Hong Kong gastronomical holiday continues with a 1 Star Korean fine dining that has been making waves in the culinary scene here and in Seoul. I am referring to Hansik Goo.

Hansik Goo is the sister restaurant of Mingles (2 Stars) of Seoul. ‘Hansik’ means Korean food and ‘Goo’ refers to Chef Mingoo Kang. But ‘sikgoo’ also means family, resonating with its home-style food meant for sharing. It moved to this spot in 2021, serving just one tasting menu alongside add-on choices; the creative courses are inspired by a wide range of Korean cooking. 

To celebrate the New Year, Mindful Sparks collaborated with Hansik Goo to launch 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐮𝐳𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚 (L). Couldn’t say I liked it. The mocktail Golden Tropical (Orange, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Rose) was better.

Lunch Tasting Menu

Maesaengi Juk

Maesaengi Juk, Kristal Caviar, Octopus & Seaweed Bugak

Seaweed has been an integral part of the Korean diet for centuries. Maesaengi 매생이 is an unusual seaweed that has become increasingly popular in recent years outside of the pristine southern coastal regions (including Gangjin and Wando in Jeollanamdo Province) where it is farmed from December until March. Its wispy form and its vivid green colour is even more delicate with an impossibly silky texture, almost like the softest strands of human hair.

Made up of 60% air, the seaweed will melt away when over boiled. So it was almost impossible to find a strand of maesaengi 매생이 in the juk 죽 or rice porridge. But it was precisely this silky texture that integrated well with the porridge for a really tasty starter.

The caviar and boiled octopus (another Korean remedy to regain stamina) were a nice addition but not necessary in this case as the juk itself was already very tasty.

Bugak 부각 is Korean cracker that is often served as banchan. This version is more like our Indonesian keropok (prawn cracker) sprinkled with seaweed powder than a typical Korean bugak.

We have the ritual of dipping something crispy like fried dough fritters (called youtiao) or rice crackers into the porridge for some crunch. The seaweed bugak was perfect for this purpose.

Autumn Hweh

Seasonal Seafood, Korean Sancho Pepper, Aged Kimchi

Autumn Hweh (most likely written as hwareohoe 활어회) is a traditional Korean raw fish dish. The fish or seafood presented was amberjack and squid.

The seafood was served marinated with minty dressing and spiced with Korean sancho pepper. As a palate cleanser, pickled cucumber and aged kimchi were provided. Quite delicious, like eating a ceviche.

Seolleongtang

Beef Tendon Rice with Abalone, Beef Bone Soup

Seolleongtang 설렁탕 is a milky beef bone soup that’s made by boiling down ox leg bones for 18 hours until the broth becomes rich and creamy white. This broth is a staple in Korean households, especially during cold winter months.

The ox bone soup was enriched with beef tendon. With the collagen boiling away, the soup was deliciously sticky. It was then poured into a bowl of rice with beef tendon with slices of boiled abalone for good measure.

The only thing I could associate this dish was the glutinous rice you had when you ordered samgyetang, not in term of taste but the texture of the rice and the soup poured onto it. It was sticky glutinous rice in a beefy stock.

The highlight for me were the bits of beef tendon in the rice. They were soft yet crunchy, the texture that a tendon would give you when cooked properly. The sticky soup, the crunchy tendon and the soft rice made me wondered if we were having a repeat of the juk.

Saeng Seon Gui

Grilled Gochujang Seasonal Fish

Saengseon-gui 생선구이 or grilled fish is an important part of a Korean banquet and no meal is complete without the grilled fish dish. The fish used here was Jeju thread fin, also known as 马友 mayau in Hong Kong, was a fatty fish. Smooched liberally with gochujang (Korean red fermented chilli paste), it was grilled to form a crispy skin and excellent flavours throughout.

Pickled Gat & Garlic Chive Muchim

Muchim refers to a seasoned salad. The grilled fish was paired with a salty buchu (garlic chives) muchim 부추 무침. And a second seafood was hiding under the muchim. The sweet raw razor clams were served as balance to the spicy grilled thread fin.

Korean Fried Chicken

with Yuza Jang

Probably the fanciest bucket of KFC you can get, 3 pieces of Korean fried chicken with yuza jang to dip into. Besides pieces of chicken, there were some lotus roots battered in the same way and deep fried.

The fried chicken thigh was much crispier than Colonel’s original recipe. And th use of dark meat helped to maintain a moist and tender piece of fried chicken.

Bibimguksu

BBQ Hanwoo Ddeokgalbi & Pork Neck

Tteok-galbi 떡갈비 or grilled short rib patties is a Korean beef dish made with minced beef short ribs like a hamburger patty. Hanwoo beef is hand chopped and mixed with vegetables then marinated with house blend ganjang (soy sauce) and song-yi mushroom. The meat mixture is tossed by hand over and over to achieve a tender and bouncy texture. The meat patty is charcoal grilled just before serving, bringing a whole new way of appreciating Korean Hanwoo beef and ganjang marinade through its aroma, flavour and texture.

Korean Style Buckwheat Noodle, Bracken & Pyogo Mushroom

Bibim-guksu 비빔국수 or spicy cold noodles, is a Korean noodle dish made with very thin wheat flour noodles called somyeon with added flavourings, is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine and especially popular during summer. 

The cold noodles were topped with salted bracken, striped of omelette, julienned pyogo mushroom (shiitake mushroom) and radish. Before eating, mix everything well.

Local pork neck is scored both sides in zig-zag pattern, allowing the marinade to penetrate deep in the meat and make it tender. It is marinated in ganjang (Korean soy sauce) and grilled on the charcoal BBQ.

Today’s Banchan

The banchan for this meal was quite pathetic when compared to the traditional Korean restaurants. But in place of quantity, they gave some very high quality kimchis.

Galbi-Jjim

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Ganjang

Galbi-Jjim 갈비찜, or braised beef short ribs, is one of the most popular Korean dishes. Besides short ribs, this version had mushrooms and water chestnuts in the stew as well.

Tender, well-marbled beef short ribs are stewed down into braised deliciousness with a house-made sweet and savoury ganjang. This succulent dish is typically served on traditional holidays and special occasions in Korea. 

I couldn’t help but order a bowl of steamed rice to pour the sweet and savoury sauce onto the plain rice.

Sundubu Jjigae

Korean Spicy Dubu Stew, Cod Milt, Prawn, Crab Roe

Sundubu Jjigae 순두부찌개 is a hot and spicy Korean soft tofu stew which is elevated in Hansik Goo with cod milt and hairy crab roe, adding the extra umami and texture to the delicious and comforting dish. 

This was the season for shirako or cod milt. If you don’t know what is it, just enjoy the creamy texture.

And besides milt, there was hairy crab roe as well. These two things made this spicy stew really rich and delectable.

Jang Trio

Doenjang Crème Brûlée, Ganjang Pecan, Gochujang Powder

The dessert is named Jang Trio or three types of jang or sauces. Bean paste ‘doenjang‘ creme brûlée, soy sauce ‘ganjang‘ pecans, spicy pepper paste ‘gochujang‘ puffed rice made up the three sauce.

The creme brûlée is at the bottom of the stack, hidden underneath a milk ice cream with pecans and topped with a cheese foam and puffed rice. Texturally compelling with lotsa crunch, pleasant sweetness despite the multiple ‘jangs’ .

Jang Trio has a deep-rooted history in Mingles. While Mingles first started without a pastry chef, chef Mingoo created this dessert with Jang, an essential Korean ingredient that he used a lot in his cooking. Jang Trio is the only item that we serve in both Hansik Goo and Mingles.

Dagwa

Gyeong-Dan, Jeonbyeong

Dagwa 다과 or 茶菓 (sweets for tea) is a traditional Korean refreshements much like mignardise in French cuisine. Gyeong-Dan 경단 or rice cake balls is similar to mochi. Jeonbyeong 전병 or rice pancake/cookie is similar to senbei

Recently I have been to several Michelin-starred Korean fine dining, like Nae:um in Singapore and Soul Dining in Seoul, and find that they are really value for money for the quality of food presented. Hansik Goo is the same. Service was impeccable.

Hansik Goo
198 Wellington Street 1/F, The Wellington, Central, Hong Kong China
Tel : +852 2798 8768

Visited Dec 2023

Michelin Hong Kong and Macau Guide 1 Star 2022-23

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