[Well-curated] Vintage lights, soul food and films at subway station

Delve into charming vintage lights

For vintage enthusiasts, especially those who have a keen understanding of the effects of lighting, Big Sleep Shop is a space worth checking out.

Located up a brick staircase in a narrow alley, the shop specializes in vintage lighting and lamps. As you step inside, you’ll find a harmonious display of vintage lamps from various countries including France and Germany.

The shop offers housewares made of glass, porcelain and plastic, and showcases lamps of all shapes and sizes, from small bedside lamps to large wall-mounted lights that can illuminate an entire room.

Big Sleep Shop also provides specialized repair services for vintage lamps. Customers can consult about the items they wish to have repaired through a KakaoTalk channel, send the product and the shop will send an estimate of the repair costs.

Additionally, the products on sale can be rented for 20 percent of the selling price. The space, filled with cute props and bright natural light, is also available for rental for photoshoots or events.

The shop’s opening dates and hours are flexible, so visitors must check the Big Sleep Shop's official Instagram account before visiting.

Gomtang for lunch

Gomtang is a soul-warming meat broth soup popular in Korea. It comes in two varieties -- beef and pork -- and is served in large bowls with steamed rice.

Beef gomtang is the dish that sells best at Ido Gomtang at Shinsegae Central City in Seoul. The bronze bowl comes with slices of “hanwoo,” the premium beef from local cattle, and chopped scallions.

The side dish is kimchi, crisp rather than spicy for those used to the Korean dish that is served with nearly every meal. Accompanying it is soy sauce for dipping beef slices, already tender and flavorful without additional condiments.

The rice is tender but firm and chewy -- a sign of attention trained on every ingredient in making hanwoo gomtang. This clear beef broth, without a hint of fat on the surface, tastes like a mix of beef and vegetables.

Hanwoo gomtang comes at two prices -- the standard priced at 13,000 won and the special with more hanwoo slices and rice at 16,000 won. The Shinsegae store branch is one of the restaurant’s eight branches in Seoul, with the main store in Yeoksam-dong overseeing the other seven.

Free cinema at subway station

Missed your train and have some time to kill? At Chungmuro Subway Station on Subway Line Nos. 3 and 4, there is a multicultural space called Oh! Zemidong that is open to the public.

Located near Exit 1 of Chungmuro Station, this glass-enclosed space features five distinct areas -- an archive, an art gallery, a small movie theater, an education center and an equipment rental room where you can rent professional equipment such as cameras, lighting and recording devices.

The archive section houses numerous shelves stocked with DVDs and approximately 2,600 books, including webtoons, mangas, novels and film magazines. Visitors can browse and read these materials at nearby tables or watch DVDs on the computers and television sets located in the zone. Books and DVDs can be used on-site only.

Oh! Zemidong also houses an art gallery, which hosts free art exhibitions, and a small 28-seat theater, which screens independent films that are not readily available elsewhere.

Additionally, Oh! Zemidong features an education room that sporadically holds lessons related to cinematography.

For detailed information on paid programs in the education room, or to check the film schedules and art exhibitions at Oh! Zemidong, visit its official website.

Oh! Zemidong is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.