Savor the Authentic Korean Dining Escapade at Hankook Sarang
“Hankook Sarang is not just a restaurant, it is an embodiment of a culture”
If you have strolled the path leading to Gahana Pokhari from Ganeshthan temple at Tangal, chances are that a peculiar aroma and oriental ambience has caught your attention. This charm emanating from Hankook Sarang Korean Restaurant captivates and attracts countless foodies and Korean themed restaurant aficionados. Particularly, youngsters flood the place throughout the day, with corporate personalities visiting during evening hours. Over the years, Hankook Sarang has emerged as a brand fancied by Korean culture and cuisine fanatics in Nepal.
A Story of Perseverance
The owner of Hankook Sarang, Chij Man Gurung, hails from a rural Gurung village near Pokhara called ‘Luwang Gaun’. He embarked to Korea 28 years ago with a hope of earning a good living for his family. While his dreams came true working at restaurants in Korea, the yearning to establish a business back home led to the inception of Hankook Sarang in 2002 at Lakeside, Pokhara, with a branch in Thamel.
Alas, Chij Man was compelled to sell the restaurant in Lakeside due to the underlying Maoist insurgency. Exacerbating the matters, the branch in Thamel had to cease its activities owing to a difference of opinion between the business partners. Determined to succeed at all cost, Chij Man acquired the brand name for himself and began a new journey with Hankook Sarang Korean Restaurant at Naxal in 2018. The restaurant quickly picked its pace and grew to be one of the most preferred Korean cuisine destinations in town. As of today, the brand operates another branch in Jyatha.
The word ‘Hankook’ and ‘Sarang’ literally translate to ‘Korea’ and ‘Love’ respectively. Resonating with the name, Chij Man boasts a simplistic yet emotive tagline of the restaurant – “Love From Korea”.
Hankook Sarang’s logo has an eccentric significance behind it. Red and blue represent the national colors of Korea. The remaining colors are symbolic of various spices used in Korean cuisine. Likewise, the curves in the colored symbols represent the clouds above Himalayas, whereas the apertures pointing towards the middle signify chopsticks, and the circle in the middle shows a table with people surrounding it. In unison, the logo manifests an amalgamation of the Korean and Nepalese culture; A Korean food sanctuary for adventurers descending the majestic heights of the Himalayas.
Road to Success
In retrospect, a crucial factor has sided with Chij Man in building the foundation of Hankook Sarang. The K-Drama and K-Pop culture has become a pervasive phenomenon throughout the world. In Nepal too, youngsters have been quick to follow the trend, building a preference for everything Korean – clothes, lifestyle, dances, songs and cuisines. Capitalizing on the trend, Hankook Sarang has allured the Nepalese audience with its infatuating Korean architecture and mouth-watering food offerings.
As owners of the restaurant, the Gurung family is actively engaged in the restaurant’s operations. The entire culinary process is performed with the involvement and supervision of Chij Man and his eldest son Sanjeet Man Gurung; so as to ensure the authenticity and quality of dishes in regards to his years of experience while working in Korea. Sagar Man Gurung, youngest in the Gurung family, oversees the overall management of the restaurant.
As a veteran in the game, Chij Man speaks about a number of challenges in the industry. Potentially, the most threatening one pertains to constant outflow of talented manpower overseas, resulting in high cost of employee retention and training. Likewise, importing ingredients is a struggle for a Korean restaurant in Nepal since the country lacks direct access to a sea. Fresh sea ingredients are an active part of Korean cuisine.
Yet another hurdle faced by Hankook Sarang is the emergence of other restaurants with similar names. These replicas offering substandard Korean dishes to consumers are blemishing the brand image of Hankook Sarang. To rectify the matters, Chij Man has registered the business’s trademark in Nepal to mitigate such detrimental moves from the replicas.
Click this link to check out the official webpage of Hankook Sarang Korean Restaurant.
