High-end mocha, aged cold-brewed coffee at new roaster-cafe

Coffee M Works, a roaster-cafe that opened in Cheongdam-dong this April, merges a hip, snap-worthy interior with solid, artisanal brews.Helmed by head roaster and CEO Moon Jong-chul, the 50-seat, neo-industrial hangout serves up coffee that reflects its owner’s penchant for fragrant brews.   Head roaster and CEO Moon Jong-chul focuses on pour-over coffee, cold-brewed coffee and espresso-based drinks at his new roaster-cafe. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)The shop’s cold-brewed coffee is crafted

June 3, 2016

A guide to New York’s top bagels and schmear

NEW YORK (AP) -- At street carts and bodegas, diners and supermarkets, nowhere is the bagel more ubiquitous than New York City.So exactly what makes a New York City bagel good and, more importantly, where can an eager out-of-towner find the best?A few ideas:Black Seed BagelsThese 2-year-old entries are rolled by hand, boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens at three downtown Manhattan locations. They’re smaller and flatter than many of the humongous, puffy bagels around today. Black

June 2, 2016

Korea’s first vegan festival offers variety

Korea hosted its first ever vegan festival at the Seoul Innovation Center in Eunpyeong-gu last Sunday where an array of products and foods that are based on the concept of all things void of animal relevance was on display.　Globally, plant-based foods have become integrated in the food industry as much as any other movement of the last 50 years. As their popularity grows and as the vegan diet continues to spread and evolve, Koreans have slowly embraced what may seem a bit esoteric to its meat dr

May 27, 2016

[Home Cooking] Pickled garlic (maneul jangajji)

Pickled garlic (maneul jangajji) is a staple side dish in Korea. The garlic cloves are first soaked in a vinegar brine for a few days and then pickled in a soy brine. Through this two-step process, the garlic loses much of its pungent bite and becomes slightly sweet and tangy. It’s important to use fresh garlic for pickling. Pickled garlic lasts a long time, and the longer it matures the better it tastes.　The garlic infused soy brine can be used as a dipping or seasoning sauce. Pickled garlic (m

May 27, 2016

[Weekender] ‘Chi-maek’ spuns culture of its own

Move over Colonel Sanders, because KFC is starting to take on a whole new meaning -- Korean Fried Chicken. Korea’s popular pairing of fried chicken with ice-cold draft beer -- or what locals refer to as “chi-maek” -- has spun a culture of its own across the peninsula and international borders. Korean fried chicken is slowly emerging as staple food here along with the likes of kimchi and bibimbap.Scene from last year‘s annual Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival, which attracted nearly one million vis

May 27, 2016

[Weekender] Fried chicken lovers, get your hands busy

Just the sound of it makes one’s mouth water. In every bite -- from the crisp chicken skin to the juicy meat inside -- come plenty of reasons for its nationwide popularity, regardless of age and gender.   Either marinated or covered in batter, golden-brown fried chicken accompanied with cool beer, or “chi-maek,” is always well-suited for a picnic at the Hangang Park -- where you can get it delivered -- or an after-work get-together.  (123RF)It is not difficult to spot chicken restaurants full of

May 27, 2016

Celebrity chef helms kitchen of highly anticipated new restaurant

Less than a week remains until celebrity chef Song Hoon’s newest culinary endeavor, S-Tavern, launches in Seoul. 　Master Chef Korea Season 4 judge Song and team are busy preparing for the grand opening, tweaking sauces and working the grill, making sure that all the details, including the extensive menu, are worked out to perfection. 　The hard work seems to be paying off.  The grilled seasonal fish with zucchini, fried eggplant and lentils is served straight off S-Tavern‘s state-of-the-art grill

May 20, 2016

How did tortillas become the new white bread?

Ah, the humble tortilla. It’s been around for thousands of years -- a soft, pliable flat bread that was a cornerstone of the Aztec diet.　And now it’s the fastest-growing segment of the baking industry. Last year, tortilla sales reached $12 billion, dethroning white sandwich bread as America’s No. 1 choice for turning meat, vegetables and/or condiments into finger food.　How did that happen? Simple demographics is part of the reason. The Hispanic population in the U.S. has swelled and so has the i

May 20, 2016

Local bounty highlight of Jeju Food & Wine Festival

SEOGWIPO, Jejudo Island --The sundrenched southern Jejudo Island is known for its seafood plucked from the seabed by women divers and served up fresh and raw at beachside eateries. 　Yet, for visitors from the mainland, local food can be challenging to the palate. Slices of raw fish in cold soup is not to everyone’s liking and some food is just too bland for taste buds used to stronger seasonings.　This difference in tastes is not lost on Kim Ji-soon, founder of the Institute for Preservation of J

May 19, 2016

‘Soviet chic’ restaurant favored by KGB spies reopens in Moscow

MOSCOW (AFP) -- Moscow’s Aragvi restaurant, once the legendary haunt of KGB spies and cosmonauts, has reopened with its Soviet-era grandeur restored.　The high-end eatery on the main Tverskaya Street, which opened in 1938 at the height of Stalin’s purges, has relaunched under the same name after a $20 million restoration.　The restaurant opened on the initiative of Stalin’s notorious security chief Lavrenty Beria for the use of officials from his NKVD agency, the Soviet secret service later rename

May 17, 2016

[Weekender] Is brown sugar healthier than white?

In the world of sugar, frankly speaking, color makes no difference at all. The misconception may stem from some generalized ideas that brown rice is healthier than white rice, and wheat bread over white loaves. But brown sugar is not healthier than white sugar -- they are basically similar both nutritionally and in calories, experts say.The reason why they look different is because their manufacturing processes are different. After the extracting juice from sugar cane, the original sugar soup is

May 13, 2016

Chamchi (tuna) gimbap

This variation of gimbap is made with canned tuna (chamchi in Korean). You can make the tuna filling the way you make tuna salad with mayonnaise and other ingredients. I added a bit of dijon mustard, lemon juice, and diced celery. A bit of diced onion will be nice as well. 　You can add any typical gimbap ingredients such as egg, eomuk (fish cake), pickled radish, carrot or spinach. In this recipe, I used romaine lettuce, perilla leaves (kkaennip), cucumbers, crab sticks, and pickled radish. The

May 13, 2016

Bom namul at their peak

As most places around the world that experience four distinct seasons, springtime is symbolic as a time of rebirth or awakening after the dormant winter months. There is no better representation of this than in the first plant shoots that emerge from the cold soils and trees as young and tender sprouts ready to bring in a new season.　In Korea springtime, is a time to enjoy the season’s culinary bounty, young spring greens known as bom namul, appreciated for their unique taste and freshness when

May 13, 2016

CU launches rice to go with ramen

Convenience store chain CU has launched rice specifically designed to go with cup noodle products, Tuesday.  Priced at 700 won (60 cents), this 125-gram rice is called “ra-mal-bap,” short for “ramenae-marameokgi joeun-bap” which literally translates to “rice that is good to put in ramen.”Ra-mal-bap (CU)It is common among Koreans to add rice to instant ramen for more filling portions. Unlike the past instant-cooked rice products, ra-mal-bap is a basic white rice shaped into a ball that is conveni

May 12, 2016

Korea’s top five chefs head to NYC for W50B gala dinners

Hailed as the five best chefs in the country, Choi Hyun-seok of Elbon The Table, Jang Jin-mo of A&ND, Yim Jung-sik of Restaurant Jungsik, Tony Yoo of 24 Seasons and Kang Min-goo of Mingles will participate in the upcoming KoreaNYC Dinners event in New York City next month. 　Organized by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants (W50B) association and local gourmet food magazine La Main, the culinary masters will partner with U.S.-based chefs Dan Barber and Carlo Mirarchi and take part in catering multiple

May 9, 2016

[Around the hotels] Round up of hotel events and news

 Sheraton D Cube City presents Sheraton Wine Market　　Sheraton Seoul D Cube City is holding Sheraton Wine Market from noon to 9:30 p.m. on May 1-31.　During the promotion period, guests can enjoy wine with no corkage fee during the meal, and purchase a great selection of wines -- red, white, sparkling wines and champagne -- at special prices. More than 20 kinds of wines are available, including the sparkling wine Chandon, the chocolate, blackberry, and fresh black pepper scented Clos du Val, and t

April 29, 2016