Hwang Kum, Montreal

The food is delicious but call beforehand! They don't follow their posted hours (Maybe open 3 out of 7 days a week at best). Many times I have shown up only to be disappointed.

Our party of nine people decided to have a Seoul reunion at Hwang Kum - we'd all lived in Korea between four and ten years and wanted to eat good authentic galbi (beef bbq). The staff were incredibly hospitable, managed to accommodate our large party at a table meant for six, and kept the food, drinks and service flowing all night. We all drank a great deal of beer, stuffed ourselves beyond hope with pa-jeon (korean pancake), excellent side dishes, galbi (beef bbq), doen-jang chiggae (soybean tofu stew), and a bibimbap for the vegetarian. With a generous tip, taxes and about three beer each the bill came to 28/person (it would have rung in at around 15/each without all the libations). AND, we accidentally left an extra 28 dollars on top of the bill and tip, and the owner rushed into the street after us IN HIS SHIRTSLEEVES on a cold montreal night to let us know we'd over-tipped!! Great service, amazing food, best Korean experience in Montreal hands-down.

After trying every Korean restaurant in Montreal, I can safely say that Hwang Kum offers the most enjoyable overall experience of them all. Whether this small, family-run restaurant is the most authentic of the bunch is up to people who have been to Korea to decide, but there is no question that the food is the most flavourful, and they don't tone down the spice factor to suit the more timid Canadian palates. Friendly greetings from the open kitchen when you arrive, friendly good-bye's on your way out, and half the time, friendly service while you're there, depending on the mood of the waitress there that day. That is perhaps the only aspect that could use some improvement. The decor has improved over the years, giving this former souvlaki joint a distincly Korean feel, and when the owners and employees are smiling, you'll feel like one of the family.