November 5th, 2009
Though on the edge of K-town, you won’t find communal BBQs at Hangawi, a Zen temple of vegetarian Korean fare. When E suggested we try a Korean vegetarian place he had been to for lunch, I did not expect this level of elegance. After some jerky driver behind me honked incessantly at my cab, I stepped out, walked into Hangawi and felt immediately calm.
Not only is Hangawi beautiful with its soaring ceilings and ornate table settings, but the staff glides around the room with such ease, that your stress lifts away. And boy, does it smell awesome!
A lot of that peace comes from the fact that everybody removes their shoes at the door. You won’t hear any clicking at Hangawi. It was a real joy to take off my heels and tuck my feet into the space below our table. I was amazed at how far the menu could go without any meat. From dumplings to leek pancakes, seaweed salad, vermicelli, and an entire maitake mushroom prixe fixe, the menu piqued my taste buds again and again. Narrowing down our selections was no small feat.
We started with the seamed kimchi buns, two pillows of dough with sweetly-flavored slices of kimchi inside. The texture was just dense enough with the right amount of elasticity. I’m no bun expert but I know what a David Chang bun tastes like and what an over-processed Zen Palate bun tastes like. These were somewhere in the middle. Even better than the buns were our vegetable dumplings with a pool of spicy/sour sauce (chilli sauce? not listed) Don’t let the vague descriptions fool you, the kitchen pays great care to detail and the flavors are there.
I appreciated the serene vibe until a LONG pause between our appetizer and entree. People began to leave the restaurant as we crept closer to closing time, with no entree. Our waiter was missing. Eventually we caught the attention of our hostess and magically, our waiter emerged with our Zen noodles and spicy chili mushrooms, served with generous side plates of spicy and mild kimchi.
The hostess felt terrible about the wait and apologized profusely. She asked if there was anything else they could bring. E mentioned a particular type of kimchi he had on another occasion. While they didn’t have it, they brought another side of some marinated, thinly sliced cucumber. The cucumber wasn’t life-changing, but a good effort at salvaging our meal.
Timing mishaps and mistakes occur all the time in restaurants, but it’s possible to recover with grace, as the staff at Hangawi did. This was a truly memorable meal and I would be happy to return anytime!
Location: 12 East 32nd Street
Food: Very Good
Drinks: No expansive wine list here but you will find some sake and sochu cocktails and a couple of beers.
Service: Good
Average App/Entree Price: $11/$21
Value: Very Good
You Gonna Finish That? Every last bite.
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Filed under Cuisine, Korean, Kosher, Murray Hill, Neighborhood, Restaurant Reviews, Vegan, Vegetarian | Comments (3)
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I LOVE this restaurant! I have gone countless times and even wrote a review myself (http://shayarestaurantreview.blogspot.com/2005/06/hangawi.html).
You should also definitely go to their sister restaurant, Franchia (http://www.franchia.com/), located only a few blocks away, which is their vegan Korean Tea House. Truly excellent fare!
What a great place to eat! Vegetarian friendly, and so relaxing! I haven’t been able to find any authentic places like that here in Houston.. but maybe someone will open one. I’m sure they would make a killing. I guess you have to be keen on feet, and I’d be scared someone would take my shoes..
-Sylvia
Hi Sylvia– do you think a veg restaurant would find a big market in Houston?