Han Woo Ri, Korean BBQ

Despite my love for Japanese food, it's strange how I never quite ventured to neighbouring Korea to savour their cuisine.  Apart from Kim Chi, I would be hard pressed to name another Korean dish.  Hyundai? Samsung?

Young Prince James turned 30 recently.  It seemed like yesterday that he was but a kid ... well, actually, I didnt know of his existence till about two years ago when we met at our church's family camp.  Where he said I have a acksy backsy face. (not in those exact words, but it cannot be reproduced here).  We found ourselves in the same team going to Nepal for our church's mission trip.  What I learnt about the young lad was that he's such a good boy.  Doesn't drink coffee, alcohol, and doesn't eat spicy foods.  He might as well be a Mormon.

Anyway, oddly enough, it turns out that he likes Korean food.  A rather exotic choice for a Mormon, I thought.  And as fate would have it, I had just, not too long ago, made friends with John, who owns a Korean restaurant.  I always feel that as friends, we should as far as possible, give business to our friends.  Call it culinary cronyism if you must.

The place, Han Woo Ri, in USJ Taipan, near Citibank.  Not exactly familiar territory for me, though with the help of Waze these days, it does obviate the need for maps, which would explain why you'd find it almost impossible to purchase a KL A-Z these days.  Obviously, the place was no stranger to the neighbourhood, as it was rather crowded, and it is a huge place.

Actually, my last korean meal was also a BBQ, so I am left wondering if there are other forms of Korean cuisine .....It only takes a spark, to get a fire going

We ordered their signature Shoju to start with.  It being a church group and all, I expected not to exceed one bottle, or two at the very maximum! (but we ended up with SIX!)

The sidedishes, which are part of the sets, are  refillable.  

You'd think it's wagyu, with ll that amazing marbling, but it's not.  But it was FABULOUS.And it's only RM68!!! For 200gm.  Incredible value. 

The boss man himself cooks for us.  Very honored!

Lettuce and raw carrots, cucumber and garlic to wrap the bbq-ed meats. .... Also free flow.  You can get a lot of roughage from this alone.

Succulent, dripping with natural fats, this beef is AS good as wagyu, without the wagyu pricing.  I liked eating just as it was, without any sauce, wraps or anything. Melt in the mouth goodness.

Kimchi pancake.  A good predinner snack if you're hungry, because it really fills you up.  As I have limited experience with Korean cuisine, I have no yardstick with which to compare, but it was tasty, if not a bit doughy.

Korean version of  chawan mushi,  the texture is more like a fritata.  Eggs, I love them in all forms, except hard boiled...

BBQ Pork fillets...The charcoal fire really gives the meat a gorgeous charred effect. 

Can there be a lovelier sight, than strips of pork belly with generous amounts of fat? Obviously the aforementioned pig was no gym member.RM27 for these three strips of porcine delight. 

Their signature short rib, which is marinated in a whole cocktail of fruit juices and other stuff.

Bursting with natural flavours, and complemented by sauteed onions, apparently it goes better wrapped in lettuce.

Here we have a demonstration on how to eat pork belly wrapped in lettuce leaf.

And the bbq-ed beef rib, which was absolutely divine, and full of flavour.  It was also remarkably tender.  The subtle tastes of the marinade oozes through every pore, and downed with a shot of shoju, ...a match made in heaven.

Actually, the free refills of kimchi and lettuce and condiments alone makes the meal real value for money.  I intend to return very soon.   

Happy 30th Good Boy.  Time to learn how to DRINK and eat hot stuff.

Han Woo Ri
Address: 1D, Jlan USJ10/1J
Taipan
47620 Subang Jaya
Tel: 03-8023 3357
Email hanwoorisubang@gmail.com