Hungry Korean

No, it wasn’t the best Korean I’ve had. Yes, it was satisfying enough, when I was in desperate need of something other than dim sum.
Bi bim bap and soon du bu jiggae was pretty decent, if not a bit hurried. The banchan was lacking, but otherwise it wasn’t a bad place. Most Korean places don’t charge you extra for kimchi, but oh well. It was a nice little place to stop, not crowded at all, and despite there being other Korean restaurants around, I was happy I ended up here.

This place was close to my hotel and in a neighborhood full of restaurants, I like Korean food so I thought I’d give it a try.
I like that this is a «fast food» type of place, to me that makes it less intimidating for tourists (me). When you walk in (I chose a time when there was no line, I saw it a couple of other times, there was a line outside), it is a counter/​kitchen. There is a menu on the wall above but I felt a bit rushed (not sure if this was just me) so I ordered the standard bibimbap and I chose pork (I know, I should have been more adventurous!). Being rushed I forgot a beverage, so I ordered and paid for that separately. Total cost of a meal, about HK$ 50. Very affordable. The food was relatively quick and very tasty. I like the dish and seemed to fresh and prepared well.
Sure enough, as I was leaving, the line had started to form.

Surprisingly good for fast food Korean chain!
This location is located in a row of other Korean restaurants, but was still busy when we went a little after lunch time.
They have lunch specials ranging from bibimbap to bulgogi with rice.
The gim bap/​kimbap (korean sushi) was a delightful appetizer to our meal. We got it with squid, but you can opt for other choices as well– beef, chicken, pork, tuna, and cheese. CHEESE! Too bold of a flavor for us to try an entire dish with, but don’t let me stop you. Haha.
Jap chae (korean glass noodles) was deliciousss. Too bad the portion was sooo tiny! They should have a meal sized portion of this instead of the «snack» size.
Bi bim bap (mixed rice), a classic choice. You usually can’t go wrong with a stone pot of rice, meat, and veggies.
Unfortunately, one of the meals where I forgot to take pics, sadness ;(

when i found out about this place i made it back at least two more times before i had to leave HK. The food here is super speedy and such a bargain. you’ll definitely leave full and if you didn’t order enough the first time around you can place another order without breaking the bank/​feeling guilty for eating more. the seating is limited and i remember waiting outside but it moves rather quickly.

Good value Korean food, albeit fast food. Portions sizes are good too. I had the Bibimbap, the signature Korean dish. We also ordered the Korean stirfry glass noodle, Japchae, as a side dish and a dish of dumplings. Sadly, I have to say that I tasted much better in London, though. So all in all not the best Korean but it’s cheaper.

Good Korean fast food that is very good value. A bim bim bap is only $ 44, $ 8 more of you want a drink, and $ 6 more if you want some kimchi on the side. What’s even better is that you have choice of beef, pork, chicken or squid which is fantastic for someone that doesn’t eat beef.
Other choices include the chul pan with various choices of meat, Korean rolls, kimchi pancake, and soup.
There is a reason why it is always full at dinner time!

If you’re just a tourist in Hong Kong, I can’t really recommend this place. But that’s not to say I dislike the restaurant, I really love it. It’s just that the main draws are the price, speed, and bang-​for-​buck quality.
You may see that Korean cuisine, like Indian, is oddly expensive in Hong Kong. Go to Kimberly Road and you’ll have a hard time getting a meal for under 150 HKD or so. This is where Hungry Korean shines: you can get a great quick dinner for 50 – 70 HKD. I personally like the bulgogi kimbap, the ddukbokki, and the iced green milk tea.

Hungry Korean was the first in a wave of less formal Korean restaurants in HK; they differ in the way that its not the localized BBQ outlets that somehow calls itself Korean because it serves Kimchi– these are the real deal with bibimbaps, beef stews and strangely sushi looking «rolls».
For the first week or two of the opening it was impossible to get a seat inside unless you had the patient of a saint. The shop seats around ³⁰⁄₄₀ people and works on a system of pay first then wait for your meal service. It is a fast food joint and thank god that it is– there has been a long overdue void in Hong Kong for a Korean restaurant that doesn’t feel as stuffy as a box.
On stepping in you will notice that the prices are really competitive– sets range from forty-​odd dollars so you will fork out around the same at a burger king. There are a lot of choices for sets– seafood pancakes, kimchi sauce rice cakes are all part of the menu. Being me I tried out the traditional bibimbap and would like to say that– for the price you really can’t expect more. No, its not the quality you would expect at Sorabol where somebody mixes everything for you but what do you expect for the price? The sushi-​roll esque «roll» was also good as a snack for the road.
In all, if you are in TST and you are looking for a twist from the humdrum cha charn tengs– I would recommend this place in a hear beat.