Han Bat and LOFT

Cooling weather brought us to Han Bat for sullongtang, traditional Korean beef bone soup.

Beef and bones (and sometimes innards) are boiled until the stock turns milky white, and the plain soup is served unsalted with some boiled meat and clear noodles. At the table, you can add your own scallions, sea salt, or chili garlic sauce if you like. My MO is to eat most of the noodles, then add some steamed rice to the soup, and then add a healthy amount of the chili garlic paste only when I'm at the end of the bowl. Don't ask me why, that's just what feels right. Han Bat keeps things simple by serving only two kinds of kimchee: napa and daikon.

We were a little stumped about where to go afterwards. We didn't want ice (no Mr. Coffee or ___berry, please!), and we didn't want to drive all the way to Susina or MILK. J remembered seeing a place called LOFT that we were never sure was a cafe or restaurant. Turns out it's a cute little coffee house! In contrast to the neon lights, ultra modern, pop music filled cafes that line Korea town, this was a little slice of New England. The interior is very proper, there's an antique piano in one corner, and the loft area (where we sat) has exposed brick walls and wooden beams overhead.


The drinks were excellent. M's black coffee smelled nice and looked good and strong. Jimmy had a frozen slushee made of ground grains (sounds gross, but it tasted like a peanut butter slushee), and my pineapple papaya green tea was light and fragrant. Cat was in charge of ordering, so of course there was tiramisu.


The cafe serves Sweet Lady Jane cakes, but we've all had those so we opted for a strawberry banana waffle. Yum! Great after dinner snacking. LOFT is a great option if you're looking for something low key. It wasn't at all crowded on a Friday night around 9 p.m., though of course that could be a fluke. They play soft piano music, and the sound system is stellar for an eatery. There's an outdoor patio, good sized parking lot, and plenty of dessert and drink choices. Service is slow, prices are high (but no higher than any other cafe in K-town), but the place is a lovely escape from Asiaville.