Repatriate Me!

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to receive 4 complementary tickets to Nanta (only works in IE) from my current client. So yesterday evening we packed up the kids and went out for dinner and theatre. First a review of Nanta, also known in English as Cookin) followed by a restaurant recommendation.

There are three Nanta theatres in Seoul and one in Jeju and Nanta has been performed around the world

A Non-verbal performance integrating Korean traditional Samulnori rhythm with comic and drama in the kitchen! Audiences of all ages and nationalities can enjoy! Everyone is welcome!

The above quote is from the Nanta web site and is very true. My children, 8 and 4, as well as myself my wife and the whole audience enjoyed the show. There is a rock music soundtrack that backs the story. However the real attraction is the heavy percussion and acrobatics that each of the actors performs. Actors beat kitchen knives onto cutting blocks, beat broomsticks, wisks, colanders and more to create a catchy percussive rhythm that is enjoyable and entertaining. If you don’t like spoilers now is a good time to stop reading.

The acrobatics are impressive especially of interest was the martial arts fighting and the plate throwing scenes. The combat scene is reminiscent of improv martial arts ala Jackie Chan. My favorite was the wisk nunchakus versus the broomstick staff. The plate throwing scene which lasted quite long was very impressive both in how they did it as well as the high level of coordination and dexterity necessary.

There was also a fair amount of audience involvement in the performance, with 6, maybe 7, audience members being pulled on stage. Nanta was a very entertaining performance and definitely one that I would highly recommend. If you have kids, be sure to bring them along both of my kids really loved it.

My wife saw this earlier in the year with her co-workers but she wasn’t impressed. This time around she said it was much better and attributed that to the fact that th first theater (Gangbuk Jeongdong) she saw it in was much larger than the one (Gangnam Nanta Theater) we went to last night. We were quite close to the stage despite being near the back of the theatre.

Here is a google map with the three locations to see it in Seoul.

View Nanta theaters in Seoul in a larger map

Restaurant recommendation in the extended entry

Restaurant Review

Before the show we went out for dinner. We walked around for a bit and saw a pancake restaurant and Lobster restaurant, both of which might be worth going back to try. However we really lucked out on the restaurant we did choose – 셀레돈 포그 와 묵은 김치 (Celadon Pork and Tradional Kimchi). I’ve placed a pin on the map above as well. The restaurant is on the second floor above the “Shopaholic” store – the entrance is in the back.

We ordered Bulgogi Chonshik and Kimchi Chiggae. Most everyone in Korea has had this at a wide variety of restaurants and it’s usually really good. However here it was a little bit different than the usual style and extremely tasty. The bulgogi was smoked and it really changed the flavor and texture from the typical fair. The greens on the side were served with a very tangy saucy – I’m not sure what it would be called as I’m not a foody but it was somewhat like a vinegrette, but not. In any case the smoked bulgogi and tangy greens really complemented each other very well.

The Kimchi Chiggae was also a step above the typical chiggae I’ve had in the past. In this case I’m not sure exactly what made it better, maybe it was the bulgogi, or some unknown ingredient. In any case I really enjoyed it and wanted to go back for more.

The restaurant has has a nice decor various examples of celadon pottery and the wallpaper is a Hunminjeongeum pattern.