The story may not be fresh, but the food is at Left Coast Artisan Burgers.

This is not just another burger joint launched by a group of ambitious, young entrepreneurs. Well, the latter half is true. Three friends from California joined hands to open a spot with a focus on meat-in-a-bun, but this was not going to be just any old bun-centric spot.

“Even if the burger market was saturated, this kind of niche gourmet concept wasn’t,” Left Coast co-owner Angela Shin explained why the trio went for a fast food-gone-high end approach.

To realize their gourmet burger dreams, Shin and crew teamed up with Norah Chung, also a California native and now Left Coast’s head chef, to come up with a tasty and fun repertoire.

Seeing as the entire team hails from the West Coast, it makes perfect sense when Shin, 32, says, “We wanted to have this California theme.”

Hence, “Left Coast,” which refers to America’s West Coast, not just in a geographical sense, but politically as well, in that it is perceived as being populated by a majority of left-leaning liberals.

“Liberal,” not in political speak but in a broader sense, is the right word to describe Left Coast’s ability to think outside the bun when coming up with their no-holds-barred grub.

At the newly-minted spot’s second story perch in Itaewon, chef Chung’s meticulous, fine dining expertise seems to play an influential role in the creation of Left Coast’s mouthwatering, flavor bombs, which deftly ride the line between high and low.

“I would rather be cooking food that I like to eat,” said Chung, 32, of why she left a career in high-end eats to jump on board the Left Coast bandwagon.

Chung and crew’s experimental take on laid-back, California-inspired grub is spot-on and best exemplified in non-traditional, burger-style bites like their bao buns, where toothsome fillings are piled in between little folders of smooth, white, steamed Chinese-style bread.

Chicken bao buns meld the rich crunch of crisp chicken skin with the fresh zing of pickled daikon radish while the pork belly bao marries tender, decadent flesh with fragrant cilantro and fresh cucumber.

The secret to Left Coast’s juicy pork belly is all in the sweet time it takes for the meat to be slow-braised in duck fat before getting seared to order, and then, of course, there is the orange-Cola sauce that gives it that extra oomph.

“Because the pork belly is so fatty, the sauce had to be a little bit sweet and tart,” Chung explained.

Chung and team do most everything from scratch, including making the pickled onions that top Left Coast’s addictive interpretation of the latest Asian fry trend that seems to be sweeping the city.

“We were thinking about what kind of protein to add to the fries,” Chung said.

The crew landed on the idea of taking crisp fries made from hand-cut Korean potatoes, loading pulled galbi jjim (braised short ribs) on top and then adding pickled onions, fiery jalapenos and sour cream for a sweet, spicy, tangy and creamy experience.

Onions, which get their tasty edge from star anise, play a key role in imbuing the dish, simply christened “Kalbi Fries,” with an aromatic crunch that makes it hard to stop digging in.

Then, of course, there are the burgers, which are crafted with hand-formed patties and come towering, thick and succulent between two slabs of soft brioche.

“When the patty is thicker, the juices hold in better,” Chung explained why she went for a hefty, hard-to-fit-in-one-bite, take on the classic comfort food staple. 

Sweet fiends will also be glad to know that Left Coast also dishes out a soul-satisfying, winter-apropos dessert called the cookie pie.

“It’s a warm chocolate chip cookie baked to order in a ramekin served with ice cream,” said Chung. “So it’s hot, cold and creamy on top.”

With Left Coast just over a month into business, more eats are joining the line-up. In fact, two new additions are already out.

Chung revealed their latest newcomers, fried pickles that are “salty and tangy” and a new winter burger filled with kale chips, shitake mushrooms and fig balsamic jam.

Goodness knows what other newfangled eats the guys at Left Coast have hidden up their sleeves: Shin hinted at some fried mac-and-cheese balls in the near future, and given what’s out on the menu now, it will probably be worth the trip. 


Left Coast Artisan Burgers

2F, 130-43 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

(02) 6223-5338

Open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays through
Saturdays till midnight and closed Mondays

Bao buns cost 10,000 won to 15,000 for two or three, burgers cost 12,000 won to 15,000 won, cookie pie costs 6,000 won


By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)