This post is embarrassingly late, as we visited the-awesomely-named Jang Bang… last December. Named after the Jang brothers who own the bar, we stopped in last year to try their Korean Taco sampler plate. As a fan of both Korean food and tacos, I was curious to see what the hype (since 2008!) around Korean Tacos was, made famous by L.A’s Kogi BBQ truck.
Taco Sampler: Beef Bulgogi, Spicy BBQ Chicken, and Spicy Pulled Pork
The three tacos on offer as a sampler plate were beef, chicken and pork based. The beef bulgogi taco topped with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, Korean “salsa rojas” and sour cream was our least favourite – only because the flavours were overwhelmingly Korean, and not particularly taco-like. It felt as though we swapped a bowl of rice for a taco shell.
Next up was the barbeque chicken (dak galbi) taco, with pickled carrots, daikon, asian pear guacamole and cilantro. This taco combination worked well, and reminded us of Peking Duck wraps. Since our visit, Jang Bang has added an vegetarian option, swapping the chicken for crispy tofu.
Seconds! Dak galbi and Pulled Pork tacos
The third taco was our favourite, with pulled pork (apparently slow cooked in PBR) and topped with ginger sesame coleslaw and cilantro, had the best combination of flavours and textures, and definitely worth getting seconds.
The Jang brothers were really nice and genuinely interested in feedback on each taco, and what could be improved. Also, on June 2 Jang Bang is looking to add new tacos to their menu through a Tournament of Tacos, with pork belly (samgyeopsal) and braised beef (jangjorim) tacos in the running.
If you’re sick of lining up for tacos at the more hyped restaurants in town, Jang Bang is the place to go!
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Saturday Night, (too long ago) December 3, 2011
Jang Bang
430 College St, Toronto
