Hyesung Noodle House

Unlike trying to navigate the labyrinthian architectural abomination that is the Downtown Target parking structure, ordering at Hyesung Noodle House is quite simple. Just get the kalguksu. Also known as knife-cut noodle soup, this traditional Korean dish makes up more than half of Hyesung’s compact menu, along with bossam (boiled pork belly) and a greens-heavy buchimgae, or vegetable pancake. The first U.S. outpost of Seoul’s oldest noodle shop, this Ktown restaurant is located in a bare-bones space that’s almost as sparse as their menu, with plain white walls and one lonely TV playing the nightly news. Not that anyone is watching it - no offense to Lester Holt - because it’s clear that everyone is only here to down bowl after bowl of that kalguksu. There are two versions of the soup, an “original” that comes in an anchovy broth, as well as one served with shredded pieces of chicken, a.k.a. the perfect complement to Hyesung’s dense, chewy, noodles. Is it basically an elevated version of chicken noodle soup? Totally. But is it delicious and will we be coming here the next time it rains or we get dumped by a person we didn’t even technically date? Absolutely.