Opening | Toki: cute Korean counter

Notice to lovers of Korean street food: Toki, a cute little Korean counter, offers some typical dishes and especially an original creation, kimchi poutine. Located a stone’s throw from Concordia University, the little pink address opened in December quickly attracted student customers, with its attractive plates at low prices (less than $15, several options for less than $10).

Be careful, we don’t do great gastronomy here, but Toki (“rabbit” in Korean) instead offers comforting and nourishing dishes. Think: tteokbokki, a bowl of fried rice cakes (tastes suspiciously like gnocchi) in a red chili sauce, accompanied by sausage skewers; fried chicken (gnag jung); and the famous and popular kimchi poutine, a signature Korean poutine dish, spiced with wasabi and chili powder paste. Everything is served in cardboard dishes, to take away or to eat on site, along a small counter or at one of the three small tables. To drink: we suggest various milk drinks, flavored with mango, strawberries, or why not dalgona, this Korean cookie popularized in particular in the series Squid Game.

It is to the couple formed by Yukyung Kim and John Oh (also behind Thé Bora, rue Monkland, and the late Kiwa, in the same street) that we owe the cute address, which is worth the detour if only for its decor, its posters and its rabbit toys in abundance, in a room which was once a simple storage space. Fans of Korean culture in general, and K-pop in particular, know that we also find here some products derived from the mascot of the popular girl group NewJeans (a rabbit, you guessed it!).

Open Monday to Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m.

1411 Pierce Street, Montreal