Korean Grill House - Thornhill

Korean Grill House is located at 505 Hwy. 7 near Hwy. 404, in Thornhill, the municipality just north of Toronto's central-east. We've reviewed several others in this chain. When we first went there was a fire or similar that was being cleaned up from, so it was closed for a few days; we returned next weekend and it was open. We went for weekend lunch. Reusable steel chopsticks like I own are used there; kudos to Korean Grill House as so many other BBQs use disposables. Pop was $3 canned non-AYCD which is ridiculous; hope that this has changed.

Starting with the banchan, tofu was very good and had a subtle flavour, not over fried. Beef soup is a consomme and was good, although it had a funny aftertaste like dishwater. Kimchee [sic] Mishy really loved, saying "Mmmm" constantly while eating it; I do admit it was very good with a nice flavour and heat balance and not smelly. Mishy called the pickled radish "amazing" and I agree it was quite good. Bean sprouts had a very good and nicely subtle flavor. Spicy bean sprouts Mishy also loved, saying that they had a very happy well-balanced flavor; they were indeed delicious. Rice was quite good with the sweet soy at table.

Finally moving on the the grill, beef was fantastic and we both adored it... it was marbled, savory and very well seasoned, just perfect with the grill smoke. Mishy said that the chicken was gristly, but mine was not; instead it was delicious and well-seasoned and nicely smoky from the grill. Pork was so delicious and savory and smokey that it was as good as beef. Even squid was actually good with the smokiness and sauce, just about the first time I have ever said this; any fishiness in the flavor and aroma was nicely neutralized. Fish fillet very good and better than average; probably basa.

There are no desserts. There is a 13% service charge added automatically to the bill, but this is OK as this becomes our tip (and it's less than I would have normally given!) Weekend lunch is $22.99 and even with the lack of desserts, highly overpriced pop and 13% service charge this is still a very good price for AYCE BBQed meats especially these days; for example we paid $10 apiece more at the nearby Chako (on a second visit post-review) and yet we both agreed the meats here were even tastier. We'd happily return.

Rating: 8-8.5 / 10