My partner and I came here for lunch on my birthday after purchasing a Groupon voucher online. Close to public transport with the Mater Hill bus way just a block away, the location is fairly convenient without being too close to the city. Very casual establishment — each table came with a little doorbell type buzzer to press when we were ready to order. Which is just as well as there seemed to only be one staff member in the whole restaurant. The food, however, was delicious. The dumplings were hot and crispy with tasty filling. The bibimbap(Korean for ‘mixed rice’) was full of vegetables, plenty of meat and also came with a few interesting side dishes to mix in as well. All in all it was an average experience, however the food was good and that was what we were there for after all.
Niel K.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Austin, TX
Decent neighborhood Korean place. Bbq ribs and the like were being enjoyed by others, I opted for ‘Bibimbap’ a rice and veg/meat dish served in a hot bowl so that the rice on the bottom eventually gets crispy. Quite tasty. Sides included two seaweed dishes and kimchi. Perhaps not worth a trip across town but solid if you’re in the inner south area.
Naomi W.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Melbourne, Australia
I got a voucher for Hancook off Groupon to take my partner for her birthday. After our hike on public transport to get there we were greeted by our friendly server who led us to our table in the relatively empty restaurant. We had a set entrée of crispy dumplings, which came out within 15 minutes of ordering with a tasty dipping sauce. They were piping hot and quite nice. I’d probably even say the best bit of the meal. Could go some right now! We also had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to go with our meal which wasn’t too shabby. I never expect much when it comes in the deal, but it was good. And a bottle of cold water for our table which I always appreciate. Our deal was for hot stone bibimbap’s, which is rice, vegetables(which included bean sprouts, carrot, cucumber, zucchini and daikon) and chilli served on a hot stone. We opted for a chicken one and a seafood one. The chicken was fine, quite spicy — we didn’t have to add any chilli. I found the chicken itself quite bland though. I think I’d like to try the cheese one if I went again because it would go nicely with the rice. The seafood one was good though. Seafood taste really enhanced the dish. Prawns, little shrimp, baby octopus(chopped I think), chopped mussels and squid. It was good. We also got served a miso soup, a type of coleslaw, kim chi and seaweed. I really enjoyed the side dishes, they were tasty and went well with the rice dish. We got all this for $ 29 so I was definitely impressed. While it wasn’t the best thing I’ve eaten, I really enjoyed it. I would probably go back if I find myself on that side of town again.
Dan L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Australia
Went here with mi esposa on a livingsocial two-for-one deal. Found the person who waited our table a bit vague about the offer — which was an entrée each and a main each plus drinks — but after presenting them with the deal we paid for on our iPhone4s so they could see it, they relented(were only going to give us one entrée to share) and we received two entrees. Now, it must be said one entrée — particularly the pancakes — does serve two quite substantially so perhaps we were a bit greedy. However, in the quest for — value-for-money — sometimes the waters get murky, but we did get the deep-fried dumplings as the second entrée and by the time the entire meal arrived — including the side dishes — we were as full as a scrub tick in height of summer on a cattle property. Overall, we were seeking a dining experience with a difference and Hancook definitely delivered that. The dishes seemed to have a somewhat discerning sweetness to them, but not knowing Korean food and whether that was something that’s common with the tastes and ingredients of the food, it went down a treat. It’s difficult to categorise the differences sometimes between the Asian flavours of Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Fijian and others from the region but Hancook makes a valiant effort and we will definitely be back for more!
Oliver H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Brisbane, Australia
I really enjoyed the one dinner I’ve had at Hancook, and judging by the number of Japanese and Korean people you see eating here it’s a safe bet for authentic Asian food on the south side. Apart from the regular dishes you’d expect from a Korean/Japanese restaurant these guys do some pretty interesting fusion creations, namely their Tacos and Taco Pizzas. I tried one of the ‘Bulgogi beef tacos’ — a mixture of Korean-style marinated beef with the usual taco fillings like red onion, iceberg lettuce, carrot & tomato. You get two soft tacos for just under $ 10. Coupled with an entrees like one of their pancakes or dumplings, it makes for a pretty filling meal.
Marianna S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Sydney, Australia
This Korean BBQ restaurant has a huge menu ranging from Korean BBQ to rice stews and sushi. When I came here with my sister, I decided to try their spicy beef soup with vegetables, herbs and raw egg. I’ve had this dish before at a couple of other Korean restaurants, and I can say that the dish here is a pretty high standard. It’s not overloaded with chillies to the point where you can’t taste anything else and they’re very generous with their serving sizes. My main complaint is the inconsistency in their pricing. My spicy beef soup which was a huge main serving was around $ 12 but our kim-chi pancake which is usually a cheap entrée cost $ 15. Also, the stir fried glass noodles with vegetables and beef which is a fairly standard, popular Korean dish was pretty expensive compared to other restaurants. If you’re balking at the prices, you can visit during happy hour. Between 5 — 6pm Monday to Friday, it’s 50% all special dishes on the menu. There’s also a lunch time special; between 12 –2pm Monday to Friday $ 4.90 on sushi rolls(usually you get eight little pieces for around $ 7). It’s enough to tempt me to go back.