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Chodang Soontofu
Category: Restaurants Korean Korean [Edit]
5130 Dundas St WToronto, ON M9A 1C2
Neighbourhood: Etobicoke
(416) 234-1161
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
6 reviews for Chodang Soontofu
6 reviews in English
-
Review from Gloria H.
Mississauga, ON
1/6/2012
I'm surprised this place doesn't have more reviews, especially after its appearance in Toronto Life! Before I went off to college, my family would eat here at least once a week (although menu prices have increased by a dollar since a year ago). We've gotten to know the owners and the husband is super nice- when it was my birthday they gave me two pairs of socks, which was hilarious!)
I love this place because it's homey and serves great side dishes!
When you first sit down, they'll bring out fresh cold tofu with a soy sauce reduction- it's a great starter and the tofu is more firm than most of what you'll be seeing later on, which makes for nice variation.
The next side dishes (which some free with every meal, as in most Korean restaurants):
1) Kimchi: just your average kimchi, could be a little spicier, although the soon tofu makes up for that.
2) Bean sprouts: fresh, cool, and nice to cleanse the palate.
3) Pickled radish: Crunchy and yummy :)
4) Fried fish: THESE ARE SO GOOD. Although hard to manoeuvre with the bones, the taste is salty and crisp and it's one of my favorite parts about the meal!
After serving the rice and soon tofu, another side dish will come out- it's deep fried firm tofu with a sweet sauce on top, which is freshly made and tastes AMAZING.
If you order soon tofu, it comes with an egg to poach.
Here are the entrées I've had:
Soon tofu: In general, the soup base tastes the same, although spiciness varies every time (I end up requesting less spicy a lot)
-Mushroom: Great, wide variety of mushrooms that complement the texture of the soft tofu nicely and soak up the flavor nicely (as another poster said)
-Seafood: Decent amount of seafood, not as much as some other places though. The prawn and mussel in it are yummy though!
-Dumpling: My FAVORITE. Pleaseeee try this. The dumplings are tiny and delicate, and the dough/meat complement the tofu very well! Lots of dumplings in each bowl, freshly made too!
-Pork: Good, but I would recommend the mushroom or dumpling unless you MUST have pork.
Other entrées:
-Fried dumplings: Pretty good
-Tonkatsu: Thin but well fried, maybe a bit too much batter for some but I like it :)
-Soy bigi: Definitely an acquired taste, my parents ordered it so I can't say much about it.
Definitely give this place a try- it's well worth it! -
Review from Lee M.
Oakville, ON
4/25/2012
I LOVE soon tofu so I just had to try this place close to work. It's small with less than 7 tables. Don't come for the decor come for the tofu!!
We ordered seafood soon tofu, toasted dumplings and the bulgogi bento box. Got a free side of their fresh tofu. The sides included a generous mound of bean sprouts, a grilled fish and radish kimchi. The dumplings looked like they were made on site. Light and crispy skin with a meat filling and a garlicky dip. The soon tofu came super hot and sizzling bubbly goodness and the accompanying rice with crispy rice crust soup yum!! The fried tofu that came with the bulgogi and as a side dish is to die for! Light crispy batter surrounding a soft pillow of creamy tofu that melts in your mouth.... Bulgogi was a huge portion of beef and a horrible side of cooked salmon sushi. Stick to the tofu!! -
Review from Roma M.
4/17/2012
I visited Chodang SoonTofu with high hopes after reading the rave reviews on Yelp and Toronto Life.
In one sentence, Chodang has strong potential regarding their food but their service is a huge letdown. The restaurant is super tiny, with room for about 15 diners. There are posters everywhere regarding the health and their procedure of preparing tofu, which was interesting but neither here nor there.
I ordered the Mushroom Soon Tofu (I believe every Soon Tofu dish is $8) and it was overloaded with deliciously chewy assorted Asian mushrooms. The spice level was just okay, though the lady taking orders, and by taking orders I mean she walked over to the table and stared at us unsmilingly until we said something. I've never been to a Korean restaurant with service this brusque.
5 different banchan were placed on the table, including an egg in a bowl as a nice detail. There was a deep fried fish as well, but it was about 30% grease and 50% bones.
I would have loved to come here again, but I'm not sure I would return with the service the way it is. In an empty restaurant you'd think you'd get acknowledge when very obviously trying to get someone's attention. Not here. I gather she is the 'wife' as I never saw the husband anywhere. Hopefully this wasn't a one off case as a result of a marital tiff.Listed in: April Challenge: The Underdog, Soondubu Jjigae
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Review from Esther A.
Etobicoke, ON
12/13/2011
Chodang has good soon tofu but I find that the broth can be inconsistent. Some days a medium is medium and some days it's crazy spicy. I took a friend here because it's close to my home. She's Korean and asked for her soon tofu really spicy in Korean. Well it didn't come out spicy so my friend asked if it could be changed. The lady wo runs the front end flat out said no it could not be changed in a rude way. I find that the lady who runs the front end can be rude at times.
My favorite dish is the deep fried tofu. Their soon tofu is always fresh. Overall, the value for the meal is great for the amount of food you get for under $10. They serve a lot of ban chan (side dishes).
Also since they had the write up in Toronto Life, it has gotten a lot busier. They really need to hire some help because at times when I go in there, I find that the lady cannot keep up. So there are tables full of dirty dishes that need clearing, people waiting by the door, and she's running around serving customers. Some days the food takes forever to come out too. -
Review from Heather M.
11/22/2010
Wow! If you are on the hunt for some fresh tofu, this place is definitely it. Their Soon Tofu here is super fresh and has a deliciously silky texture that sort of melts in your mouth. We ordered the dumpling soon tofu, which came with purple rice, and these dumplings that could only be described as "cute". Really savoury and delicious.
We also ordered a bibimbap which was fantastic. No burnt chunks though. (usually I like those!)
Meal came with a ton of little appetizers, including two fried fish, pickled bean sprouts, kimchi bok choy (very garlicky!), deep fried tofu in a sweet soy sauce and sesame, and pickled daikon.
They also sell tubs of tofu - the silken one for $3, firm for $2.
They have one person in the back cooking and one person waiting the tables - she was not super friendly but got the job done.
Beyond that, come for the great food. What a great gem! -
Review from Erin K.
Toronto, ON
9/16/2010
Banchan
- Chodang's star is always the deep fried tofu. Quickly dipped in the oil, the outer layer is crispy and tasty, while the inside still has a great texture. Made fresh for every customer, the sweet sauce enhances the dish and it never comes out soggy.
Deep fried tofu topped with sweet teriyaki sauce, green onions & sesame seeds
- Fresh, chilled, firm tofu & soy sauce - wonderful texture & flavour
Chodang's deep fried and firm tofu are always great at showcasing how delicious their freshly made tofu is. If you like it, they sell it separately and sometimes soy milk too. I've taken home a jug of it in the past - no preservatives, silky smooth, and delicious. You need to drink it fast since they only use natural ingredients!
Mushroom SoonTofu is consistently my favourite, it is hearty with several different types of mushrooms and silken (soon) tofu. The mushrooms soak up all of that wonderful flavour.
You can choose mild, medium, or maximum spice. As a huge fan of the heat, I always ask for the max. Just crack your egg right in the bowl and enjoy it poached!
I've tried almost all of their bowls. My least favourite is their kimchi bowl, and my second favourite is the traditional Chodang SoonDubu bowl. While I enjoyed their seafood and mixed (which is beef & seafood) versions, call me picky but the lazy foodie in me doesn't like plucking the head off of the prawns, even though that's how it's supposed to be served. The seafood is quite good though, with mussels, squid, and prawns. Yum. Worth a try.
I have yet to try their dumpling bowl, their dumplings are quite tasty so I don't see how you could go wrong there.
Their soy bigi bowl is also tasty but the trek to Etobicoke is always for the soondubu. It's basically a bowl of ground soybeans, nice and thick. Great option for those who don't want to have the silken tofu soup, but like the taste of soy. I have had better biji-jang though.
Every bowl (kimchi in this case) comes with a stone pot filled with rice. The nice, purple-ish colour is from the wild rice. The bottom layer of rice is quite crunchy from the hot stone bowl so water (or in some other restaurants, tea) is poured into the bowl after most of the rice has been scooped out. At the end of your meal, you can just scrape up the loosened rice at the bottom and enjoy it, and drink some of the water too. Or drink it with your meal. Personally, I like mixing my soup with my rice and eating it together - then finishing off with the ricey-water but to each their own.
All of their products are freshly made with wonderful texture & flavour, and they use all natural ingredients - on a daily basis! Their silken tofu, firm tofu, and soy milk are all worth taking home if you like soy products. The owners are so sweet and happy, I love the service. The soup base is flavourful, and the side dishes are always tasty. Great for dinner now, even better in the winter when you want a soup to escape from the cold.
Kachi
I found Kachi's soondubu soup on the oily and watery side. The broth was lacking a deep, rich, flavour and their tofu wasn't as tasty. They're known for their pork bone soup anyways (which I don't think is that great either, to be honest).
I've been to Buk Chang Dong several times for SoonTofu as well. It's a solid bowl, and far more convenient for me since I live downtown. They have good side dishes and I've tried just about every soontofu on their menu. I always order the combination bowl, the first item on the menu. Yum! It helps curb my cravings when I can't get down to Chodang.
Wonjo also makes a solid bowl. The quality of the broth and the amount of meat given are similar to Chodang, but I personally prefer Chodang's silken tofu. What can I say? The freshness and texture can't be beat and I love, love, love the owners. While not horrible, Wonjo's interior could use a little retouching when compared to Chodang. However, Wonjo's consistently receives rave reviews, so it may just boil down to personal preference (as it often does!). Wonjo is a good deal for a wider variety of soups at a decent price. I've tried their Korean beef stew (Gomtang) and Korean ginseng soup (Samgyetang), all tasty for less than $10.
As for Chodang, I will admit I've never ventured past the left side of the menu - I'm so addicted to the soup that the idea of ordering katsu, teriyaki, or tempura seems like a waste of a trip. I've tried their table cooked stew called "Chodang's Best" which, shamefully, I don't really remember (which to me means that I didn't like it more than the soontofu).
At $7.08 this meal is a great deal
Again, everyone has different tastes and look for different things when it comes to soontofu soup. There are so many ways to tweak it (just look up some recipes, and you'll see what I mean). Not everyone is obsessive as I am when it comes to hunting for the best bowl of things like soondubu soup
