The name of this Korean restaurant comes from Hansik, meaning Korean cuisine, and Goo, referring to head chef Mingoo. Located on 1/F of The Wellington in Central, it is a very popular restaurant and so diners are requested to take either the first seating at 6pm, or the second seating at 8:30pm.
Arriving sharp at 6pm, the first sight is a fabric ‘window’ made by an up-and-coming Korean craftsman. We were seated at the main dining room, the décor has modern minimalist style, with cool colour palette, dotted with some interesting artworks.
We ordered the tasting menu ($1,280 each) and I also went for the wine pairing ($890). The staff soon brought us the first course, involving four Korean Starters. Beginning with Abalone Juk with Caviar, the chef had prepared the Korean style congee to warm up our stomachs. The congee had mixed with abalone liver and coriander, very flavourful. The abalone was thinly sliced, tender on texture, with some caviar on top.
The next starter was Bugak, the seasonal chips typically associated with Korean temple cuisine. Made from glutinous rice paste, plus seaweed and shrimp respectively, the two types of chips were deep-fried, with crispy and airy texture.
The third starter was Angelica and Shrimp Dasik. The small button-sized snack was moulded from grounded angelica and shrimp, with the intense flavours from the two ingredients clearly highlighted.
The last piece was Yuk-Po, or dried meat. The chef had prepared a sliced beef to dry, and repeatedly applied a special sauce to infuse the meat with umami flavours. Some finely chopped pickles were added on top to provide acidity to balance.
Moving to the second course Hweh, which referred to Assorted Raw Seafood with Korean Condiments. The Amberjack was added with Doenjang (Korean traditional bean paste) to provide umami and saltiness, together with Maesil (green plum) and some Namul (seasonal vegetables). The Squid was very thinly sliced and rolled to look like noodle, mixed with Chogochujang (Korean red chili paste) and Seaweed. The Hanwoo Carpaccio was very tasty, with the beef having nice amount of fat beautifully scattered, further added with Korean Pear and some pickles to balance the fat. The last piece was Mackerel, with some 2-Year-Old Kimchi. My favourite was the mackerel, great in taste without any fishy note. The aged kimchi also provided complementary savoury elements to the fish. The wine paired was Omegi Malgunsool, a fermented rice wine from Chungju, Korea.
The third course was Cabbage Ssam, with the chef using the cabbage leaves to wrap minced prawn and vegetables, putting on some sugar snap peas, before pouring in the white bean soup, and decorated with tiny sun-dried tomatoes. The fillings of the ssam were very delicious, with the poppy texture of the snap peas also appealing. While I would prefer the soup to be creamier, the overall experience was very good. The wine paired was Domaine des Ardoisieres Argile Blanc 2019.
The fourth course was Fish Mandu. Mandu is a type of Korean dumpling traditionally featured in royal cuisines, and the chef had used seasonal Blackthroat Seaperch fillet stuffed with pork and vegetables in a dumpling shape, before putting some pork floss on top. One of my favourite dishes in the evening, the fish was delicate and seasoned well, with the fillings tasty and the pork floss provided sweetness and umami. But the highlight was the Choganjang sauce, with the great balance of savoury and sourness complementary to the fish. The wine paired was Raymond Paccot La Colombe Amedee Reserve 2017.
The fifth course was Samgye Risotto 2.0. A creative dish to break down the elements of the traditional ginseng chicken, with a chicken roll stuffed with minced ginseng and veal, drizzled with a black truffle sauce. The risotto was glutinous and flavourful, served together with a thick, meaty mushroom. Another of my favourites. The wine paired was Neung-i-ju, a liquor made from a type of mushroom found in the wild with musky flavours.
We decided to order some additional dishes, with the first add-on was Prawn Jeon ($218), a scallion pancake with prawn, prawn roe, and prawn powder. A decent size with four big slices, the pancake was pan-fried to golden brown, with the intense flavours coming from prawn roes and prawn powder jumping out from the bite. With plenty of scallions for fragrance, the pickled onion and special sauce were wonderful condiments as well.
The other additional dish was Korean Fried Chicken ($188). The tender chicken was coated with the batter and deep-fried, before mixing with yuzu jang to give a tempting sweetness. There were also some deep-fried chilies, which were not spicy. While tasty, the flavours were so strong and dominating that our palate was overpowered and could mask the taste of other dishes.
Returning to the tasting menu, the sixth course was Hanwoo Duo with Rice. The two beef items were Korean Beef Ddeokgalbi, or grilled short rib patties, and Striploin, with the beef beautifully seared on the outside while interior was medium rare. Very tasty and juicy. The Mussel Rice with Radish Namul was equally great in taste, with the mussels creamy on texture and the radish refreshing. The rice was infused with umami notes from the broth used to cook it with. The condiments to add to the rice include the traditional Banchan, or side dishes, with also the spicy ssamjang and thick soybean paste Gang-doenjang to accompany. And true to the Korean cuisine there was also Bossam Kimchi too. A great main course to wrap up. The wine paired was Syrahmi XV 2018.
Transitioning to dessert, the seventh course was the pre-dessert Apple and Ginger, which was a apple and pomegranate granita with ginger honey tea sorbet. Underneath the beautiful pinkish shaved ice was some apple crumbles, and with the ginger notes from the sorbet everything was so harmonious on taste. A bit of shiso flowers on top gave a bit of spicy kick. A great palate cleanser.
Moving to the eighth course Makgeolli, it was an ice-cream made from the milky, slightly sparkling Korean rice wine. With a piece of black garlic meringue on top and some cheese snow under, the dessert was of appropriate sweetness, a delicate and delicious. The wine paired was Eric Bordelet Poire Granit 2019, a pear cider.
The last course was Petit Four, with Dalgona and Black Sesame Dasik. The dalgona was a crunchy caramel dessert commonly seen from street vendors, with chestnut puree on top. The black sesame dasik was robust on taste, a traditional dessert that would went well with a cup of hot tea as well.
The service was good, with the staff friendly and helpful in explaining each dish. The bill on the night was $4,400 which was reasonable considering the quality of food, great service and amazing dinner. If you want to try out a nice Korean fine dining experience, this one I would recommend.
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