Midnight Diner (Late Night Restaurant / 심야식당 / Simyashikdang)

Around the time that people hurry home after the day ends...

my day begins.

This is all that's on the menu.

Other than that, customers order whatever they want

and I make it for them as long as it's possible.

The restaurant is open from midnight till seven o'clock in the morning.

You may ask, are there people who come to this old, worn-out place?

Well, there are quite a lot.

Really?

You must've been so happy, Yoo Mi.

Well, it just felt so-so.

You met your first love for the first time in 20 years.

What do you mean, so-so?

Thank you.

This has sugar sprinkled on it, right?

- Yes. - I really like this.

Master, I don't really like the tomatoes.

Can't you just sell the soup separately?

That's an idea.

Strangely, rather than healthy tomato juice

I prefer the sugary soup that has just a few tomato bits in it.

You know a thing or two.

My grandmother made this for me often.

Should I eat it or not?

I can't decide.

Yoo Mi, is this the time for you to be doing that?

What happened after you met your first love?

What do you mean, what happened?

I just passed by him as I was crossing the crosswalk.

I recognized him.

He probably didn't even know that it was me.

Why wouldn't he know?

He was a guy I met 20 years ago when I was skinny.

Even if he did recognize me, I probably would've denied it.

I'm just going to let him remember my delicate self from back then forever.

'Ties' by Pi Chun Deuk.

Who are you calling a wench?

It's not that.

'It would have been better not to meet the third time.'

It's the book with that quote.

We're sorry, Mr. Pi.

What are you saying?

Yoo Mi, you should've still acknowledged him.

- Leave me alone. - Please, go in.

Hello.

Yeah, welcome.

Isn't he an extremely famous person?

I saw him on television.

He is.

He's Leonardo, the walking Michelin Guide.

This reminds of the past.

I had no money when I was studying abroad in Paris

so I went to a shabby bar like this often.

There's still a place like this in the heart of Seoul?

Being judged for three or five stars is really not my restaurant's thing.

Do you serve beer and leek pancakes?

Then please give us that for now.

I really hate critics and the like.

How dare he bring one, when he knows that.

As expected, you have to drink beer in the Czech Republic.

People think that beer in Germany is the best

but that's just what's popular.

The world's best beer is the Czech Republic's Pilsner.

Is that so?

Sure, beer can be imported and sold.

But, that place's shish kebabs were really the worst.

I mean, people who don't even know the basics

are blabbering on however they want, saying that it's a fusion or whatnot.

Also, the mass media is a problem with our country

but the bloggers are a problem too.

They're calling themselves power bloggers when they don't know a thing about taste.

They're just showing off what they ate at restaurants

and introducing the restaurants.

How is that a critique?

That is true.

Then again, there aren't many proper critics in our country.

Isn't that why I'm even busier?

I'd think you would feel more burdened about your critiques because of that.

That's why I have strict rules.

Have you ever seen me take more than one bite when I sample?

No.

If you take more than one bite, that means it's really the best.

Not consuming trash.

That's my strict rule.

Having to force in even a single bite of all kinds of trash in the world

is the grief of this job.

What the heck is he blabbering on about?

It's truly a leek pancake.

It's just entirely made of leeks.

I'm just saying he put in a lot more leeks compared to other restaurants.

In order for the food to taste good, you mustn't spare the ingredients.

Let's see.

Can you eat foie gras?

I'm not sure about that since I've never had it before.

I'll take you to the restaurant that I go to regularly some time.

I'll show you the taste of a foie gras that's truly made properly.

There's a place like that in our country too?

Of course there... isn't.

We have to go all the way to Paris.

Just when the other customers became displeased too

causing the restaurant's atmosphere to turn bad...

Hello.

Welcome.

You're here.

I wanted to hear your music so much that there are scabs on my ears.

Jeez.

You only use that phrase

when you're sick and tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.

Is that so?

He goes by the name of 'Musician No.'

He apparently wandered the whole country

with a group of performers in his earlier years.

But he performs on the streets now.

Here is your butter rice.

As always, thank you.

His very own special trick

is to let it stand for about 30 seconds for the butter to melt.

As for the soy sauce...

Slightly, slightly...

After that, he mixes it a bit.

How fascinating.

Master, please give me one too.

You're eating again?

I want Min Woo to try it. You haven't tried that before, have you?

Yes, it's my first time seeing it.

There's definitely a generation gap.

Back it our days, it was pronounced 'battar,' not 'butter.'

Also, only wealthy people ate it.

It was originally margarine that you put in it.

I'm being reminded of the past for the first time in a while.

Master.

Give me one too.

Me too.

Slightly.

Amazing. It tastes so good.

I mean, how can it taste like this when there aren't many ingredients in it?

It was very delicious.

I don't take money from Musician No.

Instead, I request one song from him and listen to it.

You have waited for a long time, when it must've been boring.

I am No Bong Hwang, a guitarist who almost became famous worldwide and in Korea.

Greetings.

When my mother had me, she said she dreamt of a phoenix.

So, it's Bong Hwang.

But, because she says I'm worse than a quail right now

it's No Bong Hwang.

I shall play one song.

He always plays the same song.

The song that you all like, 'The Young Lady in the Red Heels.'

The young lady in the red heels on the pine trail.

The sound of her red heels.

Where is she going?

She could easily turn and look back at least once.

I'm not sure if she's only counting her steps as she walks

but the young lady in heels is walking on alone.

- Thank you. Come again. - Have a safe trip home.

Bye.

I want to hear it again.

Excuse me.

I'd like a bowl of butter rice.

These are the new main dishes that our restaurant has introduced.

I see that this is lamb chop steak.

Yes.

Since this year is the year of the lamb

we made it using lamb from New Zealand that's less than a year old.

Thanks for the meal.

Look here.

Listen...

I'm sorry about yesterday.

There's no need to be sorry about it.

I thought that his nasty criticism on television