HSK Restaurant Review--Butterfingers Pancakes

Fiending for some American breakfast? Miss your mom's homemade buttermilk pancakes, sausage links and hashbrowns? Tired of kimchi and rice with soup for breakfast? You have options!!! There's more and more breakfast spots popping up in Seoul that offer an American dining experience. One partciularly well-known morning meal spot is called Butterfingers Pancakes.Butterfingers has 2 locations in Seoul. One near Apgujeong and the other near Gangnam stations. They boast a diner-style menu ranging from breakfast platters to stews/soups and salads. I personally find the prices too high for the quality of food, but hey, it's a commodity and commodities can sometimes come at a price. Despite the somewhat expensive prices, it's still a good place to go get your grub on. Some things to try : pecan and cinnamon pancakes, apple compote. Some things not to try : beef stew, macaroni and cheese.Beef stew--delicious exterior, not so delicious when it's in the interior. The beef was a bit dry and chewy and the stew's broth was lacking in saltiness.

Mac and cheese was a bit bland and the macaroni elbows were very overcooked, which resulted in a mushy consistency.

In any case, here's some pictures of one of several dining experiences at Butterfingers Pancakes, Gangnam branch.Nice interior--clean, bright, open, simple.

A vast menu with lots of options. A front AND a back!!!

Blueberry pancakes with apple compote. YUM!

A breakfast platter with the works for only about 11,000 KRW.

Mexi-palooza!

Yesterday afternoon, HandS Korea and friends ventured just a few blocks away from the HSK office to partake in a Mexican celebration called Mexi-palooza. The event was put on by the restaurant chain, Tomatillo, to promote the opening of their new location at the Gangnam Finance Center near Yeoksam station (green line 2, exit 2).

Tomatillo has accumulated a rather large following since the opening of their first location near Jongak station (blue line 1, exit 6). They offer a Mexican menu consisting of burritos, tacos, quesadillas, nachos, etc. using fresh ingredients and a healthier alternative to the menus at other Mexican restaurants in Seoul. Check out their menu online!

Currently, there is one other location, found in the food court of the Hyundai Department store at COEX (Samsung station green line 2).

We were lucky to have a great, sunny day with very little relative humidity and not too much wind. The event was outdoors in the courtyard of the Gangnam Finance Center and the turnout in the earlier part of the day was excellent. Everyone was able to profit from live jazz and mariachi music. Enjoy the pictures of our day of fun in the sun!

HSK Testimonial #1!!!

Yay for props! Current HSK recruit, Todd, has sent us an email to voice some praise. Any comments/questions/concerns/suggestions are always welcome here at HandS Korea because we are always searching for ways to make our work here more efficient and helpful to potential teachers interested in teaching in South Korea. See the testimonial below (we're so proud and delighted that a candidate has offered such props, so of course we had to post it!) Todd has also so graciously offered his email address, so if you would like to get in contact with him regarding his experience, see the email address below! Thanks, Todd!

To all the staff at HandS Korea,

Thank you so much for your help with this process. I was at first unsure whether to go through a service like yours or try to find a school on my own, but I am glad I contacted you first. You made the process very easy from the step-by-step instructions, putting me in contact with a school, to finally arranging the transportation. I would gladly refer others to at least contact you if they are even at least interested in pursuing teaching English in South Korea. Thanks again for all your help.

Todd toddcotrell06@gmail.com

HSK outing announcement...

fMexican food is somehwhat of a rarity here in Korea. However, there are a few restaurants offering Tex-Mex cuisine throughout Seoul. One burrito chain called Tomatillo is opening a restaurant in a new location at Yeoksam station in the food court of the Gangnam Finance Center. They're having a celebration with live music, cheap Mexican drinks and food!

The event is Mexi-palooza on Saturday August 22nd from 12 PM to 8 PM. Come and join in the celebration with HandS Korea for an afternoon in the sun with good beverages and eats! Hope to see you all there!

Seoul Grand Park Zoo

As you may have seen in an earlier post, HandS Korea just recently organized a small get together offered to its teachers and any of their friends...the more the merrier! Rebecca and a couple of her friends plus a couple of HSK recruits were able to make the trek to Gwacheon and enjoy a steaming, but fun day at the zoo! Hopefully, for the upcoming HSK events, we'll have more and more participants *hint hint*! :D For directions, see the entry on the National Museum of Contemporary Art. The same directions apply!