Alex B.
Yelp
After a long, exhausting day of walking around in the scorching heat, a bowl of Korean cold noodles was the move to make. My family and I decided to swing by Ham Hung Restaurant for just that.
I know it sounds silly, but I cherish that feeling of being instantly whisked away to another world when I walk into some restaurants. From the television screens playing Korean shows or sports in the background, to the menu items taped up to the walls, to the low humming of the air conditioning unit in the corner, to the restaurant supplies stacked in the halls and corners, there's something just soothing and familiar about all of it. I also appreciated how helpful and caring our waitress was (she reminded me of an aunt by giving us all sorts of recommendations on what's good and fresh currently in the kitchen).
You know it's legit when they serve you yooksoo, , in a thermos type bottle. This is basically a light beef broth that is meant to accompany your bowl of cold noodles. Even without the noodles, it's still a great warm and comforting drink to sip on while you wait.
Being new to this spot, I went with the waitress's recommendation of their Gogi Naengmyeon (Spicy beef mixed noodles) - ($14.99). This dish is composed of a chewy buckwheat and potato starch noodles with a spicy and slightly sweet pepper paste sauce, cucumbers, boiled egg, and beef slices. Spicy yet refreshing. The meal also comes with a humble spread of side dishes (such as pickled radish, kimchi, etc.). The side dishes were really yum and pair well with the entrees.
By the waitress's suggestion, we also got their Potato Pancake, Gamjajeon (about $13.99). It's such a simple thing, but it is incredibly delicious and satisfying. The dip of soy sauce really brings out that starchy sweet, fried flavor of the potato pancake. By the way, let me know if you have any other recommendations for Korean noodle places I should also check out. I would love to explore more spots for that.