Sejong Center offers lunch concert at Samcheonggak

Sejong Center for Performing Arts is offering a premium lunch concert featuring traditional music and food at Samcheonggak, a Korean restaurant on Mount Bugak in northern Seoul.

“Jami,” will be held Monday to Wednesday until June 27 at Samcheonggak’s Ilwhadang Performance Hall, the restaurant operator said.

The 45-minute concert features music and performances by traditional Korean ensemble “Cheongarang” and five artists. The seven short performances featured include “Suryongeum,” meaning Korean court music, “Heungboga,” a pansori piece that includes audience participation, and “Beona Nori,” in which the audience gets the chance to spin a plate using a tobacco pipe or wooden stick.

“The concert is designed to give both Koreans and foreigners a chance to easily appreciate Korean traditional music and performances during lunch time,” Kim Min-kyoung, promoter of Samcheonggak, said.

After the concert, audiences are served a course of traditional food. The six-course lunch starts with seasonal porridge and dongchimi, cold watery kimchi, and a combination of shrimp seasoned with pine nut sauce and barley pancake wrap with vegetables. Three kinds of pan-fried fish and vegetables, japchae, stir-fried noodles with vegetables and steamed egg are served before main dishes.

The restaurant offers three main dishes. Galbi-jjim, or beef rib garnished with mushroom, jujube and chestnut, is served on Monday and salmon bibimbap, a dish of rice mixed with vegetables and fish on Tuesday. Bulgogi, or barbequed beef with rice, will be served on Wednesday.

Concert and lunch starts at noon and prices range from 50,000 won to 70,000 won. The restaurant offers a free shuttle bus from Jongno and Gwanghwamun. For more information and reservations, call (02) 765-3700 (ext. 2) or visit http://www.samcheonggak.or.kr.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)