Bap by Raon

Address: 124 Bank St, Ottawa
Hours: 11am – 2pm (Mon – Fri)
Website: https://www.raonkitchen.com/pages/bap-food-truck
Green factor: Bowl was compostable, as are chopsticks

The Bap by Raon Kitchen cart is a familiar feature downtown on Bank Street, slinging their Korean food to the office lunch crowd. I was off from work on a sunny spring day, so I made the trek to the concrete jungle to grab lunch.

Since “bap” translates to English as “cooked rice”, it should be no surprise that Bap specializes solely in Korean rice bowls. There’s a choice of protein – beef, chicken, pork, tofu – and several default toppings. All bowls are $11, taxes in. Being a lover of all things porcine, I went with the pork.

My bowl came out in shocking time, literally just seconds after I had paid. I added some sesame seeds and gochujang at the condiments section on the side, and walked up to the courtyard by the Bank of Canada to take in better views that Ottawa’s office towers.

The rice bowl was a colourful mix – yellow strips of scrambled egg, dark wood ear mushrooms, sautéed greens, fiery kimchi and the pork. A feast for the eyes, but would it satiate my taste buds as well?

Yes. Yes it would. I loved the combination of flavours and textures.  From the crunch and spice of the kimchi, to the silky egg and lightly funky mushrooms, the bowl had it all. The pork was tender and lightly spicy, and the medium grain rice was cooked perfectly for chopstick use.

Initially, I thought the bowl didn’t look like much, but it was very filling. Don’t be deceived, this will keep you going through the afternoon!

Bap by Raon is one of the best ways you could spend a tenner and loonie for lunch downtown – hearty, healthy and ready in a snap!