Korean Fast Food

There's a lot of fast food in South Korea.  The American players were everywhere in Seoul, but now that we're in Sokcho, there's a much better mix of the locals and foreign chains.

Rodney and I have so far sampled two of homegrown options - Mr. Pizza and Lotteria.  Mr. Pizza is not worth your time unless you are huge fan of Domino's back in the states.  They do make an effort to make it their own though with such offerings as the "Shrimp King" pie, and out-of-box creations that see the crusts filled with sweet potato mousse.  Rodney and I opted for the "New York Special" - standard pizza chain crust, too sweet (and not enough) sauce, cheese and plethora of toppings.  A nice break for one meal, but we will not be returning.

Lotteria is a different story entirely.  Rodney and I both opted for the "Giant Double Burger" set meal - drink and fries included.  Excellent in all aspects.  Tasted more beefy than the big boys from the US.  The liberal use of "thousand sauce" was also greatly appreciated by both of us.  There is another menu item that I believe is called the "Euro Frico Classic" - seriously.  There is nothing really classic as far as I can tell, but it might be genius.  It would appear that it's one beef patty and then a second patty of fried cheese - think mozzarella stick in patty form.  We need to try this.  Maybe they included classic in the name in reference to instant classic?  Who can say for sure?

There is a third chain that bares mentioning though it is a Japanese import.  I also hold it in such high esteem that it might cheapen it's awesome to speak of it in the same post as the others.  I speak, of course, of the venerable Mister Donut.  Words can't do their product justice.  I love these donuts.  They are less sweet and more chewy than either Dunkin' or Krispy Kreme.  I can't recommend them enough.  On our last visit, I enjoyed a round, holeless donut with the consistency of French cruller.  Pure magic.  Go to this place.  Eat donuts.