This Korean restaurant in Shekou, Shenzhen, represents a growing interest on the mainland of foreign cuisines. Hanyang Guan has attracted a steady flow of locals since it opened in May this year.
The restaurant's hostess, a courteous young woman dressed in traditional Korean clothes, bowed as we entered, and took us to our comfortable seats.
We ordered the roasted beef combination plate (150 yuan/HK$143) which contained a variety of beef, including tongue and marinated thinly sliced steak. The meat was then roasted by our waitress, who also showed us the correct way to wrap the meat in the lettuce and add carrots, cucumbers and raw garlic. The various cuts of beef were tender and delicious. The staff explained that the beef is imported from the United States, which makes a difference in texture and tenderness.
The meal came with six small, complementary dishes of kimchee: some were so tasty we wished we could order them to take-away.
Stone-pot rice (rice with beef, a raw egg and minced vegetables, sizzling in a stone bowl, 40 yuan) should have a thick golden crust of rice on the bottom - a result from baking on steady heat for a long time. The version here lacked this crust and was burnt on the bottom.
Soba cold noodle (23 yuan) was better, with a refreshing sweet and sour soup and chewy fresh noodles.
