Super Bowl XXXVII: food, fun, frenzy - for breakfast

Super Bowl season is when life in Korea feels at its most inconvenient. Your standard Super Bowl Sunday, with beer and pizza with extra cheese, is impossible due to the time difference. Instead, the game is broadcast Monday morning at 8 a.m. on the peninsula― not a great time slot. But it’s too early to curse your life in Korea. There are still some places offering special Super Bowl treats, if you can get Monday morning off.
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to have your Monday morning meeting at one of these two pubs in Seoul.
3 Alley Pub
Open at 7 a.m. this Monday only
The couple who run this bar, Gunter Kamp, a German cook, and his wife, Jung Hui-choul, say that they can’t wait for Monday to come. The pub’s Super Bowl special made its debut last year, and was met with unexpected enthusiasm.
“We had so much fun,” recalls Mr. Kamp, who came to Seoul in 1994 to be a chef at the Paris Grill, an authentic Western-style restaurant. Mr. Kamp will have the Super Bowl special menu ready, American style. Bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and grilled tomatoes will be offered at 10,000 won (about $8.50).
If you want to start a brand-new week with a sip of beer, it’s fine at 3 Alley Pub. Every alcoholic beverage, from beer to cocktails, will be available. The price range on six kinds of imported beer varies from 3,000 won to 8,500 won.
Last year, more than 80 football lovers crowded the place. For Super Bowl XXXVII (that’s 37) on Monday, there are two 80-inch projection screens and a small room with a medium-size TV for 10 people. The 3 Alley Pub is wide open to those who are ready to shout at the top of their lungs with a glass of beer in hand. “We are going to have this all-too-fun Super Bowl party every year,” Mr.Kamp assures.
The 3 Alley Pub is behind the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. Take subway No. 6, get off at Itaewon Station and use exit No. 1.
For more information, call (02) 749-3336 (English available).

O’Kim’s,
Westin Chosun Hotel
Open at 7:30 a.m. this Monday only
O’Kim’s, the rendezvous place for the business crowd, is getting ready to go wild for the Super Bowl. This standard Irish pub has been throwing Super Bowl parties since 1991, the year the bar opened. Last year, more than 60 guests showed up in their suits and ties, ready to sweat out the broadcast. Choi Chu-un, the manager, says, “Most of our Super Bowl customers were men who literally roared at the slightest movement of the ball. It was so exciting.” She’s ready for another round early Monday morning.
Ms. Choi is set to provide several breakfast options, including Continental and American. Continental buffet includes Danish bread, toast, assorted jams, fruit juices and milk, offered at 17,500 won. American style adds eggs, bacon and hash-browns, available at 21,500 won. Prices do not include tax.
O’Kim’s has a reputation for being the right place to see a game with its 60-inch projection screen accompanied by six television sets.

O’Kim’s is located in the lower basement of the Westin Chosun Hotel near City Hall. Take subway line No. 1, get off at City Hall Station and use exit No. 6. You can also take No. 2 line, Euljiro 1-ga Station and exit No. 7. For more information, call (02) 317-0388 (English available).

by Chun Su-jin