RESTAURANT REVIEW + PHOTOS: Hanaroo on a roll in hip new digs in downtown Little Rock

Hanaroo’s Spicy Bulgogi is really spicy.
Hanaroo’s Spicy Bulgogi is really spicy.

The move from 205 W. Capitol Ave. to 215 Center St. seems to have been a good one for Hanaroo.

The restaurant's owners practically leapt at the space in the office building at Second and Center streets that Three Fold Noodles & Dumpling Co. vacated when it moved to Main Street. That their previous space has since been fenced off for the construction of what we're being told is a boutique hotel was probably a pretty good spur.

Hanaroo Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant

Address: 215 Center St., Little Rock

Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Cuisine: Japanese, Korean, sushi,

Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D

Alcoholic beverages: Beer and wine

Reservations: No

Wheelchair accessible: Only through the office building where it’s located — front entrance has a step up

Carryout: Yes

(501) 301-7900

Hanaroo, despite having started out life as, and is still called, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, has always had Korean owners, although those have changed at least once since it opened in 2005 in what had been a dumpy little Chinese buffet.

Which explains the page of Korean dishes at the front of the menu. (The to-go menu cleverly disguises them under the heading "Hanaroo BBQ," but the in-house menu clearly labels the to-go menu's "BBQ Beef" as "Bulgogi."

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Photos by Eric E. Harrison

And since we've never really previously explored Hanaroo's Korean offerings, we've focused on them this time. (Well, that and the sushi, because that's one of Intrepid Companion's favorite things.)

Hanaroo in its past location always had a thriving lunch business; the move has, at least as far as we've been able to observe, boosted its dinner crowds a good bit.

Even Hanaroo's expansion a few years ago into a second Capitol Avenue storefront, which freshened up at least that part of the restaurant, had gotten kind of shabby, so it's new diggings represent a big step up in terms of atmosphere. They've kept most of what Three Fold left behind, including the sterile white subway tiled walls and the rather astonishing large bank vault door. They've screened off, with a tapestry, the former order alley and put the sushi bar into it and the space that had been the cafeteria-style assembly line -- still open, more or less, to view, but without the traditional sushi-bar seating space.

Seating is now at a flock of new trendy tables and chairs on the main floor and all service is floor service. They've closed off, at least for the time being, the side party room/overflow space, but presumably it's there if there's some need for it. The soundtrack is pure '80s rock 'n' roll. Though the sushi rolls etc. are all included in the main menu, you must order them separately using the separate sushi order form.

We enjoyed two rolls: the simple Butter Tuna Roll ($5), escolar (identified on the menu, as it often is, as "super white tuna") embedded in rice, and the Dragon Roll ($9), which from the name we expected somehow to be spicy, but wasn't -- meaty, almost chicken-like, albacore tuna, crab, avocado, tobiko (fish eggs) and scallion, rolled and fried, topped with sesame seeds and a modest drizzle of eel sauce.

We got our hefty order of Regular Beef Bibimbap ($9.95) to go, separate but contiguous portions of sesame-seed-dotted barbecued beef, sprouts, thin rice noodles, rice and carrots -- all topped with an over-medium fried egg. Proper consumption is mush all the items together and enjoy, which we did. A vermilion-colored (and flavored) hot sauce came on the side, allowing us to add just the right amount to kick up the taste. Chicken and vegetable bibimbap are also $9.95 options.

We were made a bit cautious because on a previous visit we ordered Hanaroo's Spicy Bulgogi ($9.95), which is really spicy -- chopped beef slices marinated in a specially formulated soy sauce and tossed with vegetables with a goodly portion of side steamed and slightly sticky rice. The heat, of course, is cumulative and about halfway through we decided the better part of valor was to take the remainder home and cry over it in private. For those as wimpy as (or wimpier than) we are, Hanaroo also offers a regular bulgogi, as well as chicken bulgogi and a spicy chicken bulgogi (all also $9.95).

If you're looking for a filling and moderately exciting dish, try the Beef Fried Rice ($8.50), a massive plate of rice, bits of marinated beef and various vegetables.

Hanaroo's lunchtime salmon teriyaki bento box ($8.95) featured almost bite-size bits of salmon in teriyaki sauce with rice, salad, a couple of spring rolls and a couple of gyoza dumplings, plus a small pool of tangy anonymous sauce -- we couldn't figure out just what it was supposed to match. What was otherwise excellent service throughout all visits was diminished by automatic assumptions by wait staff that even experienced customers don't occasionally need some help.

Weekend on 02/22/2018

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