This spicy dak-galbi was absolutely delicious, and absolutely too big for us to finish!
Wanniassa has a new foodie sensation on its hands, and it’s enough to make this Northsider want to brave the trip.
I hadn’t thought to book ahead for a casual dinner at a local restaurant, but arriving at Hancook Korean on a Friday evening, I was confronted with a queue! Fortunately, a few tables were finishing up their meals, and we were seated quickly as the staff bustled to turn tables.
With our first hurdle cleared, the next biggest challenge was what to select from the impressive menu. I was tempted to stick to some old favourites like tteokbokki (rice cakes in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce), dolsot-bibimbap rice bowl or japchae glass noodles. But there were lots of tempting dishes which I hadn’t tried before, and several that I hadn’t seen on menus outside of Korea.
Oh, how we love banchan! Photo: Lucy Ridge.
There was a long list of traditional soups and stews, which looked deliciously warming for a cool evening. A few dishes were served on hotplates to share between two, and we were particularly keen to try dak-galbi—chicken stir-fried with cabbage, rice cakes, and sweet potato in a spicy sauce and topped with mozzarella and spring onion.
We had two adults and a teen at our table, so we figured we could share the larger dish and also grab a couple of others. We also chose the leek pancake with squid, and couldn’t resist ordering a half serving of fried chicken when we got a peek at a neighbouring table’s dish! A couple of Korean beers for the adults at the table (and a lemonade for the teen) rounded out the order.
The first thing to arrive on our table was a plate of traditional Korean side dishes, known as banchan.
There is a huge regional variety of banchan in Korea, as well as seasonal variations, but we had three common dishes: kimchi, fish cakes and yellow pickled radishes. The radishes are perfectly sweet, sour, and salty. The fish cakes have a mild flavour with the texture of tofu puffs and are super moreish. This kimchi is gently fermented, providing a nice balance between fresh and sour flavours, with spice levels that are fairly gentle. In theory, the banchan is to be eaten during the meal, but we mowed right in. Fortunately, the staff will happily bring you extra if you ask.
The leek and squid is one of three pancake varieties on offer. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The fried chicken arrived next: hot and crispy on the outside and beautifully tender inside. As we were anticipating a bit of chilli in our main dish, we kept it mild and ordered the maneolganjang (soy garlic) sauce. I’ve eaten a lot of fried chicken in my life (a very specific brag but one I stand by), and this was up there among the best. And of course, it came with a special side of crisp, fresh, pickled white radish cubes.
The leek pancake was also delicious, with the sweetness of the softened leek coming through the crisp pancake base. A nice dipping sauce added variety to the plate, and pops of squid were a nice textural bonus.
Beautiful wall hangings display some lesser-known Korean dishes served at Hancook. The menu itself contains detailed descriptions, too. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Then came the dak-galbi – and it was much bigger than we had anticipated! I was placed in charge of the flame (with plenty of guidance from our friendly server) as we waited for the chunks of sweet potato to reach the perfect level of softness and the mozzarella topping to melt. I knew from my travels in Korea that stretchy, stringy cheese is quite common in many Korean dishes, and it added a great creaminess to the dak-galbi, which offset the levels of spice and warmed our cheeks nicely.
We didn’t finish our meal, so I recommend sharing the larger dishes among at least four people if you want to add extra menu items. I can’t wait to come back and try the kimchi hot pot, jjamppong noodles and ssam-bap pork and lettuce wraps. It’s definitely worth the drive to Wanniassa!
Hancook Korean Restaurant is located at Shop 4/33 Gartside St, Wanniassa. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, 11.30 am to 3 pm, and from 5 pm to 9 pm. Follow Hancook Korean on Instagram.
