economie

We spent $470 on a Michelin-star meal for 2. The restaurant was inside a corporate office building, but our dinner was far from boring.

October 8, 20240
The restaurant had a very modern design.

Tiffany Leigh

Hansik Goo is located inside The Wellington, a corporate office in Central, Hong Kong. We visited the restaurant on a Thursday at dinnertime.

From the outside, the plain brown building looked like anything but a home for an award-winning restaurant. When we walked in, I asked security to point us in the direction of the restaurant, which was on the building’s lower level.

When we entered Hansik Goo, I noticed the dining area’s walls were mostly bare and adorned with only a few paintings. It reminded me of a modernist art gallery.

According to Hansik Goo’s website, the restaurant’s decor aims to blend traditional Korean heritage with a contemporary design. But aside from the blonde-wood tables and seating, I thought the space felt sparse.

We started the meal with a selection of Korean beverages.
The jatjeuptang was made with pine-nut soup, crab meat, and a meatball.

Tiffany Leigh

This dish consisted of wanja (a crab, Korean zucchini, and onion meatball) and crab meat in a creamy soup made with pine nuts.

I initially thought the crab itself was a bit salty. But after a few bites, its sweetness balanced the salt. 

Next, I tried the seasonal spring bite.
The naengchae paired seafood and fruit.

Tiffany Leigh

This course paired raw prawns and white snapper with pieces of Asian pears.

The seafood played off the sweetness of the fruit and the spicy, vinegary heat of the gochujang (red-chile paste) very well. 

The abalone mandu was tasty and comforting.
The saeng seon gui was made with grilled fish and white kimchi.

Tiffany Leigh

This dish included grilled gochujang black sea perch and layered white kimchi.

The fish was slightly salty and had a firm, flaky texture that reminded me of mackerel. The thin layer of sweet glaze on top of the fish perfectly balanced the dish.

The samgye yakbap had a great mix of savory and herbaceous flavors.
I loved the mix of rich and fresh flavors in the hanwoo course.

Tiffany Leigh

Our server told us this course, served alongside spicy kimchi and pickled cucumbers, was made with Korean-raised beef.

The meat’s richness reminded me of wagyu beef, as it was hefty, fatty, and sweet. I liked how the kimchi and cucumbers cut through the decadence of the beef.

The dish was simple, but I thought the chef executed it so well.

I found the namul bibimguksu dish refreshing.
The galbi-jjim was made with delicious pieces of braised-beef short ribs.

Tiffany Leigh

Though the tasting course included plenty of food, we also wanted to try the galbi-jjim, a type of beef stew. So, we added a half order for an extra HK$220.

This stew contained pieces of braised-beef short ribs and ganjang (a Korean soy sauce made with fermented soybeans and brine).

The caramelized sugar and fat from the meat and the mild saltiness from the broth nicely contrasted each other.

Before dessert, we were served the cham-oe, a sorbet.
I really enjoyed each of the desserts, which included the jang trio, heukyimja, and dagwa.

Tiffany Leigh

The tasting menu included two desserts: heukyimja, a black-sesame mousse with makgeolli ice cream and strawberries, and dagwa, which came with chocolate rice cakes, ginger-and-honey pastries, and Korean mulberry-leaf tea.

In addition to these pastries, we added the jang trio dessert course for about HK$70. This part of the meal included a doenjang (soybean paste) crème brûlée topped with ganjang pecans and gochujang powder.

Both the jang trio and the heukyimja tasted balanced and not too sweet, with a mix of savory, crunchy, and spicy components. The whirlwind of textures and flavors was delicious. 

The pastries that came with the dagwa course were dainty, but I was too full to try any at the restaurant. However, my friend took this dessert home — she said the pastries were on the sweeter side but enjoyable with hot tea.  

The meal was incredible, and I’d definitely return to Hansik Goo. 
I was impressed with our meal at Hansik Goo.

Tiffany Leigh

This meal was a splurge, but I felt the quality of each dish made it a good value. Including add-ons, the meal came out to about HK$3,640, or $470, before the 10% service charge.

The tasting menu did a great job showcasing modernist South Korean cuisine, with sophisticated yet subtle cultural homages to traditional dishes. The meal was teeming with flavor and had a range of textures, from delicate and light to hearty and robust.

Though I was worried about the amount of food, the portion sizes were just right, so I wasn’t feeling uncomfortably full by the end of the night.

Our dinner was worth every penny, and I wouldn’t hesitate to dine here again. From start to finish, the service was well-paced and informative, and every dish was memorably delicious.