Oz Korean Cuisine

When I used to live in Coquitlam, there was a real black hole when it came to tasty food.  We had the usual chains in addition to some mediocre Chinese restaurants.  I remember there was this casual wonton noodle joint where Kam Ding is located now.  It served us red bean dessert soup that was clear in colour with food-processed red bean!  Bleck!  Well, luckily for Coquitlam residents, the food scene has come a long way since then where some could warrant a trek out there (by those who don't live in Coquitlam).  That we did as we decided to check out Oz Korean Cuisine.

As per usual for a KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) joint, we were served sides including cabbage with dressing, pickled daikon and kimchi.  Light in colour and lacking in overall spice, the kimchi had a nice crunch and tang, but really didn't have much impact.  The daikon was crunchy with the usual vinegary sweetness while the cabbage was dressed in the typical "Thousand Islands-like" sauce.  For our KFC, we chose the original and sweet chili.  This was a decent portion size for the price where the skin was nicely rendered while the meat was still moist.  I found the sweet chili to be rather saucy, being sweet with only a touch of heat.  I liked the original more as it was simply seasoned and crispy.

Another prominent item on their menu is the Donkatsu (which is the Korean version of Tonkatsu).  We ended up with the tenderloin and it was pretty darn good.  The meat was light and almost fluffy.  Outside, the breading was extremely crispy and not greasy at all.  There was ample tangy tonkatsu sauce on the side for the generous portion ($11.00!).  The kids really enjoyed the donkatsu as well as the Beef Bulgogi Don topped with a good amount of Japchae.  This was also a solid dish with chewy rice underneath topped with a considerable amount of tender, well-marinated beef.  As evidenced in the picture, there was enough ingredients to completely cover the rice which also meant there was no absence of flavour for the whole bowl.

I also added a Pork Bone Soup for good measure and it was a great choice.   Arriving bubbling hot, the soup was flavourful with a good amount of spice.  Loved to see the addition of perilla seeds on top (not all places do this).  The pork bones were large and substantially meaty.  It fell off the bone being tender, gelatinous and full-flavoured.  I actually needed the side of rice as there was enough impact from the broth.  So as you can see, the food is pretty solid at Oz.  But the best part of all is the reasonable pricing.  Normally Korean food can cost an arm and a leg.  At Oz, it only required a finger or two...

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Pretty tasty
- Well-portioned

The Bad:
- Usually pretty busy
- Service is friendly, but can be sparse