Wir Essen!!! Multi-Kulti Abendessen in Seoul!

Heute Abend iss ich deutsches Essen deshalb muss ich jetzt alles auf Deutsch erklären....

Not really. I mean, I really did have German food for dinner (ehhhhhhhh.....sogenanntes deutsches Essen) at a German restaurant (nocheinmal....sogenanntes deutsches Lokal), and it was delicious (das stimmt!).

A little research makes me feel even more cooler that my friend introduced me to this gem of Sinsa...but I'll share that later.



Church & dinner friends: Jodie and Karlan

 So after a full day of church and Ecclesia, my 2 friends (who also serve at Ecclesia) and I have a new trend of eating dinner together. Tonight, we went to Deli Heinzburg, near Garosu-gil. Now, Garosu-gil is a very trendy and well-known street in Sinsa-dong. Deli Heinzburg is on the street parallel to Garosugil, called  Serosu-gil. Apparently, Serosu-gil is surpassing Garosu-gil in terms of originality and unique flavors, so I'm pretty for sure I'm going to have go back there. This article explains it all: Serosu-gil redefines cool for Seoul’s fashion elite . What I love about the article is that when it describes Deli Heinzburg, it claims it has "look and feel of a German pub." Now, I loved Deli Heinzburg, but that's not how I would call it.

I liked the lighted wood shelf installment. Schicky-schicky!



Deli Heinzburg I love because it is kitsch. Like many things I appreciate in Korea, it's this tiny cosmos of mish-mashed (gemischtes) structures and influences that somehow all work to makes something awesome. First, it's a German restaurant in Korea. That says enough right there. When you walk in, there are several mugs that make you think, "Huh, that would make a great souvenir." Wouldn't it be awesome to get a German mug from Korea? Well, too bad, because the fine print of the mugs says, "For store-use only."

There is bread for sale, but it's ciabatta, which is Italian, not German. There are also coffees and coffee-syrups for sale, but these are Italian and French brands, not German. SOoooo, it's more like pan-European cuisine. ^^



You pick up your food. I like that.



The menu was amazing....so many types of burgers and sandwiches. Again, not many of them German per se...more American-style...but more like...the Koreans looked at some American sandwiches and said, how could we make this taste and look 10 times better and have a clever name? Like Bratwurst Outburst and The Lord of the Onion Rings. Honestly, I usually don't long for American food and rarely (as in, never) eat hamburgers, but as soon as I walked in, I felt weak in the knees and was like, Dracula Burger? Sounds good! The menu is a little bit of everything...sausages, paninis, burgers, soups, but it's all good.

The decor I would not describe as a classic German pub. German pubs...well, traditional ones look like this, but I don't think they even sell hamburgers there...(^^) or maybe this one...I mean, I can't really say what all German pubs look like (und, übrigens, als ich in Deutschland war, iss ich gar kein Rotfleisch...vielleicht bei der Mensa, aber das war es....d.h. ich habe wirklich keine gute Idee wie Hamburger-Cafes in Deutschland aussehen...) The decor is catchy though...it's modern and upbeat, but the wood paneling tones it down and keeps it from being pretentious. Again, it shows Korea's tact for mixing styles and make it all work.



Rotkohl und Kartoffelsalat



Now, to the food! Authenticity aside , (and let's be honesty, I didn't go here for authenticity. I came here to say, I found a German deli in Korea!!! What!!!)  I did think it was cool that the menu was in English, German, and Korea. If it's not clear in one language, it's bound to make sense in another!

The entrees are enough by themselves (no need for extra fries, Americans!), so we were provided with a simple serving of red cabbage (I actually ate that alot in Germany. And liked it!) Korean-style pickles. Karlan ordered the potato salad. It took her a while to find the potatoes, but they were hiding under some healthy lettuce leaves quartered tomatoes.



Jumbo Huhn Burger



Jodie went straight for the Jumbo Chicken Burger. According to the menu, this is "a fried boneless chicklen leg in its entirety." Oh my gosh, it is amazing!

I almost went for the Chicken Burger as well, but finally decided on the Chili with Frites (+ extra cheese!). Now, I don't generally "miss" American foods. I love Korean food and keep my fridge regularly stocked with kimchi and pickled radish and have never gone out of my way to buy Western groceries. However, once in a while, when you're in a restaurant, if it's there, then you've just got to go for it. That's how I am with chili. I love chili. Especially in the winter time. And I haven't had any chili since I've come here...and since I came here in the summer, that means, I haven't had any since winter 2009. That's a long time without chili. And not that I've been dreaming about it or anything, but as soon as I saw it on the menu...well, I was just astounded to see it on a menu here at all, so that meant, I had to get it.



Chili-Eintopf mit Bratkartoffeln und Käse

 

I really do like the interior. Classy, but not overdone.



What was best....is that it was like my dad's chili. And my dad makes the best chili. No spaghetti or other noodles or extraneous vegetables...and not soupy...and with plenty of cheese. This chili had so much cheese, I couldn't even eat it all.

SO, would I say it's not exactly authentic German...but who cares? It's amazing. You should just go!

How to get there: If you're on Garosu-gil, turn left at the BeanBins and go down a block. Cafe Heinzburg will be on your left.





Komm essen!!!