Yesterday I decided to take a little bit of Ajosshi time and headed down to Myeong-dong to catch the English subtitled screening of "Handphone".
Turns out it's not bad. A little long and flabby at 137 minutes, but an enjoyable thriller. I won't recommend it as strongly as "Old Partner", but I had fun. It seemed to me to be a reflection of the impotent fury of middle-aged Korean men, having to give respect, but never getting any back. It certainly makes me want to treat E-Mart employees with grace and kindness.
If anyone's interested there are screenings this weekend and I heard that from next week there will still be screenings, though much fewer. Be warned, it's a film for those of you with strong stomachs for violence, lots of nastiness...
Myeong-dong Lotte Cinema
Saturday: 1215, 1655, 2135, 2400
Sunday: 1215, 1655, 2135, 2400
Busan Lotte Cinema
Saturday: 0950, 1445, 1940
Sunday: 0950, 1445, 1940
Monday: 1025, 1520, 2015
Tuesday: 1025, 1520, 2015
Ansan Lotte Cinema
Saturday: 1910, 2150, 2430
Sunday: 1910, 2150, 2430
While waiting for the screening to start, I popped into Krispy Kreme for something to get me through the two hours of film. Ordered myself an original glazed (1,200 won) and was pleasantly surprised to find that they had supplied me with a knife and fork. I grew up in a small town in England, where we grasped doughnuts firmly in both hands and scoffed them down with great delight. They have always been a finger food in my mind, so I was intrigued at the possible opportunities that a knife and fork offered.
Well, it took longer to eat the doughnut and I felt just a tad more gentile, but I still had the usual feelings of hollowness and guilt as I finished the overly sweet little treat.
After watching two grown men chase each other and swear a lot, I was ready for lunch, so I headed down to the basement of the Migliore building to one of the tastiest Chinese restaurants in Myeong-dong.
Zaoping is huge, you could get a fair few football teams sitting in here at the same time. It feels a bit like a Chinese TGI Fridays, but the food is a lot better.
They offer a range of dimsum (3,500 to 6,000 won per dish) as well as other dishes. But there is one thing in particular that I love:
The Guangdong style broiled pork noodles (6,000 won) look ugly and messy, but underneath that soggy disguise is the most delicious of surprises.
Beautifully cooked belly pork, seasoned with traditional Chinese spices, giving it that wonderful reddish tinge that signals sweet piggy goodness. The noodles are al dente and the sliced vegetables are delightfully crunchy, counterpointing the sloppy joy of the pork and gloopy sauce. Perhaps this dish is an acquired taste, but I absolutely adore it.
Zaoping is directly under the Migliore building and can be accessed through the subway station. You can visit their website here or call them on 02 2124 1888.
4 comments:
Hi! Paul Ajosshi..
I'm twitter follower.
How about dimsum? Delicious?
Hi Webito!
The dimsum is not too bad. I've tried it on a couple of occasions and while it's certainly not as good as the dimsum I've had in London or Yokohama, it's much better than a lot of the horrible dumplings I've had in Chinese restaurants in Korea.
There are 12 different dimsum on offer including a rather intriguing sounding "돼지 갈비찜 딤섬" (Stewed pork rib dumplings). I haven't tried that one yet, but it's high on my list of priorities.
Paul,
Where exactly is the Myeong-dong Lotte Cinema? Is it CGV?
Nightmare Believer,
It's not the CGV, but it is pretty easy to find. Take a look at this map:
http://www.kto.or.th/korea_map/print_map.php?map=seoul_myeongdong
See the Lotte Department store right by Euljiro-1-ga in the top left hand corner? That's where the cinema is. The entrance to the cinema is on the South side of the building and says "Lotte Cinema". It's right next to the Lotte Young Plaza.
If you are coming from Myeong-dong station, just head down the main shopping street past Migliore, push through the hordes of teenagers and Japanese tourists until you get to a big crossroads. Turn left and walk past Krispy Kreme and the Converse shoe shop till you get to the main road. You should be able to see Lotte Cinema on the other side of the street. Just use the underpass and you're there!
If you are in a taxi just ask the driver to take you to the Lotte Department store in Myeong-dong "Myeong-dong Lotte Baekhwajum ka choosayyo" should probably work....
Hope that helps.
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