Flavour bombs in a Canadian-Korean gastropub
Oddesoul is a Canadian-Korean gastropub. It’s probably the only one in its category in Toronto. Sure, there are loads of Korean gastropubs in the city but none of them push the fusion envelope that far. Far from fusion confusion, nearly every dish is excellent.
Oddseoul is one of the earliest kids on the Ossington block. The strip of Ossington Avenue between Dundas and Queen Street has grown into a culinary mecca in the past decade. Oddseoul definitely helped build that reputation. Despite its success, Oddseoul is oddly low-key. There is no signboard and I’ve walked by it accidentally on more than one occasion. The only clue is the inconspicuous letters on its mailbox. For the longest time, its online presence was just a stagnant Instagram page. The COVID-19 pandemic finally forced them to create a DoorDash account for takeout orders.
The food
Few things are more Canadian than poutine. Oddseoul’s take on it is not poutine. There are no cheese curds nor fries. But keep an open mind for their squash poutine, my favourite dish in the house.
The base was deep-fried cubes of squash, topped with kimchi, gari (pickled ginger), nori (seaweed), black and white sesame seeds, spring onions, and mayo. Smothered with Japanese curry sauce. There were pieces of cheese but they had melted. It’s better described as Japanese curry fries than poutine but it’s just as messy-delicious.
Each garnish provided a different punch: sourness from the ginger, umami from nori, aroma from sesame, pungency from kimchi and onions, and sweetness from the curry. The squash cubes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. As will be seen in other dishes, Oddseoul knows the components of a flavour bomb. 8.5/10.
Their tempura shrimp was not what I was expecting, in both a good and bad way. Conventional tempura shrimp are straight, thin, and encrusted with panko. These ones were curvy, jumbo-sized, and used a flour batter. The mineral-rich taste of the shell tends to get lost in regular tempura shrimp. Here, it was showcased with high-quality shrimp. With minimal distractions, this dish was sheer shrimpiness.
When dining in, the shrimp would be drizzled with tobiko (flying fish eggs) mayo. I prefer the takeout format. The mayo is packed separately and can act as a dip. Unfortunately, the mayo was on the bland side. I would have liked more spice, more sweetness, or more sourness to contrast with the shrimp. 8/10.
New to their pandemic menu is KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). It was drenched in a thick paste made up of gochujang (고추장; fermented soy paste with chillies).
Sadly, it was heavy-handed. It was like eating raw gochujang. Unlike other Korean fried chicken, the sauce was incorporated before cooking instead of just after cooking, so the chicken lost its crispness. It was more like Korean sticky wings. Perhaps they were aiming for Vietnamese fish sauce wings? There are better Korean fried chicken restaurants in Koreatown and North York. 7/10.
The kimchi fried rice is another one of their popular dishes. Their takeout version was stuffed to the brim in a westernized-Chinese takeout container. I liked the large portion.
While it was whimsical, it was not a practical format as steam was locked in and caused the dish to cook more. Individual flavours began to lose their identity. It was also difficult to mix the ingredients. A larger container would make more sense, as would separate packaging for crisp garnishes like nori and katsuobushi.
The sunny-side egg was slightly runny. Texture-wise the dish was ok, though it was on the mushy side from being steamed in a container.
I never thought I would say this but the fried rice was too flavourful. Many ingredients had umami: kimchi, nori, pork, and charring from the rice. As I ate through it, the flavour changes were too abrupt—from smokey rice to sharp kimchi to sweet pork. Clearly, Oddseoul knows the ingredients that bring out flavour. But they pushed them all to the max here. More restraint would have resulted in a more harmonious dish. 7.5/10.
Oddseoul has other signature dishes. Recommended but not reviewed here:
- Loosey. A burger inspired by the famous one from McDonald’s. 7.5/10.
- Bulgogi cheesesteak. Exactly as described. A cheesesteak sandwich but with bulgogi beef. 8/10.
The place
The interior is reminiscent of a dive bar. Dim lighting, scattered bric-a-brac, and loud music. But with a hip clientele. There is equal emphasis on drinks and food. It’s great for after-dinner or pre-dinner nibbling.
There is no outdoor seating.
Verdict
Canadian-Korean gastropub that knows what makes a flavour bomb. Some combinations may be too strong but they win points for creativity. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- OddSeoul
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Squash poutine
Bulgogi cheesesteak
The Loosey - Prices
- Kimchi pork belly fried rice: $22.60 ($20.00 excluding tax)
Squash poutine: $11.30 ($11.30 excluding tax)
Tempura shrimp: $11.30 ($10.00 excluding tax)
Korean fried chicken: $11.30 ($10.00 excluding tax) - Address
- 90 Ossington Avenue
- Hours
- Wednesday to Sunday 1800h – 0200h
- Date of visit
- May 2021, June 2021