Before my horror movie had its Bay Area premiere, I fueled up with some tasty kbbq in San Leandro. I know in my past reviews I’ve been pretty meh about the Korean food scene in NorCal, but Handaegam was pretty good. Dare I say, the kind of place with food I’d actually crave and want to go back to.
True, San Leandro isn’t a city on most people’s travel lists, but I definitely liked all the dishes here more than Oakland’s Ohgane. Also, since the entire waitstaff is Korean, the dining experience feels more Asian than Bowl’d.
The servers don’t speak a lot of English so expect to repeat yourself a lot and play charades to explain what you want. The ladies are pretty brusque, and that may turn some people off, but I thought they were funny. When the boy tried to order for our group of ten, the waitress pressured him to order way more dishes than we needed.
All the meat was delicious. The rice was average, but not bad. I enjoyed the seafood pancakes. And the banchan was fresh and bountiful.
You can’t see in this photo here, but the meal also came with plenty of lettuce for wrapping and a refreshing bowl of salad to share.
Love this guy. (The boyfriend, not the fish.)
To find out more about my movie, you can check out the official Facebook page and my director’s blog!
Floored by the supportive audience that came out to watch my movie, The Purgation. So many horror fans! I also got interviewed by KPOP-TV! If you live in the Bay, be sure to get your K-pop fix on their channel which airs music videos 24/7.
Han Dae Gam
1292 Davis St
San Leandro, CA94577
b/t Wayne Ave & Douglas Dr
Grade: B
Pros: Fresh, homey Korean food. Large servings. Yummy meats. Lots of authentic dishes on the menu that you probably can’t get in other Bay Area restaurants.
Cons: Ridiculously bad service. Mediocre ambience. Located in a sketchy neighborhood. Don’t order the japchae.
Korean Daydreamer 