#31 Gahoe-dong at Night

(Click for the 1,200px version)

I would have preferred to have taken this shot of #31 Gahoe-dong a bit earlier, but I suppose it will have to do.

From atop #31 Gahoe-dong, you’re treated to a dramatic contrast between traditional and modern, the bright lights of downtown Seoul glowing above the tile roofs of Bukchon’s old hanok homes.

Cook’n Heim

The wife and I went to Bukchon for lunch Sunday at Cook’n Heim, a hanok restaurant known for its homemade, “slow food” burgers. It’s a bit pricey, but the burgers are pretty damn good, and in summer, you can sit out in the courtyard and soak up the Samcheong-dong atmosphere.

I didn’t bring my camera with me, so what you see is a crappy iPhone photograph of a Formaggio Burger (16,000 won), on of Cook’n Heim’s “Art Burgers,” creative reinterpretations of the German/American classic. Underneath the mountain of onions, mushrooms and tomato is a big, juicy beef patty covered in four kinds of cheeses.

Expensive, yes, but oh, so good. Washed it down with a glass of the house white. Good food, pleasant atmosphere and a glass of wine… there are certainly worse ways to spend a late summer afternoon.

Cook’n Heim also runs Fifteen Gallery, a small art gallery. The eatery is just across from the Prime Minister’s Residence on Samcheong-dong Road.