Weekly Lunch Pick
San
This Korean hot spot brings surprisingly strong flavours to Queen Street West. But the real surprise is the price By Catherine Hayday
A box of joy: The lunch deal at San is both delicious
and partitioned
Image credit: Catherine Hayday
The place:
San’s pricey-looking industrial design—metal stools and backlit walls—suggests the number 1 is missing from the beginning of the lunch prices (it isn’t). Huge windows facing Queen Street West are opened wide in the summer, making it all too easy to lose yourself in a warm sunbeam while munching on generous, sizzling servings of Korean food.The crowd:
At lunch, San attracts an eclectic group: West Queen West artists, shift workers and freelancers, plus some suited Bay Streeters who risk street parking in exchange for speedy and satisfying bi bim bap. Many are patrons who remember San fondly from a dinner date and are trying it again for lunch.The deal:
San’s scrumptious Korean dishes shake the near-stranglehold that cheap sushi and Thai have on midday Asian fare. The lunch deal makes other “specials” look downright miserly. San gives and gives and gives. There are three different options to choose from every day of the week, all for $7.95. On this Thursday, we choose between beef bulgogi (a traditional sesame-soy dish), Korean fried rice and an enormous bowl of noodles in broth.The dish:
Working clockwise around the box of beef bulgogi goodies, there’s a mound of multigrain rice; deep-fried mandu (dumplings) and soft, slippery chap chae (glass noodles); a crispy dressed salad; and the marinated beef itself, plentiful and thinly sliced, with the bite of rich fermented soy. There’s so much meat that some diners tap out and pack the rest to go. The box is supplemented with miso soup and a trio of pan chan (small shared dishes), including a yummy spicy kimchee. All meals end with San’s complimentary sweet cinnamon chaser.The time:
58 minutes, but customers set their own schedule. The service is fast; diners don’t have to be.The cost:
$13.93 (including tax, tip and $2.50 for a large brown rice green tea).San,
676 Queen St. W. (at Euclid Ave.), 416-214-9429.Comments
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