Cook'n Heim, so-called "artsy" burgers in Samcheong-dong

8,000-15,000 for burgers; around 20,000 for pasta entrees.
Directions and map at bottom of post.

Cook'n Heim had potential, but ultimately, I'd say it failed to deliver. It touts itself as an upscale, fashionable, artsy place to get upscale, fashionable, upscale "Italian-style" burgers. I was intrigued to try these fancy pants burgers, so Meg and I ventured out to Samcheong-dong.

Well, the atmosphere is what you'd expect. You feel like you're in an art museum restaurant, some cozy little place for tourists to dine, next to the gift shop:

Is that good or bad? Well, I was actually kind of digging the atmosphere. I mean, hey, as long as the burgers are good, right?

Well, the burgers actually look fairly amazing. Here's the one I got, with focaccia bread and supposedly some gouda on there somewhere. Looks pretty dang good, eh? Well, my friends; alas! The burger patty was some strange half-meat concoction. Nowhere near real-beef. And strangely sweet. The focaccia was okay, though. But all in all, a highly Koreanized burger (and not in a good way.)


Here's Meg's burger: the "pine" burger, replete with a ton of saccharine-sweet pineapple-topping combined with loads of mustard. In my opinion, a bit of a sauce clash. And the burger patty, of course, was basically some low-grade meatloaf.
All in all, Cook'n Heim had great potential and decent atmosphere. But alas, for burger lovers, I would not recommend it.

Directions:
These directions are lengthy. See the interactive map below to clear up confusion. Go out Anguk Station Exit 1 and walk straight. Eventually you will get to walls of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is absolutely massive, you'll know it when you see it. (see the map below.) Turn right and head up the street that goes alongside the palace wall. Keep going until you see a restaurant called The Restaurant. (It should be at the third substantial intersection since you started walking alongside the palace.) When you see The Restaurant, turn right and walk up the street. Just keep going and you will get to Cook'n Heim after a while; it should be on the righthand side of the street. On the way up this street, you should pass many nice-looking restaurants and art galleries.

View Cook'n Heim Directions in a larger map