Finding Burgermine At Haebangchon!

The rainy days in Seoul made me stay home, sit in front of the computer and crave for food (which is most of the time!). 

And during these days when sunny days alternate with rainy ones, the craving for some delights that I miss grew even more. So, one night, I ventured into the Haebangchon area, which is next to Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, to search for Pita Time, that fast food restaurant, which used to be in Itaewon and has since moved to the Haebangchon. The last time I visited it was more than year ago. And I thought, it was time to go back.

I made my way through Haebangchon's landmark, those kimchi pots for sale displayed by the roadside. These pots, stacked over one another, welcome pedestrians and vehicles into the neighborhood.

But as I continued walking on my side of the road, expecting to see Pita Time on the opposite side at the location I knew where it was supposed to be, I realized....it was gone!

I tried walking up and down the road, and hoped that I just missed it. But there was no sign, no name, no trace.

Oh well. I resigned to the thought that it must have closed down...or maybe moved somewhere else I didn't know.

So, in order not to let all this walking go to waste, I decided to grab whatever was near. So, I went inside...Burgermine!

There were only a few diners inside that time, and the walls of the place was painted with interesting Andy Warhol-ish graffiti art. 

And as I got seated, the owner, Jimmy Shin, explained to me that aside from the burgers on the menu, they offer an eat-all-you-can-burger buffet for KRW15,000! They call it 'DIY Burger Bar'.

I just told Jimmy that I wanted to just order from the menu. Of course, I didn't tell him that I am actually torturing myself these days by dragging my ass to the gym every morning in order to lose these extra kilos from all the eating during my summer vacation, and more eating after! Ha-ha-ha!

At the buffet table, you can actually create your own recipe for a burger, enjoy it and share the recipe with other people on Burgermine's website. And people will vote for recipe if they like it! They have specific hours for the do-it-yourself burger bar, by the way.

Here's their website: http://www.burgermine.com

As the Haebangchon area is far from Hannam-dong, I am not sure when I would be able to return to the area. But if you have time and would want to try their burger, just get off at Exit 2 of the Noksapyeong Station (Line 6), and just walk straight until you see the road fork to the left. From there, you will see the kimchi pots, and walk further up on that side.  After maybe a hundred meters, you can see Burgermine on the opposite side of the road with its graffiti art marking the place. 

On my way back to Itaewon, I decided to walk again, and avoid the temptation of taking a cab. I figured, perhaps I could lose a few burger calories that night by strolling under the cloudy night, and actually try to enjoy the sights (glaring lights from cars), sounds (all the honking of horns), smell (pollution from vehicle exhaust, actually), and everything to comes in between.

I even stumbled into the pairing of the Korean and Philippine flags on display at the lamp post in Itaewon. International flags are every where in Itaewon, actually. It's the neighborhood's way of welcoming tourists and residents from different countries, who visit, dine and shop in Itaewon.

Although that night, somebody just simply strolled along the main lane because of his heavy burger dinner. Ha-ha-ha!

And when I saw the Namsan electric car when reached the bus stop opposite the KFC, I finally decided wait for a bus myself, the one heading to Hannam-dong, my home, and continue my sightseeing while digesting a yummy burger from Burgermine.