New lounge BDBD brings retrofuturism to Itaewon

The upstairs level of BDBD / Courtesy of Night Sounds Media

By Agnes Yu

Further expanding his empire of libation, Korean American entrepreneur Wendell Louie has introduced his latest contribution to Seoul's lounge and bar scene, just as social distancing measures are being opened up.

With BDBD, Louie offers new hope in Itaewon's entertainment landscape. Named after the peculiar vocalizations of the robot character Twiki from the 1979-81 sci-fi series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," he offers patrons a retrofuturistic setting where they can pull up a stool and grab a drink.

BDBD offers a multi-floor open space that is ready to provide patrons with an exceptional experience beyond any other venues of its kind. Every corner is designed with attention to detail, from the interior's ceiling, dotted with fiber-optic stars, similar to those found in the roofs of Rolls-Royce cars, to the color-coded staff uniforms inspired by "Star Trek" (yellow for hall staff, silver for bartenders, blue for barbacks and red for part-timers).

BDBD workers wear color-coded uniforms. Blue means barback. / Courtesy of Night Sounds Media

"I am interested in opening places that I would like to go to as a consumer but don't yet exist," Louie told The Korea Times.

Out front is a roomy terrace that features an outdoor VIP room. Meanwhile, the interior sports mirrored walls and plush custom-made stylish seating. Up the stairs is an ultra-hip VIP tier that juts out over the bar and allows those lucky customers an elevated perspective. "You can see everybody, and everybody can see you," Louie said.

The VIP area in the center of BDBD / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

For patrons of Louie's previous and existing establishments, the menu still stacks up, offering as many surprises as Jabba's palace, although none quite as treacherous. Louie said he collaborated with the prestige alcohol brand Tokki Soju to develop a "BDBD Gin" customized to his exacting demands, as well as teamed up with Busan-based Gorilla Brewing Company to present the "BDBD Red Lager."

One of BDBD's signature cocktails / Courtesy of Night Sounds Media

Louie really has nothing left to prove, after opening his cocktail bar Pussyfoot Saloon in Hannam-dong in early 2018, which was recognized with the Campari One To Watch award the following year. Sporting an interior themed on train travel and acclaimed for its high-quality cocktails, English-speaking staff and superior service, Pussyfoot Salon is a standard he hopes to continue with a string of upscale nightlife venues ― and BDBD is just the latest gem.

The building that houses BDBD sits on a sharp slope, with the northern face opening up on the main strip of Itaewon, while the other side overlooks "Quy Nhon-gil," the narrow 330-meter alley designated in 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of Seoul's sister city relationship with Quy Nhon, Vietnam. BDBD encompasses the lower two floors on the southern side.

Louie, born in Seoul to a Chinese American father and Korean mother, studied at Seoul Foreign School and spent his summers in the United States before graduating from college there and working in finance.

Right up the alley from BDBD, people can easily find Louie's other recently opened establishment, Night Sounds, which offers a lower price point and a different crowd, catering especially to the drag community.

It's certainly a bold leap from his beginnings with Mix & Malt, a two-story restaurant and bar near Hyehwa-dong, where his menu items garnered much attention for their authentic flavors and generous portions. Unfortunately, Louie closed that establishment last year, citing the pandemic's impact which hit businesses like his harder in the region.

Yet, a crisis is, as they say, also an opportunity. As the pandemic led to a lot of closures, this resulted in an abundance of empty retail spaces, which became available all around Seoul. Louie was able to secure the location for BDBD, which had previously been in the hands of a family that had held it for seven generations.

The entrance to BDBD in Itaewon resembles a spaceport. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Carrying out the elaborate renovations resulted in several setbacks, and construction was delayed due to stringent amendments to building codes and the inefficiency in their implementation. On top of the endless floor plan revisions, rising materials costs and the government's changing pandemic restrictions, it has been a whirlwind of continuous challenges for nearly a year, from its inception to finally welcoming the initial batch of curious clientele to test-run operations.

BDBD is in a soft-open stage for now, with hopes coming to upgrade many of the facilities as well as the decor of the place. Most notably, the menu promises a "menacing laser-guided doorway," which has not yet come to pass. Customers who visit early to get a sense of Louie's vision for the place will not be disappointed, but will also feel the need for a return visit to see it once it's completed.

Visit fb.com/BDBD.seoul or instagram.com/bdbd.seoul for more information.

Raised in Canada and still growing up in Seoul, Agnes Yu is a contributing writer, sometimes waitress and always wondering.