By: Sarena Akhter
Hello Foodies, We're back this week with multiple reviews, and hopefully, will push you to try them out before many of you have to leave before the summer break. We wanted to give all of you another new option to your pre-exam diet, and also recognize our amazing sponsor: Ozen!
Many may be familiar with the famous downtown location, Ozen Sushi (which we will make sure to get a dine-in of soon!), but for now, we wanted to focus on Ozen Korea, its equally successful sister location. Operated by the owner Shawn and manager Hana Kewon, Ozen Korea was established in June of 2016. For many, the Korean restaurant is a wonderful way for many to find a piece of Korea in the city of London—and what a fantastic addition it is! We were delighted to have had the opportunity to check out Ozen Korea earlier last week, and have the chance to order a variety of different items from their menu, including a few well-known staples such as their stone bowl bibimbap and their kimchi fried rice.
OZEN KOREA, 541 Oxford St. West
With the implementation of great sanitary practice (such as a bell to call for the server and large barriers between seats), we were able to comfortably eat inside for their newly allowed dine-in!
Sides
We also can never get enough of their sides below which include mixed veggies, kimchi, and sweet potato.
Spicy Seafood Pan Fried Noodle
Look at those colours! The seafood included shrimp, urchins, clams... you name it and it's there! If you're a huge seafood fan like our Director, Wendy, then you'll for certain love the texture and flavour of these noodles. The noodles weren't tough and reasonably chewy, and the broth was perfectly salted.
Kimchi Fried Rice
Call me a sucker for kimchi (because it's true), but my favourite dish by far is always going to be this simple but delicious dish. The yolk and the crunchiness of the kimchi are always one of my go-to's. Ozen was able to perfectly deliver that authentic kimchi flavour!
Pork Noodle Soup
With greens and a healthy (aka, lots!) of meat, the noodles were comfort food for our Director, Mylan, who is always going for noodles whenever possible. She was thrilled with how large the portion size was, and the vegetables were a great contender to the steamy broth, which was delightfully seasoned with just the right amount of black pepper to make it strong.
Stone Bowl Bibimbap
I admit I don't think there can ever be a wrong way of bibimbap, but Ozen showed me that there's definitely a perfect way! I think stone bowls, while you need to be careful when handling, make the rice and the vegetables just the right temperature for me to dig in. I loved that everything was fresh and that the beef was properly cooked. I'm definitely going back to try this again!
Thank you for having us!
Not only were we super happy with all our dishes, but we also have to hand it to the manager and all the workers at Ozen for giving us the amazing experience to try out their food. We loved every second, and we are also happy we could support our local Asian restaurants—especially now when solidarity among all our communities needs to be stronger than ever.
Additional Info
The location is available for pick-up, delivery, and dine-in and their hours of operation are:
• Monday to Saturday: 11:30 AM - 10 PM
• Sunday: 11:30 AM - 9:30 PM Remember that Ozen takes Western Foodies discounts at 10% off! They also have discounts involving cash only, which I'd definitely tell you to look into.
The restaurant is located at 541 Oxford St W, London, ON N6H 4L1 and also available for pick-up or delivery via UberEats.
*Disclaimer: Hours of operation and dine-in are subject to change. While London transitions into Orange, please make sure to stay safe and healthy and support your local restaurants in the way you believe is most safe for you.*
