mameh662
Han'yang, a Korean home cooking restaurant in Naka-Okachimachi, is famous for its large servings of samgyeopsal. I had been curious about this place for a long time and finally visited recently. The restaurant is run by a Korean lady who speaks almost no Japanese. I had to ask a former colleague (a male K-pop fan) to make a reservation for me since I couldn't speak Korean. When I arrived, the place was almost full despite it being a weekday. I was nervous because I had heard that even with a reservation, you might not get a seat. Luckily, a group of Korean regulars graciously moved to a different table to accommodate us, and we were finally able to sit down. Thank you to the regulars. There was no menu, only photos on the walls. The lady was busy cooking for other customers, so I had to ask a Korean-speaking customer to help me place our order. We ordered 3 servings of samgyeopsal and 1 seafood jeon. However, since there were 5 of us, we were told to order 4 servings of samgyeopsal. We looked around nervously and eventually, the lady brought out a plate of kimchi and Korean oden for us. Then, a mountain of pork arrived! It was just as huge as the photos I had seen on food review websites. The garlic was also piled high. The kimchi was free for refills, so we helped ourselves at the counter. Lettuce, however, had to be ordered separately. The samgyeopsal was served with salt and sesame oil, as well as a sweet miso paste. It was delicious! The grilled kimchi had a sweet flavor that made it even tastier. We grilled and grilled, but the pork seemed never-ending. By the end, we were stuffed! Surprisingly, the seafood jeon we had ordered was forgotten and never arrived. It was probably a good thing since the portion size we saw on other tables was huge. We wouldn't have been able to finish it! As mentioned in reviews, the lady initially seemed intimidating but later on, she was smiling and even saw us off outside the restaurant. This time, there were 3 men and 2 women in our group, and even then, we barely managed to finish the 4 servings of samgyeopsal. It might be tough for light eaters, but you can take the leftovers home. I think they provide plastic bags for takeout, but it might be better to bring your own container. Overall, it's a somewhat intimidating place, but the food was delicious and we had a great time. I'm looking forward to trying their budae jjigae next time! Thank you for the meal.