Hansang is located in Sydney’s own ‘Koreatown’: Strathfield, situated just off the busy main street at the bottom of a new apartment building. Their tagline ‘The Taste Of Korea’ perfectly summarises what they offer – wholesome, hearty Korean dishes like soups, hotpots, noodles & your typical sides & meat dishes. Based on some friendly recommendations we headed there to see what all the buzz is about on the new player in town.

Location: 8 Lyons St, Strathfield NSW 2135
Price: $18-$23 for the soups, $23 for seafood pancake, $15 steamed egg, sides dishes free
Website: http://hansangsydney.com.au/
Social: https://www.facebook.com/hansanginsydney/

James: 4 out of 5 – Food was awesome, soups are perfect for the winter and seafood pancake was one of the most legit I’ve ever had.

It was a rough start to our experience at Hansang where it took 30-40mins and two follow ups before we got our sides and food, leaving us hungry, grumpy & generally deflated after also having to wait in line for a table. So once the food finally arrived, the socialising stopped and the feasting begun. And while the customer service left a lot to be desired, the quality of food at Hansang is what really stood out.

Let’s start with the side dishes because that’s what you get first. There are 8 options for side dishes with unlimited refills and these were great. I’ll admit I don’t eat all of them so I’ll just highlight the creamy pasta, fishcake & seaweed side dishes as stand outs from the selection. We also ordered the Seafood Pancake & Steamed Egg, 2 staple Korean dishes typically from the side menu. I really enjoyed the Seafood Pancake and think it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. Cut up into sizeable pieces for ease of eating, the pancake was super crispy and held intact (didn’t break apart like most pancakes I’ve had), was flavourful, generous in toppings & portion was sizeable. Only thing it may have been missing was variety of seafood, this one didn’t have muscles like many others you’ll find out there. The Steamed Egg was also pretty good, quite dense meaning theyt used lots of egg and was well salted, potentially even a bit too salty for my liking but nonethless still delicious and burnt some tongues along the way…as it should lol.

Onto the main event, the soups – and what Hansang is known for. I ordered the Beef Rib Soup and it was delicious. As you can see 2 generous ribs with the meat falling off the bone, the broth was steaming hot, well seasoned and clean. Glass noodles on the bottom which I wish there was more of! You’ll definitely feel a hole through your wallet, as the prices here are a step above what you’ll get from smaller Korean restaurants for soups and hotpots but overall portion sizes were reasonable. I also sampled the Korean Traditional Pork Soup and Seafood Soft Tofu Soup and both tasted great. The Pork Soup was very rich in pork flavour and the Seafood Tofu Soup was packed with seafood variety and even had crab in it! Wasn’t that spicy though so may not be enough for those who enjoy more kick in their soup.

While the service had us thinking ‘the food has to be really good for us to come back’, Hansang certainly delivered with the quality of food. And with winter starting and temps dropping, it’s a perfect time to check out Hansang in Strathfield to indulge in some hearty, Korean soup goodness. I’d highly recommend giving it a try, go earlier in the morning or later in the arvo to avoid peak time and having to wait outside in the cold!