HAN BA TANG NEW MENU

From my first meal at Han Ba Tang in 2014 to today, the restaurant remains one of my favourite spots in North York. I especially like visiting with a big group of friends to snack on tacos, kimchi fries while sipping on their delicious infused soju cocktails. The restaurant is often full and quite popular as a post dinner stop, but Han Ba Tang’s food menu is quite hefty. To draw customers more to their kitchen selection, the restaurant recently started offering a dinner food menu, available daily from 5pm-8:30pm.

Disclaimer: All food and drinks reviewed below were provided complimentary. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I had the opportunity to try out items from the new dinner menu with some friends, washed down with a pitcher of refreshing, tropical, white sangria. Service at Han Ba Tang was lovely with the owner, Chae, chatting with us and telling us about her inspiration for each of the new dishes. One thing I love about Han Ba Tang is how the menu is always evolving. Chae is constantly coming up with new specials, set menus, seasonal dishes, basically all sorts of ways to keep her customers happy and well fed. Our dinner that night consisted of 7 courses, dessert and a couple of cocktails.

Ramen Noodle Salad – Cold ramen noodles with fresh vegetables, a nice starter that’s also filling.
Vegetarian Waow Bun – A variety of grilled mushrooms in a sweet, soy based sauce, served on a soft fluffy bao.
Torched Mackerel – Served with two sauces, a spicy mustard and a sweet citrus. The mackerel was tender and flavourful.
Grilled Octopus – A generous portion of grilled octopus served on a bed of Tong Ho.
Pork Belly and Cuttlefish Tabletop – Cooked at the table with a center compartment and an outer ring for melted cheese and corn. The pork belly and cuttlefish in the center had a sweet, spicy sauce and lots of onions, perfect with a drink.
Mackerel Fried Rice – Savoury fried rice with a chunk of grilled mackerel, to be all mixed up before digging in.
Cold Rice Noodle – Thin strands of rice noodles in a lightly sour, cold broth with a hint of heat.

In general, I liked that many of the new dinner items at Han Ba Tang were cold and refreshing, perfect for hot summer nights. Savoury dishes were rich in flavour, especially the mackerel that’s carefully deboned by HBT’s talented chef. My favourite picks were the Waow Bun, Mackerel Fried Rice and the Cold Rice Noodle.