Have you met my new BFF? Her Name is Han!
There’s a newish Han in Koreatown, and it’s unrelated to the dynasty, although it wouldn’t be so out of the ordinary if Han Dynasty and Her Name is Han were related.
Anywho, I really like all cuisines, except have never had luck with finding a good Korean restaurant, even in Koreatown. Her Name is Han broke my streak and was way above average. After about five months of it’s opening, you’d think I’d be able to get a normal reservation time, especially because I booked four weeks in advance. Nope… could only get 9pm or later.
The space was cozy, a great date spot, yet acceptable for large groups, especially because it’s so affordable (hello $6 glasses of wine and Korean beer).
The menu is extremely helpful for a Korean amateur like myself, with very detailed descriptions accompanied by pictures of each dish. It was like 20 pages though, which was a bit overwhelming. The waiters were also very friendly, attentive and helped us pick the best things on the menu. Once we ordered drinks, the waiter brought out little samplings of Spinach, Cole Slaw, Mushrooms, Kimchi and this other spicy thing that I wasn’t a fan of.
Here’s what else we got:
Gochujang Marinated Pork Rib BBQ: These ribs were unbelievably juicy and the BBQ sauce was so good we wished they gave us a side to take home.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Fried Rice: This was interesting in flavor. It wasn’t like your typical Chinese Fried rice, and the portion was a little small, but it was good.
Spicy Assorted Seafood and Homemade Dumpling Soup: The massive bubbling pot had shrimp, crab, clam, pork dumplings and mushrooms was so different that anything I ever had at a Korean restaurant. The broth stayed hot since it was torched underneath the pot the whole time and it was flavorful, not to spicy. The dumplings were delicious and tasted even better in the broth. My one complaint is that they didn’t have any utensils to crack the crabs, so I couldn’t get any meat out! The waiter told me to crack it with my teeth and that didn’t go so well.
Cold Noodle Salad with Black Sesame Dressing: This was one of my favorite things and this picture doesn’t really do the dish justice. The black sesame, peanut sauce was to die for and the crunchy apples mixed with fried onions on top complimented the soft noodles perfectly. Since this was the last dish we got, I had leftovers for the next day and savored every bite. I can definitely see myself getting this dish for takeout very frequently.
I highly recommend trying Her Name is Han. It was almost climatic and I give it an 8/10. Definitely would like to try some new things, so feel free to let me know what other dishes are good for my next visit!
Her Name is Han
17 E 31st St. New York, NY 10016
T. 212.779.9990
