Pub 210 – Seohyeon

Wednesday is wing night for me and my excuse to overeat my favorite bar food. The anticipation of the binge is the best way I’ve found to get through the first half of the week.

My favorite spot to grab my hump day celebratory reward is Pub 210 – it’s a small, English-friendly bar located on the third floor on the main walking street of Seohyeon near AK Plaza. They have darts and pool, and for all you crazy kids, a beer pong table. For my fellow nerds, they have Monday showings of Game of Thrones. During the week, it’s an unassuming atmosphere where you can relax, watch some hockey and chat with the friendly staff. On the weekend, it can be loud and packed and fun. In short, it’s a nice neighborhood spot.

Creamy Buffalo

These wings are crispy, fresh, and piping hot. Done in a variation of the classic bar style you’d expect from an American or Canadian pub, they easily leave your hands sticky and your appetite satiated. A small (around 8) and a large (around 16) order is usually enough for Eric and me. If you can’t pick just one flavor, a large order can be split between two sauces for a small fee. The creamy buffalo is the most delicious, but all the sauces I’ve tried have been pretty tasty.

Spicy Barbecue and Thai Chili

In addition to wing Wednesdays, they also have 10,000W burger Thursdays. This particular Thursday, it was two nicely seasoned patties, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a soft bun served with a side of steaming hot potato wedges.

Their regular menu also features a bunch of finger food to keep you upright while you take advantage of every day happy hour or the Wednesday night bottomless draft. Pepperoni fries, pulled pork sandwiches, and other offerings make good snacking to share while playing pool or darts. Word is, they’re also coming out with a brand new menu that is supposed to widen their offerings.

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Manimal – Itaewon

Manimal has been the talk of the town lately. I took all the raving with a grain of salt, not wanting to be disappointed in decent, but not fantastic barbecue. I needn’t have worried – Manimal is scrumptious and totally worth the commute any day.

After you enter through the incredibly steep stairs in the alley on the left side of the building, you’re greeted by the enormous smoker. It has its own little room and takes up about an eighth of the entire dining room floor space. They are not kidding around here. It was a sign of delicious and wonderful things to come.

Like always, we started off with a few adult beverages. Eric got my first choice – the I Shot the Sheriff made with black tea, bourbon and honey. I chose the Lush Blush, featuring vodka, fresh maple syrup, and strawberries. Both were great, refreshing summer cocktails that went perfectly with the wonderful breeze from the open windows at our counter seats. The Sheriff was a smooth, sweet concoction that tasted a little like an iced hot toddy. The Lush was very sweet, but with just the right amount of maple syrup. Both were complex and mellow enough to be enjoyed by even the pickiest of drinkers.

Chile, cheesy heaven in cast iron

I had a bit of a crisis when I had to choose side dishes. I simply wanted them all. Fresh baked corn bread, bacon braised beans… how could I leave without sampling everything? We finally settled on the chipotle lime potato salad and the green chile mac and cheese. I really don’t think you can go wrong at this place. The mac and cheese featured a flavorful and spicy sauce that gave depth to an old classic. The potato salad was constructed beautifully, red potatoes and hard boiled egg elevated with the addition of the chipotle sauce and tasty mustard. The slightly more complex flavors took a side I usually avoid and made it into something I couldn’t stop eating.

To borrow an expression -These ribs? I can’t even.

The ribs were just this side of perfection. It’s not an exaggeration to say these were the best I’ve had in Korea. The rub and glaze were amazing – they’re so good naked, they don’t even need a lick of sauce. The meat was tender and smoky. Describing how good these are is hard to do without more synonyms for delicious. I really need to invest in an eating thesaurus. The brisket, in comparison, was definitely tasty, especially when doused in the vinegary, slightly spicy barbecue sauce, but not nearly as mind-blowing. Do yourself a huge favor – go early and grab a slab of ribs before they sell out. I’m not kidding. We got to Manimal exactly when they opened, and the ribs were 86’ed before we ordered dessert. We were told by staff that the chicken is stellar, the pulled pork certainly looked good, and the brisket was indeed quite yummy, but the ribs are definitely the star of the whole show.

One of the biggest surprises of the night was dessert. We usually plan on going to a second place, since we can usually end up with something a little better at a place that specializes in sweets. Don’t make that mistake and miss Manimal’s ice cream, though. House made, very vanilla ice cream served with bananas, crispy vanilla wafers and crumbles, and chunks of sweet cake. Our waiter told us we needed to try this, and he was completely correct. It’s delicious for being so deceivingly simple, and is totally one of those things I’ll be back for over and over.

Manimal is a pretty small place, and it’s probably a good idea to call for a reservation or at least show up right when they open. A lot of the seating is counter seating at the windows, and there’s really not a lot of room for a group any bigger than 6. As I mentioned before, they may start running out of ribs, corn bread, brisket, and other items as the night goes on, so show up early and make sure you order your goods right away. Don’t miss the ribs. You’ll hate yourself when you see other people eating them. This place is definitely going to be a regular stop for me.

***EDIT – Looks like Manimal doesn’t take reservations – make sure you get there early!

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Left Coast Artisan Burgers – Itaewon

Left Coast is one of my favorite places to hang out in Itaewon. The atmosphere manages to provide a comfortable place for either dinner or a quick drink and app at the bar. The windows overlook the street that marks the beginning of an area known for antique shops, providing great people watching opportunities. Also, scientifically proven fact: food tastes better when you’re listening to old school rap.

My usual go-to appetizers are the fried mac and cheese balls and the tachos, both of which are awesome. The crispy fried mac is served with a tasty red sauce, and the tachos are house-made tater tots covered in cheesy and spicy sauces, and should you opt for it, delicious pulled meat. This time, we decided to try the baked mac and cheese. On it’s own, it doesn’t quite hold up to those favorite apps, but we did discover it was an ideal dipping choice for the skinny fries that came with our burger.

LC does a great job of balancing flavors in their burger recipes. The Hapa features a pickled cabbage slaw, fried egg, and pepper aioli. The yolk breaks when you bite into it, and along with the tasty sauce, produces a very delicious mess. Each burger is served with the aforementioned lightly seasoned and crisp skinny fries.

Traditional Lemonade with Vodka

The adult lemonades are freshly squeezed and tasty like whoa. They come in three varieties, each with a different liquor – ginger/gin, strawberry/tequila, and traditional/vodka. Also pictured: Sriracha – I love that LC stocks this hot sauce.

Strawberry Lemonade with Tequila

Galbi Bao

Another great item is LC’s Bao buns. Each features a different meat and distinctive sauce, and all are served on fluffy white dumpling. My favorite is the pork belly with soy glaze and cucumber. It is surprisingly light and the veggies produce a satisfying crunch to go with the soft, fatty meat. The galbi is also super tasty and tender. These are my go-to bar snacks when we stop by for a drink – just big enough to satisfy a craving without being too filling.

Pork Belly Bao

Left Coast’s food is both interesting to the palate and satisfying to the appetite, and the staff is welcoming and awesome. They always have a special going – that day, it was a 1+1 on the lemonades, and they often feature unique burgers. Every once in a while, they also host late night snack nights with Mexican or Hawaiian food menus. Word is they’re also getting a new set of cocktails and an expanded dessert menu soon.

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The Beastro (Brunch) – Hongdae

It’s easy for me to get carried away when I talk about this place to friends – Eric often reminds me not to be hyperbolic about how much I love the food, but I can never help myself. Beastro has comfort food down to an art, and adding brunch to an already outstanding menu makes me grumpy that I live so far from Hongdae.

Our friend started things off with the salmon eggs Benedict on homemade biscuits, smothered in thick Hollandaise – what’s not to love? The fish was great quality and the sauce was the perfect consistency. The home fries were understated, but seasoned nicely.

Our other friend ordered the biscuits and gravy. I miss the white, peppery Alabama style southern gravy to which I’d grown accustomed while living there, so I was a bit bummed to find the brown variant instead. The biscuits were the definite highlight of the dish – I would eat any kind of gravy if it was smothered on these babies.

Beastro knows how to prepare meat – even when it’s in a cocktail. I love this concoction with breakfast. The bacon garnish isn’t just kitsch and actually tastes delicious dipped in the mixture of  whipped egg whites, whiskey, maple syrup and cream.

In keeping with the Southern comfort theme, Eric ordered the fried chicken. While it’s not necessarily a brunch dish, I would still recommend it for any visit. The batter is perfectly crispy, the chicken tender and moist, and the garnish and sauce a perfect compliment to a scaled-up version of the classic. It doesn’t hurt that they give you another biscuit as a side either.

Lastly, I sampled the breakfast sandwich, served with house-made potato chips. Everything from the bacon to the bread to the fresh pico de gallo was spot on. I can’t remember ever having a breakfast sandwich this good – the balance of ingredients and expert preparation of the toppings made this dish a star. It’s another example of how you don’t need to be heavy handed with complicated preparation or presentation to make a stellar dish – you just need to pay attention to the quality, freshness and combination of ingredients to create an instant favorite.

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