Born Jook

Small takeout joint. Really interesting with has korean congee and rice cakes on the menu. The rice cake was really tasty. The congee (got the squash one) was a bit bland, but great for when you want something soothing.

Born Jook was never on our Mega Food Crawl list on this Sunny Wednesday… But it was such a pleasant surprise! I think Born Jook is like a little hidden gem waiting for people to discover.
For one thing, I am a sucker for home cooking (when no one really cooks at home, you ended up have the cravings for that homey feeling!) The decision between Black Seasame or Honey Squash Jook was easy since I don’t want to have black things stuck in my teeth for the rest of the day.
Born Jook’s version of Honey Squash Jook is a little different from the one I have at Seoul or any Chinese version of Jook. You cannot even realize that it is a rice porridge since everything was blended together to form like a creamy smoothie soup. The nuts and garnishes not only give you extra fibre but adding to the whole experience.
After the nice mother making us the Jook, the grandmother who was frying the pancake next to us just stuck one in front of us and signal EAT it! And pour hot sauce all over it… How can I say no? Thanks grandma!

I was naturally HOOKED when I got a sneak peek as this place had their doorway slightly ajar. It looked like a vision of some Japanese/​Asian independent Noodle Shop that is family owned and operated.
The décor and setup is completely Fusion as you see pictures of Korean Jook, Cake, Italian Spaghetti, Coffee while the wallpaper is faux red-​brick. There was 1 Korean women behind the ultra tiny Kitchen until an elder lady came from outside afterwards, both are friendly but it won’t show on their face but rather their actions. 3.5 *Star*
Apparently we got the Honey Squash Jook ($ 6) that Lauren got however it looks like this Squash Soup cost slightly more now but still considered reasonable as the Jook had some Seeds for a crunchy aspect compared to the Purée aspect of the Jook. It came with a small dish of Sour Slaw. A light warm home cooked meal from your Asian parents is how it felt.
When the elder lady came in we noticed she began to make something on the residential portable flat-​top which must be the Mung Bean Cake, but didn’t notice anyone else here so we thought maybe it was an outside order. She plated it and gave it to us comped, which was both a SURPRISE and GENEROUS. Maybe it’s that Korean/​Japan looking lady sitting beside me?

This place just opened up (a few weeks ago I think, May?) just next to the Baskin Robbins on the corner of Christie/​Bloor.
It’s a small takeout only joint, but they do have 5 high seats along one side if you want to quickly eat there.
The place serves up JOOK, which is Korean style rice congee = a sort of rice porridge base with various ingredients added.
Born Jook has a small menu (lots of vegetarian options!), everything costs $ 5 each:
Black Sesame Jook
Honey Squash Jook
Rice Vegetable Jook
Chicken Mushroom Bamboo Sprout Hook
Red Bean Jook
Noodles with Soya Bean Soup
I tried the honey squash jook, which came out looking sort of like butternut squash soup. It was pretty delicious, very hearty, lots of flavour.
At $ 5 a bowl, I will be back to try out some of the other menu options. I love that it’s original — I haven’t seen this stuff served up anywhere else in the city!