Her Name is Han — Restaurant in New York

Overall, a mid experience. The vibes were immaculate, service was solid, and the food was okay. Modest sizes but the flavor was not quite there for me. Maybe it was an off day but there felt like there was not enough seasoning for many dishes (salt) with others being good for one or two bites then being middling. I'll say this, we finished all the food so it wasn't bad but truthfully it misses the soul of Korean food as others have touted. It lacks the punch and mixture of flavors that good, home Korean cooking delivers with simplicity; Han is trying to elevate and sophisticate plain dishes without the solid delivery.

Starting with the side dishes. The potato salad is standard, I enjoyed the chunks of Korean pear. The green beans were interesting, not super flavorful but fresh and I enjoyed munching. The mushroom-y one was good. I enjoyed the flavor and the texture. The kimchi was meh. Good crunch and a hint of flavor but not enough fermentation or spice for me.

Then the dumplings. Juicy with decent flavor but $10 for 4 is kind of a lot. Definitely a good item though. I thought the skin was very good. The soy sauce it was given with was pretty standard. Nothing crazy but a good pairing. It was delivered in a nice little basket.

I enjoyed the tteoboki with its crunch paired with the pumpkin and peppers. While the sauce was kind of light and not super flavorful you have to give credit for a good cook. I enjoyed the dish overall.

The croquettes were fried well. I was surprised by how sweet and cheesy they were but honestly that was good. I liked this dish probably the most out of all the small appetizers. I think it came with some ketchup that was a good pairing. I was expecting it to have some potato but I think that's on me for not reading the description properly.

The kimchi pancakes were forgetful. I honestly forgot we had it until I went back to the photos. No kimchi flavor, kind of floppy, and just not that great.

The bulgogi ground beef patty was nice. It was really flavorful and went with the rice really well. I think that was probably the best "main" dish. Very soft and tender which made it easy to eat. I liked this dish a solid amount.

The chicken with crushed garlic was okay. I thought the garlic almost had a cheesy flavor to it? Honestly the best part of this dish was that oyster mushrooms. I think the chicken was tender but almost undercooked. Not a whole lot of the promised gochujang flavor.

Again, overall the food was cooked well but under delivered on flavor. I would like more spice, more tang, more depth. It felt a little washed out and plain. Give me the weight of the Korean soul in the food. I wish the story provided was delivered.

Good...

I typically only write reviews for places I love, and so I am thrilled to add Her Name is Han to that humble but growing list. It's no secret how much I love Korean food. HNIH hits the proverbial spot. A few words that come to mind are homey, warm, authentic, modern, and love. I know it sounds dopey, but its built into the very name and mission of the restaurant. Home-cooked style meals that your 할머니 (haelmoni - grandma) would cook. I'm not even Korean, and I feel like somewhere in the back of the kitchen, my mom made me this meal just for me. Eat here and you may as well have your mother like figure come out and pat you on the head and say "good job sweetie" for finishing your plate.

OK, moving on from my hyperbolic reimagining of home, the food is incredible! I highly recommend you go, for either brunch, or dinner. I have been to both multiple times.

The interior is an eclectic mix of table lamps, books, small spaced tables, an old oven as a counter...makes you feel instantly like you are at home. I have been there with a group of 6 friends, and also on dates, and the meal consistency is the same. (In my images I only have my brunch meals as the space was too low lit to take decent images).

My friend got the Grilled Hokke. Perfectly cooked flaky fish with the most satisfyingly crispy skin on top. Naturally adorned with beautiful and fresh crunchy and multi textured banchan consisting of spicy kimchee, a sweet lotus root paste, salad, soup, and various other pickled flavours that combine to make a symphonic exploration.

I had the Korean-zed version of a ratatouille. This is where it gets interesting and why I love HNIH. Before everyone loses their mind over Korean Non-Korean approaches...that is what I adore this place. It traces history in Korea through the cuisine. The commingling of american styles and korean innovation and flavours. It carries into dinner too. With hot pots that have ingredients like spam and cheese slices. Their spicy Tteokbokki (rice cakes) are chewy perfection. Their Bulgogi (beef) is perfectly sweet and savoury. Their hot pots are spicy, warm, and incredibly nuanced in flavour.

I went there with a large group of friends and we all shared everything on the meal and shared over flowing cups of a Korean rice drink called Makgeolli, a sweet milky alcohol that I could drink off the floor its so good.

We shared incredible food, beautiful cocktails and drinks, and the warmest and heartiest laughs in a long time. I can't say it enough...go visit Her Name Is Han, and let mama cook you...

PSA: Raw marinated crabs are NOT served during Saturday and Sunday brunch soooo do not do what I did and come on a weekend during lunch hours expecting to finally try their crabs.

Ended up ordering their Korean Fried Chicken, Mini Budae Hot Pot, and Baby Octopus Pasta. The fried chicken was mid. Not worth it. Nothing special. Tasted like unseasoned chicken battered in cornstarch. The sweet and sour sauce couldn’t even save it because it wasn’t that appealing either. Pickled radish didn’t even taste pickled. Just crunchy bland radish. Save your money and do not order that as an appetizer.

The entrees were worth it though. It came with decent amounts of banchan and serving sizes of the main dishes were relatively decent. The baby octopus pasta was definitely more delicious than the budae because to be honest, you can make budae with items you most likely already have in your kitchen (ham, spam, rice cakes, ramen, beans, etc.), but who has octopus in their freezer/fridge? And who has the time to clean octopus to cook it??? So I highly recommend the baby octopus pasta because it’s different and not something you can easily whip up in the kitchen unless you have access to stuff like that.

Lastly, I really like the style of this restaurant. You can tell they have a niche for reuse and recycle. I like the old-fashion type of decor especially the light fixtures and the kitchen appliance appearance on the front of the counter by the kitchen. I also like how they have hooks on the wall by the seats so you can hang your jacket/bags as seen in one of my pictures. I hung my denim jacket and purse. I appreciate that they try to make the most out of their limit dining area so the addition of those hooks for their customers’ accommodations is awesome!

When I come back to visit NYC, I plan to return to this place because I really want to try their raw marinated crabs! Service was also great. We made reservations so getting a table was easy, and our server was attentive throughout our dining experience. Thank you, Noah, for...