Inventory for February 15th, 2015
Inventory’s back! The Mandarin Oriental opens its doors once again, David Chang teaches us how to dine at the bar, and we learn that the Korean drink Makgeolli unites farmers, rappers, and the elderly.
Next Saturday Neukölln’s Agora will be hosting a pickling workshop. If you’ve always wanted to make your own Spreewälder Gurken or Cornichons, now’s your chance. Tickets are only 15,- if you buy online now and will be going quickly, so hurry! You’ll find us hands deep in fermented cabbage.
1) Bangkok’s Bamboo Bar reopens
Last week saw the reopening of legendary Bamboo Bar in Bangkok’s Mandarin Oriental hotel. After extensive refurbishment work last year the bar promises to return the drinker to the golden era when Louis Armstrong, Mick Jagger, and Audrey Hepburn were frequent visitors. Old pieces of decor were incorporated with the new design. The Bamboo Ba continues to be home to Thailand’s largest single malt scotch collection and head bartender Mirko Gardelliano updated the menu with cocktails that pair traditional asian aromas with modern notes.
2) Enjoy your Food at the Bar
Oh David Chang, let us count the ways we love thee. In his latest piece for GQ the chef waxes rhapsodically on the delights of sitting at the bar vs. the table. Chang leaves us with six helpful tips to choose the best seat at the bar:
1) Only sit at the counter if you see at least two bartenders, one for the room, one for the bar.
2) Try to grab a middle seat, or the corner – also known as the holy grail of the bar – but avoid ends.
3) Try to limit your dining party to two people.
4) Use the bar as a first date venue, much more intimate and bonus points! No awkward eye contact.
5) Best seat in the house when you’re dining alone.
6) You easily make friends, Chang puts it best: “You’re part of this band of outsiders within the restaurant”. We’ll join any band Chang’s part of.
3) Makgeolli unites Korean Farmers, Rappers, and the Elderly
Makgeolli is made from nothing more than fermented rice, yeast, and water, and Korea’s oldest liquor. Typically it’s anywhere from six to eight percent proof. The drink used to be especially popular with the working class, as it became a filling substitute for food in times of economic stagnation. Munchies tells us that until 1988 the rice wine was Korea’s most sought after alcohol, but as the fiscal and political climate changed the drink was soon eclipsed by beer, imported whiskey, and wine.
Cut to 2010 when former food journalist Yo-Yong Yi opened a 40-seat makgeolli bar in the heart of Seoul’s creative district. Art school students visited in droves the success eventually led to three more locations as well as a makgeolli brewery. Yo-Yong credits her success to many factors, including the purported health benefits: “Makgeolli is the sports drink for adults. You can also think of it as yogurt for adults”. Not far off, considering roughly 10% of it is composed of lactic acid bacteria and dietary fiber, which explains its appeal for the elderly.
It’s even making an appearance in popular culture, in his latest video rapper Keith Ape waves it around like a bottle of champagne. We wouldn’t be surprised if makgeolli, or mack gully as the rappers prefer to spell it, makes an appearance in “The Rose of Sharon” cocktails in our local Korean soon.
