Tag Archives: burgers

H2s Handmade Burgers

We have lived in Dongducheon, South Korea for almost 5 years. Believe me when I say it is really hard to find a good burger here. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some excellent burgers…..but in Seoul. Unfortunately, we’re surrounded by the ever growing monster fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Lotteria, and soon to be Burger King. Sigh. These just aren’t real burgers, or even food for that matter.

On our regular evening walk last week we strolled by what looked to be a quirky little joint with a small outdoor patio situated conveniently right outside one exit of Jeihang subway. To say we were surprised is an understatement. This place not only met the burger challenge; they superseded it! The restaurant takes a step further and features a foreigner friendly menu, or as I refer to it, the meat-lovers masterpiece! It’s creative specialty combos are generously portioned are incredibly tasty, the staff were quick, attentive and friendly, plus the prices that won’t break the bank! To the owner the hygiene factor of this place was paramount, as you could easily see right into the open style kitchen. Also in case your curious about the origin of the meats, the beef is from Australia and the chicken is from Korea. Well done H2s Hand Made Burgers, well done!

Our group ordered 4 different burgers, the Hawaiian, spicy chicken burger, onion Eiffel burger, and the H2s special burger. The Hawaiian was a beef patty, pineapple, bacon and pineapple sauce. The spicy chicken burger was grilled chicken, tomato, lettuce, and 3 kinds of sauce. The opinion was to hold the mayo next time (non mayo lover in the group), or ask for a tad less. The onion Eiffel burger was a beef patty, fried onion, tomato, American cheese goodness. The H2s special burger was a beef patty, hash brown, grilled onion, bacon, and tomato. We ordered combos so each meal came with French fries and a drink. We also ordered a basket of onion rings to split at the table. Let’s talk about the french fries and onion rings….these were golden, crisp and cooked to absolute perfection! Mmmmm!

From the four of us, we give 8 thumbs ups for this burger joint! We’re eagerly planning a return and deciding what burger we will try next! Better yet….we’ve been inspired to create some of our own homemade patties. Stay tuned…

Now it’s your turn…describe your ideal burger. Medium-rare, medium, well-done, as our dear friend Mandy prefers…charbroiled? Also are fries or onion rings a must? Do you always order them?

Backpackbees

Direction: H2s Hand Made Burgers is located directly across from exit 3 of Jihaeng Station. Look for the big burger as pictured above.
Phone: 070-4151-0778
Website

Seoul: Jacoby’s Burger

(A bit delayed on posting this one Ooops…)

This weekend, THIS WEEKEND!! OoOoOhhh, it was soooo good! So so very good. It started off with a meet up with our good friends, making the aquaintance of a new friend visiting from Hong-Kong, taking in those beautifully fall colored leaves, and food…food…and more food (come to think about it, I think I strolled rolled around Seoul).

The weather was PERFECT! Just the right amount of fall crispiness to help cross off this white girls fall to do list. ha-ha! (Come onnn how true is this list??)

Anyways, our good friends recently raved about a burger joint in Seoul that we needed to check out. The reviews were a bit dodgy online, however they were mostly about the staff ignoring them, attitude etc. So what the heck, why not give it a try? We ended up in the area with a hefty appetite after taking in all those beautiful fall leaves.

The restaurant is Jacoby’s Burgers located just north of Noksapyung Station in Seoul. Don’t be fooled by the typical restaurant look from the outside, Jacoby’s has quite a unique menu that serves juicy burgers a la carte, pasta, vegetarian burgers, onion rings, freshly cut french fries, salsa and beer. YUM-YUM-YUMMM! Plus they so kindly held the side of attitude when we went, so the overall experience was pretty freggin fantastically delicious.

Usually I’m the kind of gal that would order a big ‘ol burger, but my friend Mandy told me that Jacoby’s makes a pretty mean veggie burger made with red-beans. It sparked my interest and I decided to give it a whirl. Now I was left with the harder decisions, to add bacon or not? decisions, decisions…. I know all the vegetarians are cringing out there. Sorry.

WOW! The red-bean burger was surprisingly flavorful with a nice little spicy kick. I’d absolutely order it again, but my eye is also on the gut buster burger. Speaking of the gut buster, our table was right up front where we could watch all the burger creations come out of the kitchen. Watching people’s eyes and mouth’s drop open as the gut buster burger landed on their table was priceless! Lordy! Look at that thing!

Across the street from Jacoby’s we giggled as we checked out the Camping Company Restaurant. This is urban camping at its finest! We’ve got to go back just go giggle as we grill…totally worth it!

Eventually we made our way to Insadong that afternoon and we found out that it just so happened to be Makgeolli (Korean rice wine) day. We cheers the occasion and ordered a roadie, the adios mother. Whew! Quickly found out why it was named that…talk about a nice adult beverage concoction.

Another fun-filled adventure in Seoul for the books!

DIRECTIONS: Out Noksapyung Station exit #2, walk straight down to the Kimchi pots. At the pots, take the road up to the left. Jacoby’s Burger is just up the road on your left.

45-6 Yongsan-dong 2-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Early Signs of Spring

This past weekend, we met up with Mr. B’s cousin Kelsey to celebrate her birthday and a group of our friends that are shortly departing South Korea, for a day of all play in the magical city of Seoul. What is it about that city? You know, it’s really hard to put into thoughts and words and I feel that the photos just never do it justice so I always yearn to go back every chance I get. Despite the typical haze, the weather was gorgeous and it was as if Spring unexpectedly surfaced just for us for the day.

Ah! the history, the food, the massive building structures, and the seemingly endless panoramic views from Namsan mountain’s Seoul Tower. Don’t just take my word for it, enjoy some of my favorite moments captured below why don’t you…

We started the day early with our daily dose of protein, fresh milkshakes, and perfectly crisp french-fries at Brooklyn Burger. Our friends found this restaurant and immediately decided this needed to be included on our next adventure. The arteries might be clogged, but the rave reviews truly didn’t disappoint! Even baby Jilly bean approved as she tasted my peanut butter banana milkshake. Then again who doesn’t trust a place that features a photo of Ice Cube on ice machine?

PS: Get to Brooklyn Burger early and get your name on the waiting list. The restaurant only has about 5 tables and it doesn’t take long until the place gets a crowd.

We then walked around the French district, Seorae Village. We checked out a few little gift stores in the area and of course made a stop by Paris Croissant and picked up some handmade chocolat and macarons. I was absolutely in my element. I learned that although Paris Croissant is a chain bakery, this location was the only in South Korea that uses true French flour. Oh! the aroma…As soon as we crossed the entryway the amazing aroma of freshly baked breads and pastries filled the air. The space was beautiful with a grand staircase that lead down to the basement where you could shop for incredible cakes, French cheeses, wine, macarons and chocolat. If you went up the staircase from the main floor, you could eat the goodies purchased from the main floor or basement, or continue up the staircase to the Café. I found myself stopping on the staircase watching the bakers as they prepped the counter space for another batch of bread. I was in a trance as they kneaded and rolled. I then realized that everyone had already left and was waiting for me outside. I snapped a few more photos and jetted out the door. à bientôt as ah bee-ahn-too!

(I’m loving the photo bomb of Kelsey’s kimchi fingers)

After our shortly lived trip to “Paris” we hailed a cab and headed over to Namsan mountain to take the cable car up to Seoul Tower. Unfortunately a lot of other people had the same thoughts as us and the lines were a bit out of control. Nonetheless, we eventually made it as the sun was starting to set. We walked around a bit, checked out the views both from the observatory and from the restrooms. LOL yes… the restrooms.

After we took the cable car back down the mountain we hailed another cab and headed for our predetermined sushi house dinner. You know when we come to Seoul sushi is almost mandatory, few exceptions.

Sunday morning we all slept in, truly it was needed after the long fun-filled Saturday we had. It was another beautiful spring like day so we took a walk to show Kelsey around our little neighborhood. To continue on with celebrating Kelsey’s birthday we went to Dino meats, previously featured on the blog, introduced Kelsey to various cuts of meat, followed up by a birthday potbingsu. A perfect ending to an absolutely perfect weekend!

Happy birthday dear Kelsey! We are over the moon your here and we got to celebrate your special day with you!

Brooklyn Burgers:
551-32 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu.
02-533-7180

Paris Croissant:
Address: 95-9 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu
Telephone: 02-3478-9139
Hours: 7am – 11pm

Namsan Cable Car:
Fare: Round-trip: 6,300 won, One-way: 4,800 won
Hours: 10:00~22:30
83, Sopa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 소파로 83 (회현동1가)

Backpackbees

Burgers, Spuds and Shakes

Beef, vegetarian, turkey, tofu or chicken.  Burgers are always a food of comfort to us all in one way or another. I feel like they are meant to be enjoyed and savored with good friends. Tonight we had the pleasure of sharing our company with our dear friend Krista and her sweet baby girl while Dave, hubby/dadda was working the night shift. (I’ll take any excuse to snap away photos of our Jilly-bean).

The great thing about burgers is that you can build them with any sort of fun toppings just the way you want!

Tonight we opted for some very healthy choices that included pan-fried bacon and sautéed onions, melted extra sharp cheddar and roasted rosemary spuds in the oven. Then to finish off our light meal we toasted marshmallows over our gas range for nutella milkshakes.

Mr. B kept reminding me that I needed to live on the edge a little and indulge. Obviously I didn’t need that much convincing. . .

You know you want to make it…. just do it!

Nutella Toasted Marshmallow Shake

1/2 Cup milk

2 Cups packed vanilla ice cream

2 Heaping Tablespoons of Nutella

Toasted marshmallows, for garnish (optional)

Huzzah for the weekend!!

What are your favorite burger toppings? Share your delicious creativity with us!

Backpackbees