Nearly two years into the business, owner-chef Derek Oh felt an itch to do something more casual than his already semi-relaxed dining spot, Park Royal.
He landed on the idea of burgers.
“We started selling them at Park Royal first,” Oh, 37, said.
After gauging how diners reacted to the new menu addition, Oh transformed the first floor of his two-story restaurant into an offshoot dubbed Honest Burger by Park Royal.
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At Park Royal’s casual, burger-centric offshoot, customers order their meat sandwiches and brews at the counter before tucking in to their meals. (Yoon Byun-chan/The Korea Herald) |
The concept, Oh elaborated, is to serve simple, classic variations on the popular meat sandwich with a healthy slant.
For example, according to Oh, the fat is trimmed off the grass-fed Australian Wagyu beef used for the hamburger patties.
Also, instead of the more standard fried fillet, the chicken is pan-seared for their chicken burger, Oh revealed.
“We want to make clean, wholesome burgers that are not too heavy,” Oh said.
A wholesome attitude is only part of Oh’s burger equation.
At the new Seorae Village eatery, the approach is artisanal as well.
“We make our buns every day,” he said.
Topped with sesame, the buns at Honest Burger sport an eggshell-thin, crackly crust and soft, airy innards.
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The chicken burger is crafted with pan-seared chicken, a blend of monterey jack and cheddar cheese, bacon jam, scallions and pickled beet mayo and swaddled in a housemade bun. (Yoon Byung-chan/The Korea Herald) |
The beef is ground in-house and Oh explained that when the strands of ground beef -- a blend of chuck, short rib and brisket --- emerge, the whole coil of freshly ground beef is kept intact instead of mixed together and cut into rounds “to keep the grain alive.”
Chicken is marinated in in-house pickle juice, a secret that Oh was reluctant to divulge at first, to keep the meat moist and juicy. When seared, the sugar in the pickle juice creates a lovely, caramelized crust.
Shrimp patties are seasoned with lemon juice, zest and chives, for a zingy and fragrant flavor.
Oh’s artisanal bent does not stop at the patties and buns but extends to the toppings and sauces.
Take the chicken burger, for instance.
A juicy chicken thigh (or chicken breast, if so desired) is topped with a blend of molten Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, sprinkled with chopped scallions and spiced up with in-house bacon jam studded with chilies and jalapenos.
Then, comes that cap of romaine lettuce, followed by the lid of the bun slathered in in-house mayo seasoned with chopped pickled beets.
The resulting burger is tangy, creamy and piquant, all at once.
In addition to the current lineup of craft burgers, Oh revealed plans to add a lamb burger and a beef stew burger to the menu.
Craft beer from Playground Brewery is on tap and for dinner, customers can order platters of fried pickles, calamari, stuffed jalapenos and stout-battered onion rings and fried chicken to go with their burgers and brews.
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Honest Burger by Park Royal opened in Seoul‘s Seorae Village this May. (Yoon Byung-chan/The Korea Herald) |
Honest Burger by Park Royal
551-47 Banpo 4-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
(02) 537-9333
Open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekends, closed Tuesdays
Burgers cost 8,900 won to 12,800 won and an additional 4,500 won as a set with a soft drink and fries or an additional 5,500 won as a set with 200 ml craft beer and fries
By Jean Oh (
oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)
