Hae-Nam Kalbi & Calamari — Restaurant in Shoreline

In less than 1 year, the prices for the kalbi and bulgogi have increased by more than $10 each! The bulgogi is now served on the same kind of stone plates as the kalbi. That's no big deal, but there's no more mushrooms, and the onions weren't cooked enough. I can't tell if it's the same amount we used to get because of the difference in how it's now served, but I'm guessing it's the same amount of meat.

I miss the old banchan - especially the potatoes, tofu, and greens, but I think they now give 8 instead of 7 kinds, and 2 were seaweed. They also give squash instead, but they only included a few pieces each time... Which were also very oily. At least the seafood pancake is still good like usual.

Original review October 2022: This place is great for both big groups and also couples or individuals. There's still a lot of room after they remodeled their seating. It used to be more open when I was here years ago, and now they have a wall in the middle of the room to divide the seating. I was worried it would make me feel more claustrophobic, but it actually allows for a little more privacy.

We got the LA kalbi and bulgogi and tasted the seafood pancake. Their seafood pancake is the best one I've had out of 3 different Korean restaurants I've been to this season - both in terms of flavors and size. I didn't have any doughy or overly burnt pieces like I've had at another restaurant. The unique thing about the bulgogi is that it comes with an electric cooker (not sure what it's called), so you have to wait for the mushrooms and onions to cook because they're raw. I'm not sure if I like this or not because it takes up a lot of room. The amount of meat provided in both dishes was fair for the price. Plus, their flavors were on point.

One of the only things that shocked me was the bibimbap because I don't remember it being so small. The price was almost $20 for a small bowl. Usually I have enough for leftovers at other Korean restaurants or here years ago, but the new size looks too small. I would probably stick with getting meats and the seafood pancake. The banchan was pretty standard - nothing amazingly unique or bad. I did like the tofu...

If you are a Korean native, or K-phile, this is not the restaurant for you. While the 반찬 is somewhat decent compare to the mediocrity served around the U-district, the quality of their dishes stands just above the U-district quasi-Korean fast food taste. Even though it is a tough call since you'll end up paying a 20-50% premium. Haenam as its name is a disgrace. If you ever travel to the South Jeolla province in S. Korea where the real Hae Nam district is located, you can only realize how bad this restaurant really is. But to be fair, Aurora Haenam is just a symptom of the Korean community in Seattle. The younger generation has moved to a higher social stratum. Unlike in the US, Korean parents invest heavily in education; it is a big deal in Korea. there are many doctors, engineers, attorneys, scientists, who came out of family-owned restaurants and 7/11 stores managed by Koreans (that includes sushi places). Most decent K-chefs have retired a least a decade ago. Sam Oh Jung in Lynwood is one of the few still standing. Once the latter closes doors or its management changes, game's over for the entire Puget Sound. I am not even mentioning Tacoma, Federal Way which used to be a Korean strong hold decades ago after the Korean war... Even H-Mart has changed; it is now catering more and more to the Chinese community. Two stars: one for the cook, one for the owner who ripped us off: Good job. Shame on me for not knowing better. For the waiters, there are better ...

We were looking for a restaurant recommended by a friend and drove too far north. We went in here out of a spirit of adventure. My wife LOVES Korean barbecue. Hae-Nam has an very extensive menu and indeed, the tables set up for barbecue. She opted for some steaming pork.vegetable.noodle bowl and she was delighted not only with it, but especially with \the array of Korean side dishes that make the cuisine so special. I should have taken a picture. I could write a whole paragraph about the side dishes, but can only do justice to a few. Some pickled sprouts were delicious. Potato bites prepared in a way difficult to describe, but delicious. Pickled daikon spirals that looked like noodles -- "can't eat just one"!! My condition includes a constraint against spicy foods and AMAZING there was a beef and rice noodle stew that was perfect. The broth was killer good. The menu had page after page of entrees, side dishes, noodles, and the prices were very reasonable. Service was friendly and quick, though the food was cooked to order and served hot from the oven. They got really busy after we entered as the dinner hour arrived. The crowd was mixed ages and races with no noisy kids or loud music. We like that. Parking is free. The house wine by the glass was a robust and complex red, a generous pour at a low price. Hae-Nam is more than ten miles from our home, but next time we're up north, say at Costco we will go back and try some more of their...