[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Sri Lankan food fest at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s flagship buffet restaurant Cafe 395 will host a Sri Lankan food festival from May 17 to 26 in cooperation with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Seoul. Chef Selliah Karuppan from Colombo Hilton in Sri Lanka will fly to Seoul for the event, which will feature authentic Sri Lankan dishes, including a prawn salad, sting hopper pillaw, beans tempered, egg and plain hoppers with condiments, pumpkin custard and bibikkan. Cafe 395 will al

May 5, 2017

[Home Cooking] Egg fried rice (gyeran bokkeumbap)

This egg fried rice is flavored with lots of scallions. It’s a quick and easy way to whip up a light meal and use up leftover rice and eggs.The key to this recipe is the oil flavored with scallions that’s used to cook the eggs and fry the rice. It gives this simple dish a nice flavor.To keep the eggs soft, first make scrambled eggs that are a bit runny, remove from the pan, fry the rice, and then add the eggs back to the pan to combine with the rice at the end. The eggs remain nice and fluffy th

May 5, 2017

[Herald Interview] Chefs ferment chemistry between Korean, Western cuisines

Chef Federico Heinzmann each day cherry-picks nature’s best ingredients, cooks them using ingenious recipes and delivers his creations on the table in ways uniquely Korean and earthly at the same time. Working with Korea’s renowned Buddhist monks, the Argentine executive chef at Park Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge has dug deep into the country’s culinary roots in search of innovations, which would satiate even the trickiest bon vivants worldwide.Heinzmann came to Korea seven years ago from his multicu

April 28, 2017

[Eye] Young restaurateur on top of a cloud

Located on the 81st floor of Seoul’s new landmark Lotte World Tower Signiel Hotel Seoul, Michelin one-starred Bicena is the highest situated Korean restaurant in the city.For most restaurateurs, moving locations soon after winning the coveted Michelin star would be a challenge that they would rather avoid. Lucia Cho, 35, CEO of Bicena and the Michelin three-starred Gaon, however, embraced the challenge with open arms. “It presented a new opportunity for us,” Cho said about the decision to move t

April 28, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Chinese buffet at Sheraton Seoul D Cube CityThe Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel is offering a Chinese buffet promotion from Monday to May 16 at the restaurant Feast on the 41st floor. The dishes are prepared by guest chefs from Le Meridien Zhengzhou in China. They include various congees, such as rice congee with preserved eggs and pork, congee with fish fillet and congee with beef and egg. Also included are regional dishes: deep-fried shrimp with spicy salt; baked chicken with shallots and gin

April 28, 2017

Eat, cook, read at Cooking Library

Devoted to all things food, Hyundai Card’s latest project is an establishment where visitors can eat, cook and read about eating and cooking. Called Cooking Library, it is a space that offers an in-depth look into the craft of cooking, where the “production, literature and experience of food come together,” said Lee Mee-young, vice president of the credit card company’s brand division, at the press opening Wednesday. “The idea is that the visitor can indulge in all five senses.”Open exclusively

April 26, 2017

[Home Cooking] Yeongeun Bokkeum (Stir-fried lotus root with peppers and mushrooms)

Lotus root (yeongeun) is the underwater stem of the lotus plant, which is rich in fiber and essential nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium. My favorite way to eat this crunchy and starchy root is to simply stir-fry (bokkeum) it with some other vegetables. To prepare the lotus root for cooking, peel the skin, slice or cut into bite size pieces, rinse, and then soak in the vinegar water. This will remove any impurities inside and the slight bitterness of the lotus root and prevent discolorati

April 21, 2017

Earl Grey espresso and ricotta fig toast at Cafe Halfmoon

Located on a quiet stretch of a Cheongdam-dong street, Cafe Halfmoon looks like it would lead a relatively obscure and tranquil existence as a neighborhood hangout.  Cafe Halfmoon serves up eats and drinks in a communal space with an open kitchen (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)That is not what happened when the cafe opened in January. “The first day of our soft opening we had one customer,” said co-owner Yoon Young-sim, 26. That moment was short-lived.“The second day people started showing up,”

April 21, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Green tea promotion at Park Hyatt SeoulThe Lounge at Park Hyatt Seoul, a newly renovated Korean tea house, is offering a green tea promotion until April 23. The promotion includes a selection of premium green tea for two -- Woojeon, Gokwoo, Sejak and Jukro varieties -- and hwajeon, flat sticky rice cake decorated with flower petals. The promotion is available every day from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with prices starting from 42,000 won. The tea is served in a traditional Korean tea ceremony. Along

April 14, 2017

[The Palate] Gyeongdong Market, the endearing traditional marketplace

The traditional markets scattered throughout the country are important resources for their local neighborhoods. Well-known marketplaces, like Namdaemun and Gwangjang, are examples of where Koreans can find their most basic of needs. But their authenticity is somewhat reduced by having been glossed up for tourists. By comparison, Gyeongdong market in Dongdaemun-gu, northeastern Seoul, is where one can truly experience a traditional marketplace within the city, and feel the honesty and warmth of i

April 14, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Tea house opens at Park Hyatt SeoulThe Park Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge tea house, located on the 24th floor, reopened Monday, offering quality dishes and beverages to customers. With spectacular views of the city, The Lounge features traditional tea, modern cuisine and desserts from 9 a.m. to midnight. The green teas come from tea estates on Jeju Island, Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, and Boseong, South Jeolla Province, while executive chef Federico Heinzmann and his team use seasonal specialt

April 9, 2017

[Home Cooking] Spicy braised tofu (dubu jorim)

Dubu jorim (braised tofu) is a popular Korean side dish which is typically pan-fried and then braised in a spicy sauce. This braised tofu doesn’t require pan-frying and uses a lot more liquid. It resembles a stew (jjigae), but is actually not a jjigae as the term is used in Korean cuisine. This dish is totally fine just with the onion and scallion, but this recipe also uses mushrooms and a chili pepper. You can also add a little bit of thinly sliced Korean radish to the bottom of the pot before

April 7, 2017

Asian-French tapas at Bao27

Bao27 owner Kim Hyun-sung and chef Oh Jong-il take their variation of Chinese steamed buns very seriously. If one walks by in the afternoon, between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., one might be able to catch a glimpse of the two busy kneading, rolling and shaping the dough for their baos. Not surprising, given the name of their restaurant literally advertises the increasingly prevalent Chinese sandwich- or dumpling-like treat as their specialty. Yet, it is not the baos alone that make this new spot worth a tr

April 7, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Children’s birthday at Grand Hyatt SeoulThe Grand Hyatt Seoul is offering a children’s birthday party package at restaurant JJ Gazebo. Up to 15 children can have a private garden party with pizza, a birthday cake, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, apple pie and more. After lunch, they will have two hours of play time with friends under the supervision of a recreation specialist, with activities ranging from sword play to treasure hunts, ball games and more. After playing, children can take a short trek

March 31, 2017

[The Palate] The arrival of springtime jjukkumi

As winter ends so does the robust seafood season that filled our palates with the freshest catches in the frigid months. As if to offer one last hurrah, baby webfoot octopus, known as jjukkumi, make their way onto menus heralding the advent of a glorious spring.There is no doubt that Koreans know their seafood, and there is no surprise as to how creatively they like to enjoy it. From raw soy-pickled crab to par-dried salted grilled fish, to the absolutely wacky, wriggling sannakji squid eaten al

March 31, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

New general manager at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam has appointed Vincent Lelay as its new general manager, drawing on his Asia-focused expertise to better serve its clients. Lelay was the cluster general manager of The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa and Sofitel So Singapore. The France-born manager held senior management roles including Vice President of Hotel Operations for Greater China where he supervised and operated more than 40 projects from development to o

March 24, 2017

[Home Cooking] Dak cheonggyeongchae bokkeum (Stir-fried chicken and bok choy)

This Chinese-style stir-fried chicken with baby bok choy (cheonggyeongchae) is quick and easy to put together, making it perfect for a weeknight meal.First, coat the bite sized chicken with cornstarch and egg white. This keeps the chicken moist and tender, and gives it a nice sheen. Then, the chicken is quickly pan-fried before the actual stir-frying happens with the sauce and vegetables. The sauce is light yet rich in flavor. I used good quality chicken broth as a sauce base, but water is fine

March 24, 2017

Around the Hotels

Weekend packages at ibis Styles Ambassador The ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Myeong-dong and Gangnam are offering weekend packages for replenishing the weary mind and body. The Cozy Weekend package at the Myeong-dong branch comprises an overnight stay at a Standard Suite, breakfast for two, access to a sauna and fitness center and late checkout at 2 p.m. It is available until the end of this year and costs 163,900 won for two.The Lazy Weekend in City package at the Gangnam branch comprises an ove

March 17, 2017

New matcha tea spot in Seongsu-dong

At Matchacha Seoul in Seongsu-dong, owner Lee Yenie can be found behind the counter, vigorously whisking pulverized green tea leaves into a frothy, creamy beverage. “I have a fondness for matcha,” said Lee, 29, of why she decided to specialize in beverages crafted from the powdered green tea. Considered by many health-conscious consumers to be a wholesome caffeine fix, matcha has been gaining traction around the world. For traditional ceremonial-style matcha, owner Lee Yeni sifts ceremonial grad

March 17, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Spring promotion at Grand Hyatt Incheon

Spring promotion at Grand Hyatt IncheonThe Grand Hyatt Incheon is offering spring dishes at Grand Cafe throughout March. The dishes comprise of fresh and nutritious greens, including chamnamul, wild chives and shepherd’s purse. Other highlights include sea squirt bibimbap with lettuce; soybean paste soup with manila clams and shepherd’s purse; pine-scented grilled short-rib patties cooked with pine needle enzymes; and stir-fried spicy pork with wild chives. Sea mustard noodles and chamnamul are

March 10, 2017