Myung Ga Mandu: Korean dumplings in Coquitlam
I like to rotate where I do my grocery shopping and if we are looking for Korean ingredients, we like shopping at the big H-Mart in Lougheed. Often times, we like to eat around the area before we go because it is a dangerous game to go grocery shopping while hungry ๐.
One of the spots we often go to before shopping at H-Mart is Myung Ga Mandu. It is located in the same shopping complex as H-Mart (directly across from the parking lot) and they are known for their dumplings!
Here is what we like to order for a simple and affordable meal at Myung Ga Mandu.
The vibe
The interior of Myung-Ga Mandu is pretty simple. It looks like a hallway with tables and chairs on the left side and their kitchen/counter on the right side. It is relative dark inside (dark walls and floors) but the tables are spacious and can fit 4 people per table (lots of room for 2 people).
Food comes out pretty fast and they also have a freezer where you can buy their frozen dumplings.
Food review
Prices are rounded to the nearest CAD.
Half & half dumplings ($12)
We have to start off with the dumplings! We like ordering the half & half dumplings, which comes with 4 pieces of pork dumplings and 4 pieces of kimchi dumplings. They bring it out quickly on a steamer with some sauces for you to dip them in.
It is easy to differentiate between the 2 fillings because the kimchi dumplings look more red through the semi-translucent dumpling wrapper. I thought I would like the pork dumpling more because it has meat but I actually prefer the kimchi dumpling because it has a bit of a kick without being too spicy for me.
Overall, really juicy and nice dumplings!
Mini kimbap ($6)
The first time I came to Myung-Ga Mandu, I really wanted to try their mini kimbaps because I heard mini kimbaps were addicting (this was before I actually visited Gwangju Market in Seoul). $6 is not a bad price for Vancouver but I didn’t get that “addicting” taste I was looking for. It tasted a little bland and I would actually just prefer to get my kimbap from Kimbap Cheonguk a block away.
Sliced rice cake & pork dumpling soup ($16)
On the menu, they list this as a “specialty” item so we ordered it. Out came a huge metal bowl of soup with rice cakes, pork dumplings and some noodles. The portion size is definitely enough for 2 people to share – I don’t think I can finish it on my own.
The broth is just a house broth (they don’t really explain much about it), but I find it comforting and homey. I found the rice cakes to be a good filler and added a nice chewy texture, but didn’t add much for taste. The pork dumplings are the same ones but in a broth, they are more soupy.
I think this is a pretty healthy dish and nice on a cold rainy day.
Pork cutlet ($17)
We ordered this thinking it might be nice to have leftovers as lunch the next day. It came as a pretty decent portion because there are actually kind of 2 cutlets layered on top of each other. On top of the cutlet, they drizzle some sweet and sour homemade katsu sauce and it is served with rice and a coleslaw salad.
Rice and coleslaw is a little meh but the cutlet was tasty! I liked the sweet & sour sauce and the cutlet was fried well. For $17, I think it’s a reasonable price.
Final thoughts
Loewe’s rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Everything we ordered is under $20 which is a good price point if you are looking for a simple and cheap-ish dinner.
Out of everything we had, I definitely recommend the dumplings since it is what they are known for. They offer their dumplings steamed and also fried if you like more of a crunch. The best bang for your buck is definitely the rice cake soup as it also comes with dumplings.
They also have some combinations that come with other snacks like tteokboki, fish cake soup, blood sausages so you can try a variety of snacks/appetizers. And they have a selection of cold and chewy noodles for the noodle lovers out there.
All in all, worth a visit if you are looking for a cheap bite and you like dumplings!
Sincerely, Loewe