The new FOB burger at Seoulmate in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of Jason Kang
Yesterday was National Hamburger Day. All around the country there were sightings of J. Wellington Wimpy, walking up to people and telling them, “I’ll kindly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today”. In Long Beach, however, the big news was the announcement at Seoulmate, the LBC’s Korean and Korean-Mexican fusion place, that their first hamburger ever was ready for the eating. Jason Kang, owner of Seoulmate in Long Beach, really likes burgers. “If I put my two favorite things to eat in the world on each hand, one would be hamburgers and the other Korean food”, Jason said. “No matter what age, race or gender, everybody likes hamburgers. It’s actually pretty astonishing if you think about it. Not everybody likes Korean food, not everybody likes tacos, not everybody even likes pizza, but the burger is probably the icon of the American dining experience”.
Seoulmate is open late for good food after fun at one of the LBC’s many music clubs. Photo by Edward Simon for The Los Angeles Beat.
Jason continued, “my parents are Korean but I was born right here. Despite all the good Korean food I’ve had, a hamburger is still one of my favorite meals ever. Even though it is National Hamburger Day today, every day is a special hamburger day to me!”. Special, indeed, as Jason today made an announcement to coincide with the celebration of National Burger Day. “I think that the best marinade that we have is the kalbi marinade which is a beef short rib marinade. We wanted to take that taste and incorporate it into a burger, so we took an Angus beef patty and marinated it for a few hours to get that sweet honey flavor in there. We came up with a special spread, it’s a sauce with relish and a kimchee puree. I think it’s the best sauce we’ve ever made. Our employees love to put it in their food that we eat here. Then we top it with deep fried onions to add a nice little crunch and a good texture that complements the whole burger. We then top it with American cheese, lettuce and tomato. For National Hamburger Day, we’ve announced the burger today and are serving it on a ‘soft opening’. On Saturday, we will be officially introducing the FOB Burger to the world!”.
The new FOB burger at Seoulmate in Long Beach. Photo courtesy of Jason Kang.
On Saturday, Seoulmate will have a few specials to celebrate the birth of their first burger. The first 25 people to check in will get a free FOB Burger, and any order of the new burger Saturday will get a free side of fries with it. And what does FOB stand for? Check out their Facebook page #FreshOfftheBurger for the answer to that. It’s another good reason to take a ride over to Long Beach, check out the great music scene there and do a walk along the beach. Add to that a visit to the different art galleries and several great art museums of different types and you’ve got a good way to spend Saturday!
The bulgogi burrito at Seoulmate, a huge, delicious combo of Korean and Mexican flavors at Seoulmate. Phot by Edward Simon for The Los Angeles Beat.
Seoulmate
4712 E. 7th Street
Long Beach, CA 90804
Hours: 11:00a.m. To 10:00 p.m. Tuesday thru Saturday
(562) 433-1158
