A Delicious Hankki

Written by Seon Su-yeon, Yoo Su-yeon, and Han So-young.

These days, Western food is becoming more universal in Korea. Unlike in the past, you can find Western restaurants everywhere and anytime. But when you go to a Western restaurant, the dishes are often oilier than you’d like, and there are no special differences distinguishing them from those of other Western restaurants.

That’s why we went to a Korean-style Western restaurant called “Hankki-masissda” (한끼 맛있다), which serves fusion food combining Korean and Western cuisine. The “kki” (끼) in the name means “meal.” Because food culture has developed a lot in Korea, there are many expressions related to meals when meeting people. For example, Koreans often ask, “Have you had lunch/dinner?” (밥 먹었어?). Therefore, we figured this is why the restaurant also has such a name, which incidental translates loosely as “One Fine Meal.”

This restaurant is in the center of downtown Gwangju. Located across from Chungjang Lotte Cinema, it was easy to find at its second-floor location. However, since there are many other restaurants nearby, it might be more convenient to do an internet search for the restaurant before you go.

There were a lot of bright lights inside, so we felt very warm and cozy when we entered. Also, the many small plants made us feel refreshed, and because of the wide spaces, it was convenient to put our bags on a seat.

We ordered a lunch combo that consisted of steak, your choice of rice or pasta, and a fruit drink (By the way, lunchtime is from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) We ordered the Leek Pork Belly Steak (부추 통삼겹 스테이크), the Rosé Pane Pasta (로제 빠네 파스타), and a green-grape drink. Still hungry for more, we ordered the Kimchi Pilaf (김치 필라프) as well. The waiting time was short, as it took only about ten minutes for the food to be served.

The Rosé Pane Pasta came out first. So-young, one of us three at the table, prefers Korean food more than Western food because she doesn’t like oily foods. But this pasta was a bit spicy unlike normal rose sauce, so it seemed to be perfect in taste not only for her but also for Koreans in general who like spicy flavors. When we asked about the sauce to the waiter, he said that the spicy flavor is buldak (불닭, a popular spicy sauce in Korea) sauce, made using their own recipe. Also, the bread served on the side was crispy and moist, matching well with the sauce.

The second dish to arrive was the Kimchi Pilaf. There were kimchi and meat inside, but it tasted like ordinary kimchi fried rice (김치 볶음밥). If you want to experience a more fusion-like dish, we recommend you try a different kind of rice.

The last dish was the Leek Pork Belly Steak. As the signature dish of this restaurant, it was plated nicely and looked very tasty. It came with ricotta cheese salad, cloves of roasted garlic, pineapple, and rice, making the dish even more plentiful. The pork belly (samgyeopsal, 삼겹살) was as good as expected. It was tender, not tough or smelly, and the soy sauce with red pepper powder that came out with it tasted sweet and salty. Also, the salad contained a really big chunk of ricotta cheese and the vegetables in the salad were fresh. The combination with meat was good as well. Besides, since we had ordered the main dish, we could get refills of rice and salad for free!

We’d like to recommend this place to those who don’t like oily foods but want to experience a unique Korean-style of Western cuisine. Even though we had pasta, pilaf, and steak, we felt like we had eaten Korean foods. Besides, every dish was a big portion. You’ll be able to enjoy a variety of foods if you order a combo menu item and a single dish for three people. The price is midrange, so it would be a nice and easy place to go with friends, for couples, and as a family.

If you’re thinking about whether to go out to have Western food or Korean food, why don’t you go to this restaurant and have both?

Tip: In addition to a ricotta cheese salad and rice refills when you order the steak, you can also refill your drink at the self-service bar. There is also a promotion that offers free fruit drinks for each table if you post a picture on your SNS account, such as Instagram or Facebook, with the tag that the restaurant requests.

THE AUTHOR

Seon Su-yeon is an intern on the International Support Team at the GIC. She’s majoring in mass communication at Chonnam National University. She loves editing videos, listening to band music, and cooking.

THE AUTHOR

Yoo Su-yeon is an intern on the Planning and Management Team at the GIC. She’s very interested in eating delicious food and visiting famous restaurants. She always gets a lot of satisfaction out of cooking with fresh ingredients on her days off. For her, it’s a great honor to introduce her favorite restaurant in the Gwangju News.

THE AUTHOR

Han So-young is an intern on the Planning and Management Team at the GIC. Her happiest moments are eating delicious food with people she likes. Although she likes to spend time with people, sometimes she enjoys cooking by herself at home and eating while watching Netflix. That’s when she’s truly herself.