10 Meilleurs Restaurants Little Italy, Ottawa
What a great find...bright flavours, delicious, & good price! Our family of 4 (2A2C) were looking for something else to eat rather than the norm. We were so lucky to have stumbled upon this place! It was an afternoon on our anniversary & we like to explore foods & new eats & Kochu was a brilliant find. This meld of Korean & Japanese is not so much fusion as it is 2 different eats in one place. There is a few dishes that are fusion but that's not the star. Simple rail/countertop seating with QR code for ordering should you choose or the traditional tell them at the cash. The place smelled awesome walking in the door, was clean especially the bathrooms which as we all know is a good indicator of the kitchen's cleanliness. Speaking of the kitchen it's open so you can see exactly what's going on. The staff is super friendly, willing to explain things & really seemed to love the work as that passion showed in the taste & presentation of the food. We ate about 8 or 9 different dishes from gyoza/dumplings to maki rolls to octopus balls & tempura squid but the gochujang chicken was out of this world! Let's something clear right off the top...the food was FRESH!!! I'm talking REALLY FRESH! Seafood does not age well, seaweed salad does not age well, vegetables & raw fish needs to be fresh to be the best & the food here was all that & more. The tempura was light & crispy, the sauces deep & flavourful, the veg was crisp & delicious, & the seafood tasted super! The gochujang chicken was on another level with its blend of flavours, heat, veg, & plentiful succulent chicken. Best of all it was not drowning in the delicious sauce so each of the ingredients could really shine. I'm actually drooling right now thinking about that dish! A sparse beverage line up was sufficient as it was complimented with a self serve barley tea. We will be back & with our appetites ready as we will work our way through other yet-unexplored menu delights! Try this place...you won't be disappointed!