Hans Il Kwan Restaurant
1802 Balboa St. San Francisco, CA 94121
San Francisco, CA 94121
(Prices: $12 and up)
(415) 752-4447
11am-10:30pm daily
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Just as the monstrous tour bus reaches a complete halt, a flock of eager Korean tourist like marching penguins walk into Han Il Kwan for authentic Korean food. Owner Jun Kim emphasizes the importance of keeping his food authentic.

Blue interior shingles and wooden partitioned booths add to the casual family ambiance. With a pleasant smile, our waiter Tina took our order.

A few minutes latter, a vibrant fleet of side dishes call “ban chan” excites the appetite. Notable ban chans include pillowy mung bean cake, steamed egg custard, and kimchi – with a combination of sweet and spicy tones.

In Korea, there are many varieties of kimchi and each taste is unique to its region. Because of it proximity to the ocean, the kimchi in the northwest of Korea is seasoned with fish and oyster. While low in calories but high in dietary fiber, one serving of kimchi can provide a high amount of Vitamin C and Carotene.

Other healthy ingredients often used in kimchi recipes include chili and garlic. Before the times of refrigeration, many types of kimchi were prepared in early winter and stored in the ground using large kitchen pots.

Arriving in a small stone pot, the hot tofu ($8.95) features a dark red soup simmering with silky tofu. The spicy flavors from the chili stimulated my appetite further more.

Topped with a golden sunny side egg, the dol sop beem bi beem bap ($11.95) served in a large clay pot displayed multiple flavors. With a few squeeze of their house sweet chili sauce, the medley of vegetables combined with the creaminess from the eggs and savory BBQ beef pieces created a good comfort food dish. The highlights were the nutty flavors from over cooked rice sizzling from the heated clay pot.

Riding along the flavor train, Jap Cha (sautéed vegetables with beef and vermicelli-$11.95) is a great peppery noodle dish that compliments the bowl of rice. Skip the cold noodle served with beef and raddish ($10.95). The addition of mustard and chili paste did not rescue the cold soup base from its lack of character and flavor. Quickly, I reached for cubes of raddish marinated in chilli sauce to thrill my palate.

Korean food is unique from other Asian cuisines in that it gives the diner control in terms of flavor, temperature and texture instantly. If a dinner’s palate has been over infused with spicy flavors, a quick nibble from cooling cucumbers or sprout amongst the pan chan army does the trick.

After immigrating from South Korea in 1988, Kim started a travel agency in Los Angeles. In 2005, he purchased the restaurants from the previous owners but cleverly kept his relationship with tour guides who act as a feeder into his business.

Kim emphasizes that good food and service will create a loyal customer base. Since he does not know how to cook, Kim says he pays his chef well to keep them happy. Although he was reluctant to take a big loan to purchase the restaurant, he believes that his constant stream of business from tour buses has given him relief.

I asked Kim the difference between his Korean restaurants and others. Kim said, “I serve authentic Korean food and don’t change any recipes to adapt to the Western taste.” He added that authentic Korean food is not meant to be too spicy. For a table of four, the total was $60 including tips.

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