Kosoo Pocha at Sai Woo

What's with the name you may ask?  Yah nothing strange about Kosoo Pocha.  Kosoo is a chain of Korean restaurants in the Lower Mainland and Pocha refers to the type of food they serve (typically street food).  But what about the "Sai Woo"?  Yah, that name has been around for a long time (since 1925).  It was reincarnated in 2015 complete with a new replica neon sign.  Kosoo decided to keep it in the name of the restaurant even though there is nothing in common other than location and history.

Well, Jackie and I were here for late night Korean as well as so soju.  Starting with the Clam Bibimbap, this was the perfect compliment with our bevvies.   On the plate, we were spoiled by the considerable amount of plump clams that were tossed in a sweet and spicy marinade.  Combined with some seasoned rice and wrapped in crispy nori, these little bites were fun to make and a delight to eat.

We also had the Seafood Pancake with veggies, prawns, imitation crab, squid and clams.  I liked the fact that this pancake had very little green onion.  Sometimes, they put so much of it, it should just be called a green onion pancake. The outside was nicely seared and crispy.  Inside, some parts were a bit doughy, but mostly tender.  Lots of seafood to be found and the textures added some robustness.

Impressive in size, we got the Colossal Pan Fried Egg Roll topped with ketchup.  Yah, when they say colossal, they weren't kidding as it appeared to be 2 feet of rolled egg omelette.  This was fluffy and light while completely seasoned.  I liked how they didn't overload it with carrots and green onion as it overwhelms the delicate egg.  This one had just enough to compliment while letting the egginess shine.

The most impressive item was the Chef's Choice, that consisted of the daily recommended dishes.  This one included Deep Fried Sea Eel, Spicy Whole Squid Mixed Seasoning, Korean Omelette, Spicy Fish Stew and Kimchi.  The best thing in this combo was the eel as it was massive and perfectly prepared.  Outside was super crispy and inside was moist and buttery.  Add some ginger and gochujang and we had a nice little bite.  When mixed together, the rice noodles and the squid had plenty of texture while having a sweet spiciness.  In the pot, we found various fishballs and fishcakes sitting in a spicy seafoody broth.  Reminded me of oden to a degree.  We had cups on the side to drink the broth when poured out of the pot.  With this selection of eats, it is clear that Kosoo Pocha is a bit different that the usual Korean restaurant.  Featuring street-type eats that goes into late-night, Kosoo Pocha is a lively place from open to close.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Interesting and delicious food

- Nice vibe

- Portion sizes are large

The Bad:

- The area is still in transition