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Cocodak:

Ditch the Chicken

RESTAURANT ASIAN KOREAN CONCORDIA GHETTO <$40

The Pitch

The Western part of downtown Montreal – officially known as Shaughnessy Village – has long been a haven for Asian restaurants.  More recently, it also welcomed an explosion in fried chicken, echoing an overarching trend across all North America.  Today, I picked up some takeout from a spot checking both those boxes – Asian and fried chicken – from Sainte-Catherine Street West's Cocodak.

tagged:  TAKEOUT

The Food

Food Image

The three-year-old eatery's menu features a prominent section of fried chicken in several permutations followed by other Korean staples such as bibimbap and other rice bowls followed by various noodles.  An abundant choice of made-to-share appetizers is also on offer, from imperial rolls and dumplings to tteok-kkochi (rice cakes) and gimbap (Korean sushi).

Fried Chicken thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$13.99

$13.99

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Fried Chicken

With an entire menu page dedicated to fried chicken, I had my hopes up.  Alas, Cocodak's is quite dry on the inside, overly crispy and frankly tasteless.

Sweet & Spicy Fried Tofu thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$8.99

$8.99

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Sweet & Spicy Fried Tofu

A loaded handful of tofu cubes were fried to a semi-firm consistency while remaining soft on the inside, and swam in a mildly-spicy, sweet vinegary sauce.

Deep-Fried Shrimps thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$6.99

$6.99

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Deep-Fried Shrimps

Five shrimp fingers were encased in a beautifully-crispy batter and retained their natural sweetness and snappy texture.

Bulgogi Udong thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$14.99

$14.99

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Bulgogi Udong

A mound of thick, pleasantly-squishy noodles was stir-fried with tasty strips of beef and coated with a sweet/savoury sauce.

Tuna Mayo Gimbap thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$10.99

$10.99

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Tuna Mayo Gimbap

While not as famous as its Japanese cousin sushi, gimbap does hold its own.  This version satisfied with crunchy veggies and a creamy tuna salad.

Fried Shrimp Spicy Mayo Gimbap thumbnail (click to enlarge)

$11.99

$11.99

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Fried Shrimp Spicy Mayo Gimbap

This inside-out iteration of rice and seaweed rolls was less successful than the one above due to a predominant sweet taste and excessive mayonnaise.

tagged:  GOOD FOR SHARING

The Verdict

It's hard for any Asian restaurant to stand out in this stretch of Sainte-Catherine Street unofficially known as Chinatown 2, considering the number of eateries on hand compounded by their high turnover rate.  With its temporary-looking, barely-noticeable canvass banner in front and its subpar KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), Cocodak might not have enough to rise above the surface.

Granted, I had better luck with the rest of the menu both tonight and on a previous occasion last year; overall, taking everything into account, I would award this Korean eatery a passing grade.

tagged:  PLAN B.

Price per person:  $24.23

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514eats

Montreal restaurant and bar reviews brought to you by two regular guys who like to eat and drink.  We will go anywhere and we will say it like it is.

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