Park, Jeonghun
Burgers are one of the best food one can eat. For example, when you are meeting your friend in Seoul, it is half past noon, and you are looking for place to have lunch. Noodles are too light, and some might dislike them. Moreover, you cannot go to a barbeque place, because they are not open yet. You could visit all you can eat place or a buffet; however, quantity does not always mean quality. Hence, the best solution is to find a burger place, where you can take an easy bite. There are obviously many places where burger is served. However, in this article, I am not illustrating fast food chains like McDonalds, Burger King, even though they serve palatable menus occasionally. Because, I have been to these burger places that will be introduced multiple times, so I will describe the ‘average’ experience I had.
The first place is ‘Brooklyn the Burger Joint’. It is a burger chain located in multiple areas around Seoul such as, Sinsa, Samseong (Nothing to do with Samsung corporation), and Gwanghwamun. The chain started in Seorae Village, which is a town famous for its French population in Korea. After it started, the franchise expanded to many areas, even in Busan. I have been to their stores in Sinsa and Samseong. From my experience, the store in Samseong had superior quality in terms of their meat, because you can choose the level of meat being cooked; medium rare or medium etc. When you order, they give you a menu with what burgers to choose. The menu is in English and Korean, so foreign students can easily order. If you are expecting McDonald’s style cheap burger, you have come to the wrong place. The bun and the vegetables in the burger are much more fresh than cheap fast food chains. In addition, the burger comes in two sizes. One with a larger patty, and the other with the standard sized one. I do not recall the specific weight of the meat, but it was enough to fill the stomach of a 24-year-old man. Moreover, compared to other “Hand Made” burger places in Seoul, the place is little bit expensive. However, if you order a bundle or “Set” in their menu, you can enjoy Coke or other carbonated drinks with French fries and a burger. The unique thing about this place is that the restaurant has a retro-1980’s feel. I think that because the founder was Korean-American, his or her experience might have shaped the place.
Figure 1: The burger set from the store; the menu is called Real Mac Coy
The next place is called “Firebell”. It is located near Seolleung station. Google maps or other map services would locate the place correctly, so I would not discuss further about the location in this article. According to “Wednesday Food Talk” (수요미식회), which is a TV show that introduces restaurants with impressive food, the place is chosen as a restaurant, where you can taste American burgers in Korea. Because I have never been to United States, I do not know how their burgers taste like, but the panels in the show claimed it that way. The price is cheaper than Brooklyn the Burger Joint, and for me the it tasted better. Unlike the previous place, where they served French fries, this place serves potato wedges. You can also choose how to cook the patty in the burger, so if you are fan of medium rare patty like me, this is also a place for you.
myHUBS 
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