I’ve heard that for people who live in Seoul, Hanilkwan is a restaurant tied up with childhood memories, but since I’m not a Seoulite myself I can’t really speak to that. Still, it’s one of the restaurants that represent Korean cuisine, so it had always been on my list of places to try. Then one day, purely by chance, I was out in Yongsan to buy some music gear when a last-minute meetup call came in, and I got to go. Funny how these things happen ^_^v Lucky~
The new Hanilkwan is near Sinsa-dong. The interior is really clean, and the staff’s attitude to service is on a completely different level from your average Korean restaurant. It seems like a great concept for dropping by casually when the family has an occasion to celebrate.
The bulgogi grill plate
All shiny and pretty. Apparently this place normally has a lunch menu that’s excellent value, but since this was around Seollal (Lunar New Year) there were only special menus. So we ordered à la carte. It was a meetup with quite a few people, so we got to try a wide range of dishes.
The basic table setting
The side dishes are neat and tidy, but what I especially like is that the spoons, chopsticks and bowls are brass.
Lettuce and vegetables
Gejang
Small, sure, but delicious.
Putting the bulgogi on the grill.
The aroma, the taste, the atmosphere: all exactly to my liking. Usually when a restaurant moves or gets bigger, the food slips or the service gets worse. Of course I have no way of knowing what it was like before, but I didn’t sense any sign of that at all.
Looks like the bulgogi is done.
None of the underwhelming feeling I had at Bogeonok a few days earlier. This is high-level bulgogi. The price is a bit above everyday level, but even taking that into account it’s plenty delicious. From now on I think I’ll just order samgyeopsal when I go to Bogeonok…
Stir-fried octopus with somyeon noodles
Great with beer.
Mung bean bindaetteok
Not sure I’m remembering this right…
Seafood pajeon
Generous with the ingredients. It was so good I wolfed it down.
Once the bulgogi is finished, in go the naengmyeon noodles.
This is the real delicacy ^_^
And then, following Epicure’s code, we ate a proper meal course even after all that. It’d be a shame not to..
Mandu-guk (dumpling soup)
Plenty of places make good dumplings but can’t get the broth right, yet this place, despite not being a mandu-guk specialist, did it really well. It reminded me once again that a reputation isn’t earned for nothing.
Bibim naengmyeon
I didn’t steal a bite so I can’t vouch for it, but I think they said it was good..
Mul-naengmyeon
Like the mandu-guk, the broth was rich and well extracted. The thin, chewy noodles were good too.
Sujeonggwa (cinnamon-ginger punch) served for dessert
The epic lunch is finally drawing to a close..
Hangwa (traditional Korean confections)
Overall, every dish was of a high standard. I doubt you’d be disappointed whatever you ordered. It made me think: so this is the strength of tradition. It’d be a great place for a family occasion or when friends from abroad come to visit. If my office were right in front of it, I’d drop by for lunch all the time ^_^; I hope it carries on as one of Korea’s flagship hanjeongsik restaurants for years to come.
P.S. Even after all that, we weren’t satisfied with the dessert that came with the meal, and moved straight on to a second round for dessert. Meetups around here are always like this ^_^