We discovered Franchia on the night we wanted to go back to HanGawi and found it closed due to some paint work happening inside. The big guy from the big door recommended this sister place called Franchia and told us to check it out. We did what we were told and discovered yet another tasty spot in New York.
Although the food was exceptional, I remember more about the ceiling and an ancient gong as part of the décor vividly. The ceiling is a replica in beautiful greens, clearly, deserves to be a part of some Korean palace. The gong on the other hand, is taken from an old temple. That’s what we were told by the waiter anyway. The walls are decorated with poems from 15th, 16th century like this one:
Franchia has an extensive tea menu. From herbal to white, it is a very big menu just for tea. When it comes to food we sat at the balcony here’s what we had:
• Soy “Chicken Satay” sticks with bbq sauce
• Vegetarian “duck” in stone bowl rice
• Sautéed string beans and vegetables with preserved radish
• And sorbet for dessert
There is no doubt that HanGawi is my favourite restaurant in New York. Not that I have been to every single vegetarian/vegan place in the city but I have been to quite a few. Anyway, so far, HanGawi is the one for me.
We discovered HanGawi on our second trip to New York when we decided to celebrate our birthdays which are only a day apart. After the discovery, I knew that was the place to celebrate my birthday (please refer to photo).
“A vegetarian shire in another space and time” is how they describe their place and that is absolutely true. HanGawi is tucked in quietly in Korea Town. There is a big guy outside, in front of a big door, wearing traditional Korean outfit, very much like the one they made me wear for my birthday photo. I wonder if it is the same outfit. Well, the question still hangs in the air.
When you go inside, they ask you –kindly –to take your shoes off before entering the restaurant and offer you a pair of beautifully embroidered, colourful slippers. Then you are led to one of those low tables with a square hall under them for your feet to dangle.
Here’s what we had on our first night at HanGawi:
Vegetarian Stone Bowl Rice (assortment of vegetables over rice served in hot stone bowl with hot chilli paste on the side)
Tofu and Mushrooms in Lemon Ginger Sauce
House Sake (Sake is served warm and is absolutely divine. We had to buy ourselves a sake set on our return to Sydney)
Mango Sorbet (they do tofu ice cream as well)
On my birthday, we had:
Vegetarian Dumplings (steamed)
Sautéed Organic Maitake Mushrooms with Asparagus
Kimchi Stone Bowl Rice (spicy preserved Korean cabbage with vegetables served in hot stone bowl)
Tofu Cheese Cake (that’s what I had, being the birthday girl and everything)
Sorbet Trio (three layers of sorbet served with fresh fruit)
HanGawi
12E 32nd Street (between 5th and Madison Ave)
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212 213 0077/212 213 6068
Fax: 212 689 0780
Email: [email protected]
Bethesda Fountain
