A friend who lives abroad came to visit Korea for the first time in ages, so we had dinner together. After some back-and-forth about where to go, we settled on Hanilkwan, the flagship of Korean cuisine.
Starters
Is the porridge standing in for soup? It was the first thing I polished off.
Octopus with somyeon noodles
It’s clean, tidy Korean food, and honestly it’s not easy to find a Korean restaurant this refined.
Gujeolpan
For all the fuss of eating it, the taste was just so-so. The truth is, when you order a course at a place like this you usually go for the one with fewer dishes unless you’re a big eater, and the fewer the dishes, the cheaper the price and the more likely you get filler. I couldn’t help thinking the best way to do a place like this is to go with 3-4 people and order à la carte.
Seasoned salad
You get this sort of thing too.
Bulgogi
Bulgogi means Hanilkwan, right? The meat was good quality.
Side dishes
Naengmyeon
For the main meal I ordered naengmyeon and was happy with it. But I wasn’t that thrilled with the course, so next time I go I think I’ll just order what I actually want to eat.
Tea
A cup of tea after the meal is a must.
Dessert
It’s a proper, formal restaurant, so dessert comes out too.