Korean shop makes a comeback

In need of a lunch break during holiday shopping last fall, I suggested to my friend that we go for my favorite pork ribs that she’d never tried before.

But a sinking feeling came over me as we neared the site of Don e Don at the corner of Keeaumoku and Liona streets. I had known that some of the buildings in the area were scheduled to be razed for new construction, but I wasn’t sure when that would start or how much it entailed when I realized the restaurant was gone.

A mournful “nooooooo!” was my response. I got on the phone with one of my Korean insiders who said the restaurant was folded into Hyung Je restaurant on nearby Sheridan Street, which, after some renovation, had adopted the moniker New Hyung Je. But there was no confirmation the pork ribs had made the move. Online, all I saw was yakiniku.

I don’t know why I didn’t head to the restaurant right away, but I wasn’t able to think clearly. It’s only now that I’ve been able to head down there, prepared to beg for the return of the ribs if they weren’t on the menu.

I made my first visit at lunch time, and yes, my fave gochujang-marinated pork spareribs ($19.99) are here. But the lunch set menus that helped make them such a deal are no more. The $19.99 still includes a bowl of rice and banchan, but in the past that price also included a simple green salad and pot of tofu stew. Prices are now a la carte and a pot of tofu stew with clams; spicy stew with kimchi, tofu and pork; or soybean paste stew are $14.99 each.

No matter. I was happy to bite into those juicy pork ribs again, still made as in the past, neatly trimmed around the bone for even cooking and ease in eating.

A second version of sea salt pork ribs ($19.99) also made the move. These barbecue ribs are geared toward purists who really want to taste pork unhindered by sauce and other seasonings.

These were drier than I remembered, and I thought a sea salt chicken ($14.99) variation of the dish was much more flavorful and juicy.

Also on the small lunch menu are bulgogi (marinated beef, $16.99), L.A.-style kalbi ($19.99) cut across the bones, and kalbi kimchi jjim ($19.99), a stew of spicy pork ribs and kimchi.

The entire dinner yakiniku menu is also available at lunch time, but there’s only so much one can eat in a single outing and I knew I would be returning another night.

In the evening, the roster of meat options available for the Korean grill is also short and sweet, covering all the essentials, such as prime kalbi ($38.95), L.A.-style kalbi ($34.95), skirt steak ($38.95), pork belly ($34.95), pork jowl ($38.95) and beef tongue ($38.95). I always think you need a minimum of four people to enjoy the Korean grill properly with a variety of meat.

With two people I could only enjoy the prime kalbi and pork belly, both delicious alone with rice, or when dipped in sesame oil and salt or miso paste, and folded into lettuce leaves with accompanying garlic, onions and banchan greens that may include bean sprouts, marinated daikon, perilla leaves, seaweed and kimchi.

The lunch menu’s pork spareribs ($35.95), sea salt ribs ($34.95) and sea salt chicken ($24.99) are also back at a higher evening price, but at double the helping.

To start, you may enjoy a specialty of yukhoe ($38.95), a dish of tender beef tartare topped with a raw egg yolk. Mix it in and enjoy.

It’s already a lot of food, but if you’re still hungry, there are about 30 side dishes to choose from including thin and crispy green onion and seafood pancake ($24.99), fried mandoo ($14.99), grilled yellow corvina ($24.99), plus stir-fried tripe ($32.99), and an array of stews ranging from tofu with vegetables and pork ($17.99) to a pork neck bone stew with potatoes ($26.99) that was another specialty at Don e Don.

For dessert, I was hoping for a sweet sip of sujeonggwa, a refreshing cinnamon ginger punch, or sikhye, a sweet, slightly fermented rice digestive perfect after a heavy meal. Alas, they do not offer either, but maybe with a bit of nagging, it could happen at a later date.

New Hyung Je

636 Sheridan St., Honolulu
Food: ****
Service: ***½
Ambiance: ***
Value: ***½
Call: 808-600-5433
Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, Noon-10 p.m. Sundays
Prices: Lunch about $60-$70 for two; dinner about $100 for two without alcohol

Nadine Kam’s restaurant visits are unannounced and paid for by Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Follow Nadine on Instagram (@nadinekam) or on YouTube (youtube.com/nadinekam).