Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/11/19-2009/11/22

굿모닝 프레지던트 (Good Morning President) continues it's rampage through the Cinus Theater chain...

Good Morning President is on at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:

Thursday (19th) - 200, 1445 and 2330
Friday (20th) - 0940, 1210 and 2330
Saturday (21st) - 1210 and 2330
Sunday (22nd) - 0940, 1210 and 2330

And at the Gangnam Cinus Theater:

Thursday (19th) - 0850, 1340, 1830 and 2320
Friday (20th) - 0850, 1340, 1830 and 2320

I'll update times as they appear. All listings are correct at time of posting, but may freeze to death. Hopefully the Hub of Sparkle will be up at some point soon and when that happens I'll continue posting there...

Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/11/16-2009/11/18

In the totalitarian state of subtitled cinema, 굿모닝 프레지던트 (Good Morning President) rules with an iron fist...

Good Morning President is on at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:

Monday (16th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Tuesday (17th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Wednesday (18th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400

And at the Gangnam Cinus Theater:

Monday (16th) - 1215 and 1450
Tuesday (17th) - 1215 and 1450
Wednesday (18th) - 1215 and 1450

All listings are correct at time of posting, but may well be thrown if horses are changed midstream...

Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/11/12-2009/11/15

굿모닝 프레지던트 (Good Morning President) remains at the Cinus chain, but nowhere else.

Good Morning President is on at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:

Thursday (12th) - 1130, 2130 and 2400
Friday (13th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Saturday (14th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Sunday (15th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400

And at the Gangnam Cinus Theater:

Thursday (12th) - 1215 and 1450
Friday (13th) - 1215 and 1445
Saturday (14th) - 1215 and 1445
Sunday (15th) - 1215 and 1445

All listings are correct at time of posting, but may well be quarantined until further notice...

A Day With Three Meanings...

November 11th, is known all around Korea as Pepero Day! The day when you are encouraged to go out and buy overpriced poor quality chocolate coated biscuit sticks for the loved one of your choice. Never has there been a more commercial celebration of our love for chocolate batons!



However, according to STCO (Shirts and Tie Coordination), today is in fact "Necktie's Day", a time when we give our very special someone a piece of neck couture to celebrate our feelings.

Even though sub par confectionery and strips of knotted cloth appeal to me, there's a more important meaning to this day. Over on Gangwon Notes, Brian pays tribute to Rememberance Day by posting In Flander's Field and it inspired me to do something similar.

When I was in school we studied a fair amount of first world war poetry and one poem in particular has stuck in my mind through all these years. Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est is a powerful reminder of the terrible price that so many men and women have paid...

Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!–An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,–
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/11/09-2009/11/11

The Hub of Sparkle is still having issues, so here's the latest on 굿모닝 프레지던트 (Good Morning President) and the screenings available...

Good Morning President is on at CGV Yongsan:

Monday (9th) - 1045, 1330, 1850 and 2140
Tuesday (10th) - 1045, 1330, 1850 and 2140

At CGV Ansan:

Monday (9th) - 1050, 1345, 1630, 1915 and 2155
Tuesday (10th) - 1050, 1345, 1630, 1915 and 2155

And at the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:

Monday (9th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Tuesday (10th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400
Wednesday (11th) - 0900, 1130 and 2400

I'll update as times appear. All listings are correct at time of posting, but may succumb to a terrible virus...

UPDATE: Cinus Gangnam has some listings up:

Tuesday (10th) - 0850, 1125 and 1400

Korean Movies Subtitled in English 2009/11/05-200/11/06

The Hub Of Sparkle seems to be having some issues at the moment and I'm unable to post there, so for the moment at least, here are the latest times for 굿모닝 프레지던트 (Good Morning President)...

Good Morning President is on at CGV Yongsan:

Thursday (5th) - 1045, 1330, 1900 and 2145
Friday (6th) - 1045, 1330, 1850 and 2140
Saturday (7th) - 0820, 1100, 1340, 1625, 1910 and 2155
Sunday (8th) - 0820, 1100, 1340, 1625, 1910 and 2155

At CGV Ansan:

Thursday (5th) - 1050, 1345, 1630, 1915 and 2155
Friday (6th) - 1050, 1335, 1620, 1905, 2145 and 2430
Saturday (7th) - 0950, 1240, 1515, 1750, 2030 and 2310
Sunday (8th) - 0935, 1220, 1455, 1735, 2015 and 2250

At the Myeong-dong Cinus Theater:

Thursday (5th) - 1230, 1710 and 2200
Friday (6th) - 1230, 1500 and 2410
Saturday (7th) - 1230, 1500 and 2410
Sunday (8th) - 1230, 1500 and 2410

And at the Gangnam Cinus Theater:

Thursday (5th) - 0850, 1125 and 1400
Friday (6th) - 0850, 1125 and 1400
Saturday (7th) - 0850, 1125 and 1400
Sunday (8th) - 0850, 1125 and 1400

I'll post this up at The Hub of Sparkle when I can. All listings are correct at time of posting, but may be misquoted by The Korea Times...

Foaming At The Mouth

Écumé [ekyme] or 에뀌메 means foamed in French, it also means skimmed and plundered and has an unfortunate connection to scum, but don't let that put you off this small restaurant located less than a minute from the Hamilton Hotel.



This chic little diner has taken over where Kate's Kitchen left off and serves the usual pasta and steak selections you might expect from this kind of place. They offer a reasonable lunch set menu ranging from 15,000 to 17,000 won which gives you a choice of pastas, risotto, steak or chicken breast along with a self-described "small salad" and coffee or green tea. I decided to go for the "black pepper-crushed strip loin steak, red wine shitake mushroom sauce" for 17,000 won plus tax and crossed my fingers...



First to come was the bread basket, crusty chewy little slices that were quite delicious, but unfortunately came with a rather oddly flavoured herb butter that tasted like it had seen better days.



Next to come was the "small salad", I opted for no dressing (sour plum is available) and was pleasantly surprised by this varied combination of greens with raisins, dried apricots and chopped peanuts. An interesting and slightly sweet addition to lunch.



After a brief hiatus out came the strip loin steak, presented well, but hampered by some rather unexciting accessories. The broccoli was rather hard and the small hash brown sort of thing hiding under the meat tasted slightly of failure. The cherry tomato was perfectly adequate, but the steak, mushrooms and red wine sauce were far better. A little too salty for my liking, but still enjoyable.



The meat was a tad grisly and strangely enough was undercooked. I ordered medium-rare, but the steak that arrived was rare in my book; I didn't have a problem with it, but for those who like their meat cooked precisely to their preferences may have issues...



Overall not a bad lunch, plus the service was fast and friendly. You can find Écumé [ekyme] just two side streets away from the Hamilton Hotel, just come out of Itaewon Station exit 1, walk past KFC and the Nike shop, then turn right just after the Samsonite shop. The restaurant is a few metres away just behind Le Saint-Ex. Give them a call on 02 3477 7378.

November Delights

As we head towards winter, there is still one final comfort we can be sure of - persimmons are out in abundance and these glorious orange balls of sweetness are a perfect antidote to the bitter cold outside. I was lucky enough to be treated to some beautiful organic persimmons straight from my friend's garden today.

Hard or soft, fresh or dried, they are worth a try and should sit pride of place in your fruit bowl.

A Slap Up Feed At Star Chef And An Ajosshi Exclusive

Tonight a few of us from our theatre headed round the corner for an evening of culinary hedonism at Star Chef. There really is no other place like this in Korea, the food is exquisite and the flavours are not to be found anywhere else in Seoul...



As always the broccoli and garlic chips made their way to the table and were consumed with abandon. I'm not a broccoli fan, but this dish makes me want to ask for seconds.



Next up was the octopus and cuttlefish salad, this isn't on the menu, but if you ask nicely they may be able to whip it up for you. The seafood is succulent and dressed beautifully, but one companion complained of too many olives and capers; a punchy addition to a beautiful salad.



To follow we procured the grilled chicken breast salad, I was skeptical, but as soon as I tasted the perfectly cooked fowl, I was hooked. Still juicy and gently smothered in rosemary, a very different salad with very different flavours.



Hot on their heels came the Prime Rib Eye Special, another salady dish with a gorgeous mustard dressing and perfectly cooked Australian waegyu beef. It's wonderful to be able to order steak and for it to come out exactly how it should be: bloody and tender.



Moving on to the crispy fried beef was also a pleasure. Delightfully light battered meat with another differently dressed salad.



Tossed together they created a fantastically messy coriander laden crispy delicacy.



Finally we were served The Amazing Fish, we went for the red snapper which arrived crispy and covered in coriander and ginger. Boned at the table and then quickly devoured; it was the star of the evening.

Star Chef is most definitely worth a visit, but to be safe be sure to book a table ahead of time to save any heartbreak. You can call them on 02 529 8248 and they are located just round the corner from Maebong station.

Onto a little bit of an exclusive, from this weekend onwards Star Chef will be serving Alley Kat Draft for 8,000 won a glass. A mighty fine tipple that quenches the thirst and satisfies those with a yearning for pale ale in Seoul.

Ajosshi and His Sticky Ribs

I have a passion for ribs at the moment, I only started cooking them earlier this year, but they have become a regular feature at the dinner table. They're boiled and baked with a recipe of my own concoction, sort of a cross between chinese and western ribs, trying to mix complimentary flavours from both worlds.

Here's the recipe, why not give them a try...

You will need:

A rack or two of pork ribs
A peeled onion
A peeled carrot
Eight cloves of garlic
A thumb of peeled ginger
A star anise
A teaspoon of schezuan pepper (whole, not ground)
Ten whole black peppercorns
A teaspoon of five spice powder
A pinch of chili powder
A good glug of honey
A good glug of soy sauce
A glug of your alcohol of choice (whiskey and rum work well)

Add all of these things to a large pot of boiling water and leave on a gentle simmer for an hour or so. If your ribs are especially meaty then give them an extra ten minutes for luck. Every once in a while skim the surface for oil and make sure the ribs remain covered with water

When your time is up gently remove the ribs from the pot and place them in a foil lined baking tray meaty side up. Add a little of the rib water to the bottom of the tray and baste the ribs with the following marinade:

A glug of oil, a dash of soy sauce, a pinch of black pepper, a squeeze of honey and a shot of your alcohol of choice.

Once your marinade is mixed together lovingly brush the ribs with some of this concoction and place them in a hot oven (225 centigrade) for about half an hour. Take the ribs out once or twice and baste them with the rest of the marinade, adding a little stock water to the bottom of the tray if things are getting to dry or burnt. Bake your ribs as crispy as you like, but do be careful unless you fancy cooking Cajun style...



Finally take the ribs out of the oven and let the rest for ten to fifteen minutes so that they can relax. Then hack at them with a pair of scissors until separate and eat with your fingers...

I love to use dark rum with these ribs, but a half decent whiskey will also do the trick. Just follow the golden rule: If it's not good enough to drink, then don't cook with it.

The ribs will happily sit with a salad, steamed veg, a simple pasta, rice and kimchi... in fact they'll go with pretty much anything you like.

Be sure to gnaw the bones clean...