This vendor no longer exists!

12


Le Kim Chi
Jjigae at Le Kim Chi
Pajeon at Le Kim Chi
Foods from Le Kim Chi
Comments

2012 Jul 22
Based on the good reviews, I convinced my husband and visiting sister to go try this place.

Overall, we thought it was ok. Some things were great, some meh and some left wanting.

The best Wes the pa jeon, the seafood pancakes. Possible the best I have had in Ottawa or at least comparable to Dol Sot. The bi bim bap was different because of the addition of sliced mushrooms and another unknown (tom me) Asian veggie.

The bugolgi was very tasty itself but came with 1/3 of the sizzling plate w veggies. Veggies are good for you but I guess I was expecting lots of meat, as is the case at Koreana and Joy. So this was a good dish.

My disappointment was with the chap jae, potato glass noddles. It tasted bland. The worst I have had in a long time.

The sides were soso. They were small and there was only 3 of them: Kim chi, sesame greens and cubes of marinated daikon.

Would I return? Probably, to give it one more chance.


2012 Jan 20
The famous pa jeon (seafood pancake) was just as delicious as the Foodies promised, but the rest of our meal was somewhat "meh". I still love my trusty hot pot bibimbap but everyone else was a little underwhelmed by their mains.

2011 Aug 23
I dined at LKC for the first time last night. What a great time!

The food was delicious. The service was really great. Total thumbs up all the way.

I found the prices to be a bit high but worth it nonetheless.

Apps:
- pa jeon (seafood pancake): the biggest hit at the table
- goon mandoo (pork and chive dumplings): tasty
- potato croquettes: disappointing, lacked flavour, no pizzaz

Mains:
- bulgogi (3 orders): I think my friends all enjoyed it
- galbi jjim: braised short ribs - this was my order and it was DELISH!!! The meat on the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. The broth was perfectly seasoned. A real comfort food dish.

Desserts:
- black sesame ice cream: subtle delicate flavouring of black sesame seeds, very good
- sesame seed cookies (round and swirled): also extremely tasty

DOH! Why am I never successful in uploading my photos? Oh well.

2011 Jun 21
I went to Le Kimchi a few months ago. I'm going to South Korea to teach English soon. This was my first experience with Korean food. Between my mom and I we had:
-hotpot bibimbap (super yummy)
-bulgogi
-sesame ice cream (yummy but makes your teeth grey)
-plum tea (my new favourite tea!)
-lemony? tea
-sesame cookie

Since I've never had Korean food before I don't have more to say than that. What I really want to talk about is the fabulous service. We started are service with one sister and ended with the other sister. The first one was just okay but her sister was a hoot. She made fun of the way her sister arranged the table. She answered all of our questions with enthusiasm. When she heard I will be teaching in Korea she had a lot to tell me about how to prepare and even said she would look over my packing list to make suggestions.

I will definitely be returning to Le Kimchi!

2011 Feb 8
My wife and I had dinner here with a friend of ours recently. Fun times! I could probably eat nothing but their seafood pa jeon and be happy. Loved its crispy, oniony deliciousness.

And I'm still dreaming about the bibimbap.

It's true that there's something different about the kimchi, though. I still like the stuff, but it's not my favourite kimchi in the world.

2010 Dec 6
Husband and I came here for dinner tonight after Shawna Wagman's write up in this month's Ottawa Magazine. So, so, so glad we did. Like others have said: Everything is very fresh and the service is spectacular.

We started with the pork dumplings and kimchi pancakes. OMG. The dumplings were super savoury and meaty. The pancakes had more zing to them that the kimchi that came with our meal, and they were nice and crispy.

Our mains were the vegetarian bibimbap and spicy pork, which was perfect. It reminded me of fajitas, only with Korean spices (I think that had to do with the plate it was served on). The bibimbap was very different from what I've had in the past, and equally good.

Like FF said, the kimchi isn't as pungent as I'm used to, but it still had some bite to it.

Delicious. Absolutely will be back!

2010 Sep 12
My mother and I stopped in here for lunch a few weeks ago while her car was being looked at down on Preston.

Having read all the recommendations, I thought it would be a good place for her to try some more Korean food (she's been a little shy so far).

The service was outstanding - they very patiently and clearly answered all my mother's questions, were able to rush things out a little when we mentioned we were on a bit of a time crunch, and dealt very well with my allergy concerns.

I had the Kim Chi Chi Ge - I've had spicier (next time I'll ask for it hotter), but it was exactly what I wanted. Good depth to the flavour and a very decent amount of kimchi in it.

My mother had a dumpling soup - I believe it was Soonhan Maewoon Mandoomyen. She said it was the best broth she's had in YEARS and that the dumplings were absolutely wonderful. I haven't seen her so pleased with a meal in ages.

Overall, a very pleasant experience. A bit on the pricier side for a quick lunch, but filling, delicious, and money well spent.

2010 Sep 11
I absolutely love going to Le Kim Chi. Before a couple months ago, I had never had any real Korean food and now I'm hooked!

First of all, the service is fabulous here. The two female servers are very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. If you're a newbie to Korean food, they'll give you as much information as you want about their menu. If you want a menu item prepared with a lot less spice, the chef is happy to do so for you.

The food has always been great at Le Kim Chi. My favorite is the "Hot Pot Bibimbap". It's served to you in a crackling hot pot with rice, vegetables, ground meat and an egg yolk. You mix it all together with some hot sauce and some condiments on the side (such as pickled radish, cabbage kimchi and seaweed salad). Delicious.

For an appetizer, we also love to get one of the Korean pancakes - either one with kimchi, seafood or just vegetables.

My date and I always like to try something new every time we go for dinner and we've never been disappointed. But we've definitely developed favorites.

This is definitely a place I'll keep on going back to on a regular basis. I can't say enough good things about it!

2010 Jun 9
This is a really nice Korean restaurant -- possibly the best I've seen in Ottawa in terms of modern atmosphere and friendly service. We visited on a Saturday evening and found it to be quite empty at 8:45pm.

Our food was enjoyable. I'll write specific comments under each food entry.

2010 Feb 25
Finally got around to trying Le Kim Chi last night, and I am so glad that I did! First off, it was probably the best service that I have had in Ottawa. The waitress was very knowledgeable, accommodating and super friendly without being over-bearing.
We started with the Ya Chea Jeon which was delicious. I didn't find it overly greasy at all, it was nice and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
I ordered the Kimchi Jigae for my entree which came with 3 banchan of kimchi, pickled radish and seaweed salad. I loooooove Le Kim Chi's kimchi! It tastes like it's been fermenting for a long time, which gives it a more buttery and savoury taste than 'fresh' kimchi. So delicious, and the jigae did not shy away from using copious amounts of the stuff. Two thumbs up :)
I didn't finish all of my banchan as I already had enough kimchi in my entree that I didn't need another bowl of it, and I have never been a fan of seaweed salad. The radishes were nice though.
Minor gripe; when it came time to pay, the server informed me that their debit machine wasn't working. I don't use credit cards so luckily my Visa-wielding boyfriend was with me or I would have been angry about having to walk to a bank machine and back. They probably should have let me know upon seating that the debit was down.
Otherwise everything was excellent. I will definitely be back :)

Older



2010 Jun 9
The cabbage kimchi was very fresh, but I found it to be too fresh! It lacked the pungency and depth of flavour that I love. It was not very salty and had a bit of a "fizz" to it. I usually swoon for cabbage kimchi but this one wasn't interesting to me.

Mind you, we had to specially request cabbage kimchi so maybe it wasn't ready yet. The kimchi they brought us by default was delicious and featured small wedges of cucumber.




4





2010 Jun 9
The Pork Chi Ge was at the very limits of my spice tolerance (as it should be) but it lacked the depth of flavour I've enjoyed at other restaurants. So, it was a bit of a letdown but it still hurt so good!




3

2010 Jun 9
The Pa Jeon (Seafood) was positively scrumptious -- the best I've ever had! It's a hearty appetizer, best shared between two people. Highly recommended!