This party just keeps getting better and better. The block party in Shinae started by Mr. Kim of the Royal Anchor is turning into a full-on city event.  In addition to the free beer and sandwiches slated for the afternoon of the 19th, some late night prizes have been set aside. The Ulsan Jung-gu office is involved and UlsanOnline.com threw its support behind the event as well.

Here’s how it works:  At the outdoor music party, get a stamp card. Throughout the afternoon and evening, visit  any of the shops that display the orange-red flag – the shops detailed on the map in the above link –  and make a purchase. There, you’ll get your card stamped. If you get enough stamps, your card will be thrown into a raffle to be held later in the evening at the party at the Royal Anchor.  Winners of the raffle will be given a bar tab worth 50,000원 at Royal Anchor or Benchwarmers courtesy of UlsanOnline.com.

Be sure and clear your calendars for Saturday, May 19th. Beginning at 4pm the fun begins with live music, drinks and food with the promise of lots more to come.

See you there!

More details are emerging for the May 19th blowout hosted by the Royal Anchor in Old downtown (Shinae).  Mr Kim, owner of the Royal Anchor, has been prepping endlessly for this event and the event is shaping up to be a huge party.

If you haven’t been to old downtown, or if you have but limited your experiences to the foreigners bars, you might have missed the transformation that has taken place. The Jung-gu office has been encouraging remodeling and new construction of the area and a number of small, quaint and cozy places have sprung up.  Where once dingy shops lined the streets, now numerous, well-lite, Euro-style coffee shops and restaurants beckon passersby in for a taste of the new Shinae.   Most of this has been going on quietly and many of these restaurants and shops have yet to be noticed by the foreigner community. Indeed, UlsanOnline.com has yet to review many of the newer places.

Below is the map, artfully drawn by Mr. Kim himself, to illustrate the wide ranging participation of the local shops, restaurants and bars . Click to bring up a full size version.

Each of these places will be holding their own specials just for this event.  The list of participating places includes:

• Benchwarmers – Party drink specials and beer pong from 8pm
• Jopotak Bar- one of Ulsan’s oldest, has over 29 years of experience serving delicious spicy chicken and more.
• Big Pen – 10% discount at this Italian restaurant
• Cafe de Paris – The 1st coffee shop in Old Downtown, the beginning of the transformation.
• Noriteo – serving handmade steak burgers. Get a 20% discount during the event.
• Page 104 – just below Royal Anchor, this cute coffee shop will be giving a 10% discount on coffee and brunch.
• Yuki – Sushi bar, small and cozy with a great atmosphere.
• Darak Coffee Shop – modern atmosphere. They’re offering unlimited free refills during the party.
• La Raymen – Japan style ramen. Free traditional  drinks during the event.
• Pyonghwa Sampa – Pongwha has been making excellent songyopsal for years. They are giving a 10% discount that day.
• Sum Culture Centre – a hidden gem in Shinae, this coffee shop boasts three floors and has outstanding meeting space for those in need of a quiet place for study groups, wine parties, theater groups and many other uses.
• Almond Chicken –  serving chicken and draft beer with a 10% discount on the 19th.
• Corner Bistro – A famous Italian restaurant, they’ll be serving free french fries and drinks during the event.
• Royal Anchor – party drink specials from 10pm.

The Schedule of events begins at 4:00 pm with the Outdoor Music Party at Dong Hun. There will be three rock bands - Stache Potato (foreign band),  Funk U (Korean band) and - Karaoke Dokey (a little of both). There will also be some  Line-Dancing girls – participation is part of the fun –  so don’t be shy when the rhythm takes to your feet.   Free beer and sandwiches will be provided (while supplies last, so don’t do the usual waygook-time and try to be fashionably late or you might miss out).

From 4:00pm to 7:00pm the shops and restaurants will be having their promotions and discounts. Beginning at 8:00pm, Benchwarmers will begin their drink specials and beer pong. At 10pm, Royal Anchor will  start their drink specials and the party will continue into the wee hours of the morning.

Be sure and set your calendar for Saturday, May 19th at 4:00pm for this blowout party!

Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament — Sunday May 6th at 3:00pm in Daegu

Come and enjoy a bit of Texas Hold’em poker, free drinks a free buffet dinner from the Daegu Casino Poker Room and all the free food and drinks you can imagine during the event.

On May 6th, the Interburgo Hotel and Casino in Daegu has invited KOTR Initiatives to host a Charity Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament. All Proceeds go to benefit KOTRi Projects and Sustainability efforts around South Korean Climbing crags.

Details:  May 6th, 3:00pm in Daegu

Participants will recieve:

• Free Drinks and Food throughout the event from the bar and casino.
• Free Buffet dinner at the Hotel Interburgo (25,000W value)
• Cash Prizes to the winner – prize pool guaranteed to be at least 2,000,000 W.
• Free raffle ticket for Large Sponsor Prizes.

To Enter:

• Send an email to kotrinitiatives@gmail.com with the name, email and phone number of participants.
• Participants must register by Thursday May 3rd at midnight.  If we do not have at least 30 particpants we will cancel the event.
• Participants pay W 50,000 to enter and must arrive by 2:45pm to guarantee their seat.
• Payout (assuming the minimum of 2,000,000W)
• 1st place –  1,100,000 W
• 2nd place — 740,000 W
• 3rd place — 555,000 W
• 4th – 10th will be determined by the number of participants & Entries Received

Rules:

• Participants will be allowed to re-buy for the first 4 levels (approximately 1 hour).
• Participants will be given the opportunity to add-on, one time, at the end of the 4th level of blinds.
• Daegu Casino Texas Hold’em rules apply.

Korea on the Rocks Initiatives is a charitable group that works with the Korean rock climbing community to replace old, rusty anchors and bolts on climbing routes around the country, making the sport safer and more enjoyable for locals and expats alike. This is an expensive endeavor which most climbing clubs could not afford to do on their own.

Set your calendars and plan to be in Shinae on May 19th for a big festival.  Mr Kim, owner of one of Ulsan’s longest running foreigner friendly establishments, and the Jung-gu city office is planning a huge party for  Saturday, May 19th at 5:00pm.

This event is still partially in the planning stages, but there  is enough already on the books to get people excited.  We hope to have more information regarding the festival soon.

At the Royal Anchor, three main events will take place.

• Starting off the event will be live musical performances by 2 local foreigner rock bands!
• The event will host large line dances led by one of the bands that everyone can participate in. Royal Anchor will announce the dances next week, and encourage you all to practice your moves!
• Finally, DJ Pete will perform for an awesome dance party! There will be free beer and food provided!!

Nearby shops will have special discounts on that day, so come early and get in on some great promotional deals. If you attend the festival during the day you can benefit from drink specials at Royal Anchor that evening. For those participants, ALL drinks will be a maximum of 5,000 won from 10 PM.

Welcome Cocky as the newest addition to the Dong-Gu area bars, lounges and nightclubs.   In an area that lately has become rife with foreigners, a number of friendly places to have a drink, play a game and just relax have made the selection of where to spend the evening just a tad more difficult.  Cocky has some special features, however, that should making choosing somewhat easier.

Cocky is brand new and just opened the last week of March. In fact, the night I visited it was only their second night and I was the only customer they had. Given a rainy Friday night, it wasn’t terribly surprising, though.  But with numerous other bars in the area, passers-by  often stopped to look and, swayed by the decor and friendly staff, came in for a drink.   When I left at midnight it had all the hallmarks of being a favorite stop.

A new pool table awaits players while the eclectic artwork watches over

One of the special features this bars sports are the owner, a pair of sisters, both of whom were former English teachers and school directors. Consequently, there’s no language barrier to service. Both ladies are fluent and very friendly and outgoing.  Sally, the older of the two, said she understands that there are a lot of foreigner men in the Dong-Gu area, so she selected artwork that would make them feel a little less lonely.   She joked that she was the model and they simply photoshopped her body onto the model’s face.  The younger sister, Anece, is also involved in the community and works as a translator for the Nambu Police agency. Both ladies are very accommodating and a pleasure to hang out with.

Soft lighting and simple, clean decor define the interior

I spent some time talking with the owners about their future plans. They plan on serving simple foods such as fried chicken, crisps and other finger foods but may expand as business dictates.  While only a single pool table fills one end, they are getting both a dart system and a foosball table. They are both most excited, however by the back patio.  Sally couldn’t wait to show me. In fact, for every new customer that came in, the patio was the first stop on the tour of the place as she would take them by the arm and show off  the piece de resistance.  Although it was rainy and very cool, I became excited, too.  The prospect of an outdoor patio facing the ocean would make Cocky an outstanding place to chillax.  Moreover, beyond the patio is an extended area in front of the short sea wall that could serve as bigger dance area, BBQ grill zone, live band stage or Wine Party locale.  Their excitement regarding the outdoor area was infectious and I became excited, too.  There are few enough outdoor dining or drinking areas in Ulsan – so few I could probably count them on one hand – but none have ocean front views.  Not even unpacked yet, the tables and chairs await weather more suitable to outdoor relaxing.  I could envision this as a fine place the Ulsan Wine Club to host a party, but just stopping by for a drink and the friendly conversation of Sally and Anece is reason enough to go.

The patio promises to be a fine place to spend an evening in warm weather.

Cocky is located on the far southern tip of the Dong-gu peninsula.  For those familiar with the area, it’s between two of my favorite restaurants, Shalimar  and Toolbox, and just down the hill from Ballantines and Big Bites.   Walk the street closest to the surf and you can’t miss it. A number of other easy to find landmarks are nearby, including Sea Sketch and Rudder, which is just upstairs on the 2nd floor from Cocky. Check out the Dining and Drinking Map to better find this gem.

Cocky's Front door

St. Patrick is probably the most widely known Catholic saint in the entire world, though few of those who recognize the name know who he was. St. Paddy is the patron saint of Ireland, given the honour of sainthood for ridding the island of snakes (a metaphor for spreading Christianity and driving out the pagan religion, as there weren’t likely any actual snakes there to begin with). In recent years, however, his feast day has been claimed by Irish  the world over, and all of their most distant decendents, and turned into a celebration of all things Irish, but mostly Guiness and whiskey.

Ulsan’s foreigner bars are getting in the spirit by hosting St. Patrick’s Day parties. And with the 17th falling on a Saturday, it’s going to get messy out there. Check the maps for directions.

Here are the details in no particular order:

Benchwarmers Bar (Songnamdong/Old downtown) – St. Patrick Day Specials (from the Facebook event):

-NO SMOKING UNTIL 12:30!!! The weather is supposed to be nice, so this shouldn’t be too much of a burden for the smokers.

-Starting at 8:00 Chris Will be firing up and selling some of his delicious Irish Stew for 5,000. Call me crazy, but I think that it might be a good idea if you get a strong base of food in your stomach before the madness ensues. We’ll be selling the stew until it’s all gone. We’ll also be selling all our other food menu items.

-Guinness/Jameson Side Car Special-10,000. Drink 7 of these lucky bad boys on Saturday and get a free Guinness and a St. Patrick’s Day 2012 Benchwarmers T-shirt.

-Wells Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, and Gin-3,000
-Guinness-5,000
- Green Beer
-Flip Cup Championships
-Beer Pong Championships
-Ireland-V-England Rugby Match LIVE on the Projector
-Andy and I will be playing some live tunes
-Rob won’t be showing his penis.

Cima Bar – (Samsandong/New Downtown) St. Patrick’s Day Shenanigans! (from the Facebook event):

There will be great specials on Guinness, Jameson, Bailey’s, and if you can convince me that tequila or anything else is Irish I will give you a deal on that too!

If the weather is good we will have some shenanigans out on the patio – beer pong, flip cup, etc….

All this will be happening to the fine sounds of great Irish bands.

So WEAR SOME GREEN and COME GET YOUR FUCKIN IRISH ON!!!!

I will be giving random prizes for fine displays of Irishness – dancing, singing, costuming, drunkeness, etc…. So hope to see you all soon!!! Slan!!!!

Royal Anchor (Songnamdong/Old Downtown) – Dear God, help us. It’s the least sober day of the year! (From the Facebook event):

 How can any other day hope to contest with the level of debauchery that comes hand in hand with Cube, Funk U, Karaoke Dokey, and DJ PeanutButter kicking it up a decade from the last party and busting out all that gangster ass 90s music you grew up on?

And if that doesn’t tickle your shamrocks, how about 5,000 WON GUINNESS UNTIL WE RUN OUT? OR SPECIAL SPONTANEOUS HAPPY HOURS? And of course, little treats for those who wear green. You know Mr. Kim, he always has a pot of gold at the end of his rainbow.

So – we have 3 great bars offering 3 great parties, and 3 great opportunities for everyone to celebrate being Irish. Because everyone has at least one great-grand-uncle twice removed, named Paddy Murphy, from the ould sod.

Although these used to be somewhat monthly events, they’ve gotten a little less frequent over the past year or so.  They have not, however, lost any of the fun.  This weekend the Ulsan Wine Club (no you don’t need to be a member) is hosting a Wine Party at Kaja Wine in Samsamdong.

The Wine Parties are an excellent way to consumetaste a multitude wines, eat some delicious food and hobnob with some of the coolest kids in town.  This party should be outstanding. This month’s host, Jared Engalls, has arranged to bring in a boat load of burritos from Gringos in Seoul. The party will be at KaJa, who will also be supplying other things to eat as well as the wine.

Here’s the deal: Go to Kaja on Saturday, January 7th at 7:00pm.  Purchase a bottle of wine from them (they’ll likely throw in a glass). Then head upstairs to drink the wine you just purchased as well as everyone else’s wine. For a bottle of wine and  15k won, you’ll get  some of Gringo’s fantastic burritos, some munchies and a fabulous evening of camaraderie.

Come out and join us.  Limited to just 30, so sign up on the wine club event facebook page NOW.

By Aaron Crossen

Hite and OB, which together control most of South Korea’s market for slightly malted beverages, have been churning out untold millions of bottles of their trademark tasteless swill, with virtually no appreciable competition from upstart breweries, since The Olden Tymes. Partial credit is due to the famously competent central government and specifically an old federal law regulating the production of alcoholic beverages. For Westerners (and in particular, Canadians and Americans – Europeans have long had more options) this spells trouble.

Why? Because some time ago we revolted against the tyranny of bad beer and helped create the craft brewing movement, which finally elevated the concept of taste from ‘what taste?’ to the level of ‘principal concern’ when buying beer. The peerless champions of that battle that have lived in Korea for a while must be demonstrating symptoms of phantom limb by now, reaching for invisible steins of that sumptuous porter you so often enjoyed across the pond(s). Just to use my case as an example, fifteen miles equidistant in two cardinal directions from the town in which I attended university lie no fewer than three independent breweries, in which I regularly enjoyed freshly brewed stouts, ales and IPAs that, when accompanied by pub fare and my usual band of very handsome acquaintances, often made for heavenly evenings of imbibing.

Basically, it was hard not to find an amazing beer.

So if you’re like me and were spoiled rotten to your monkey core by fantastic brews back Home, you came to Korea and immediately punched yourself in the face when you realized it’s almost impossible to get a decent draft of anything outside of Seoul. Enter Pub HQ, located behind Shinhan Bank in Seobu-dong, just a short walk from the Hyundai Department Store in Dong-gu. Bam:

Woah! Real beer!

John Quigley, his wife Hyeon-shil and son Sean have answered the hitherto neglected prayers of Ulsan’s beer lovers. Praise!

The family had been selling traditional British hard cider at sister bar Early Doors further down the peninsula for a while, and it had long been the only place in Ulsan where you could get some. Correctly thinking there was unmet demand for craft-style beer in Ulsan, Sean contacted Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery, Early Doors’ supplier, prior to HQ’s opening, and asked about expanding the relationship. Big Rock agreed. And now? John:

“Our IPA outsells the [traditional ale] and the cider combined.” By a considerable magnitude.

Not a bad premonition on Sean’s behalf, right? “It was like Inception.” Naturally.

The traditional ale on offer tastes like a typical brown ale, malty and nutty. There’s also an IPA, which if you’re an IPA-lover like me, tasting the hoppy brew for the first time since being in Korea will be like reconnecting with that one girlfriend you probably shouldn’t have been such a dick to back in college, but now finally have the chance of redeeming yourself with. Actually it’s not like that at all, it’s more like drinking beer, but it’s a good beer, more British than American in its flavor profile. The cider is cider. The first dream I had on cider was about a zombie apocalypse, so if there are any lucid dreamers in the audience you’ll

probably like it. Of course there’s Guinness and Hoegaarden; cheap bastards can opt for the Cass. Quigley the Elder is also a wine enthusiast, and I would tell you HQ has a pretty impressive wine selection, if I knew anything about wine. There are a lot of bottles with important-looking chateaus on them. I think I saw one with a tree. And of course John will mix up any cocktail you can dream up.

ALL HANDS ON DECK! John, left, and Sean Quigley manning the weaponry.

The building that currently houses HQ started life as a noraebang, but you’ve never guess from the décor, which is classic: all brick, wood and glass, and it’s beautifully lit, in contrast to the karaoke dungeon it replaced. John wanted to put an emphasis on creating an airy, open and inviting atmosphere, as opposed to the cloistered, dank, and why does this smell like pee? ambience Korean drinking establishments tend toward.

“There were three things we wanted most,” says John. “Good toilets, good ventilation, and good lighting.” Check, check, and check. You’d never mistake HQ’s bright façade for a brooding soju hof; nor will you need to bring a space heater in order to evacuate your bowels. Both Koreans and waygooks are responding well to the Quigleys’ foresight, as John said the mix of foreigners-to-natives has been roughly 60/40 in favor of the former. That bodes well for business, since as many of you reading this are doubtlessly aware, a predominately foreign clientele has meant little but an ignominious end for a number of once-beloved beer halls here in Ulsan.

Of course, some of its success has to do with location, location, location. It’s a skip, not a jump, from the department store, which has meant plenty of daytime customers and naturally, a full kitchen. “Anyone that comes in during the day is eating, basically,” John said. “We’ve had a good response from the customers.” He told me that the fajitas were popular. Try them and let him know what you think.

Both John and Sean will take your pride and money over this beautiful table.

Dong-gu is an embarrassment of riches these days, so you should require neither cajoling nor training in order to hop on a bus/taxi/zeppelin and make your way down here. To get to Seobu-dong from Nam-gu, take the 104, 106, 108, 133 or 401. From Joong-gu, you can also take the 123, 104, 133, or 106. From Book-gu, take the 102 or the 112, or just tell the taxi driver to take you to Dong-gu Seobu-dong Hyundai Baekhwajeom. Get off at the department store, which is right next to a McDonald’s, and walk along the sidewalk next to the massive arts center. You’ll see a Shinhan Bank. Take a right and walk up the hill until you see HQ on the corner.

Pub HQ

Real darts!

Looking for a place to go to welcome in 2012?

Benchwarmer’s Bar is hosting a party starting at 9pm, and lasting until the bar is empty. Balloons will drop at midnight, and there are a variety of drinks specials on offer. Check out the Facebook event for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/288279841223596/

Golden Eagles is also hosting a party, upstairs, starting at 10pm. They’ve got a DJ lined up, and are clearing a space for a dance floor. Free Champagne will be distributed at midnight. https://www.facebook.com/events/139830382795815/

If you’re not in the mood for a party-all-night, then check out the Sunrise at Gangeolgot Lighthouse. It’s one of Ulsan’s 12 Scenic Sights, as Gangeolgot experiences the earliest sunrise on the Eurasian continent. Traffic can be insane, though, as this is a popular way for Koreans to ring in the New Year.

There will be a Party at Golden Eagles on December 23rd! All proceeds from the Raffle will go towards the T-HOPE Christmas Party at the Ulsan Orphanage (for details on THAT event, check here: http://ulsanonline.com/Culture/?p=2710)

“Here’s your last chance to benefit the Christmas party at the Ulsan orphanage! This is not a toy drive and there’s no cover. At the Golden Eagles party, you’ll have the option to donate to the orphanage by entering a raffle for 5,000 won. Your entry and donation gives you the chance to win a 30, 50, or 100K gift certificate for Golden Eagles. There will be six chances to win! (3x30K, 2x50K, 1x100K)

All proceeds will benefit the Ulsan orphanage Christmas party. You may enter to win at the bar at Golden Eagles anytime between now and December 23rd at midnight. You must be present to win.

The DJ will be blastin off all night long. Dress to impress and bring your dancin shoes!”

The party kicks off around 9:30, and ends whenever it ends.

Don’t forget, you can also drop off a new, unwrapped toy or gift for children, from toddlers to teens, at the Lotte Hotel Concierge desk until December 22nd.

Check out the Facebook event for more information or to RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/199942353426264/