Umji

I was meeting my mom for lunch before my son's doctor appointment (I can't believe he turned five months already!), and she suggested a Korean restaurant near her place. I won't turn down Korean food, so I agreed to meet her there.

Restaurant: Umji
Location: Scarborough
Meal: Lunch
Day: Monday
Son's Age: 22 weeks

The place is tucked away in a small plaza with a parking lot. The restaurant was not busy at all when I arrived so I had the choice to sit anywhere.

Accessibility: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since I parked right outside the entrance, I brought my baby in his car seat and placed him on the chair next to me.

If you are trying to avoid screen time for your baby, note that there are two TV screens in the restaurant playing Korean shows; however it is possible to face baby away from both of them. The washrooms are downstairs, so there is no way that a stroller could have gone down if I had brought it in, and there is also no change table.

That said, if your baby isn't particularly squirmy, you could potentially change diapers on the counter space if necessary. Despite the absence of a change table, I do appreciate that this restaurant specifically identifies itself as breastfeeding friendly.

I've never had any issues breastfeeding in public so far, but it's comforting to know that I am accepted and not just being silently judged. I know South Korea has a very positive and respectful attitude towards pregnancy, and I wonder if the treatment towards breastfeeding mothers is similar (truth be told, while my family generally applauds me for breastfeeding, there is a preference that I was more private about it - I've actually had an aunt tell me to nurse my son in a public washroom before, thank you very much). In any case, kudos to Umji for normalizing breastfeeding!

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The service was great! Our server was quick to take our order and bringing out our food, and was prompt in offering refills for our banchan. She was also delighted to meet my baby, and was asking my mom a lot of questions and giving compliments (she spoke in Mandarin, and I only know Cantonese - in South Korea, I noticed that many Koreans knew Mandarin as well). She also interacted with my son a lot, and he always loves meeting new people!

Food: ⭐️⭐️
I'm not sure if you've figured this out, but I really like Korean food. Obviously I've had a lot in South Korea, but I've also frequented several Korean restaurants throughout the GTA before my son was born. I can definitively say that this place had the worst banchan I've ever had.

The kimchi and the seaweed tasted like they were on the brink of going bad, if they hadn't done so already. The potatoes were kind of weird and not something I've seen in banchan before. I think the bean sprouts were the only thing that tasted okay, so when our server came to ask if we wanted refills on the banchan, the answer was a resounding no. The menu itself includes lunch specials, and I ordered the ddukboki.

I found the portion to be quite generous, and the ddukboki wasn't bad. It wasn't a standout either, but the fish cakes were nice and overall it tasted fine so I can't complain. Considering that the banchan is complementary, I would say that as far as the food goes, I would be okay eating here again, but it certainly wouldn't be my preference.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
For Korean food, there are several other places you could go that are significantly better. That being said, the accessibility is decent and the service is great, so overall this isn't a bad place to eat when you are bringing your baby.