Hanshik is a new restaurant with an innovative way of barbecue. The proposal is that each table has a charcoal grill in its center so that you can cook the meat to your liking, accompanied by traditional Korean cuisine garnishes.
Although the restaurant opened its doors two weeks ago, the venture emerged almost a year ago, led by Rafael Kim (and his relatives from the Japanese and Korean food restaurants Nakama and Raisu). The objective of the business was to bring to Córdoba a different proposal driven by a personal desire, which was already present in Buenos Aires.
Rafael Kim, owner of the gastronomic venture, comments: “What we did was put the restaurant at 60% with 22 tables. My idea was not to put it at 100% for reasons of productivity, to get the products out well and for people to leave well cared for.” And he adds enthusiastically: “We didn’t think it would have this impact, because the truth is that many people are coming to try it and we are totally grateful.”
An unconventional grill
What differentiates Hanshik from other grills is that it offers thin cuts of meat to be cooked from the table and according to each person’s taste. On the other hand, all dishes on the menu come accompanied by traditional Korean cuisine garnishes (such as kimchi and a variety of vegetables, among others).
Rafael Kim points out that 70% of the foods they use are native and that the remaining 30% are imported, which implies that the flavor is not 100% original, added to the fact that he had to find a balance in the recipes to adapt them to the public. Cordoba, since some Korean dishes tend to be spicy.
Traditional Korean cuisine
In Korea, these barbecues are part of the gastronomic tradition, which emerged more than 50 years ago and over time they included more variations in the menus with recipes with beef, pork, fish, seafood and vegetarian options.
Usually, these places are busiest after work or to meet friends. “70% of people go to eat a barbecue, because it is a place to share, it is fun, it is dynamic, they interact a lot with what cooking is and, in addition, the food is delicious,” says Kim.
This proposal was possible to implement thanks to the fact that Córdoba is opening up to the gastronomy of other countries, since we can increasingly learn more about Korean culture through different media such as series and the internet, mentions Rafael Kim.
Hanshik – which means Korean restaurant – is located in the Alta Córdoba neighborhood.
