Hyundai Card jumps into foodie app market

South Korean credit card company Hyundai Card opts for a judge-by-numbers tack to the restaurant app with its newly minted MY MENU service. Available for both iPhone and Android platforms, MY MENU is a free restaurant guide that was launched in mid-August. The idea is simple and straightforward. MY MENU takes stock of the age, gender and profession of members swiping their Hyundai Card at restaurants throughout Seoul and Busan.  According to a Hyundai Card representative, three months’ worth of

Sept. 5, 2012

2,014-pound burger sets world record

CARLTON (UPI) -- A Minnesota casino said it set a Guinness World Record by cooking up a 2,014-pound (913-kilogram) bacon cheeseburger.The Black Bear Casino Resort near Carlton said the burger concocted Sunday handily defeated the previous record of 881 pounds, 13 ounces and a Guinness adjudicator was on hand to verify the record, the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune reported Tuesday.“What I saw today was a feat of remarkable teamwork that resulted in a world record burger that actually tastes really

Sept. 5, 2012

Chuseok hamper set at Grand Hyatt Seoul

The hotel’s delicatessen Deli presents a selection of deluxe hamper gift sets in celebration of Chuseok from Sept. 17-30. The Chuseok Special Hamper consists of a fragrant Revolution premier tea box, Italian Plenum wine, home-made marble cake and cookies. The French Gourmet Hamper has a Dammann tea, a bottle of French Chambolle-Musigny wine, Antoni Gaudi bonbons and chocolate. The Wine and Home-Made Sweets Hamper has a bottle of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte with delicacies specially made by the ba

Aug. 31, 2012

Seasonal delicacy at Millennium Seoul Hilton

The hotel’s Japanese restaurant Genji presents a seasonal delicacy of pine mushrooms during the month of September. The fragrant mushrooms, often called the jewel of the forest, will be showcased in a la carte dishes as well as a special eight-course menu. The seasonal ingredient is featured in special menus such as grilled pine mushrooms, pine mushroom tempura, and steamed pine mushrooms in an earthen pot. Guests may also enjoy an eight-course meal, including pine mushrooms and sushi. Prices of

Aug. 31, 2012

25th year event at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam

Novotel Ambassador Gangnam, a French Accor chain hotel, celebrates the 25th anniversary of its partnership with Korea’s Ambassador Group with a special anniversary package during the month of September. The Anniversary Package features a one-night stay in a superior room as well as a breakfast buffet at the hotel’s restaurant SQUARE. The package also includes a bottle of anniversary wine, a DVD of “Phantom of the Opera,” and access to the Internet, sauna and fitness club. The package is priced a

Aug. 31, 2012

Fall Package at Grand Hilton Seoul

The hotel offers a selection of packages celebrating the new fall season from Sept. 6-Nov. 30. The Fall in Coffee package includes one night in a deluxe room with free coffee for two at the Atrium Caf. The Fall in Love package includes a one-night stay at a deluxe room with a breakfast buffet and coffee at the Atrium Caf. The Fall in Beauty package consists of one night stay in the executive room with free access to the sauna as well as EFL lounge during Happy Hour. The Fall in Luxury package pr

Aug. 31, 2012

The Westin Chosun Seoul ranked one of Asia’s top hotels

The Westin Chosun Seoul has been voted as one of Asia’s Top 25 business hotels by online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia for five consecutive years. The Westin Chosun Seoul secured the top spot among Seoul hotels at 14th place.Smart Travel Asia has 1 million readers worldwide and conducts the Best Brand online survey every year in the categories of hotels, airlines, airports, holiday destinations, shopping cities and business cities. According to this year’s travel poll, The Fullerton Hotel Si

Aug. 31, 2012

Sujeonggwa, (cinnamon punch with dried persimmons)

Sujeonggwa is a cinnamon punch made by soaking cinnamon and ginger in water. The liquid is mixed with sugar and boiled, then garnished with dried persimmons and pine nuts. Sujeonggwa means ‘cookies in water.’ To enjoy the real sujeonggwa taste, drink it as you would sweet honey and cold ice.Ingredients● 200 g ginger, 10 cups water ● 120 g un-spilt cinnamon, 10 cups water ● 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 1/3 cups sugar ● 5 ea dried persimmons, 10 ea walnut ● 5 g pine nuts 1. Skin the ginger (160 g) a

Aug. 31, 2012

Cookbook author bends the rules of eating raw

Amber Shea Crawley knows she is eating in a gray area.While her cookbook “Practically Raw” (Vegan Heritage Press; $19.95) extols the virtues of eating a plant-based diet, she refuses to get wrapped up in the ethical, moral or political aspects of a strict raw vegan diet.“Eating raw food is not a black-or-white decision, but rather a matter of proportions,” Crawley states in the introductory chapter. “Every raw snack, side dish, or meal you add to your day will benefit your body.” A more relaxed

Aug. 31, 2012

75th anniversary event at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel

Celebrating the first anniversary of its opening and also the 75th anniversary of the Sheraton Brand, the hotel presents “Happy Birthday Sheraton Package.” The package will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seventy-five packages are available from Sept. 1- Nov. 14. It offers a one-night stay at a deluxe room and various gifts such as a mug with Sheraton logo at 175,000 won, excluding tax and service charges. The “Happy Birthday Sheraton Package II,” available to the first 10 rese

Aug. 24, 2012

Spa package at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul

The Marquis Thermal Spa and Fitness Therapy Center at the hotel provides three anti-aging facial care treatment programs. The “Gold-Soin Collagen Whitening Treatment” helps cells to reproduce rapidly through infusion with a mixture of collagen and vitamin C. The program includes back treatment, facial cleansing, deep cleaning, hand care, collagen treatment, neck and lymphatic massage treatment, and arm and leg care. The “Silver Lifting Treatment” is a facial treatment using a mask and an ampoule

Aug. 24, 2012

Risotto promotion at Renaissance Seoul Hotel

The hotel’s Italian restaurant Toscana offers “Rainbow Risotto Promotion” from Sep. 3-Oct. 12. Guests may enjoy antipasto salad buffet with fresh exotic Italian ingredients. Menus include Italian traditional vegetable soup, one choice of risotto menu and dessert. For the main menu, guests can choose from seven risottos each with different colors according to ingredients. The seafood risotto is red with tomato sauce; eggplant risotto in vibrant purple; spinach risotto in green; saffron risotto in

Aug. 24, 2012

Wine promotion at Grand Hyatt Seoul

The hotel presents its “Made for Japan” promotion, which provides guests an opportunity to enjoy premium wines from all over the world along with a tapas-style buffet. The event will be held at the hotel’s traditional Japanese restaurant, Akasaka, featuring a wide array of specially selected premium wines, perfectly paired to complement Akasaka’s authentic Japanese cuisine. Selections include fresh sushi and sashimi, teppanyaki, grilled skewered delicacies, noodles, hot dishes and desserts. The

Aug. 24, 2012

Asian delicacies at Millennium Seoul Hilton

The hotels’ Mediterranean restaurant, Cilantro, offers a promotion featuring exotic Asian specialties from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and India during the month of September. The buffet menu includes Singaporean chilli crab, Thai tom yam kung and the Filipino pata humba. The lunch buffet begins at 51,000 won and dinner buffet begins at 55,000 won, excluding tax and service charges. For more information, call Cilantro at (02) 317-3062.

Aug. 24, 2012

Yeongyang dolsotbap (hot stone pot rice dish)

Yeongyang-dolsotbap is a nourishing dish of rice, ginseng, jujubes and chestnuts which are believed to have healing properties. Rice tastes best when cooked in a stone pot because it cooks evenly and stays hot in the pot.Ingredients● 360 g non-glutinous rice ● 90 g glutinous rice ● 30 g black bean, 60 g chestnut, 32 g jujube, 37 g cultivated pine mushrooms, 24 g gingko ● 10 g pine nuts ● 25 g ginseng (fresh wet ginseng) ● 3 cups water ● seasoning sauce: - 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp minced green on

Aug. 24, 2012

High-tech cocktails push the envelope

Technology-obsessed chef Dave Arnold devotes himself to making delectable cocktails using whiz-bang devices like centrifuges, red-hot pokers and tanks of liquid nitrogen at his new Manhattan bar, Booker & Dax. So it was fitting that there were moments during Arnold’s demonstration at the International Culinary Center in Campbell, California, last week when the audience gasped audibly.After telling some cautionary tales about how using liquid nitrogen improperly can yield grisly results ― from fr

Aug. 24, 2012

Streets filled with treats: Myeong-dong’s charm

Come sunset, food carts turn Myeong-dong into a street food heavenWhen it comes to snacks, foreigners who have visited Korea may have tried tteokbokki (spicy sliced rice cakes) and sundae (steamed blood sausage made with pig intestines). But for those looking for more unique street food, Myeong-dong, one of Seoul’s main shopping districts, is the place to be. Bulging at the seams with shops, restaurants and cafes, the area is always crowded with locals and increasingly foreign visitors from Chin

Aug. 22, 2012