1st Year: Dammnnn

First off… its damn hot as hell.

Now that SBH has gone through its first year I can see lots have changed. We’ve all grown, learning from our loses and triumphs. Its been hell of a year and we don’t expect the next year to be anything less. SBH would just like to thank all those returning customers… you all know who you are… and all future customers… who have yet to come experience korean food our way. Keep eating and “ssäm”ing.

Things coming up at SBH:

1) Sapporo on tap ($15 pitchers?)

2) More desserts introduced. Yeaaaaa… sorry guys we need to work on some korean treats (Yuza” Milkshakes?)

3) Seasonal menu change

PS: you guys take some pretty beautiful pictures. (props to Mr. Bernard Chan, these pics are awesome… come by for a Yuza Milkshake on me….. hehe)

The Good & the “Not So Good”

We learn a lot from feedback of these reviews/press and naturally one would say the big “f” you to the negatives, but of course we all have room for improvement. So here’s a look at the past year’s “good and bad” of SBH:

Our first ever review, about 2weeks in by infamous Corey Mintz:

http://www.thestar.com/living/restaurants/article/696187

Weekly lunch pick by TorontoLife:

http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/opening-daily-dish/2009/09/10/just-opened-swish-by-han/

“Just Opened” TorontoLife feature:

http://www.torontolife.com/features/swish-han/

Metro Newspaper by Stephanie Dickison:

http://www.metronews.ca/calgary/comment/article/380071–swish-by-han-korean-with-a-twist

Our online reservation site, OpenTable’s feedback/reviews:

http://reviews.opentable.com/0938/35890/reviews.htm?sortOrder=rating

Comedian/Food Enthusiast Jeffery Danson:

http://www.thatveronicavaughn.com/reviews/2009/12/7/swish-by-han.html

March 8th 2010: New Lunch Menu

Grillin’ at SBH

We’ve been asked countless amounts of times… “Do you have KOREAN BBQ?”

Finally, tomorrow March 5th 2010 we’ve officially added indoor Korean BBQ to our updated menu.

Come check it!

Spanish Mackerel Ssäm Set

New Dinner Menu

Large Party Set

Lunchtime "Bo Ssäm" Set

Set 1: $45 per person

1. Spicy pork neck tacos
2. “Bi Bim Bap” rolls
3. “Bo Ssäm” Special
4. Swish beef

Set 2: $50 per person

1. “Soo Yook” 48hrs braised beef shank
2. Spicy pork neck tacos
3. “Bo Ssäm” Special
4. Swish Beef

Happy "Bo Ssäm" to you!!!

Set 3: $55 per person

1. Spicy pork neck tacos
2. Rice cake medley with lobster and Korean blood sausages
3. “Bo Ssäm” Special
4. Swish Beef

Set 4: $60 per person

1. Soy-chili braised beef short ribs with horseradish mashed potatoes
2. Rice cake medley with lobster and Korea blood sausages
3. “Bo Ssäm” Special
4. Swish Beef

“Bo Ssäm” Night

10hrs Roasted Pork Shoulders

Hoisin, House Kimchi, "Ssäm Jang": spicy fermented soybean paste

"Bo Ssäm" Party

“Bo Ssäm” is a traditional Korean dish where steamed pork belly is served to be wrapped up in any leaf veggies, like red leaf lettuce and/or sesame leaf, and served with plenty of raw oysters. But steamed pork seemed a little boring to us. We replaced the steamed pork belly with a 4lb pork shoulder slow roasted for 10hrs (fall off the bone status). Raising the heat in the last 30mins gave the scored-skin a nice crisp and crackle. Accompanied by our house kimchi, hoisin sauce, and momma Han’s secret “ssämjang.”

How to eat SBH “Bo Ssäm”:

1) Grab a lettuce leaf.

2) Place any or all accoutrements (hoisin, kimchi, “ssämjang”) in lettuce.

3) Tear a piece of the shoulder, place on top of accoutrements.

4) Top the package off with an oyster.

5) Stuff into mouth.

6) Love life.

This is off the normal menu here at SBH, but can be reserved a day in advance (call 647-343-0268).

Birth is Ugly

A little background of the hellish processes of opening up SBH. 38 Wellington St. East  was originally Solferino Gelato & Cafe before we had taken over the spot, without the core of a standing restaurant (no exhaust, proper kitchen, and seating space), we knew we were in for a trek. We received the keys to the spot on January 15th, 2009, but hadn’t begun renovations until early February.

original paint color of the exterior (“Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese Orange”)

As some people may know, contractors cannot/must not be trusted. I won’t go into detail and complain ’cause this post will just ramble on and on about how everything/everyone working with us was ruining our lives. All in all, until we found Paul Mercer, Matthew Birtch, and all those over at SMASH Recoveries we were knee deep in assholes. So we’d like to give a long-awaited shout-out to them.

Anyways, here’s a look at the demolition.

Dining Room (front to kitchen view)

It basically looked like this for a good 3 months.

To the right: Reclaimed elmwood provided by SMASH,which is all the wood now invested in SBH.

At this point we started to feel a little bit better, even though it was May 2009 and our target date was to open in April 2009. Hardwood was installed and table were completed. The frame against the wall is now the bathroom wall partitions (notice the missing pieces, another thanks to asshole contractors).

Douglas fir bench is installed as well as the industrial light fixtures and chandeliers. Tables are formed and a thick layer of epoxy is coated. The scent of lacquer, epoxy, clear coat, and other highly toxic smells, still linger in my mind.

July 19th 2009, Swish by Han finally opened its doors… damn

We are…

It may seem a little late, but we have decided to begin this blog as an alternative to an actual website with all that “flash mumbo-jumbo,” annoying pop-ups, and ridiculous design quotes. We thought that blogging would allow us to share with the world our dream, philosophy, and day to day life here at SBH (Swish by Han). Our names are Leemo and Leeto Han, two brothers born in Toronto, Ontario raised in the “City of Brotherly Love” Philadelphia, PA (guess we can be categorized as Korean-Canadian-Americans).

We are food and our food is us. Although our cuisine here at SBH centers around the traditional flavours of Korea, we have travelled the world enough to accumulate a sizable amount of gastronomical knowledge, which we are trying to share with the world without bastardizing any particular genre of cuisine. Korea is the heart of our family, but our eyes have been opened up enough to know that, just like people, food can marry “interracially” and stay in harmony.

Leeto Han

Leemo Han

So why did it take so long to finally decide to begin this blog or have some kind of communication with this internet savvy world? Well during the process of designing a website we never seemed to be happy with any of the outcomes. Nothing was able to really express our voice and explain what we are trying to accomplish here at SBH. Plus we were starting to run out of menus to give away.

We’re here to portray the beauty of Korea, not just with the flavours, but with its culture, style, and… love for beer and “soju.” When we came back to Toronto for the first time in over 15 years, we saw the evolution of all the diverse cuisines ei: Vietnamese, Indian, Greek, Japanese etc.  But people still don’t have a clue of what “kimchi” is, but can walk into any sushi joint and be able to distinguish the differences between “nigiri” “maki” and “sashimi.” What have they done to allow the rapid globalization their nations’ food here in Toronto. So we came to a one word conclusion, PASSION. The passion to share, learn, and experience is not just a “one way street.” So hopefully we can become an outlet to globalize Korean cuisine and still stay respectful to our traditions.