Han Kalguksu is a Korean food spot on Toronto's/Willowdale's Yonge and Kempford. With its name, you know that its key dish is kalguksu (cut noodle dish), though we didn't get it. It was actually my idea to get Korean food, though my sis thought of the spot. So, how does this place compare to the ones in L.A. Oakland and Santa Clara?
What the place got right? We had potato pajeon (gamja pajeon), donkatsu (Korean pork cutlet), bossam (pork wraps), and my K-foodie sister's and my favorite Korean food mulnaengmyun. What I discovered is that the place has Bong Bong, which is a nostalgic grape juice with grape pieces, and it's good that this drink exists because I do care about kids having suitable drinks besides water. Normally, my sister prefers Japanese cut over Korean, but the place got a victory in the sense of having the sauce better than some spot in Santa Clara I can't remember now. Regarding the ambiance, it's lively, and the look's simple, but it works. Also, it's nice that our server checked in on us if everything's alright.
What the place did wrong? Not much actually. The 1 minor flaw I noticed was not being covered on knives, as we had 1 missing. The concerning flaw I observed was that the only banchan we had was kimchi. Whether or not they ran out, I don't know, but if that's the case, that could mean people really love the banchan. No dessert, but I suppose I can live with that.
Han Kalguksu is in the end a solid 4-star place. While there are parts that the staff slipped up on such as not having enough banchan at a busy time, the place is a solid one by covering bases I look for. To answer the question of how it fares against Los Angeles's, Oakland's and Santa Clara's, while it isn't Los Angeles good, being Oakland/Santa Clara good or around it is the next best trait for me. Look at the menu, and from there, decide if the place is good for you.
+/Han Kalguksu is a hyphy and killer spot because of the lovely food, drink and check ins along with the simple, but terrific layout.
-/Not much to worry about overall, though there needs to be a magical room or some magical place in the back that makes banchan instantly. read more