Way back in 2023 I reviewed the fantastic fusion factory that is Mexican Seoul, and now the team has expanded — not just in location, but by spinning a third cuisine into its reactor at Seouls of Mischief, a pop-up kitchen at the Adam and Eve in Homerton.
The Adam and Eve is a great Edwardian ship of a pub on Homerton High Street, all russet pillars, gloomy alcoves, a massive beer garden and (disappointingly) nowhere to hide from the flash of sports screens. It is a proper boozer — some might say a little bruised and used — with pool balls constantly clicking, adding to the considerable background hullabaloo.
Patty problems
Burgers now join the coated pinions that earned Ashley Chipchase and his team their first restaurant after years of winning competitions, wheeling nomadic and feeding the five thousand festival-goers.
Again, the menu is streamlined, as at most pop-ups: a vegan smash using Symplicity patties, bulgogi-braised mushrooms, smoked cheeZe and ssamjang mayo is your sole non-meat main. We went for the eponymous burger, assuming it was the special — sadly it was not. The patty is underdone and rather wet, its beef flavour obscured by a heavy, one-note “umami seasoning”, and the “secret” ssamjang mayo and oi-muchim pickles do little to save the rather sad potato roll and its contents.
The Gilbert seems similar, with added candied streaky bacon and Gouda. That Fish Burger is just a tarted-up insert-famous-American-fast-food-chain-here Filet-O-Fish: not unpleasant (sensational sloppy slaw), but featuring little to make it either Korean- or Mexican-inspired.
Speaking of Mexico, she seems rather underrepresented; the corn ribs are the only place she is allowed to shine. These leaping crescent moons, dusted with Korean chilli flakes and slathered in miso mayo and cheese, are as good as I found them just over three years ago. Chicken skins sounded fun but had sold out, and the fries we had to order as a side (the burgers come on their own) were unremarkable. That said, the prices throughout are the same.
Wing kings
They still know their way around batter, however — unsurprising for a team that made its name at Wing Fest (the Burning Man of chicken wing festivals) and claims 15 awards for its food. The soy garlic appendages are like artefacts uncovered from a deep-sea wreck, brought to the surface heaving with texture and salty complexity: double-fried, drenched in sauce and crowned with candied jalapeños and purple shiso, although our accompanying dip was forgotten.
There are also Buffanero and Gochu-Gang wings for those not dining with a spice-averse Norwegian. The cauli bites have the same skin-like texture and encasing armour, but their little cores were over-steamed and soft.
Fusion confusion
Fusing three cuisines effectively is ambitious, and America, both politically and gastronomically, has a habit of dominating and pushing others out of the way. Many of the Mexican elements — the tacos, for example — are absent, replaced by middling burgers with vague Korean inflections.
As the pop-up opened only in August, we hope more experimentation and melding can come to the brand’s second outpost — its wings are still something to lose your head over.
Seouls of Mischief at the Adam and Eve
155 Homerton High Street
Hackney E9 6AS.
For more information, visit adamandevepub.com/kitchen.
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