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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I Can Haz Kimchi? 