When I’m out for a meal I take pride in knowing the customs of the cuisine I’m eating.
At dim sum, for example, you flip the lid of the teapot to indicate you’d like more and you wrap your knuckles gently on the table to say thank you when the tea is poured. When eating a shared meal with chopsticks, turn the sticks around in order to serve a morsel destined for someone else. This way, the ends that touch your mouth do not contaminate the food.
These little insights are accumulated over time, of course, and some lessons are harder learned than others.
My first experience with sushi involved popping a grape-sized portion of wasabi into my mouth to chase a piece of sashimi. Within seconds, it felt like the entire pantheon of nether-worldly demons that populate the pages of Japanese manga was waging war inside my nasal cavities. Would that someone more knowledgeable had been there to advise me.
Someone like my server at Hanok Korean BBQ, for example, where I recently enjoyed a fascinating meal.
I am a Korean barbecue novice, it turns out, and, when presented with the colourful and uniquely flavoured array of sauces, pickles, and garnishes commonly associated with this style of cuisine, I found myself staring at the table with little sense of what to do next.
Luckily my server had a keen eye and trained palate and was able to guide me through both the menu selection process as well as a short, best practices overview of how to enjoy the Korean barbecue experience.
Hanok, which took over the space once inhabited by another Korean restaurant, Kyung Bok Palace, in March, has outfitted the larger tables that occupy the back of the room with built-in grills and individual, overhead ventilation hoods.
This custom infrastructure will become operational at the end of April and will surely transform the already busy restaurant into a North Shore specialty destination. For now, barbecue is prepared at the table via small, round, gas-fired grills that quickly sear various meats and vegetables and fill the room with enticing scents.
The Hanok ownership has transformed the old space nicely. The new restaurant is bright, immaculately clean and modern. Tables are set with elegant, brushed metal flatware and condiments are served in matching vessels; a heavy, lidded, pewter-like bowl containing rice would not seem out of place on the shelf at home serving as a jewelry box.
Hanok’s menu is a lengthy read. The first several pages outline multicourse, set menus of varying size and complexity. Regrettably (but understandably), the set menus, which offer an excellent cross-section of house specialties, are only available for two or more diners. As I was eating alone, I resolved to try the taster menu on a future visit and, on the recommendation of my server, opted instead for barbecued top sirloin.
As it happens, even the barbecue selections come with several bonus dishes and I soon found myself tucking into a bowl of velvety smooth and faintly sweet yam soup. Next up were three ramekins of traditional pickles, including spicy and pleasantly sour kimchi, gamja jorim, or cubed potatoes with soy and garlic, and a second cabbage preparation, which had the tang and crunch of the kimchi but not the red chili paste heat.
The aforementioned rice had a purplish hue from the addition of red mung beans and featured a variety of other pulses, providing a novel alternative to plain white rice, which is also available on request.
With the arrival of a plate of raw garlic cloves, sliced green chili, a basket of Romaine lettuce leaves and two dipping sauces, the stage was finally set for the barbecue.
My server brought a small grill to my table and deftly seared about a dozen morsels of nicely marbled sirloin, sliced mushrooms and a large ring of white onion. The cooking process took no more than five minutes (I like my beef on the rare side) and soon I was in assembly mode. Meats are grilled unseasoned, so the condiments are an integral part of the flavour experience.
I was particularly taken with one of the dipping sauces, which was made of garlicky, spicy fermented soy bean paste with chilies. I was happy to just dip morsels of beef and mushroom into the sauce between mouthfuls of rice, but my server dropped by and diplomatically told me that the dinner components are best enjoyed wrapped up, in varying proportions, in the lettuce leaves provided.
This was a helpful insight indeed and certainly facilitated the passage of multiple flavours at once into my eagerly awaiting mouth.
I sipped well-chilled soju as I enjoyed my meal, the crisp and clean, neutral rice spirit cutting through the rich flavours of the barbecue.
Dessert, included with my menu selection, was a curious creation of red bean jelly served with a side of chilled, lightly sweetened, clear rice water. It was an enjoyable and light finish to the meal and a novel combination of textures.
My meal was $49 before gratuity, including a 375-millilitre bottle of soju.
Hanok Korean BBQ is located at 143 West Third St. in North Vancouver. 604-987-3112
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
