Cuisine: Korean
Hipster Jr. wanted Korean food. It was her birthday after all. We searched the usual haunts in Koreatown and the surrounds. But, being Mr. Hipster, it was hard for me to pick an overly-bright, prototypical Korean joint. No, I needed something that felt warm. And — dare I say — cool. Let’s start with the most second-wave-emo-named Korean restaurant ever: Her Name is Han. Amazing!
You know what was also amazing? The food! For those who are counting, that’s two (2) exclamation points in the span of three sentences. That has to be some kind of record. And, ultimately, that’s what you look for in your restaurants. But it’s also nice when the place actually tries to be something. To do something more than create a rudimentary food experience; merely a vehicle to bring out grub and dump it at your table. Instead, this intimate restaurant, with its concrete floors, worn brick, warm wood, wainscoting, pressed tin ceiling and moody lighting feels both homey and hip in equal measure. It felt exclusive in a way that you wouldn’t expect a relatively inexpensive Korean joint to feel. The service was attentive and on point. Ms. Hipster asked afterwards if I thought our server was a male model. I didn’t notice, but sure.
Now, we did go for lunch and not dinner. It looks like the dinner menu is a bit more robust — with more, pricier items on it. The lunch list is smaller, but relatively straight-forward and has all the classics. We started with a couple apps, the Han dumpling and the K.F.C. (Korean fried chicken). I don’t eat anything that is described as “boiled dumpling with pork, chive & onion,” but by all accounts they were tasty. I will, however, eat the heck out of “boneless Korean fried chicken with radish pickle & sweet and sour sauce.” They were like a fancy chicken nugget that hit the spot. For my main, I did beef bulgogi bibimbap. Mostly because it is almost a perfect food — up there with pizza and French fries. And Han’s version didn’t disappoint. Served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, along with a great, composed tray of all sorts of sides, it was not only good tasing, it was cool looking. The sides were numerous, but I recall kimchi, tofu topped with some sweet, soy-based sauce and crunch, potato salad, charred shishito peppers, green salad, soup and maybe a kitchen sink. The bibimbap was pretty prototypical, with a raw egg yolk on top, seasoned julienned veggies, soy-seasoned bulgogi and a heaping amount of white rice. Mix all that stuff up and you have the amazing richness from the egg, the hot from the beef and rice and the cold and crunch from the vegetables. It’s a delight. And there is a lot of it. Even sampling all the sides, it is more than enough food for a single human being. And all for $19. Which, in this day and age, is a total steal. Hipster Jr. Jr. had the same.
Ms. Hipster had the yuzu chicken noodle soup, which I thought might be a mistake (because I’m so biased in terms of bibimbap), but she said it was amazing as well. It’s described as “noodles with homemade chicken broth, boiled chicken, yuzu oil, chives, black sesame served with Korean spicy paste.” It’s like my grandmother’s soup (including the boiled chicken), but I imagine with tons more flavor. Hipster Jr. got the spicy gochujang marinated bbq pork. I feel like I saw some beads of sweat pop on his forehead, but he claimed he was fine. Again, another thumbs up on the review. All of these items came with a similar smattering of sides, which are a great treat to break up my absolute wolfing of my main meal. I also used chopsticks to try to slow myself down. It didn’t help, honestly. What it all comes down to is checking boxes. Cool space. Check. Good food. Check. Decent service. Check. Great food-to-value ratio. Check. Check. Check.
17 E 31st St. (bet Madison and 5th Aves.)
212/779-9990
hernameishan.com