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| Side dishes |
In Korean restaurants it is custom that they give small side dishes free of charge! Goodie, so you are allowed to have an unlimited refill so some people abuse this system when they are financially incapable, by ordering cheap dishes and making a meal out of the small dishes =D.
These usually come out first, so if you're really hungry, they become the first targets before the mains come out. As you can see, we were all quite hungry and dove right into them, with our orders joining us soon after. Sometimes I go back to a restaurant because their sides were memorable, even more than their mains. That's how important their role is!
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| Saeng Makkoli; Korean traditional rice wine made with Champagne fermentation process 750ml $12 |
This is Korean rice wine pronounced “Makgoli”. People tend to mix it with lemonade which results in a sweet rice champagne like taste. It accompanies heavy dishes because it has that feeling of assistance with digestion. I guess it has been just tradition and more authentic to drink it out of a bowl rather than a cup.
Not a huge fan of alcohol in general, but this I can tolerate. Definitely need to add a looooot of lemonade though! Considering we were both avid "milkshake" drinkers (Baileys with 3/4's of the glass filled with milk lol), we've come a long way.
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| Marinated beef ribs in a whole sweet pumpkin bowl (nornal/spicy) $40 |
My favourite dish from HANABI, this pork is so soft that it just lubricates your mouth (apologies to the people disturbed by this description lol!). We ordered the spicy version which unfortunately clashed with the other spicy dish so if you plan to order this make sure the other dishes are not spicy…It is perfection on it’s own with a fine balance of sweetness and spice. The accompanying pumpkin encasing the meat adds a gentle luscious texture and taste. Despite the accumulating hotness it was heaven~
One word to describe this: DELICIOUS! I actually went and had this again because it was that good, but ordered the normal one second time around. Have to say what makes the dish as great as it is, is the spicyness. Definitely opt for the spicy one because that is what captures all the flavours and produces this fantastic dish of tasty goodness! That is if you can take a bit of spice, as I thought I was pretty good with chilli food, but by the end of this, I was drinking countless cups of water lol.
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| Traditional Korean Pot Stew with fermented kimchi, whole potato and pork back bones $40 |
This soup is perfect for complementing drinking alcohol which is heavily embedded in the Korean culture. The meat was tenderly absorbed in the tangy flavours of the soup. We were too impatient with the potato and did not leave it long enough to cook, as they say patience is a virtue! It also includes rice cake which was kidnapped by everyone pretty early on which offers something to chew on.
This was my favourite dish when I went to Korea, I think they really do make the food best there, but this particular one was nice too. For a lot of people meat + potato make a pretty good combo, so adding a delicious soup and vegetables on the side, only give extra brownie points to an already tasty dish.
Hanabi
122-124 Liverpool St
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9262 7288
