Recently I’d been hankering for some good old fashioned Korean comfort food. I had heard that BannSang in Auckland has just the sort of home-style dishes that isn’t necessarily available at the more flashier Korean BBQ restaurants. Curious to see whether or not it would tickle my taste buds, we wandered over one evening and spoiler alert: it definitely did.
We felt full and warm, and we are already planning our next trip back. Located on a row of shops where you could easily just pass it without noticing, the shop front is unassuming.
A Cozy Korean Meal in Auckland
BannSang Korean Restaurant
It doesn’t look like much, but as I have discovered with Korean restaurant, this isn’t always a bad thing. As we enter, we is met with the usual aroma of sizzling meat and bubbling stew, a scent that can makes you ravenous regardless of whether you were hungry five minutes before.
One of the stone pot stew was my order and I have to admit, half the attraction was seeing it delivered still bubbling merrily away. It’s all so right about such a thing. The pot radiate heat and the stew continue to simmer on the table.
It is comfort food, comfortingly done. My companion chose a soup which included rice, served separately, a lighter choice but equally filling. In fact we both ended up slumped over our dishes, sighing and slurping contentedly as you do when the meal hit the spot perfectly.
And the serving size weren’t stingy either; this isn’t the type of restaurant where you’re left looking at the menu for more.
I stared at their menu boards up on the wall for a good few minutes before ordering. There’s a solid range of rice bowl, noodle dish, stew and soup. Plus, if you’re in the mood to grill your own, there are the usual BBQ options too.
Everything sounded good though, which made it harder to decide then it should of been. I did notice that they offers sharing platter too, which would of worth trying if you come in a group. Prices seemed reasonable for Auckland, especially considering how much food you actualy get.
If you want Korean food that feels more homey than trendy, then BannSang deliver with no fuss. It is good, honest cooking that warm you from the inside out. Got a favourite Korean comfort dish?
I’m always on the lookout for recommendations on what to try next.
