Rice Hamburgers (Bap-berger)

Bon-Gousse Bap-Berger
봉구스 밥버거
All around Daegu

Overview
The Good+ Low budget meals
+ Many locations
+ A deceptively wide variety of Bap-bergers
+ Some are tasty
The Bad  - Others are a sloppy mess
Best for: Those in a hurry, going on a picnic

Food
Bongousse is a chain of fast food restaurants throughout Daegu.  They serve Bap-bergers [sic], an Eastern take on a Western tradition.  Instead of buns, they are bound by sticky rice and seaweed; instead of patties, they are loaded with Korean classics like bulgogi, spicy chicken (dak-galbi), and spicy pork (jaeyuk).

So how do these bunless wonders hold up?  For only a fraction of the cost of their western counterparts (1,500 - 3,000krw), they're worth a closer look.


Let's start with my #1 recommendation, the Chili Chicken Bap-berger (치리치킨 밥버거), pictured below.  With fried chicken, pickled radish and a reasonable amount of sauce, it avoids the weaknesses of some of its colleagues.


Many bap-bergers seem to be combinations of the same few ingredients, including their namesake "Bongousse Bap-berger" (kimchi, tuna and mayo), the Ham Bap-berger (ham, kimchi, tuna and mayo), the Cheese Bap-berger (cheese, kimchi, tuna and mayo).  Or if you're really feeling wild, try the Ham and Cheese Bap-berger (ham, cheese, kimchi, tuna and mayo), pictured below.

A Hamburger with ham?  That's just ridiculous.

I'd avoid some of the saucier ones like the Dalkgalbi Bap-berger (닭갈비 밥버거) pictured here.  Over-lubricated and lacking structural integrity, they tend to collapse into a sloppy mess.

...so sloppy my camera could barely focus, even on the "clutter" setting.

You can trust in the stability of a Donkas Bap-berger (돈까스버거).  The daikon radish chunks are a tasty addition [so tasty that some confuse them with pineapple].



Bongousse - From the French meaning "one bite snack."  Makes perfect sense...


Atmosphere
Bongousses sport the type of sterile, plastic interior you'd expect from a fast food joint, similar to your local Babwich.  Sometimes they are crowded, like the one near Jungangno Mass Transit often is; sometimes they are empty, like this one near 2.28 Park.  (see locations below)


Witness your bap-berger being forged on the assembly line.  First your ingredients are removed from the microwave, pounded into a mold, then wrapped.  Ask for pojang-hae jusaeyo (포장해 주세요) for take out.



Location
There are thirty Bongousses located throughout Daegu, according to Naver Maps. (Open map of all locations)

The one pictured here is downtown, accross from the 2.28 Park, around the corner from the famous Jungang Deokbokki.  (Open map of downtown location A)



There is another downtown Bongousse, straight a few meters out of Jungangno Station exit #2. (Open map of downtown location B)



*****
What's your favorite bap-berger?  Least favorite?

Leave a comment below.

7 comments:

  1. I guess this is out for me since I'm allergic to pineapple and hate mayo...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww sorry to hear. This place clearly not your cup of tea then :)

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  2. Hi there~ I love bap burgers too but I'm pretty sure that it doesn't have pineapple~ those yellow bits are actually yellow radish (the same you'll see served in half-circles with kimbap ^.^

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  3. I have only tried a few so far, all were tasty. My favorite is the one with the little whole fish. I got it by mistake by just pointing at the menu but was not disappointed, fishy and spicey. And here's a clue as to eating these rice delights. If you look around you will see the locals (the uniformed middle schoolers) smash it flat with the palm of their hand before unwrapping, and use the provided spoon. No muss, no fuss, or giggles from the onlookers. You can't eat it like a 'bunned' burger if you want to retain your cool. And I agree with the Anon, I beleive the yellow is dakon raddish...better than pineapple. Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have only tried a few so far, all were tasty. My favorite is the one with the little whole fish. I got it by mistake by just pointing at the menu but was not disappointed, fishy and spicey. And here's a clue as to eating these rice delights. If you look around you will see the locals (the uniformed middle schoolers) smash it flat with the palm of their hand before unwrapping, and use the provided spoon. No muss, no fuss, or giggles from the onlookers. You can't eat it like a 'bunned' burger if you want to retain your cool. And I agree with the Anon, I beleive the yellow is dakon raddish...better than pineapple. Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have only tried a few so far, all were tasty. My favorite is the one with the little whole fish. I got it by mistake by just pointing at the menu but was not disappointed, fishy and spicey. And here's a clue as to eating these rice delights. If you look around you will see the locals (the uniformed middle schoolers) smash it flat with the palm of their hand before unwrapping, and use the provided spoon. No muss, no fuss, or giggles from the onlookers. You can't eat it like a 'bunned' burger if you want to retain your cool. And I agree with the Anon, I beleive the yellow is dakon raddish...better than pineapple. Kevin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment folks, and for the correction. It definitely is pickled radish, not pineapple ;)

      Delete