Hanjeongsik
“Hanjeongsik is a full-course Korean repast amongst an array of savory side dishes. The most lavish of hanjeongsik traditional originated amongst the banquets served inwards the royal palaces or the homes of aristocrats. Usually the class starts amongst a mutual frigidity appetizer in addition to gruel, in addition to the primary dishes include dishes mixed amongst seasoning either grilled, boiled, steamed, fried, or salted. Hot pots are included every bit well, in addition to afterward the repast traditional punches such every bit Sikhye(sweet rice punch) or Sujeonggwa(cinnamon-persimmon punch) in addition to other desserts may live served. Actually the types or dishes served inwards the hanjeongsik vary significantly according to the flavor or region.”
Wednesday night, May 8th, nosotros met our friend, from the Captains Career Course's, mom. She is originally from Korea in addition to is hither visiting family. She took us to a traditional Korean Hanjeongsik mode restaurant. The eating theater is located off a primary street inwards Itaewon but has a bring upwards written solely inwards Hangul (the Korean alphabet). Under the Hangul lettering inwards English linguistic communication a description reads “Korean traditional restaurant.” It is located on Hoenamu-ro only downwards the street from the Grand Hyatt Hotel inwards Itaewon 2 dong.
It was the most unique dinning experience nosotros receive got ever had. The eating theater has private rooms separated yesteryear sliding doors amongst rice newspaper walls. You receive got your shoes off when you lot come inwards the room. There is a raised ledge you lot dorsum upwards onto thence take your shoes without touching the lower ground. When nosotros sat downwards at that topographic point were towels to launder your hands.
A squeamish matter nigh Korea, inwards contrast to Germany, is at that topographic point is e'er H2O on the table. You are never supposed to serve yourself a drink. You serve others in addition to refill their drinking glass every bit presently every bit it is empty. If you lot practise non desire some other glass, thence you lot practise non complete what is inwards your cup. When you lot function yesteryear something you lot e'er purpose ii hands. Whenever you lot purpose ane mitt you lot are suppose to engage the other mitt yesteryear putting it over your other elbow or something similar that. It makes for extremely polite interactions.
Back to our meal. Chopsticks is your primary utensil when eating inwards Korea. A fork is almost never an option. At this eating theater at that topographic point were metallic chopsticks. These are a lot to a greater extent than hard to swallow amongst thence the traditional woods chopstick, due to their non rounded shape, but mutual inwards nicer Korean establishments. There is also almost e'er a large spoon for broth. The apartment habiliment laid upwards was rattling squeamish at this restaurant, fifty-fifty having a minor stand upwards to residual the chopstick. So nice, inwards fact, that Thaddeus (who doesn’t frequently pay attending to details) fifty-fifty made a comment!
Our host ordered us a bottle of Makgeoli It is a traditional bottle of Korean rice wine, Makgeoli has a cloudy appearance inwards contrast amongst clear rice wines similar Sake/Soju. The ane she ordered had ginseng inwards it. It is rattling sugariness tasting in addition to has a milky appearance. Koreans are truly into Ginseng for wellness benefits. (They are also truly into wellness in addition to herbal healing) Ginseng is a root grown inwards the ground. The older the Ginseng is the improve it is for you. They receive got Ginseng every bit sometime every bit 200 years. A unmarried root of that historic menstruum grouping sells for over a ane thou one thousand dollars. A immature Ginseng root is nigh 6 years old. The Makgeoli was served to us inwards niggling cups much similar Sake.
The repast was arranged inwards courses AND nosotros had course, afterward course, afterward course. The nutrient was inwards communal dishes in addition to you lot took what you lot wanted in addition to placed it on your plate. It is almost impossible for me to retrieve everything. We also could non perchance had identified or known how to swallow a handful of things without having a native amongst us. Korean women waited on us the entire time, delivering each class fresh from the kitchen amongst perfect timing. The courses were also multiple dishes. A mutual agency of eating inwards Korea is to receive got a primary dish amongst lots AND LOTS of minor side dishes. The most mutual side dish beingness kimchi. There is nigh 200 ways to brand kimchi (at least.)
So allow me come across what I tin sack retrieve eating...
Our start class was a minor bowl of H2O kimchi. The greenish was a water-grown vegetable a lot similar kale in addition to it was served inwards pinkish vinegar based liquid. Accompanied amongst this was seaweed fulvescens porridge or seaweed soup. The seaweed soup was rattling strange. I wouldn't state it was bad but I wouldn't lodge it over again if I had the option. It had a pasty texture in addition to was rattling thick in addition to a niggling fleck stringy.
After that nosotros had a delicious salad amongst sesame seeds. Their traditional dressing is sesame based in addition to delicious. With that came rolls that looked much similar sushi but instead of seaweed on the exterior they were coated amongst a rice glue newspaper inwards brilliant green, yellowish in addition to pink. On a toothpick amongst the dish was a form of pistachio. These were rattling yummy.
The side yesteryear side class was drinking glass noodles made out of a sugariness murphy glue amongst mushrooms. These were delicious. We truly enjoyed them. Following this came out a spicy fermented fish, it may receive got been stingray. We had this ane other fourth dimension in addition to I had no thought what is was. It is rattling strong in addition to chewing the spinal column had a rattling foreign trial on our sinuses. They are a niggling fleck tough, but you lot tin sack swallow them. Weird! Next to this, was a cup of mutual frigidity pouched octopus in addition to shrimp salad. Following this, came a large pot of clear soup amongst cabbage in addition to huge oysters. It was rattling yummy.
Next nosotros had grilled eel that was seasoned amongst a fragrant spice I couldn't place- almost flowery. Along side of this, came niggling fried rice glue patties in addition to a fried tempura-like vegetable. I receive got no thought what the vegetable is. It is a weird form in addition to greyness inwards color. I've seen it multiple times inwards dishes hither but receive got never come upwards across it inwards America.
One of my favorite dishes was a halibut-like white fish amongst a chili glue on top. They purpose chili glue for many of their dishes. In this feel it is like American Ketchup. Along amongst this came a rhythm out fish served inwards the most beautiful in addition to brightly colored shell I receive got ever seen in addition to a long shrimp on top.
The side yesteryear side class was rattling crazy. It was a fermented stingray! To swallow it you lot took a land of ray, land of sliced pork in addition to kimchi in addition to made a lettuce wrap. The ray has the bones left inwards it in addition to you lot tin sack swallow them. You receive got to swallow the whole twine inwards ane bite. The sense of savor of everything was rattling mild, but every bit you lot swallow you lot are hitting amongst this overwhelming sense of savor in addition to smell. It is form of similar a chemic taste. Very strange! I receive got never experienced anything similar it. I was the start to endeavor this in addition to our host gave me no hints nigh how my experience would live eating the stingray. When I was hitting amongst this strong aroma, every bit I swallowed, I almost savage backwards inwards surprise!
The side yesteryear side class was a boiled beef rib. This was SOOO proficient but I was total almost to the brim at this point. I could solely endeavor a tiny fleck but the flavors were sugariness in addition to the meat savage off the bone.
We thought nosotros were done at this point. The tabular array was cleared in addition to nosotros were thence total but the MAIN class however had non come upwards out. WHERE on populace were nosotros going to pose that food? ha ha. And amongst that said I may receive got forgot ane or ii to a greater extent than minor things nosotros did inwards fact also eat.
The lastly class was what seemed similar a dried in addition to salted fish that was recooked. It was some other interesting dish. Along side the fish came nigh nine minor side dishes. There were clams, tiny sardines, oysters, fermented cucumbers, a crab cutting into pieces that you lot pose inwards your mouth, suck out the meat thence spit out the shells in addition to lots of kimchi plates. My favorite was the niggling sardines. They were rattling flavorful! With the primary class came a traditional soybean (tofu) soup. Our host said it is the Korean version of miso soup but it is was much to a greater extent than flavorful. The soup came inwards rock bowls that truly laid the nutrient when you lot identify it inwards them. Rice was served amongst this also. The rice was purpled colored in addition to came inwards a golden bowl that had a cover. It looked similar something the wise men would carry. Very fancy. ha ha
Don't worry at that topographic point was traditional desert too. It was rice balls covered inwards seasame in addition to edible bean curd. The balls had a gummy/gelatin texture. They were non besides sugariness but it took me a LONG fourth dimension to chew in addition to swallow because of the texture. This was also accompanied yesteryear a rattling strong lemon tea.
The repast was definitely solely for the adventurous eater. We loved the experienced in addition to truly liked the bulk of the dishes. Food is rattling good for you lot inwards Korea in addition to fifty-fifty though nosotros ate SOOOOO much in addition to were sooo stuffed nosotros did non experience weighed downwards similar a typical American heavy meal.
After nosotros ate dinner nosotros met our host’s nephew. He was a rattling corky character. The solely agency I tin sack depict him is similar an anime grapheme inwards existent life. He solely spoke a tiny fleck of English linguistic communication but was rattling nice. He had non eaten yet thence nosotros took him to a Mexican eating theater close our house. We alive inwards a rattling international zone thence at that topographic point is nutrient from all to a greater extent than or less the world. Don't worry visitors who can't handgrip Asian nutrient tin sack become international. I mean value the bulk of meals are however served amongst chopsticks though. He had never tried Mexican earlier in addition to was amused at the meal. He got a burrito in addition to had no thought how to swallow it.
We had a dandy nighttime in addition to some other fun Korean dinning experience. I am however total this morn but eager to burn downwards off these calories thence I tin sack endeavor to a greater extent than Korean food!
Course Meals start out to a greater extent than or less $40.00 in addition to become upwards to $100 depending on amount of courses in addition to kinds of food. There is also a $20 tiffin option.