Fit for a Korean king
January 8th, 2008 by Besha Rodell in Drink, Restaurants(Photo by Eamon Siggins)
My friends Aubrey and Thomas came into town this weekend to visit from North Carolina. Thomas is a sommelier who lived in Korea for a couple of years, and we get along well because we share a passion for French white wines and Korean barbecue (not together — in fact, often the latter as a cure for having indulged in too much of the former the night before). Having read Cliff’s article last week on Hanil Kwan, we decided to take a trip to Buford to try the barbecue that Cliff foolishly passed up in favor of a lunch special.
As you can see from this photo, Thomas takes his Korean feasts seriously. We ate a lot of food, and Thomas schooled us all on “the rules” of soju, the distilled, clear liquor native to Korea. “The rules” consist of never letting anyone’s glass go empty, and pouring and receiving using two hands.
Hanil Kwan serves some of the best Korean barbecue I’ve had in town, and service is helpful and friendly. I particularly liked the piles of salad — Thomas described it as fresh kimchi — that consisted of super fresh greens dressed in chili, vinegar and sesame oil.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Besha:
What are some of your favorite French whites?
January 11th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Hi Eric. I’m on a bit of a Savenierres kick right now, but I am always a sucker for white Burgundies.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
A nerd says what? :)
Savennièrres is some fun stuff that I don’t consume enough of.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I just tried Hanil Kwan last night for dinner. I liked it but was disappointed that the chicken we got in the Dak Bulgogi was all dark meat. I remember that the chicken we had at Hae Woon Dae was white meat and really yummy.
December 29th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
[...] Korean BBQ at Hanil Kwan. [...]