The restaurant Hanok in Madison Park takes its name from the Korean word meaning a traditional house, but also from the blended names of its husband-and-wife proprietors, Han Kim and Jade Ok. The double entendre is apt for this modest neighborhood restaurant. Hanok feels very personal: a cozy house that seems like home, with Ok in the kitchen and Kim out front, acting as both host and server, always ready with a smile.

Korean specialties share the bill of fare with some Japanese-inspired dishes: stir-fries, udon soups, sukiyaki, teriyaki and katsu chicken and pork. For those new to Korean food, Hanok offers an entry-level introduction. Kim beamed when we ordered ghimmari, one of his favorites, and ddukbokki, one of his wife’s favorites, he said. Ghimmari are thumb-size bundles of nori-wrapped yam noodles, battered and deep-fried. The satisfying little bites taste salty, savory, crisp and yielding all at once. Ddukbokki is a more substantial plate. Long, cylindrical rice cakes and springy, round fish cakes loll in a red sauce that’s sweet but assertively spiked with gochujang, the fermented chili-pepper paste, and deepened by a broth typically made using anchovy and kelp.

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Originally published in Seattle Times.
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