Kimchi Cult

After a failed trip on Saturday (someone else was manning the Black Heart kitchen), I managed to try this last night. Ordered the Kimchi Burger, Bulgogi Fries, and Chicken wings.
Chicken Wings — Absolutely perfect. There was the right amount of crisp on the wings and it was generously dunked in a sticky-​sweet chili with lots of sesame. It was a very familiar taste and one that was thoroughly enjoyable.
Kimchi Burger — The only disappointment really. It was good but the patty was a tiny bit dry and I felt the Kimchi was a tiny bit light on flavour.
Bulgogi Fries — After the burger I expected the beef on the fries to be on the tougher side, fortunately this wasn’t the case. It was tender, flavourful, and went surprisingly well with the fries.
Wasn’t the biggest fan of the atmosphere at the Black Heart but they do have a really nice beer selection so that made up for it. I love that this is in the area and hopefully they stick around.

Andrew told me about this burger a year ago (!), and since then, Yinnie, Dan and Grant have all given it fantastic reviews, so I reeeeally really wanted to try it. I love burgers and I love Korean food, so I expected to adore it.
I’ve never been into the Black Heart, so it was nice to find such an atmospheric pub so close to the centre of Camden (without being too full of people.) Once you’ve located the pub, It’s easy to find Kimchi cult. They have a neon sign, and you just order at the door to the kitchen (cash only.) Then the lovely Kimchi folks will bring over your burgers to your table. The meaty smell is amazing… so far so good.
Kimchi burger: Now I liked almost all the separate parts of the burger… the patty was perfectly cooked, bacon was good, kimchi was gorgeous, and the bus was soft and huge… I’m just not sure if I am a fan of the combination. I think it might be bread + kimchi just don’t go well together for me. I also didn’t think the cheese added anything to it (I looove cheese, so I’m not sure why this didn’t make me happier)
I liked it, but I didn’t LOVE it/​go crazy /​want to marry it/​join the cult like the previous reviewers.
Bulgolgi Fries: I liked these more. I thought the meaty goodness, the spicy sauce and the kewpie-​style mayo went together really well. I have a feeling I’ll come back again another day for meaty-​spicy-​chip-​goodness.

I’ve joined a cult. The Kimchi Cult. Combining American fast food favorites with Korean goodies? I’m sold!
I had a free evening, and luckily Andrew and one of his friends decided they could entertain me, so we headed to The Black Heart for some burgers and fries from Kimchi Cult.
We ordered everything. Seriously. Three kimchi burgers around plus the chicken burger to split in three ways. An order of korean chicken wings? Yes, please! Two orders of bulgogi fries? Bring it.
Everything was great. The burger was delicious. Perfectly cooked and the kimchi just added an amazing flavor. Possibly one of the best burgers I’ve had in London. The bulgogi fries were to die for. They just needed more beef to make it that much better. And the chicken wings were heavenly. The picked radishes that came with them was just the icing on the cake.
I noticed on the big menu above the bar that they had something called Korean tacos which wasn’t on the paper menu, so I’m curious if such a thing exists, and if it does, why isn’t it in my face right now?
Seriously. Get to the Black Heart to enjoy this delicious food while you can. It’s a great atmosphere as well. Something about the Korean/​American food and old school American metal hits really just brings the meal together.

They have a bunch of other menu items I would love to try but at the Street Feast I only had the bulgogi fries. The fries were crispy, beef was juicy, and the sauce was SPICY! YUMMMMMY!

Let me just get this off my chest: KIMCHI CULT, MARRY ME PLEASE.
Or at least marry me to the kimchi cult special burger. LIke the kimchi, bacon, cheese and patty is just a sexy combination. Sexy.
Also, got the kimchi fries which were totally moreish and also the chicken wings which were pretty damn well marinated with great spicy sauce. Do you what else made the meal, the chilled pickled radishes as a side to the wings. Please, Mr. Kimchi Cult, if you sold them as a side, I will buy in bulk. The radishes are just a great accompaniment because they are quite cooling as opposed to the heat of the kimchi and burger.
I had kimchi cult yesterday. I may go again, soon. Like really soon. I mean, we’re in a committed relationship now.

Kimchi Cult is a Korean street food specialist, fronted by Danny O’Sullivan, and has been cooking up Korean style fast food on the streets of London for about 3 years now. When I heard he was in residency at The Black Heart, I just had to go and try it.
We made ourselves comfortable and decided to order some food. I wanted to try everything on the menu and had a good go at it, so I ordered the Kimchi Cult Special Burger, which is a beef patty, topped with homemade kimchi, cheese and bacon with a side order of Bulgogi fries, kimchi fries and a large portion of Korean fried chicken wings.
I started with the burger, I sunk my big fat teeth into it and booom! I was under the kimchi spell. This stuff tasted good!!! Now if your not familiar with kimchi it is napa cabbage mixed with Korean spices, onion, chilli, carrot and fish sauce to name but a few ingredients. There are different varieties out there but Danny’s is one of the best I’ve tasted,. Really good crunch, the flavor is something else, then the hit of spice at the end, just made the burger all the more juicy; a real mess to eat which is just the way I like it.
So the burger hit all the right notes, but the sides were equal to the main event. The Bulgogi fries were to die for! Thinly chopped marinated steak with mayo and kimchi hot sauce mounted on some crispy French fries. I kid you not when I say these are possibly the best fries I have ever had, the flavor from all the ingredients went so well together, the kimchi fries were also good, fries topped with kimchi and cheese, but they were unlucky enough to follow the Bulgogi fries, so came out second best aaaaand we were still not done! The wings finished up the feed brilliantly, again the texture was spot on, and you could tell they had been double fried, nice and crispy on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside. The heat that came after just carried on the warm glow that I had worked up throughout the meal, and that my friends, was all she wrote, great food indeed.

Oh my god. I have been craving Kimchi Cult since the last time I had it (which was in May). The combination of a delicious hamburger with kimchi is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Maybe since unsliced bread… but actually.

Just thinking of Kimchi Cult starts me drooling. So yes, if you want a good burger then find these guys and go to town. In fact, even if you aren’t sure, just go get one. And bring me back a Kimchi Special while you’re at it. Seriously… stop reading and go now!
Fine. Still not convinced? Let’s talk.
Kimchi Cult is a burger shack/​stand that can be found regularly on Eat St @ King’s Cross Blvd or most Fridays at the London Street Feast up in Camden Town Brewery. As the name suggests, their speciality is the Kimchi burger although they are happy to serve up a plain burger, a cheeseburger, and a bacon cheeseburger as well. They follow the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid!): same meat patty, different toppings.
I’ve had the bacon cheeseburger which is a pretty damn good burger on its own. The meat patty is thick and juicy with just enough grease to make it flavourful without leaving you feeling in desperate need of a hot shower afterwards. They’ve got the cooking method down to a science to create the perfect burger — no mean feat when you’re working off a portable grill in the back of a stall.
The real USP (unique selling point) is the kimchi. Homemade by of the top dogs of the group, it has an excellent balance of acidity, heat, and crunch. To be fair, it’s some of the best kimchi I’ve had in London and I’d happily eat it plain. On top of the melt in your mouth meat, it adds a great texture and a complementary flavour set to the burger. The acidity helps cut through the richness of the burger and ups the impact of the meaty taste.
Overall, for a £5, you’d be hard pressed to find a better value burger. Actually, it’s a challenge to find a better burger period. Naturally, it would go better with fries and a cold beer but hey, nobody’s perfect.