Over a decade ago, former Westword food editor Mark Antonation began his food-writing career by eating his way up Federal Boulevard. Now, we're turning our attention to another vibrant culinary corridor.
The four-plus-mile stretch of Havana Street between Dartmouth and Sixth Avenue in Aurora is home to the most diverse array of international cuisine available in the metro area. From restaurants and markets to take-and-go shops and stands, food lovers of nearly any ethnicity or interest can find a place that will remind them of home or open new culinary doors. In Eat Up Havana, Antony Bruno will visit them all, one by one, week by week.
Previous stops:
- Old Town Hot Pot
- Leezakaya
- Chutney Indian Cuisine
- El Tequileno
- Milkroll
- Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ
- Watan Restaurant & Bakery
- Las Fajitas
- Mr. Tang
- Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings
- Yemen Grill
- Tofu House
- Sushi Katsu
- Coco Loco
- Ali Restaurant & Bakery
- Thank Sool Pocha
- Taqueria Corona
For a place with a relatively simple menu, Hanyang Wang Jokbal can be a bit confusing for a first-time visitor.
This is not a complaint by any stretch — it’s just a reality that takes a bit of navigating if you decide to give the place a try. And it's particularly true in just finding the restaurant.
Hanyang Wang Jokbal is located in the former Seoul Mandoo space in Havana Plaza, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the former inhabitants never left. Seoul Mandoo’s signature three-dumpling logo remains on the facade. The window decals still read “Seoul Mandoo.” Inside, you're greeted by a big “Seoul Mandoo” sign, along with instructions on how to order the to-go dumplings Seoul Mandoo was known for.
In fact, the one thing you won’t see are the words “Hanyang Wang Jokbal.” Unless you speak and read Korean, plan ahead and have your Google Translate app ready. All the signage is in Korean. The handwritten specials taped to the walls are in Korean. The delightful lady taking orders and serving your food only speaks Korean.
Fortunately, the restaurant does make itself clear by way of a highly distinctive menu that, among other things, highlights the Korean delicacy of jokbal: pig feet.
Also known as trotters, pig feet are a common ingredient in Asia, South America and much of the American South. Preparations include pickling, braising and stewing — all techniques designed to break down the tough meat into an edible texture.
At Hanyang, the pig feet are served two ways. One is the “King Jokbal” platter consisting of an entire trotter braised in soy sauce, ginger, rice wine and spices; it’s then carved up and served on a platter with the cut pieces arranged in the order they came from the bone. That means the meatier pieces at top near the shank, and the fatty, gelatinous pieces at the bottom near the hoof (and yes, both the hoof and the full bone are included). It’s kind of like a carved-up T-bone except, you know… a foot.
This is a massive plate designed, and priced, for a table full of guests. Along with the traditional Korean side dishes called banchan, the platter comes with romaine lettuce leaves, garlic cloves and jalapeno, as well as two types of dipping sauces. According to the hand gestures of the server, the idea is to place the meat in the lettuce wrap along with your choice of additions, as a sort of pig foot lettuce taco.
If you want a bit more fiber in your meal, the jokbal salad is another option. Same bits of pig foot, only served with a medley of vegetables like carrots, bell peppers and onion, as well as noodles.
While pig foot is in the restaurant’s name, you don’t have to order it. Hanyang also offers pork bossam (boiled pork wrapped in salted cabbage), blood sausage and two types of monkfish: a spicy stew and a brothy soup. Other soups include a hand-pulled potato dough and chicken noodle. And, of course, dumplings — which it spells “mandu,” in what is perhaps the only signage break from the former Seoul Mandoo identity.
Ironically, for a restaurant featuring such large plates of food, the space itself is very small: Just four tables of four chairs. Perhaps that’s fitting, because while fans of Hanyang Wang are vocally thrilled on social media to find a place that specializes in this hard-to-find delicacy, it’s hard to see it taking off in a big-enough way to justify a larger space.
If so, Hanyang Wang Jokbal may need to squeeze in a few more tables.
Hanyang Wang Jokbal is located at 2222 South Havana Street Unit J in Aurora and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more info, visit hanyangjokbaldenver.com.
