[Hong Kong] Hansik Goo by Chef Mingoo Kang of 2* Mingles

Rating: ❤❤❤❤1/4 (4.25/5)

Last week, I had a fantastic lunch at the new Korean restaurant Hansik Goo - the first overseas restaurant by Chef Mingoo Kang of 2* Mingles in Seoul! Meaning "family" in Korean, the restaurant showcases the chef’s modern interpretation of authentic Korean cuisine. A single tasting menu is currently offered with 4 courses for HK$480 or the full menu of 7 courses for HK$780. A few add-on options are available as well. I haven't been to Mingles yet but after this meal, it's certainly on my list next time I go to Seoul!

Our meal started with a basket of Bugak - an assortment of seasonal Korean chips made from seaweed, fish skin, chili and perilla leaf. Every piece was fried and seasoned to perfection so it was a good way to kick off the lunch.

The second course was the Naengchae - a refreshing prawn salad with Korean fruits, cod roe and mustard.

The Yukhoe - a Korean-style beef tartare with Australian Wagyu, quail egg, Jerusalem artichoke chips and Korean pear - was easily a favorite with its subtle and sweet flavors. 

Another highlight was the Samgye Risotto which is a combination of the two most quintessential dishes in Korea - samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and Korean fried chicken. It's presented as a deconstructed samgyetang, if you will, with a fried chicken roulade, Korean glutinous rice cooked in ginseng, and to top it all off, a soothing chicken broth. On the side were some pickled onions and chili for additional flavors.

We then had an add-on dish - Korean Fried Chicken (HK$148) with yuzu jang sauce! Paired with fried lotus roots, the KFC was addictive and delicious with lovely citrus flavors from the yuzu.

The meal continued with the Korean Style Fish - a local snapper served with 2 year-old kimchi and mustard sauce. Differing from the usual kimchi, the 2 year-old kimchi had a more fermented and acidic flavor which went very well with the fish.

The last savory dish was the Barbecue Pork & Bibim-Guksu which turned out to be another highlight! The grilled pork neck was plump and juicy while the spicy gochujang noodles were super refreshing with its spicy and sour flavors - perfect for the current humid summer weather.

The chef also kindly let us try an alternative to the spicy gochujang noodles which was this elegant cold noodles in soy milk broth. With light and clean flavors, it's a great option for those who wish to eat a non-spicy cold noodles.

For desserts, you can choose from two options so we opted for one of each. The first is the Omija which is a sorrel sorbet with omija berry juice. Also called five flavored berries, omjia berry contains 5 distinct flavors - sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and pungency.

The other dessert is the Garu - a Korean grain ice cream with crispy puffed rice. It didn't even look like ice cream at first glance, but the smooth and creamy texture won me over.

Just when I thought our meal was finished, we were presented with two additional desserts! The Jang Trio is Mingles' signature dessert with three types of jang (sauces) - doenjang (soy bean paste) creme brulee, gochujang (chili paste) powder, ganjang (soy sauce) glazed pecans, puff grains, and whisky foam. A wonderful and heavenly combination for sure!

Then we had the Pear Sorbet with ginger, cinnamon and semi-dried persimmon. It's like a sorbet version of sujeonggwa - a Korean traditional cinnamon dessert punch.

The tasting menu ends with a choice of coffee or tea. The coffee is highly recommended as it is provided by Fritz - a famous coffee roaster in Korea!

*By Invitation

Hansik Goo

2/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central

Tel: +852 2798 8768
http://www.hansikgoo.hk/

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