Hanjoo 12-22-2012

Location: 12 St. Marks Pl
Time: 3pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: It is about time a legitimate Korean restaurant opens its door in East Village. Near all the glitzy Asian restaurants and body piercings on St. Marks, this Flushing based Korean establishment offers serious K-Town/Flushing style presentation. Without any hipster flair or popular noodle only menu in the area, Hanjoo stands strong with an enormous and satisfying meal.

Many restaurants in K-Town can sometimes cost you up to $40-$50 per person, but at Hanjoo, three very large dishes and a never ending full array of pan chan cost us about $45. They even added a complimentary steam egg custard, and my stomach was ready to explode.

The service is excellent here, and the staff is never without smile and quite attentive. The spacious floor is ideal for group dining, and they are well prepared for young kids. If you never tried Korean food (What's wrong with you?!) or less knowledgeable about Korean dining, the staff is more than ready to educate you on every dish. Needless to say, every table is equipped for pork belly BBQ.

The "Dumplings + Neng-Myun" ($13) was excellent, and the leftover lasted me about three days. In the brisk weather, these icy cold noodles might not be appropriate, but the crispy vegetables and chewy noodles were refreshing. As the mountain full of Jap Chae ($9.95) arrived, the strong, delicious aroma of sesame soy sauce lingered our table. It was chewy and boldly flavored, and the taste got even better the next day.

"Squid Bok-Em" ($19.95 sliced squid and vegetables in spicy sauce) was piled high with massive and well cooked chunks of squid. The amount of heat was ideal, and the noodles were perfectly chewy.

With solid food, hefty portions and quality service, Hanjoo conveniently brings the Flushing flair to St. Marks. Sure, K-Town may have better options, but it is always nice to be able to avoid above 14th street on weekends.