After having a sauna at Crystal Spa on Sunday evening, September 13th, I had dinner with my mom and…read moremy two brothers at Hang Ah Restaurant (항아리 바지락 칼국수).
I think I've been coming here for a very, very long time--probably for about 20 years! I used to come here quite often back then. At some point, though, I stopped coming as much because the parking situation in this shopping center became so busy and chaotic that it was difficult to even get in from the entrance. Also, the last time I came here, maybe two years ago, the valet parking attendant was so rude that I didn't really feel like coming back.
This time, since we were already in the area for the spa, we decided to stop by again.
Back when I first started coming here, it was just a very small noodle restaurant. One thing they've kept all these years--and what I think is such a great touch--is that they still serve yeolmu kimchi and kkom-bori-bap (barley rice) as a complimentary side.
The restaurant became incredibly popular over the years and eventually expanded into the neighboring space, so there are now many more tables than there used to be.
Since it had been such a long time since my last visit, I noticed they had quite a few new menu items that weren't available before, including galbi-jjim (braised short ribs), samgyetang (Korean ginseng chicken soup), and galbi noodle soup.
One of my brothers and I ordered the perilla oil makguksu each, and it was absolutely delicious! It had such a rich, nutty flavor from the perilla oil, and it was one of those dishes that makes you think about it again later. In the past, I would always order the clam kalguksu whenever I came here, but this time I decided to try something different.
My other brother ordered the clam kalguksu, and my mom had the dolsot (Hot stone) bibimbap.
I tried a spoonful of my mom's dolsot bibimbap because I really like bibimbap too, and it was delicious as well.
In the past, the wait here used to be incredibly long. You had to write your name and phone number by hand at the entrance, and then a staff member would come outside and call your name when your table was ready.
This time, the system was different. We were told to simply wait in line, and she would take our orders outside. She said the wait would only be about 5-10 minutes, and she was absolutely right. While we were waiting in line outside, she handed us menus, took our orders, and then seated us at our table.
The food came out quickly, the service was very friendly, and everything we ordered was delicious. It turned out to be a very satisfying dinner.
After coming back here again after such a long time, I completely understood why this place has been so popular for so many years. It was just as popular back then as it is now, and honestly, I can see why!