Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Hyang Won Korean Restaurant - Strathfield

There's this apartment in Strathfield that I completely adore and want to buy. In my mind - everything is perfect about it. It was however, very close to Parramatta road and the train tracks so my partner and I decided to go check it out one night for the noise levels around that street. After doing so, dinner was definately on the agenda. Being in Strathfield, what better than to Korean it up?

Deciding which of the many Korean restaurants was a tough choice. We had initially decided on CeCi - only to be turned away as they were packed out. Our second option was Hyang Won. We were seated, only to be moved and ushered to their back room as the (rather loud) business looking Korean men (and their quiet submissive looking wives and kids) decided that they want the whole place to themselves.

Being seated out back did have its perks - but it was definately less homey feeling and lots lots chillier. It was heaps quieter and less BBQ smelling. My partner and I decided to share a hot pot. The Pork bone, potato and vegetable hot pot ($35) came with rice and sides. I also noted that all the hot pots were chilli in nature as it said down the bottom that you could choose how spicy you wanted it. However, when we ordered, the waiter didn't ask us for that option, and as the ingredients (and the picture) of this dish seemed so innocent, my partner knew nothing about it being spicy... until he saw the redness of the soup when it was placed infront of us LOL

Anyway - side dishes were decent. I particularly like the tofu one (it was nice and sweet which was awesome when the hotpot got too hot for me). However, a japchae type or seaweed type sidedish would have made my night. Not to be though.

Side dishes

The hotpot was pretty spicy - but I bit my teeth and got through it (with the help of lots of water). I ended up eating quite a bit of it, much to my partner's surprise. The pork bone was tasty and tender. The potatoes were interesting. I was in a dilemma - do I let them cook til super soft but risk it soaking in the spicy juices, or do I try and take it out asap so it's less spicy? I opted for the latter - but it meant that the potatoes were sometimes slightly crunchy. The vegetables were a HUGE dilemma for me. I love my veges soggy and overcooked - but that meant that it soaks in ALL the spicy soup. And ... had to give up on the veges kekeke. See the mountain of powdery stuff on top of the veges? That's all the pepper ready to go into the soup!

pork bone, potato and vege hot pot - $35

Overall, the food here was average. The ambiance and service is a bit so so - but what can you expect from Asian food joints?

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 6/10
Value for money - 7.5/10
Overall - 26.5/40

Hyang Won Korean Restaurant
31 The Boulevarde
Strathfield
NSW 2135
Tel: (02) 9746 5750

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