Han Oak

May 29 Week 21

 Han Oak is a communal, prix-fixe Korean barbecue restaurant emphasizing traditional flavors, seasonal ingredients, and fine technique.

Our dinner here, on a beautiful Friday evening was a unique experience. First, simply finding the obscure front door is a challenge, entering into a courtyard completely surrounded by dense green vines. The interior space - which is largely exterior, has a lovely vibe - walls painted the same soft blue green grey of our house. Our table was perfectly located in shade but enough sun for ideal temperature. More and more patrons arrived as we ate, and btw, our reservation took two weeks to get.

A prefix menu - see below - filled with unfamiliar dishes met our criteria of trying new things. Neither of us has eaten Korean food before and this restaurant is rated as one of PDX best. 

I started with a mocktail - Citron Tea - refreshing and lovely. A bamboo tray is delivered to our table containing this interesting variety of flavors and textures. We were hungry and although we did not like all the same things, everything got eaten. And yes, kimchi is spicy. I especially liked the pickles.

H ordered the pork entree, and I had the black cod. We shared each. Dessert tasted like pumpkin pie, and we were comped a non-alcoholic beverage to celebrate our anniversary. All in all, a fun and interesting adventure. Expensive but unique and a lovely place with fine service. 

$158 + 32 = $190

8.5 out of 10 

JIPBAP

plated tray of banchan & appetizers

accompanied by: kimchi, doen-jang soup and rice

smash’d cucumbers spring radish, kimchi-li crisp, garlic sauce, gim

dubu jorim braised Ota tofu in scallion soy sauce

potato salad chopped egg, k-pepper sauce, crunchy crunch

crab ’n egg steamed egg custard, picked dungeness crab, chive

dry-aged salmon hwe* citrus pepper soy, yuja cho-jang, cured salmon roe, fried shoestring potatoes

for the table

gim toasted seasoned seaweed

pickle plate daikon, cucumber, red onion

mains - choose one per guest

galbi-jjim boneless short rib, sweet potato, caroots, zucchini, pine nuts

twice cooked pork bokkeum koji cured pork coppa crispy rice cake, kimchi-chili pepper glaze, brussels sprouts, charred cabbage in kimchi butter

mae-un-tang black cod in spicy seafood broth, manilla clam, mussels, head-on shrimp, scallion, baby bok choy, chrysanthemum

mushroom ddukboki mushrooms in garlic cream sauce, parmesan, nori
* add picked dungeness crab and salmon roe

dessert

goguma mochi cake roasted sweet potato, bombay gin syrup soaked blood orange, chantilly cream, red bean misugaru