On the side
HANMI KOREAN-CHINESE FUSION
2120 Juan Tabo NE, 717-1287, hanmi-korean-chinese-fusion. business.site
Hanmi, a new Korean-Chinese fusion restaurant, opened in the fall in a strip mall on Juan Tabo south of Menaul. The restaurant is the brainchild of Carol Chiang, whose previous venture, the Chinese restaurant Yummi House, is still going after almost 15 years.
Hanmi’s menu is much like that of Yummi House, with the addition of a handful of Korean and Korean-Chinese dishes. The starter menu is peppered with the usual suspects, such as egg rolls, pot stickers and egg drop soup, priced from $2.95 to $7.95. An appetizer of squid salad ($3.95) is a little more off the beaten track, the fishy strips of squid picking up some heat and sweetness from the soy- and vinegar-based sauce.
The Korean dishes on the menu run from $9.95 to $14.95 and include spicy chicken, bulgogi, Korean short rib and the vermicelli noodle dish known as chapchae. Hanmi serves its sundubu jjigae ($9.95), Korean stew made with soft tofu. More the consistency of soup than stew, it gets its orange-red color from the chile oil that also makes it quite spicy. Served with white rice, it’s a great dish for a cold night.
Jjajangmyeon, which means “fried sauce noodles,” is a Korean spin on the Chinese dish zhajiangmian, and Hanmi’s takeout version ($9.95) is terrific.
Hanmi’s fried chicken with garlic sauce ($13.95), another ubiquitous Korean-Chinese specialty, presents as a pile of boneless, skin-on chicken pieces battered and fried and tossed in a thick, clear sauce.
The rest of the menu largely consists of beef, chicken, pork or shrimp turned out in familiar preparations such as kung pao, lo mein, and sweet and sour. Prices are between $10 and $15. There are several vegetable options, and most of the dishes are available in gluten-free versions upon request. The gluten-free cashew chicken ($9.95) is made with a mix of white and dark chicken meat, a hodgepodge of vegetables like celery, carrots, peas and zucchini and lots of cashews browned in the wok.
Hanmi has a lunch special with an entree, soup, egg rolls and rice for $7.95 or $8.95.