Having a craving for Korean food for a couple of weeks, I decided to finally head down to Han Fung Korean Restaurant yesterday for an early dinner. Fortunately for me, I arrived on the dot when the place opened for weekday evenings (Mon – Fri : 1130 – 1430, 1730 – 2300, Sat – Sun : 1100 – 2300), and promptly went through the menu. Since I was by myself, there was no way I could try their barbecue dishes, but will be making a trip back soon for that. I have heard quite a fair bit of glowing reviews on those. In the end I had to decide between my favourite SamGyeTang (Ginseng Chicken soup rice), and Seol Lang Tang (Noodles with Ox Bone Soup), and went for the latter. Even I had to admit it was a good choice, after tasting it.

There was obviously no crowd at Han Fung Korean Restaurant at that time since most people would have still been making their way off work, and I enjoyed decent, polite service. After laying out the customary side dishes, of which there were four, I sat waiting for my main dish. The side dishes were not too bad, and personally my first gauge for a good Korean restaurant in Singapore would be their kimchi. Many Korean restaurants in Singapore serve poor kimchi, but Han Fung Korean Restaurant had theirs rather fresh. The anchovies were not the best, but still sweet enough to tickle my tastebuds before I set into the main dish.

The Seol Lang Tang arrived and looked quite enticing. The soup had a milky texture and seemed the right mix of thickness. My first spoonful had me really excited, as it had the balanced creamy thin feel to it. You could also taste the ox/beef bone that the soup must have been cooked in hours with. The only downside to the dish was the low quantity of beef slices it contained – I could count in one hand the number and they were rather small, smaller than a Go playing card. However, I was enjoying the tasty soup and slurped down the noodles before dumping my bowl of rice in it to mix it up. The Han Fung Korean Restaurant lady who served me was also nice enough to suggest adding some salt if I did not find the taste right. There was no need for that, except for my habit of dipping the meat slices with salt and pepper.

So while this review is based solely on their Seol Lang Tang, which was really delicious, it was enough to make me want to go back for the barbecue dishes. My meal set me back about $18, including a drink. The portion was large enough to satisfy my hunger the rest of the day, which is what I expect from eating at Korean restaurants and paying that kind of money, and not many local Korean restaurants can do that for me. I could still taste the soup later that night and have nothing but good things to say about it. It might have been silly of me not to have tried their barbecue meats since it is their specialty, but that cannot be done alone so it will have to wait for now.

For those who also value the look and feel of the restaurant before they are inclined to visit it, there is nothing extra special about Han Fung Korean Restaurant’s setup or decor. It looks like your typical Korean restaurant that you might see anywhere along the streets of Korea, except with a much larger space. You can eat inside if you prefer the air condition and want to watch TV, but the outside sitting area was windy enough for me to enjoy my hot tasty Seol Lang Tang. The Han Fung Korean Restaurant staff were also approachable and polite. This is usually an area which completes my eating experience and fortunately it was quite positive on the first visit.

For those curious enough to make a trip to Han Fung Korean Restaurant, here is their address:

Han Fung Korean Restaurant
16 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Singapore 599740

They are located opposite (the quite empty) Bukit Timah Shopping Centre along the row of eating outlets at Cheong Chin Nam Road. Do take note of their opening hours on weekdays – I was not aware of that when reading about them elsewhere.