Introducing: Barrio Coreano, a Korean-inspired addition to the Playa Cabana taco chain
Name: Barrio Coreano
Contact Info: 642 Bloor St. W., 416-901-5188, @PlayaCabana
Neighbourhood: The Annex
Chef/Owner: Dave Sidhu, the chef and owner of all four Playa Cabana outposts
The Food: Mexican tacos punched up with Korean ingredients like wasabi, daikon and kimchi. The tiny tortillas come loaded with things like bulgogi-style barbecue beef topped with house-pickled pears, or flash-fried ahi tuna with jicama, purple cabbage and yuzu vinaigrette.
The Drinks: Korean spins on classic cocktails, like house sangria spiked with soju. A whiskey sour gets a pungent kick from fermented kimchi juice. Spanish beers are available by the bottle.
The Place: The fourth outpost of the Playa chain is grungier and funkier than its midtown counterparts. Rusting chairs, peeling paint and a pair of curlicued iron gates make the space feel like a bluesy back-alley. So do all the humming neon signs, which bathe the bar in red light.
The Numbers: • 3,000 mile road trip to Hollywood to pick up a flashy neon sign in the shape of a star • 100 chairs salvaged from a cricket stadium in India • 16 bowling alley lanes repurposed as wooden tabletops • 5 Korean-inspired tacos (for five bucks each)
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