Among Asian cuisines, Korean is one my favourites. Less oily than Chinese, with some of the freshness of Japanese and without the heaviness of Thai, Korean has an intensity of flavour all it's own. Guru's version of Korean cuisine fits the bill with strong flavours, heat and variety of dishes.

For those of you who are not familiar with Korean dining - here's a quick overview.

• It's spicy - a main component of the cuisine is spicy soybean paste. It's indispensable for giving Korean dishes their unique flavour and heat.
• Beef - Koreans love their beef. Most famously, the table top beef bbq (bulgogi), but also lots other beef preperations, like shortribs (kalbi).
• Next, soup (gook, chi-gea or tang) - usually hot and spicy - I like the ones with fish and tofu - the perfect hangover food. An interesting note, in Korea, it's not unusual to share soup with your friends. 
• Pancakes (pajun) - These wonderful crispy, but hot and tender treats are the best. I tried making them at home once and it was a total disaster - somewhere between a crepe and an omelette, often served with green onion and seafood toppings.
• Rice - well not just rice, rice with everything on top of it - like the classic Bibimbop, rice served with seasoned vegetables with an egg on top. Just before eating you pour fish consommé on top to make a stew - a  very satisfying dish.
• Spicy pickled cabbage - Kimchi . A strong flavour, if you don't like it immediately, most people find it grows on them.
• Kimchi is usually served as part of the Banchan service - delicious little side dishes (usually, but not exclusively vegetable) that are served at every meal.
• Soju - a distilled liquor, as common as wine on restaurant tables in Korea.
• Korean people use narrow metal chopsticks and a spoon as table setting. You will get used to them, but in the interim you may also find them difficult to use. The smooth metal is very slippery - but very food safe.

Upon arriving at Guru, we were seated promptly and tea was served. The space, formerly an Italian restaurant, is large and attractive. In contrast, to it's former incarnation many of the tables are now set up to accommodate the Korean BBQ equipment.

We weren't seated long before we were assailed by the exuberant owner of the restaurant. I didn't think we looked confused, but he seemed committed to helping us select our dishes. While some might interpret this behaviour as overbearing, as a rule I like people sharing their expertise and for the most part the meal is always better for it. He offered to bring his selections - he asked if we liked spicy food and if we wanted beef or chicken. He commented, that it was Sunday, so we shouldn't eat too much and he would scale back the portions and charge us accordingly. A great offer, since when dining as a twosome in Asian restaurants, it's sometimes hard to get a proper selection of dishes.  As he walked away from the table, he announced that the food was coming quickly - as if to prepare us for an onslaught.

It did indeed arrive very quickly. The first was a green onion panjun. A small portion, perfect for a first course. Before we had quite finished eating the panjun, the rest of the meal arrived. We received an order of kalbi, the thinly sliced and heavily marinated, grilled beef short ribs and a spicy noodle dish with scallops, prawns and squid. We were delighted to see care taken in the presentation of the seafood and the dishes as a whole. To accompany our meals, we were served  white rice, kimchi, sesame bean sprout salad and a caramelised potato side dish. Overall, all the dishes, were fresh, hot and well-prepared.

As is my tradition, I asked for some soju to drink with our meal. I was offered regular soju, which our server described in a fairly derogatory way as vodka-like, or bek soju a lower alcohol version, infused with various aromatics. While, I've had both, we went for the bek soju.  A nice light, albeit alcoholic drink, it's a fun way to make your Korean dining experience more festive.

Since we weren't ordering off the regular we didn't know how much anything was going to cost. We were pleasantly surprised when the bill came and was only $50, inclusive.

We left the restaurant feeling full, but not disgustingly so. Being able to go for Asian food and leave without guilt for eating too much is a treat. If you're not familiar with Korean, I would highly recommend giving it a try and Guru is certainly an good place to experiment.

value of food 81/100

quality of food 79/100

service 84/100

wine and beverage 66/100

ambiance 79/100

average 78/100

reviewed April 17, 2006