Hey everyone, went out successfully last Friday, and effectively lost my voice! T__T Stayed in recouping from it for teaching on Monday, and I did a decent job of it by drinking honey citron tea.
Friday night was a long night, and I’m sure if you stay in Daegu you’ll develop a feel for all the hotspots. I will occasionally write about the food and dranks (alcoholic things) here, but for now let’s start with my first trip out: “the appetizers.”
The first place I went to in the downtown area (Banwoldang) was a seafood place. The waiters(?) grilled fresh seafood in front of you, wearing a strange army gettup and hustling about. Honestly I was apprehensive of going in because of the crowd (all middle aged men) but really, the food was so good. The had clams on the half shell with some mozzarella cheese on it, delicately seasoned things, baby clams in foil, shrimps, and for dessert they had a roasted sweet potato mixed with more mozzarella cheese. Wow. So good. Not sure what the deal is with cheese, but it was placed perfectly so I’m not complaining. While enjoying the fare I had a few glasses of beer and some soju.
Before the group went to the next location, we dipped into a 7-Eleven to get a curious little glass bottle of what tasted like apple juice. At about $6-7, this is what’s called a “conditioning shot” that eliminates hangovers the next day. I have to say, the next morning I felt amazing. AMAZING. Worth the investment. I will sorely miss these little bottles of wonder when I go back to the States.
When you walk downtown on a busy night you will often bump into people you know, as was the case with me. Bumped into a few people we knew at a place called Bombay, where they have a nice lounge-y atmosphere and a pool table. Really liked this spot, kinda low-key and relaxed. I had a few gin and tonics with a cucumber garnish, which is always recommended by the bartenders. Apparently limes do not exist in Korea. The owner is a cool brown dude who offered us free shots on our way out.
Still going hard, we trekked over to a place that offered mixed drinks in Capri-sun-like plastic bags. The drink that I had, El Diablo, is something like red wine, red bull and…other things, Who knows. It was pretty good though – gotta be careful with those next time. The venue is pretty cool; a little window facing the street where you order your drink and chat with people also on the avenue. Other than the cars trying to squeeze by as you’re conversing, super casual and kinda quirky with everyone holding/sipping on colorful, weird drink bags.
Last place I hit was Who’s Bob, which is where I was kinda anxious to see. Nothing too flashy; foosball table, beer pong, and apparently high(er) stakes pool. There were a few Korean dudes in here who had some flak. Went in the dude’s bathroom instead of the women’s one but who’s counting right? Definitely not Bob.
All in all, it was a good first trip downtown. Still phone-less and internet-less at my apartment, I didn’t let it deter me from having a good night out. Cheers to more exciting nights in Daegu~
