Hoe Lee Kow is not a new restaurant, but it found a new life with me.

I am recovering from a chronic addiction to Culinary Class Wars on Netflix, a Korean competition cooking show that held me by the neck for the week I binged it.

I am always late to trends, fads and fashions vs the rest of the world, but now Korean food excites me and holds my attention in a way I never expected.

My YouTube feed is a delirious mix of Korean cooking YouTube videos and Hey Bear (kids…).

Hoe Lee Kow is not a traditional Korean restaurant, but it is the closest one to my house and it affords me a familiar entry point from which to know my ssamjang from by gochujang.

@hlkbyreif’s reception was mixed on opening around July last year and I do think that I have I seen it even half full—but that is not because it is bad. In my opinion, it is quite good.

I could argue at length that it is ahead of its time in a city that has not fully embraced Korean food.

I wonder if others, like me, will pivot over to HLK as the wash of K-Culture makes it way across the world.

My write up about Hoe Lee Kow is available through the @substack link in my profile.

#itsliamcollens #hoeleekow #dubaihills #dubaifood #DubaiRestaurants #koreanfood #koreanindubai #substackwriter #dubaiwriters #culinaryclasswars #culinaryclass Less