Nongbu Korean Eatery

Korean restaurant On a side street off Whyte Avenue. Traditional Spartan décor. Ordered the chicken entrée and the mushroom enttee with beef added. Each meal was $ 18 each. Could have had more meat and vegetables. Each entrée is filed with noodles so I don’t understand why they add another side of starchy rice. Was tasty and some spicy but not $ 18 worth of ingredients. Staff very accommodating.

Nongbu offers up a different kind of Korean food from many other restaurants in town, not only in terms of appearance, but also in the food. The décor in Nongbu is an interesting mix of industrial and homey, with wood accents and roofing being used as a wall. My favourite part is the old-​school, black and white movies that are projected onto the wall. It’s a visually very appealing restaurant.
As opposed to the usual Bulgogi and Galbee of other Korean places in Edmonton, Nongbu takes more of a street food approach. The rice cakes are made fresh daily and are absolutely delicious. The perfect amount of chewy, spicy goodness. I’m also a fan of the lettuce wraps. They are a great dish to share. One of the best parts about Nongbu is the array of side dishes they bring with each main dish. There’s kimchi, and pickled radishes, and beans, and sprouts, and… so many. So good.

Great korean food, will be back next time we crave for korean. The ambiance feels homey.

The spicy Ddukbokki was so delicious i didnt care about the spicynr
Ess, and the lettuce wrap was tender asf, would come back again

This is such a nice place to just be. The décor is minimalistic and quasi-​industrial. It was quite busy for lunch time on a Friday (around 10 tables were filled) yet they were doing quite well with only 2 waitresses circulating and 1 waiter at the counter.
The whole experience is, in a word, Instagram-​worthy. The food is beautiful, the place is beautiful, you feel beautiful as you delicately pick out the cute and perfectly chewy DdukBoKki and loosen out delicious mushrooms that are permeated with rich sauce.
As I’m vegetarian, that’s the only dish I had, but the people I were with had loved the BinDaeDduk and DakDoriTang.
I highly recommend this place, perhaps not for a date, but on a platonic outing with a few of your most hip and stylish friends.

So in the last few weeks, I’ve been kind of on a Korean food kick. We decided to go to another Korean restaurant, Nongbu Korean Eatery. It’s located right off Whyte and Calgary Trail. There’s a bit of street parking nearby, and there’s always parking up and down Whyte if you don’t mind walking a bit.
The interior of the restaurant is really simple and clean, and they have a giant projection of a Korean movie being played. It has a really nice modern and clean feel to it. I often seen them on instagram and social media, and they definitely have a relatively strong online presence compared to other Korean restaurants. The menu is on the smaller side, and you won’t find your typical Korean dishes like B Bim Baab. They serve more Korean-​style street foods which are great for sharing.
We started off with some spicy DdukBbokki (chewy rice sticks). These are one of my favourite things to get. You can get a fried version that’s sweet, spicy, and crispy. The ones we got were served with a spicy sauce. It was really tender, and good! Not too spicy. Definitely a good comfort food, and really easy to share. I really want to go back to try some of their other snacks and street food! From the pictures that I’ve seen, the Korean crêpe and pancake look really good.
The other dish we got was the GamJaTang, which is spicy pork neck and potato soup, based off the recommendation of our server. It was actually pretty good. The broth is nice and flavourful. There was pretty generous amount of meat, but it was a bit difficult to eat. If you don’t mind getting your hands a little messy, then this is a great dish. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and really took in the flavour of the broth. Overall a pretty decent dish.
Our other main was one of their lettuce wraps (Ssam). We got the Bo Ssam which is the slow braised pork shoulder. This was definitely the star of the night. I think that all of their lettuce wraps are really good. The sauce, the meat, and the lettuce, all really comes together nicely. It’s also served with your traditional banchan, like kim chi, pickled radishes, etc). I’d definitely recommend getting one of their lettuce wraps if you’re having a hard time deciding.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at NongBu Korean Eatery. It’s a nice change if you’re looking for something other than your traditional Korean dishes. I really like the modern feel of it, and the simplicity of its menu and dishes. Again, I definitely recommend you trying one of their lettuce wraps! Even though the menu is small, there’s a lot of things to try, so try coming with a few friends so you can share multiple dishes.

Located off Whyte Avenue next door to Choklat, Nongbu is a two storey Korean restaurant serving up small plates and a few bigger sharing dishes. A small menu of Korean snacks and street eats, fresh hand-​cut noodles, and lettuce wraps are accompanied by popular Korean liquors, which is perfect for those looking for quick, late night eats. In talking with the restaurant owner, the menu will be changing frequently to reflect the seasons and current culinary trends in Korea.
Although the menu will change, the size will remain the same. The night started with the Mussel Kalguksu, which features fresh hand-​cut noodles ($ 13). Our thickly sliced noodles were soft with a slight bite and sat in a seafood broth with mussels, spicy peppers, and a handful of herbs. The clear broth had a pleasant briny depth and a slight kick of heat which I enjoyed.
Next up was the BinDaeDduk ($ 8), a mung bean pancake with a medley of vegetables and kimchi cooked into it. I’ve never had this dish before, and the texture of it actually took me by surprise. I had expected the mungbeans to be ground into a fine flour to make the pancake, but it turns out the beans seemed to be lightly macerated, giving the pancake a crumbly texture. The flavours were there, but I didn’t quite love the texture.
One of my favourite Korean street eats is Ddukbokki, a chewy rice cake in stick form. Nongbu gets their rice cakes daily from a local source to ensure that they are fresh and have the proper texture. If they aren’t fresh, they won’t be on the menu. Those of you who love them as much as me are in luck, because Nongbu serves them up three different ways! We first ordered the Fried version ($ 7.50) where the ddukbokki is cut in half, then fried and coated in a sweet and spicy sauce similar to gochujang. This was my favourite ddukbokki of the meal as it was flavourful and the outer skin was fried to a crisp, but the interior remained soft and chewy. Delicious!
The Royal Ddukbokki ($ 11) features long rice cakes cooked in a sweet and savoury sauce with slices of beef and vegetables such as carrots, onion, and shiitake mushroom. The sweet and salty sauce reminded me of the soy based sauce used to cook bulgogi beef. The rice cakes were tender and this was another great dish!
The next dish to the table was DwenJang Kalguksu ($ 11.50), another hand-​cut noodle soup. This version utilized a Korean bean paste to make the broth, and the noodles were topped with ground pork, enoki mushrooms, and some chili peppers. The broth had the same nutty flavour and cloudy appearance you would find in a miso soup. I personally preferred the Mussel version, but both were tasty soups that will easily fill you up.
Nongbu offers a few different ssam (lettuce wrap) dishes, so of course we had to order one for the table. Three ssam options (Bo ssam, ddukgalbi ssam, tofu ssam) are available on the menu, all which come in individual or sharing portions. The dish is accompanied by a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and 5 banchan dishes on the side. It’s definitely great value for what you get! We ordered the Ddukgalbi Ssam ($ 16 individual/​$ 30 sharing) which featured two ribeye patties with rice cakes inside. The dish came with cucumber slices, jalapeño, garlic, spicy bean paste and both buttercrunch and red leaf lettuce for wrapping. The meat patties were so moist and flavourful, and the small ricecake pieces inside gave the wraps a chewy texture from time to time. I really enjoyed this one and would easily order it again.
Kimbap (Korean sushi rolls) is another one of my favourite Korean street eats, and Nongbu offers them as a plate of 5 on their menu ($ 6.25). Alternatively, you can add one kimbap to any snack order for an additional $ 1.25 if you don’t want to tackle a plate of them. The kimbap on the menu can change daily depending on available ingredients, but it will always be a mix of vegetables and rice wrapped up in seaweed. Ours featured asparagus spears, pickled radish, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms served with a side of hot mustard sauce. The ingredients were fresh and the kimbap was a great snack to munch on.
The Gemma Roll ($ 7.50) reminded me of a gigantic springroll, as it is an eggroll with beef and vegetables wrapped up inside. It’s bursting with ingredients and topped with a sweet and savoury sauce — you want to eat this one quick before it gets soggy!
The last dish of the evening was the third of the ddukbokki offerings: the spicy ddukbokki! Short, chewy pieces of rice cake were coated in a dark, spicy sauce and topped with pieces of fish cake. This version is what I think of when it comes to ddukbokki purchased on the streets of Korea, so this is the most authentic of the three varieties. This plate was also delicious, but if I had to rank the three duukobokki dishes we tried that evening, it would be: fried, spicy, then royal ddukbokki!

Korean places are popping up left, right and centre these days. NongBu Korean Eatery is the latest entry. Surprise, surprise, it’s located where else but South side. At least this one is just off Whyte Ave.
We decided to check NongBu on a Friday evening and the place was busy. The interior is clean and simple with Korean black and white soap op’s projecting onto the main wall. We were sat upstairs, which I thought was pretty cool. I think they could re-​think some of their table layout though. Lots of unused space.
We had to wait a bit for a table but whittled away the time sitting at the bar and drinking some beer and soju. We never got to try the roasted corn tea that they supposedly serve when you first sit down. Sad face.
The menu is a short, concise one pager of snacks/​street eats, kalguksu and ssam’s. They’ve only been open for a week but the prices have already increased? Interesting…
— Seafood pa-​jeon ($ 8.50) — traditional Korean crêpe with shrimp, squid and green onion. I like the rustic, imperfect look of the pancake. It had a crispy texture and wasn’t greasy. The sesame dipping sauce it came with was delicious.
— Kimbap ($ 7.50) — chef’s daily kimbap creation made of rice and vegetables rolled in seaweed. The Korean version of sushi, I thoroughly enjoyed the kimbap’s. The sweetness from the sesame and crunchy bite from the vegetables was excellent. Look at all those fresh veggies (asparagus!) stuffed inside the rolls. The accompanying sauce (not sure of the name) complimented the kimbap well.
— DwengJang kalguksu ($ 12.00) — Korean bean paste and pork soup topped with ground pork and enoki mushroom. The fresh hand-​cut noodles were excellent with a chewy bite to them. The broth tasted similar to miso, but less salty and more flavour from the bean paste. A few slices of tender pork balanced things off nicely.
— Mussel kalguksu ($ 14.00) — seafood soup topped with mussels and vegetables. The broth was much lighter than the DwengJang but still flavourful. There were about six mussels in our soup along with a couple of green hot peppers. Eat one and you’ll experience a temporary flash of heat.
— Bo ssam ($ 32.00 sharing plate) — all ssam dishes come with two rice bowls, soup (same broth as the DwengJang) and banchan. We went with the bo ssam (slowly braised pork shoulder) that came with sliced garlic, hot peppers, cucumber, ssamjang and a tasty green onion/​onion side bowl. Apparently, we got the last one of the night!
The pork shoulder was doooope. Super tender, flavourful, the only disappointment was that there wasn’t enough! We found the portion pretty small for the price. They skimped out on the lettuce wraps, which should never happen. At Tofu House, you get better bang for your buck.
Overall, we were pretty happy with our meal. The service is a bit on the slow side and could use some work (they forgot about one of our orders and brought our pa-​jeon out near the end, when it should have came first). Blame it on opening week kinks. As well, they sold out of all their food by 9pm! What?!
Exciting that NongBu is offering a different perspective on Korean cuisine. Will be happy to go back and try more items next time.

Checked out the newest Korean place in town (off of Whyte ave) on Calgary trail on a Monday night.
No one wanted to cook so it worked out well. We were there around 7:30pm. Waited a few min as they were just waiting for a large table to leave. There is an upstairs area as well and the place is supposed to fit up to 90 people if they want (according to the building documentation they had on their wall).
There were 4 of us so we ordered the rolled noodle, seafood pancake, bo Ssam lettuce wraps (share order), spicy yet sweet crispy fried ddukbbokki to start. Food came out fairly quickly and was hot. Lots of ban chan with refills as needed with one rice and one soup per couple. It would have been nice to have a soup and rice each given the amount we ordered but that was okay.
We ended up ordering 2 more dishes as everyone was still a bit hungry. We went with the mung bean pancake and spicy ddukbbokki (rice noodle).
Overall, everyone really liked the crispy fried ddukbbokki! It was sweet spicy with a crisp to it! So good! Apparently the only way to get it crispy is to use fresh made ddukbbokki. We also liked the mung bean pancake, mainly because it came out super hot and was crispy. The Bo Ssam was good as well. If you haven’t had the opportunity to eat lettuce wraps here is your chance!
It has a good location so I am sure it will start to get more people coming by. Will be good to visit again in a few months when they have worked out their kinks, portion sizes and flow.

It seems like it was only yesterday that Joe and I were roaming around the small streets of Seoul, eyeing up street vendors and drooling over Korean food. Ever since last year’s trip, Korean food for us hasn’t been quite the same, but I’m happy to say that Edmonton’s newest restaurant, Nongbu Korean Eatery hit the spot.
Bringing Korean food and culture to the Old Strathcona neighborhood, the eatery is right on 104 St (Calgary Trail) and 81^st Ave and a prime location for some quick bites (with a beer or soju, of course!) or plates to share amongst a group of friends. Last week a group of us went out to try the new eats. Two floors provide ample seating and features a projection of old-​school Korean movies — there’s no K-​pop here! A roasted corn tea is served upon seating, something I’ve never tasted before and absolutely delicious.
The menu is on the smaller side and plates are ideal for sharing. Snacks and street eats are definitely a highlight and the ssam (lettuce wraps) offers a more filling meal. The BinDaeDduk was crisp, a mungbean pancake with vegetables and kimchi. I grew up with mungbeans, so the texture wasn’t an issue for me. I remember eating one twice the size of my face in one of Seoul’s biggest food markets, Gwangjang and the dish is on par, albeit less greasy (not a bad thing). The kimchi in the pancake was quite mild, perfect for those who can only take small hits of fermentation at a time.
The gemma rolls were unique, something I’ve never had before! A handmade eggroll filled with ground beef and vegetables and deep fried, a sweet glaze to balance flavours.
Kimbap was one of my all time favourite street eats in Korea! You could grab this almost everywhere you went for a quick, yet filling bite. Absolutely perfect, the Korean «sushi» is light on the palate and crisp pickled vegetables give it the perfect crunch. Unlike Japanese sushi rice, the Korean variety usually uses sesame oil instead of vinegar. Instead of ordering the plate (5/​$ 7.50), you can also add one roll to any snack for $ 1.25. They don’t nickname it «drug kimbap» for nothing!
The table’s favourite for the night? The ddukbbokki, chewy rice cakes made fresh and delivered daily, and made in a variety of ways — spicy, «royal», and fried. The spicy ddukbbokki had a nice hit of gochujang (enough for most diners I think!), although nowhere near what’s traditional in Korea (sooooo spicy I cried!).
The «Royal» had beef and vegetables in a sweet and savory sauce, perfect for those who can’t take any heat. My personal favourite: fried ddukbbokki. The chewy ricecake texture plus a crispy exterior for the perfect bite. Pair that with a sweet and spicy sauce and you have a winning dish. Beware though, once Nongbu runs out of fresh rice cakes, that’s it!
Another menu item that I’ve only seen in Korea: kalguksu, fresh hand-​cut noodles. In fact, there’s a whole alley full of shops that offer kalguksu in Namdaemun Market (appropriately named Kalguksu Alley). These were legit! The noodles had a great bite to them, and cut thickly enough to withstand a flavourful broth. We ordered both the Mussel (seafood soup with mussels and vegetables) and DwenJang variety (Korean bean paste and pork soup topped with ground pork and zucchini). I preferred the heartier DwenJang, richer in flavour from the Korean bean paste. Enoki mushrooms swapped out zucchini for that night.
All ssam dishes come with rice, soup (same broth as the DwenJang Kalguksu), and banchan (small side dishes, including kimchi, pickled radishes and vegetables). Nongbu was sold out of Bo Ssam, the traditional slow braised pork shoulder lettuce wraps and so we ended up ordering the DdukGalBi Ssam, a dish that owner John claimed as one of Korea’s newest food trend. When the ribeye was served, I was a little confused as the description said there was dduk patties alongside. Nobody else seemed to be concerned, but I’m all about the fresh rice cakes. Where are they?! Making a bite to eat with the accompanying lettuce (romaine and butter lettuce), rice, spicy savory sauce, and tender well-​marinated meat, I noticed something chewy in texture. The rice cake is actually inside the ribeye! That’s crazy talk. So yummy!
Ice cream bars make up the dessert menu: the Melona bar or the Pig Bar. I’ve seen the popular Melona bars in Asian grocery stores as well as Superstore, so I opted to try the Pig Bar instead. Describing it as the Korean «Neapolitan» popsicle is dead on — a strawberry centre with a vanilla ice cream layer and covered in chocolate with chocolate cookie nibs. Not overly sweet and a perfect ending to the night!
Service was excellent despite it being their first Saturday night and the busiest they’ve had to boot, a true test of their kitchen. The restaurant was packed throughout the night. Prices were fair, running ~$ 20 per person for a full meal.