Vinyl

genus: the sauce
space & place: 3 minutes from 상수역 exit 1.
span: late afternoon till whenever places you drink at close
costs: standard cocktails ₩4,000; premium usually ₩5,000

It was raining steadily on Friday night, which no doubt sure ruined some people’s hopes of making July’s club night epic. Yet the weather wasn’t enough to prevent me from loitering in front of Vinyl drinking Ziploc bags of gin lime while the overhang dripped rain onto my shoulder.

From the cramped—if the word can even appropriately describe the size of Vinyl—warmly lit inside the dj was fêting the 15 or so people who can fit inside to the deep, spacey groove of dub. The reverb and chopped guitar alternately stuttering and flowing into the street combined with availability of booze outside doubled Vinyl’s space. It has a delightful quality of creating an atmosphere of ownership of the sidewalk in front, and when people line up en masse to order from the drive through-esque window it seems less like a bar than an apartment party that has gotten too big.

Although it is less busy on, say a Tuesday night, Vinyl retains its intimate vibe—not a surprise considering its size—but never even borders on pretension. The concept of selling bags of drinks to people on the street is not twee, simply a good idea. The space is decked out in warm colors, think the color candles cast or a rich red, shabby old pillows and chairs and just enough space for 8 people to sit and unwind after a day of doing whatever it is dole culture does. If you count the benches on the street, the seating is increased by a third. The dj "booth" and the bar—both haphazard affairs—lend a certain under-construction charm. Some nights the music is a little pedestrian, but on the whole and especially on the weekends, the tuns accent the atmosphere of Vinyl nicely.

Lilliputian size is only part of the conceit though. People lining up 8 or 10 deep outside relates something about the quality served up (it should be noted that they are not even lining up to "get in" merely to enjoy the convenience of a bar on both sides of the wall). From behind the bar come drinks in all colors and concoction and the bag mobile out on the street alone might convince you to stop in front for a drink. My personal recommendation is the aforementioned gin lime, but I have heard arguments for the tequila sunrise (I just don’t like cocktails with silly names). The drink menu is quite extensive so you will have plenty to choose from (it’s in 한글 and English, but come on learn to read Korean). Beer doesn’t come in bags, but to be honest that would be dumb because you could just go to a mart for that. You can't get a decent mixed drink to carry around at a mart.

I'D GO THERE: either when the mood to relax in really really really intimate digs strikes or when the order of the night is street drinking.
GOOD PLACE TO: unwind; have one-on-one conversations; admire that one really sweet painting they have on the wall; drink on the street
NOT SO GOOD FOR: large groups, unless you plan to hang on the street; rowdiness; getting digits.