Justin Hwang and Ryan Jeong recently opened Soul Korean Kitchen in Hazel Dell. The store's name means “fire water” in Korean, and refers to the various alcoholic beverages served in Korea. Located near Safeway, the space that formerly housed Hawaiian Grill is packed with an extensive food menu of eclectic soul and Korean cuisine, as well as a nod to Korean culture.
Sool recently received its liquor license, allowing it to offer a variety of drinks to its name. The owners plan to serve makgeolli, an ancient unfiltered grain alcohol with an alcohol content of about 6 or 8 percent. This farm liquor has a milky white color, a light natural effervescence, and a flavor that is a mix of sweet and sour. The ancient spirit is experiencing a resurgence in South Korea, and it's slowly spreading to the United States. Sool also offers shochu, a distilled spirit with an alcohol content of 20-25%. Phan and John are currently stocking up on a variety of these traditional drinks. Makgeolli is poured from traditional copper pots into matching sake vessels.
The food menu has a wide selection of traditional Korean dishes. Banchan is mainly pickled, steamed, marinated, or stir-fried vegetables and is served on a small plate in the center of the table for sharing. It is served with rice and is included in every meal. At Sool, banchan is made fresh every day, so the combination of small plates changes, but always offers different colors and flavors. On a recent visit, the spread included kimchi, bright red pickled radish, marinated cucumber, and a creamy, slightly sweet macaroni salad (a favorite of owner Justin Huang).
The restaurant is open and bright. There are two traditional tables in the back and you can sit around them on the floor, but the majority of the seating is Western-style tables and chairs. Korean music and food videos play on TV screens throughout the room. Korean music plays from the speakers.
