By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Everything hit the table at the same time and in the bustle at Toe Dam, located near H-Mart and amongst many other Korean restaurants. I didn't notice that we only received 4 small plates of Banchan including sprouts, seaweed, kimchi and potato. I wished that there was more variety and more in portion size (but then again, we could've asked for more). We liked the kimchi as it was crunchy and had a bright tart spiciness that wasn't heavy. As for the BBQ, we started with the Pork Belly which sported a good meat-to-fat ratio. After being crisped up on the grill as well as caramelization, these were predictably tasty. For us, we did the ol' lettuce wrap with garlic and soy bean paste.
We also got an order of the marinated Short Ribs which were thick and succulent. They were well-seasoned exhibiting the classic sweetness. If you were wondering about the scissors, they were necessary to cut up the meat once we finished grilling it whole on the BBQ. An order of the always expensive Japchae was very garlicky and not overly soft nor wet. There was no shortage of ingredients including big pieces of tender shaved beef. There was also a noticeable sesame oil essence which was appetizing.
Lastly, we had the Tofu Soup which was full of ingredients including silky tofu, shrimp, kimchi and raw egg. This was very thick and somewhat spicy. In reality, it was more of a stew (in general that is) than a soup as it was hearty with more ingredients than actual broth. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Toe Dam despite ringing up a bill over $80.00 for 2 adults and 2 young kids. But that shouldn't be a surprise as eating at a Korean restaurant (in particular authentic ones) can be often a wallet-emptying experience.

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

Toe Dam Korean Fusion BBQ 
250-329 North Rd in Burquitlam
(604) 939-5515

The Good:
• Decent eats
• Okay service in relation to other Korean restaurants

The Bad:
• Pricey
• Service was okay, but hurried as expected