My dining companion for the ONG GIE was my son Vincent we popped in about 1.30 and the only two tables were occupied, this is a takeaway remember, so I asked if I might pop back in 10, just loud enough so that the two students who were finished and just chatting, might offer up their table, nae chance, they had nae chance written all over them, they were wearing nae chance clothes, they had nae chance hair styles like I said NAE CHANCE. However after a short confab round the back, the lady who was dealing with our enquiry returned with a smiling gentleman who gestured us behind the counter, down a flight of stairs to a secret dining room. Just 3 small tables but a secret dining room none the less. Who would have thunk that on this my first venture of the HATMAN CHRONICLES I would stumble upon a secret dining room. Yeeha.
The ONG GIE menu is packed with intriguing Korean specialities, Pork Cheese Don Gatsu, Jelly Fish Salad with Cucumber, Squid and Prawn Fried with or without Kimchi, Beef or Pork BBQ with Onion and Mushroom, Chargrilled Chicken with Rice Cake and Sweet Potato. There's some classic spelling mistakes, something I love seeing on a menu, partly because I'm dyslexic and also, some of the best food experiences I've had, have come from badly spelt menus. I'm dying to try the "spicy drive mooli salad" or the "deep fried burn with syrub".
However we were there for the lunch deal , for £5.50 a choice of 5 menu options included in the price a bowl of Korean Miso Soup or a soft drink. I dived in for the house speciality Pork Bulgogi, a shredded BBQ Pork with Onions and Mushrooms, a bowl of Miso and some kimchi. Vincent plumped for the Pork Cheese Don Gatsu, probably because it had the word cheese in it, and a soft drink.
While we waited we continued our conversation from the walk along the meadows, individualism, it comes up time and time again. Some years ago when Vincent was about 8 we were walking up Cockburn Street and he asked about the large gang of Goths hanging about outside Whiplash Trash. "why do they have pink hair and crazy clothes"? and I offered , "because their individuals, trying to express themselves" and he responded , "If they're individuals why are there so many?" and so the debate has continued through the years. What is an individual? are we not all in some respects unique. Half way up Jaw Bone Walk we decided naming and debating famous individuals, people who have celebrated their eccentricities, followed their heart and achieved something unique. Tom Waits definitely an individual no doubt, likeable as a human being, probably not, awkward genius I'm guessing. Nick Cave definitely and probably a better bet if you wanted to indulge in some coherent conversation. Bill Hicks without a doubt a stand alone comic genius a one off, a thinker a man worthy of much respect an INDIVIDUAL sadly no longer with us. What about Ed Gein? Asks Vincent. Who the hell is Ed Gein ? Well he was the guy who inspired the book and subsequent movie PSYCHO, Hitchcock of course another great character. Also the Buffalo Bill character in Silence of the Lambs, not forgetting the horror classic Texas Chainsaw Massacre and leather face. Individual? No, psycho most definitely. Our conclusion for today anyway. An individual is someone who knows themselves, there own heart and mind and portrays there own unique character with honesty and integrity. You don't need pink hair, you don't need a pork pie hat but if that's what you decide, wear it with pride. If your heart and mind tell you to kill people or skin them or keep people in a cellar, DON'T, there's something wrong with you. You need help.
Back to the food. The Pork cheese Don Gatsu a sort of escalope with a cheese encrusted batter was smothered in a thick miso sauce very savoury and tasty with a cabbage and apple slaw, very fresh and crunchy. My BBQ Pork was stir fried with Mushroom and Onions to form a gravy. Both our dishes, tasty, satisfying and considering the price a pretty good deal and the home made Kimchi fiery and memorable, the Miso Soup excellent, the rice, a bit of an afterthought, forgiveable considering the price. In the words of the BIG ISSUE vendor at the foot of Jaw Bone Walk " Don't be shy give it a try.
