Sometimes I feel like 2 day weekends aren’t enough for me and everyone in general. We spend most of our lives at work, which isn’t a bad thing, but that leaves very limited time for everything else we want to do, which shouldn’t include running errands or housework. Spare time should be used to do fun things like camping, hiking, movies and eating out, especially since eating out doesn’t involve cleaning the kitchen afterwards. This is why I cherish the time I can actually do things that I want to do and the last time I had the opportunity to eat out I chose Daenamoo, a Korean restaurant located at 20110 Lougheed hwy, Maple Ridge.

 

I have been driving past this place two times a day and being that it’s big and green it’s not something you can ignore. The interior is also really large as well and would be perfect for a group booking or an event. We went for lunch and being that it was pretty much noon, right on the nose, it wasn’t extremely busy. We were seated right away by a very nice man who also brought us tea immediately as well. Other then the size, the first thing I noticed was that there wasn’t bbq’s on the tables. I thought going out for Korean bbq involves ordering a bunch of food you cook at the table and dress with various side dishes and sauces. The nice man explained that they use a coal grill in the kitchen instead to maximize flavour and assured us side dishes accompany our meals.

 

J ordered the So Bul Go Gi, which was grilled beef sitting on top of a bed of super sweet onions and a side of rice. The meat was really tender and deliciously sweet with a hint of savory. The actual dish didn’t look to be very big at first but it was actually more than enough. J wasn’t really a big fan of any of the side dishes and left his meal completely as it.

 

 

The side dishes were potatoes, also marinaded in something sweet, kimch, seasoned bean sprouts and daikon. I actually liked all sides but mostly found myself using the daikon to add some additional crunch to my dish and the bean sprouts as well. Miso soup is also their complementary starter.

 

 

I ordered Mae Un Dae Ji Bul Go Gi, which spicy marinaded pork also grilled and served on top a bed of rice. This was also a recommendation from the nice man and coincidently was something that I totally would have ordered for myself. The pork was also nice and tender, served in an extremely hot ceramic bowl. The sauce at the bottom was actually bubbling it was so hot, which was perfect for keeping my meal warm throughout the entire sitting. Mine has a nice spicy heat to it which for me was perfect. I could see some people thinking this was too spicy but for me it was perfect. I also know lots of people who would probably find this mild too though.

 

 

Overall I was really happy with our food and I would come back. J was a little more disappointed that we didn’t get the full experience of cooking ourselves but he never cooks so I guess there is some sort of novelty there for him. I am fine with someone else doing it for me.