#5 Jacoby's

Living in the foreigner ghetto means that at some point you'll inevitably need some grease to soak up the remnants of last night's over-indulgence. I guarantee if you're reading this blog this WILL be you one day.

If you're lucky enough to work sociable days/hours you may hit the jackpot and not have to queue. However on most occasions 

From what we gather from friends in Seoul the last few years has seen the rise of the gourmet burger (just like in London, really) and itaewon/kyungnidan/haebangchon are burger-central. Perhaps it's the sheer number of our American cousins nearby, perhaps it's just cos soeulites love a food fad, either way one day you'll need one and you should brave that queue to get a good one. Here's why:

The menu is super-flexible and you can 'Have it Your Way' by getting your less-hungover friend to tick the right boxes. The last thing you want when hanging is an ingredient you hate spoiling your burger AKA ruining your LIFE.

It's delicious. Maybe it's the hangover but we remember good tastes all round. We had our usual sides, special homemade, fresh cut, organic something something chips. THESE ARE NOT FRIES.

Be sure to enjoy them with both ketchup and the delicious garlicky dip, which almost turned JBoy on to mayo. Don't be tempted to order a full portion, just get two or three people in a party of five of six to order 'sides' for their burgers - it's more than enough to feed a family of stray cats in haebangchon for a week. Unless you're American, then, order away y'all! (JOKES)

We also went for more grease in the form of onion rings, which were amazingly crispy and satisfying.

JGirl plucked for the 'healthy' veggie burger with ALL THE SALAD and lashings of mayo. It's the best veggie burger she's had in Seoul, not too greasy or beany.

JBoy's burger came with juicy mushrooms and salty, soft emmenthal cheese melted just right. The beef was delightfully pink in the middle though Jacoby's are happy to burn it for you if you prefer. It hit the spot.

Burger PS - the bun is often the undoing of a burger and we are happy report that here that isn't the case. Choose from brown or white and everything is freshly baked and seeded. YUM.

Special mention to out friends who bravely attempted the onion ring tower challenge of doom:

Larger 'tower challenges' are regularly attempted by less-experienced patrons of Jacoby's but sadly we weren't shameless enough/too hungover to discreetly take photos of others failing in their attempts. Just go and see for yourselves. 

THE VERDICT (all marks are out of ten)

FOOD

Originality: 7.5 (for sheer range of choice and good sides)

Taste: 8

Quality Of Ingredients: 8

SERVICE: 7 (it's kind of service lite as DIY BUT not the most efficient at turning table around for those queuing)

IS THE QUEUE WORTH IT FACTOR: 9

VALUE FOR MONEY: 8

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 8 (very good at what it does)

NB please don't be tempted to skip the queue and head for a burger place of lesser repute on the HBC hill - we are thinking in particular of the time when JGirl found hersel hanging in haebangchon in sub zero temperatures not suitable for queuing and ended up in Jacoby's 'explosive' rival down the street. Obviously opting for the veggie burger, she had no idea what was to come. The burger arrived lacking its main ingredient - the (veggie) patty, replaced by a cold, sugarcoated fried egg. Yes SUGARCOATED. Assuming this was a genuine mistake she proceeded to enjoy her rights as a Korean consumer and complain about said missing patty. Communication errors abound, this sorry tale ended after much to-ing and fro-ing with JGirl's wallet heavy and her stomach light, watching her friend chow down on a massive hangover-busting burger whilst she sipped a free sprite and a solpadine. NO BURGER.