Unrelated Content

sometimes i feel bad for vegetarians and vegans, as they often get the shaft at eateries. this is usually true if you want to fully experience korean food, as just about everything has meat or seafood in it. sure, you could stick to the bibimbap, “no meat, no egg,” but it’s just a bowl of charred rice and some vegetables and hot sauce. while it’s delicious, it’s not just full representative of all the offerings that korean restaurants have to offer.

enter hangawi, the vegan midtown eatery located right in the middle of what is known as “koreatown.” i’ve been meaning to try this place for ages, but was warned away with a “it’s kind of bland.” but curiosity prevailed, and i finally broke down and made reservations. having a vegetarian dining companion helps with this sort of thing; you find yourself avoiding french bistros.

dimly lit and cozy, and requiring you to take your shoes off, hangawi reminds me of a japanese temple, or perhaps a quieter, more zen like version of the now-defunct zen palate in union square. the waitstaff mince back and forth in stockinged feet and are attentive, kneeling down to your level with elbows perched on wooden stools. the tables are actually platforms set into the floor so that you’re not eating really on the carpet, cross legged.

we perused the menu and ordered accordingly:

korean pear delight juice – not sweet at all, and “tastes exactly like a pear” 7$

first pick green tea leaves – there was a three minute demonstration on how to brew this properly, which i suppose demands the 10$ price tag (p.s. if you like your tea more intense, steep it for longer than the recommended 30 seconds)

steamed dumplings – four delicious morsels stuffed with vegetables and ground tofu

silken tofu stew – the vegan version of soondubu chigae, my favorite. sure, i missed the depth that the shellfish usually brings, but it was quite bracing.

i had the tofu bibimbap with extra hot sauce. it was OK, nothing particularly fascinating, and the hot stone bowl didn’t do much to sear and crisp the rice enough to my liking

JP had the genghis khan soup made from root vegetables and mushrooms and served with vermicelli. light and sweetly savory from the onions.

to finish, we ordered the tofu cheesecake, which was surprisingly good and not at all too “tofu-ey”, and the chocolate pudding, which was not heavy on the chocolate, but more like pudding with chocolate.

fully sated (actually, i was stuffed and waddled out on my heels, to be honest), we wandered back into the din that is 32nd street, completely negating all the comfort we’d just experienced for the past two hours. the bill, before tip? 100$  (we’d ordered a bottle of sparkling water as well)

if you’re vegan or vegetarian and don’t hate mushrooms as the menu is very heavy on the fungus, then i recommend you give this place a try. it’s a pleasant change of pace from the brightly lit, korean pop music blaring restaurants where your clothes are inevitably marinated in the smoke of meats barbecuing on the grill.