Hanjan
Danji was one of my favorite places last year so when I found out Chef Hooni Kim was opening up a new restaurant right in my neighborhood I was thrilled. Hanjan is very similar to the cozy Danji space except its a bit larger and sexier. I was hoping to get a seat at the wooden bar but it was already packed by 6:30 on Saturday so we took a seat at a two-seater in back. The menu is all Korean small plates so we set about ordering a bunch to share. To begin Pork Fat Ddukbokki.
The sauce on this rice and fish cake dish was awesome. It had a strong spice that seemed slightly sweet at first but then started to build up and left a nice tingle on my tongue. I've never liked rice cakes, and I still don't (it's a texture thing), but I was happy to leave those for Mr. T and eat the fish cakes alone. We ordered two kinds of skewers the first a BBQ Galbi...
Followed by the Spicy Pork Belly.
They were both great but the Galbi stood out as the winner. It was juicy with a nice little char perfect for topping with the scallion salad on the side....and don't get me started on lettuce cups...I love anything I can wrap in a nice green.
Our last plate was the Gwangju Market Fried Chicken. This came out fresh from the fryer and so incredibly hot we had to wait about 5 minutes to let the steam out. Once we did the salty exterior of the chicken had a fabulous crunch and the dark meat was chock ton of flavor. We needed to cool down a little from all the heat so we ordered Makegeolli, a milky, sweet rice beer.
This is a great place both for sharing drinks with friends or a casual date night. I don't think it's quite up to par with Danji just yet but I have high hopes it will be full stride in a few months. It's a solid addition to the neighborhood.
Hanjan
Followed by the Spicy Pork Belly.
They were both great but the Galbi stood out as the winner. It was juicy with a nice little char perfect for topping with the scallion salad on the side....and don't get me started on lettuce cups...I love anything I can wrap in a nice green.
Our last plate was the Gwangju Market Fried Chicken. This came out fresh from the fryer and so incredibly hot we had to wait about 5 minutes to let the steam out. Once we did the salty exterior of the chicken had a fabulous crunch and the dark meat was chock ton of flavor. We needed to cool down a little from all the heat so we ordered Makegeolli, a milky, sweet rice beer.
This is a great place both for sharing drinks with friends or a casual date night. I don't think it's quite up to par with Danji just yet but I have high hopes it will be full stride in a few months. It's a solid addition to the neighborhood.
Hanjan
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