Get Your Burgers at the Smokey Saloon

I've been walking past this little joint in a side street in Itaewon for some time and always thought of trying it. It's got darkened windows so I can't see inside but there is almost always a queue on the weekend. I've come to regard that as a good sign.

Smokey Saloon's the name and I finally got to try it a few weeks ago. It's just this little hole in the wall with about 4-5 tables max. The decor is dark and somewhat reminiscent of a place you'd find in Soho, New York.



This is all part of the experience. I was not disappointed by the burgers! The patty was moist but firm, the bun toasted to perfection (no sesame seeds) and sufficiently large. Only gripe is the burger comes by itself without any sides. That you have order separately.





We tried the Sloppy Fries and the regular Fries. These aren't french fries but self-cut potatoes, chips as the British would call it.



The Sloppy Fries were DELICIOUS! My Man is a big fan of burgers and he was a very happy man. He had the Sloppy Joes and I had the Cowboy. Both equally yummy with the Sloppy Joes with a hint of chilli. The Cowboy had me wiping my chin as the juice was dribbling everywhere. Too good! One of the best burgers I've ever had.

I can't remember the prices exactly but be prepared to pay from KRW9,000 for burgers and sides from KRW4,500. A bit pricey but it made my stomach very happy so worth it.

To get there, look for Hard Rock Cafe (right in front of Hamilton Hotel) when you exit the station. Right next to the Hard Rock is a little lane that slopes upwards, walk up that lane. On the right of the lane you should see a Thai restaurant and on the corner a little restaurant at the bottom of a short flight of stairs called The Flying Pan. Turn right when you hit the end of the lane and after about 15m you will see Smokey Saloon with it's black tinted windows. Then, get in line!

UGH Boots

Check this out... been meaning to upload this but totally forgot about this. Found these in Sydney in January. UGH Boots! I think they meant UGG!!!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

This Christmas that just passed, I decided to make some cookies as mini gifts after seeing some rather attractive looking cookies in the December copy of Better Homes and Gardens. I changed the filling though, as the recipe used cream cheese and I didn't think it would keep for long. The filling I used instead was a delicious chocolate ganache. The cookie part was only ok so I will only include the ganache filling which was Yummy! This ganache filling would also be very good wth Macarons.

Ganache Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

To make the filling:
Bring cream to a boil in a small heavy saucepan ver moderate heat. Whisk in cocoa and remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and butter then stir until smooth. Cool filling, then refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to hold its shape when spread. About 30 minutes.
(Note: Although the recipe suggests to keep the filling in the fridge for 30 mins to firm up, I found that leaving it in a slightly cool room works just as well.)

Here are some pics on how it looks as it was being prepared and the end product:

Totoro Jigsaw

This is my latest attempt at completing a jigsaw. So far they are all Studio Ghibli jigsaw puzzles and this is my largest jigsaw so far - 1000 pieces.

This is the box it came in with a pic of what it is suppose to look like when completed.


The frame is put together. The pure white pieces are not easy to put together.


Medium Totoro is completed!


Now this is the easy part. After this is the hard part.


Finally! Done. Had a bit of help towards the end as the tree on the left and the shrubbery on the bottom got me stuck for a bit.

Namsan in Autumn

This is a little late but here are some great shots of the scenery in Namsan (translated means South Hill) in Seoul.