Second Corner Burger

Hello friends! This post has been long overdue. Since my move to South Korea, I have been on the hunt for a good burger. South Korea has such amazing food and I am a fan of all of it. But when it comes to burgers, there was something missing. They weren't giving me the fullness that I desired. That was until I was introduced to Second Corner Burger. I was in heaven the second I walked into this place. The burgers here are phenomenal. It delivers on all the levels.
The atmosphere of this restaurant is so friendly and welcoming. The owner and his staff are wonderful and always have a smile on their faces. The space has a kind of retro eclectic vibe and they always have the most amazing music playing. I have been known to sing and dance along to it on occasion. The menu is posted above the counter in English which really put me at ease when it came to ordering. I can read Hangul and understand some Korean food words, thanks to my Korean cooking escapades, but having it in English really helps. Plus they have a more detailed menu in Korean.

 



When it comes to ordering food in Korea, I can get extremely nervous because I am worried about my pronunciation. At Second Corner Burger I don't seem to have that problem. They are kind, patient and never have a problem understanding what I've ordered.

Now onto the good stuff, the food! Words can not describe how amazing this food it. For starters, the owner grinds the meat for the burgers himself. That is next level dedication. The meat in these burgers is so tender and juicy. Then the toppings are the perfect compliment of flavors. My favorites are the American Cheese and 90's Old Fashioned. The flavors in these burgers are off the charts. I love the combination of the fried egg with the coleslaw that tops the 90”s Old Fashioned. It's the perfect combination of creamy, acidic and gooey. The cheese sauce paired with the friend onion on the American Cheese is mind blowing. The crunchy, cheesy taste combined with melt in your mouth meat patty is sensational. Everything in them comes together perfectly to create an amazing taste experience. These burgers aren't small either. The burger alone is enough to fill you up. But, if you want more, they offer fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings. All of them are delicious but my personal favorite is the sweet potato fries. I love the sweetness of the potato combined with the savory flavors in the burger. Also, be warned that these burgers can be messy to eat. You can eat them with a knife and fork to avoid this messiness. I personally love to eat them with my hands and allow the deliciousness to drip all over my fingers. Eating one of these burgers is an experience and I am here for it.

American Cheese with fries.

90's Old Fashioned with sweet potato fries.












These burgers are some of the best burgers I have had and I don't just mean in Korea. I literally dream about these burgers. The quality is next level and I have never been disappointed with anything I have tried here. I highly recommend Second Corner Burger for anyone that loves a good burger or good food in general. Fortunate for me, this restaurant is located in Anseong, where I live and I eat here often. I know that people often travel to Seoul looking for good food or a taste of home but this place is better than anything I have eaten in Seoul. I would travel from Seoul just to eat one of these burgers.

Thank you for joining me for another one of my food adventures. Happy eating!

XOXO,
Rachel

Newsboy Burger Pub

Hello! I hope you are having a great week. I have been craving burgers recently. Not like a McDonalds or fast food burgers but a really good, fresh, handmade burger. So I decided to go on an adventure to Seoul and check out Newsboy Burger Pub. I found this place through some of the people I follow on Instagram and the food looked amazing so I wanted to check it out. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint! Even just walking up to place, I was already excited. I love the whole exterior. The brick with the black paint and all of the windows, so cool. It reminds me of being in West Hollywood and going to places like The Troubadour. Very rock & roll. I chose to sit at the bar because that's how I roll. The bar area was really fun. I loved the mash up of fun pieces that they used to decorated. I especially loved that they had old playboys on display. They sure do know the way to a girls heart ;). The music and the atmosphere was great as well. It kind of gave me rockabilly vibes which I really dug.

Now onto the good stuff, food. They have so many amazing burgers to choose from. It ranges from classic burgers, to mac & cheese burgers, to Mexican burgers. Anything you want you can find on this menu. They also have an amazing looking salad and this meatball dish that looks to die for. I was tempted to get the Hell Burger which has cheese in the middle of meat but instead I chose to go with the Mexican Burger.

This burger was amazing. It was a really nice meat patty topped with salsa and a ton of cheese. The bun was soft, fresh and delicious. All of the flavors blended really well together. The salsa was more sweet than spicy and mixed with the cheese and meat made for just the most incredible taste. I loved every minute of it. The burger comes with fries, a fried egg and potatoes. The potatoes look like mashed potatoes but tasted more like potato salad. It was really interested and I think it complemented the burger nicely. I also enjoyed a nice Stella with my meal because a girl deserves a nice treat with her meal. Plus, I'm on vacation so drinks are a must. 

Overall it was a great experience. Great food, good music and a fun atmosphere. I highly recommend you check this place out if you're in Seoul. Also on a side note their bathroom is pretty awesome. That mirror is phenomenal. I need one ASAP. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I'll be back soon with some more food adventures.

XOXO,

Rachel 

Hello Stranger!

Hello! I am so sorry that I haven't posted in forever. I've been adjusting to my life here in South Korea and I have neglected my writing. I also haven't been cooking very much either. My kitchen is pretty small so I don't have the counter space to really do much. However, I am surrounded by lovely restaurants and I plan to do some posts about them in the near future. I'm also slightly addicted to the food ordering app yogiyo which I will also post about. On the beauty front I have been testing out some fun products and I'll make sure to share those will you as well.
I'm so sorry that I've been away. Teaching has taken a lot of my attention for the past few months and I've been really working towards becoming the awesome teacher that I want to be. I've had my ups and my downs but I really do love all of my students and my school. I want to make sure everyone is learning and having a good time while still setting boundaries. Class management is no joke! I thought that lesson planning was going to be hard but man, it's nothing compared do dealing with children with all different types of personalities and needs. I'm lucky in that I have really small class sizes but it still has its moments. I just want to provide the children with everything they need to be successful. I have so many things I would love to share with my students but sometimes it's hard with the language barrier. Sometimes they fight or get upset and I wish I could comfort them with my words but that's not always possible. Most of the time I just say it in English and hope them can understand the message on some level.
I'm a little over half way through my first year of teaching and it has been a ride. I've learned so much about myself and I am so thankful for this journey. I've made some really good friends and I'll be sad to see them leave. For some, this is just a brief experience but for me I can't imagine leaving so soon. 1 year wouldn't be enough. I haven't fully experienced everything yet. I have more traveling to do, more people to meet, more life to live. At times I worry that I am wasting the experience by not traveling every time we are given time off of work. I do want to see what the world has to offer but I also don't feel the need to escape from this experience. They say to create a life that you don't need to take a vacation from and I feel like that is what I'm doing. I love living in South Korea. I feel so happy and free. And at time things may feel daunting but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I like where I am at and I am so thankful for that. I think a lot of the time we are searching for or chasing after something. We forget the beauty of just being. Of enjoying where you are in this moment. Breathe. This moment is magic.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and for your patience. I hope to have some new content for you soon.

XOXO,
Rachel

I've Moved!

Hello! I'm sorry that I have not posted in a while. As much as I love cooking Korean food and sharing it with you, I had some big plans in the works that kept me pretty busy. I've left my Marketing job in LA to become an English Teacher in South Korea. This was a big decision for me but one that I am very happy with. While I loved my job in LA, I felt called to pursue a life in Korea. I have such a passion South Korean food, music and culture that I wanted to experience it first hand. I'm very excited about this opportunity, plus it will provide me with more food, skincare and makeup to share with you!
I went through the EPIK program, which stands for the English Program In Korea. This is a government program and places teachers in public schools throughout the country. I'm currently living in a city called Anseong in the Gyeonggi province. It's a wonderful city that is about an hour south of Seoul by bus. I've been placed at a great Elementary School with about 52 students total, grades K-6. My class size ranges from 5-12 students. I enjoy the small class size as it gives me the opportunity to work with the students and provide help where it is needed. I'm still in the process of getting to know all of my students but I love them already.
Many people who come to Korea to be teachers do so because they want to travel or gain work experience but that's not why I came.  I came here because I want to be a teacher. I have always enjoyed learning, language and helping people. Given these passions I thought teaching would be a good career for me. So far I really enjoy it. The kids are really great and it makes me so happy when they get excited to see me. It makes me even more happy when they say they like my class. I hope to show them that learning English can be fun and the important part is that they try.
When it comes to teaching, so far the hardest part is the pressure I put on myself. I expect myself to be perfect from the start. I have to remind myself that I have never taught before and it takes time to get good at things. Just like with my students, the important part is that I try my best. I work very hard to create lessons that are fun, engaging and teach my students things that will help them.
I'm also adjusting to the language barrier. I studied Korean before I came to Korea and this has helped a lot. Knowing Hangul has helped so much, as did being able to give a basic introduction. At times, being the only person that doesn't speak Korean can be a bit isolating. I'm not able to engage in banter with my colleagues and conversations can be a struggle. I'm studying and trying to develop my Korean skills, so that I can begin to communicate with my coworkers and students more freely.
It's only been about a month since I've arrived in Korea but I'm really enjoying it. I'm still transitioning and getting the hang of this new life but I am so excited about all the amazing possibilities in front of me. I get to live in this amazing country and work such wonderful students. Stepping outside of ones comfort zone can be a bit daunting but it also creates so much expansion and growth. Not only do you get to learn about a new culture, you also get the opportunity to learn more about yourself. I am so excited!
I can't wait to update you on awesome food, skincare, makeup and so much more over the next year.

XOXO,
Rachel

Kkotgetang (Korean Crab Stew)

Hello! I am so excited to be back at it with another delicious recipe. Things have been so crazy around here and my schedule has been so busy. I am hoping to get back into posting regularly. If you have any recipes that you think I should try, let me know in the comments. I'm always on the lookout for a fun new dish to try. I love learning about new ways to use ingredients to create something even more wonderful. While a lot of the things I make have similar ingredients, they each have their own unique flavors. It's the combination of the different meats and vegetables that add to the specialness of the dish.
I don't know about you, but for me, cooking is always such a magical experience. I love combining together different ingredients to make a beautiful and whole meal. I love that through cooking you are offering up love and joy. As you are making the meal, you are infusing the food with the emotions you feel as you are making it. Cooking food and eating can seem like a mundane task to some, but I think it is magical. While eating and cooking food is necessary to survive, it doesn't mean it has to be boring. Food and cooking can be such joyous and delightful things. I think that when we take care in preparing and eating food, it can have a positive effect on our lives. When you nourish your body with food that was prepared in a loving manner, you can't help but feel amazing.

Now onto the cooking! This is another amazing recipe by Maangchi. You can check it out here.

Ingredients:
1 Pound of clean Korean Flower Crabs(fresh or frozen), cut into chunks.
7 large dried anchovies, guts removed
5 ounces of peeled Korean radish, sliced thinly
4 ounces of zucchini, sliced
1 green onion, sliced
1 green chili pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons Korean fermented soybean paste
1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste
1 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes (optional)
a few chrysanthemum greens.
Rice (optional)

*If you are using frozen crab, thaw them out in the fridge prior to cooking.

Step 1.
If you are making rice, make that first. When rinsing the rice, rinse it once and drain the water. Then rinse a second time and keep the milky white water to use for the stew. You'll need about 3 1/2 cups. Then proceed to rinse the rice and to make it as you normally would.

Step 2.
Put the anchovies in a a bag or tea strainer to keep them together. Add them to the pot along with the radish, soybean paste and hot pepper paste. Allow this to boil for 20 min at medium high heat.

 

Step 3.
While this is boiling. If you haven't already, lightly rinse the crab and cut into small chunks.

Step 4.
Remove the anchovies. Then add in the onion, zucchini, garlic, green pepper, green onion, and the crab. Cover and let it cook for another 15 minutes until the crab is well cooked and the radish looks translucent.

Step 5.
Stir the stew and add in the hot pepper flakes if you want to make this a little more spicy.

Step 6.
Add the chrysanthemum greens and remove from heat. Serve hot with rice and other side dishes.

Thank you for joining me on this weeks adventure! Leave a comment down below and let me know what you thought. Until next time.

XOXO,
Rachel

Dwaejibulgogi (Spicy Pork BBQ)

Hello! I'm so excited to be cooking again. I missed being in the kitchen making these warm, spicy, delicious meals. I am a big fan of spicy pork bulgogi. It is my go to dish when I get BCD. Since I enjoy this dish so much I thought I would attempt to make it. When I saw that this recipe was made with pork belly, I was all in. Pork belly is insanely delicious and is used in a lot of Korean dishes. I often make grilled pork belly because it's pretty simple to make and still has amazing flavor. But this dish blew my mind. It's also relatively simple to make but so full of flavor. It's not over powerfully spicy but still has that nice kick to it. I think this may become my new favorite.

This recipe is from Maangchi and can be found here.

Ingredients:

1. Pound pork belly, sliced thinly into pieces 1/2 inch x 2 inches and 1/8 inch thick. (I used pre-sliced pork belly and cut it into smaller pieces.)

Marinade:

1/4 cup of crushed Korean pear

1/4 cup onion puree

4 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 ts of minced ginger

1 chopped green onion

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs brown or white sugar and 1 1.2 tbs rice syrup (or 2 tbs brown sugar)

a pinch of ground black pepper

2 ts toasted sesame oil

3 tbs hot pepper paste (gochujang)

Step 1.

Cut up the pork belly and place it in the marinating dish.

Step 2.

In a blender or food processor, add the Korean pear, onion, garlic and ginger. Blend until the ingredients are puréed. 

Step 3.

Pour the purée over the pork belly. Then add the green onion, soy sauce, sugar, rice syrup, sesame oil, black pepper and hot pepper paste.

 

Step 4.
Mix the ingredients together with the pork belly until everything is combined and the pork belly is well coated. Then let the meat marinade in the fridge for a minimum of 30 min.

Step 5.

You can pan fry, grill or BBQ the meat to your liking. 

Once it is cooked you are now ready to eat!

You can eat is just like this, or you can take a piece of lettuce, add the meat, a slice of garlic, a green pepper piece and some ssamjang then wrap it up in a little pouch and enjoy. I prefer to do just the lettuce, pork belly and ssamjang. If you aren't familiar with ssamjang, it is a sweet and spicy sauce that is often eaten with meat. It was introduced to me as Korean ketchup. It has a really nice flavor and adds a little something to the pork belly.

Thank you for joining me on the cooking adventure. I love getting to share my cooking experiences with you. I am always looking for new dishes to try. If you have any recipes that you think I should try leave them in the comments below. Until next time. 

XOXO,

Rachel 

Kabayo Cham Bada

Hello! I hope you all have been having an amazing week. I recently went out to lunch with a few friends to try out a new restaurant. What is special about this restaurant is that they have really fresh seafood. I love seafood so this was a special treat. For me, anything related to the ocean is fascinating and I enjoyed getting to experience this type of cooking with such fresh ingredients. Plus who doesn't love watching the food be cooked at the table.

They started off by bringing out some side dishes and salad. Which is perfect because it's nice to have something to eat while you wait for the seafood to be cooked. We also got these delicious oyster shooters. The oysters were marinated in this sauce that was made from soy sauce and few other ingredients. The taste was so fresh and flavorful. We were also given a cooked fish and some abalone to enjoy before the soup.

Then they brought out this large pot filled with fresh seafood.

Doesn't that look amazing! Everything was so fresh. It had octopus, crab, fish, shrimp, clams, etc.

The waiter was so helpful and took out the octopus and cut it up for us to enjoy while everything finished cooking.

Then he removed the clam shells and the crab shell and left us to enjoy our soup.

It was so delicious. There was plenty of food for the four of us. It had just the right amount of seafood mixed with some vegetables and broth. So good!

That's not all. Afterward they brought us this noodle soup to enjoy.

The soup was delicious and I loved the noodles.

To finish off the meal and reward ourselves with a fun treat we went to Cottonhi. Its this cute little ice cream place in Koreatown where you can get flavored cotton candy on top of your ice cream.

The ice cream was so delicious. It had brownie bites and caramel, plus I got coffee flavored cotton candy on top. So delicious!

Thank you for joining me on another food adventure. It was so much fun getting to share this with you. 

XOXO,

Rachel