What’s on the menu at Boonsik, Little Italy’s new spot for Korean street food
By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
| January 7, 2020
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Name: Boonsik
Contact: 50C Clinton St., 416-551-1550, boonsik.to Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Previously: Doma
Chef-owner: Paul Kim (Doma)
Accessibility: Two steps at entrance; washroom in basement down a flight of stairs
The food
Kim has moved from fussing over fancy small plates to serving a fast-casual Korean menu of boonsik (“food made from flour”) favourites. “I describe it as Korean soul food because every Korean grows up with boonsik. I love boonsik, but there’s no restaurant in Toronto that specializes in it,” Kim says. “Everyone in Korea knows what boonsik is like—every town or city has its own flavours, but I’ve tried to make it balanced.”
Sweet potato glazed with honey butter—a very popular Korean street snack—is made with a touch of rice syrup. $6.
Boonsik’s homemade fried mandoo are filled with pork, vegetables and glass noodles, and come in regular or “crazy spicy.” $6.
The Korn Dog has a mozzarella and beef sausage centre surrounded by a rice- and bread-flour batter. It comes drizzled with ketchup, mustard and sprinkle of sugar. $3.
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Here’s a closer look.
Inspired by stone-pot eggs, Kim’s egg sandwich features a breaded and deep-fried slab of oven-baked egg between soft bread—just like a pork katsu sando—with slivered onion and a secret sauce. $8.
Served in paper cups, the Janchi Cup Noodle Soup is a slightly spicy broth of dried anchovy and kombu chock full of somyun (thin wheat flour noodles), shredded carrot, zucchini, fried tofu, egg, nori and scallions. $4.
The made-to-order Bulgogi Kimbap is filled with carrots, lettuce, perilla leaves and shiitake mushrooms. $8.
Also made-to-order, the Spicy Tuna Kimbap contains tuna, mayonnaise, fresh chilies, carrots, lettuce and perilla leaves. $8.
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The Ganjang Shrimp Dupbap features soy sauce–marinated shrimp, tobiko and lettuce, over rice dressed with a myeongnan (pollock roe) sauce. $12.
Having researched over 300 tteokbokki recipes, Kim came up with his own version of the rice-cake dish that involves fish cakes. It’s $18 for the medium serving shown here. Add mozzarella for an extra $3.
Reserve some sauce for dunking.
Inspired by a small variety store near his old school, Kim has stocked a display case with old-school Korean snacks for $1 each.
Chef-owner Paul Kim.
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The drinks
Non-alcoholic options ranging from flavoured milks and pop, “old-fashioned coffee” (drip with two creams, two sugars) and yuja (otherwise known as yuzu) tea. For boozier stuff, there’s soju, beer and house wine.
Iced misugaru is a multi-grain latte that can be served hot or cold. $4.
The space
Kim has redecorated the café-like space with vintage finds. And from the speakers: a soundtrack of ’90s Korean music.
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