cooking Korean are there as well. The owner was working in the store when I went in the other day and we talked a lot about a recipe I was having trouble with. She was more than willing to help and she even asked the cook for the specific ingredient he used in their jjigae.

Spicy tofu and pork soup that my friend had. It was very spicy with lots of tofu, and it came with rice... he was very happy with it!

Overall, hands down the best Korean restaurant that I've been to in Ottawa and we will definitely be coming back for more.

My sister ordered a cold soba noodle soup that was served with a yellow mustard sauce, it was perfect for the hot day and the broth was very flavorful.

The seafood pancake was loaded with shrimp, squid, octopus, etc., and lots of vegetables - it was very large and they definitely did not skimp on the fillings.

We shared at the table, and even the people that did not want to have any in the first place could not stop eating it - I couldn't even snap a picture fast enough and half of it was gone.

After reading some really good things about this Korean hidden treasure, a group of friends and I decided to stop by here for dinner. And I can honestly say that we all left the place extremely satisfied and decided to make Dolsot Cafe our regular 'Korean' spot.

I went for the Bibimbap in a hot bowl, and it was delish with the best part being the crispy rice on the bottom! They gave a bottle of the hot sauce to go with it, home made side dishes and miso soup(with lots of tofu cubes and green onion).

The meal portions were very generous, with big helpings of the traditional Korean side dishes. Our server was very nice and advised me on the Korean way of eating my dish - with a spoon (not chopsticks like I was doing), mixing all the ingredients together, and with lots of hot sauce... it was perfect!

in the quest for supporting ma & pa cottage industry and homegrown/worldly cuisine that blows the so-called cordon bleu and college trained punk kids in the masses at most other places, we seem to frequent quite often cool digs just outskirts of high margin downtown and market central. check out dolsot cafe korean restaurant run by earnest ma and daughter with their korean home secret recipes that we sense fantastic value, generous portions and are full-flavored. this place doesn't have fancy decor at all but these are the gems that have great dishes that sometimes you have to enjoy with your eyes closed to the atmosphere. so generally speaking this ain't a place to take first (superficial) dates with folks impressed by being marinated in SATC, disney and hollywood. but if your dates and companions like ma & pa shops, you'll know your date clicks with substance, dining experience apart from pretentious atmosphere of glitz and glam... and likely more into the things that matter in life! always noticed quite a lot of take out orders here...! seems that value and good korean flavas are most excellent here.