In Hot Pursuit of Soup

Tucked away on Sheridan Street in the coziest of hole-in-the-walls is Million Restaurant, where you’ll find the best in yakiniku-style Korean fare. For more than 25 years, loyal patrons have jumped at the chance to fire up the Park family’s recipes on table-top grills built into each booth at the eatery.

With a recent surge in rain and chilly weather at home, warming up around Million’s hot grills sizzling away with perfectly charred meats and vegetables is the ultimate way to escape. What some customers may not know, however, is that the establishment boasts a number of smoldering soups on its January Lunch Specials menu that will serve up comfort just as effectively.

Restaurant manager Diana Paik recommends Beef and color from simmering away for eight hours — a process that allows bundles of flavor to fall off the bone and enrich the broth. Long rice and green onion round out this soothing bowl.

Another snuggly dish to sip on is Dried Pollack Soup (lunch special: dine-in $5.95; takeout $6.95), made with a bold white fish in a broth that Paik describes as restorative, especially after a night out on the town. This steaming hot creation features tofu and a slew of vegetables such as shredded daikon and green onion.

In addition to the lunch specials available this month, Paik suggests trying some of the restaurant’s most popular a la carte items, like a Bi Bim Bab ($10.95) bowl of mixed rice, vegetables and beef.

“You put the rice inside and mix it yourself,” describes the manager. “And hot sauce comes on the side, so you can add it if you want.”

Whether you’d like to take shelter from the rain or simply find a good bite of Korean classics, you can always heat things up at Million.

Million Restaurant

626 Sheridan St., Honolulu
596.0799
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight
Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.