Devils Kitchen Hobart review: Classic burgers with a Seoul twist

The expansive menu at this Sandy Bay eatery also includes plenty of burger joint faves and the cafe is also licensed, so if a burger goes with a beer like peaches go with cream, you’re in luck.

ALIX DAVIS

2 min read

November 11, 2023 - 1:30PM

Devils Kitchen’s Korean Pulled Pork burger is a classic burger with a Korean twist. Picture: Chris Kidd

Food and Wine

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In her former life as a TV journalist in South Korea, Dana Lee spent time with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Hugh Jackman and Keanu Reeves. Now, as the new owner of long-time Battery Point burger joint, Devils Kitchen Cafe, the stars have aligned and she couldn’t be happier. While Seoul (current population 9.77 million) may be bigger than Hobart, she says life here is “much wider, we love to live in nature”.

Lee’s husband Ojin Jeong is a chef and provides the restaurant with homemade kimchi – the classic Korean dish of fermented cabbage. This spicy, umami-rich side dish is eaten at least once a day by most Koreans and at Devils Kitchen it’s a flavour-packed accompaniment to a classic beef burger. The kimchi beef burger ($18) comes with cheese, a fried egg, lettuce and chilli-hued kimchi that adds a kick that’s spicy without being over the top. The chips are perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside and dusted with chicken salt. Just try to stop at one!

Devils Kitchen Cafe’s light and airy dining area. Picture: Chris Kidd

My lunch companions also chose menu items that showcase Jeong’s Korean heritage. Korean pulled pork ($14.50) is served on a bun with cooling coleslaw, red onion and a slice of cheese. The pork is tender and more-ish and I can imagine it working well in a salad bowl. Sliced cheese is a feature in various Korean street foods and while it may seem to be an unusual addition to an Asian cuisine, its popularity can be traced back to the US military presence in Korea during the war. The mild flavour of processed American cheese is popular as it tones down spicy dishes and it can be found draped over bowls of ramen, topping kimchi stews and served with fried chicken.

The Devils Kitchen Cafe’s Bulgogi Beef burger is a classic burger with a Korean twist. Picture: Chris Kidd

Our third burger is the bulgogi beef burger ($16) that, like all the burgers, comes with a side of those excellent chips and is dripping with authentic Korean flavours. “The salty and sweet bulgogi sauce goes well with beef patties so many enthusiasts are always looking for and I recommend mixing it with aioli and using as a dipping sauce,” says Lee. The Korean sauces, as well as the aioli, BBQ sauce and peri-peri mayo used at Devils Kitchen, are all housemade and, says Lee, “the number of customers looking for kimchi burgers is increasing steadily”.

Devils Kitchen’s Chocolate, Strawberry and Caramel Thickshakes. Picture: Chris Kidd

“Sometimes customers who come on purpose to eat kimchi burgers tell me about the process they have tried themselves and we have fun talking with them. Whenever I hear that they want to order kimchi separately, saying that it is the best kimchi they have eaten, we feel more proud to make kimchi ourselves.”

Devils Kitchen Cafe’s Korean Pulled Pork burger. Picture: Chris Kidd

Takeaway is an option here, but head out the back to the light and airy dining area that has plenty of heating on a chilly day. Devils Kitchen is also licensed, so if a burger goes with a beer like peaches go with cream, you’re in luck. The expansive menu also includes plenty of burger joint classics including a cheese and bacon burger ($15), a chicken burger ($14.50), fish and chips ($13) and a Gangnam-style toastie ($10), and a bacon and egg roll ($8) for breakfast.

I can’t guarantee a Keanu Reeves sighting at Devils Kitchen, but you certainly won’t be disappointed by the burgers.