Massive shrimp burgers at Zesty Saloon

On weekdays, there are only 30, and on weekends, there are only 50 shrimp burgers sold daily at Zesty Saloon, a new hangout that opened in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong in March. “We make our patties with just shrimp,” said Zesty Saloon CEO Yang Jun-hwan, 34.  Zesty Saloon sells burgers and tater tots from its perch near Seoul Forest. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)After making the shrimp patties, Yang and his team lightly coat them with bread crumbs before frying them to a golden crisp and topping them

April 19, 2019

[Video] [Seoul Food Alley] Street for petite yet fiery octopus

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. - Ed.Jjukkumi Street in Yongdu-dong, central Seoul (Lee So-jung/The Korea Herald)Yongdu-dong is not a well-known area of Seoul -- not even for local residents of the capital. It is not a tourist destination and it is certainly no hip neighborhood. Non

April 17, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Italian tapas night at Park Hyatt Seoul Park Hyatt Seoul’s Italian restaurant Cornerstone presents a “Italian Tapas Bar” promotion.The promotion centers around chicchetti, an Italian practice of serving small snacks or side dishes similar to Spanish tapas. Two plates of chicchetti can be ordered at 34,000 won, three at 48,000 won and four at 58,000 won. If a diner orders four plates of chicchetti, two glasses of Italian rose sparkling wine will be provided. Other varieties of Italian wine can be

April 12, 2019

[Weekender] Bring spring to the table with bom namul

In South Korea, now is the time to enjoy fresh spring greens, or bom namul.Found everywhere from mountain slopes to roadsides, these wild plants come in many varieties and each has its own unique charm. Although some namul are now cultivated and therefore available year-round, the arrival of freshly foraged leaves -- plentiful and cheap for just over a month -- at local markets is a welcome harbinger of spring.  (Yonhap)“For me, it’s naengi (shepherd’s purse) that tells me winter is almost over,

April 12, 2019

[Weekender] Eat your namul, for your health and the Earth’s

Plant-based eating is emerging as a healthier and more sustainable alternative amid repeated global warnings about climate change. For most South Koreans, however, the concept is pretty familiar. Despite recent Western influences, for centuries Koreans have been a plant-loving people. “We are indeed a namul people,” said food and nutrition professor Jung Hye-kyung of Hoseo University, referring to edible wild plants and the important role they have played in the Korean diet throughout history.Th

April 12, 2019

[Video] Tongyeong is destination for seafood lovers

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- For a foodie, enjoying fresh seafood is a must when lounging near the coast. A visit to the southern port city of Tongyeong, a four-hour drive from Seoul, is a chance to devour a wide range of seafood. Tongyeong is like no other port city here. It has many small islands nearby, and the surrounding waters are warm and shallow. Despite its abundance of fresh seafood, Tongyeong is perhaps best known for chungmu gimbap -- finger-sized rolls of cooked rice serv

April 9, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Sweet treats at Park Hyatt BusanPark Hyatt Busan‘s modern French restaurant Living Room presents Ballerina in Paris dessert buffet.The buffet is filled with a variety of pink-colored desserts, themed under the concept of a ballerina in Paris. Unlimited amounts of sweets, including cupcakes, pear tart, baked cheesecake, macarons, seasonal fruit tarts and chocolate grissini, are offered. Living Room’s dessert buffet is available at lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. or at dinner hours from 6 to 10

April 7, 2019

Sweet surprises at Goollim

At Goollim -- a tiny, seven-seat shop in Seoul’s Banpo-dong -- owner and pastry chef Lim Kyoung-jin demonstrates a flair for infusing toothsome treats with unconventional ingredients. Lim trumps tradition by filling madeleines with housemade caramel, topping scones with rum glaze and using perilla leaves in her savory pastries. She had studied French pastries and cakes and worked at several bakeries before opening Goollim.  Goollim’s owner and pastry chef Lim Kyoung-jin bakes both savory and swe

April 5, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

‘Under the Sea’ dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 presents the Seafood Market promotion. A buffet station will introduce various seafood dishes, including chili crab, butter-fried shrimp and sashimi of fresh abalone, sea squirt, sea pineapple, octopus and shellfish.The promotion runs until April 30. The buffet is priced at 98,000 won per person for weekend brunch and dinner. For more information, call Tavolo 24 at (02) 2276-

March 28, 2019

Fire-fueled eats at Soot

Fire fuels the food at Soot -- a newly minted fine casual gastropub near Seoul’s Garosugil that had its soft opening earlier this month. Owner and chef Choi Hyo-ui and creative director Lee Jae-hoon teamed up to open a casual hangout specializing in grilled and roasted fare with a gourmet attitude. Choi, 28, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu Sydney and racked up experience at restaurants while there, relies on both a grill and an oven to create flavorful dishes like their crackly crisp pork belly an

March 21, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

‘Under the Sea’ dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 presents the Seafood Market promotion. For the promotion, the buffet station will introduce various seafood dishes, including chili crab, butter-fried shrimp and sashimi of fresh abalone, sea squirt, sea pineapple, octopus and shellfish.The promotion will start Saturday and continue until April 30. The buffet is priced at 98,000 won per person for weekend brunch and dinner. F

March 21, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Weekday dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul offers benefits for diners who visit the hotel’s restaurants on weekdays. BLT Steak provides truffle-flavored french fries and a glass of rose wine to guests who order dry-aged steak during the week. All-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 has corkage-free days from Monday through Wednesday, for up to one bottle of wine per table. For more information or reservations, call BLT Steak at (02) 2276-3330 or Tavolo 24 at (02) 227

March 14, 2019

Traditional Korean booze receives hip makeover

Amid the growing trend toward drinking less but better, traditional Korean liquor makers are churning out trendier drinking options. Traditional booze, long overshadowed by soju and beer, is evolving to cater to a new group of alcohol consumers, who rather than binge drinking, savor each sip. Premium rice wine in the house The drinking less but better trend is reflected in the neologism “mak-pagne,” a compound word made up of makgeolli and champagne, referring to champagne-like traditional rice

March 14, 2019

[Herald Interview] Chef Akira comes back to Seoul

A Korean-American chef, charged with adventurous energy, has made his way back home.Michelin-starred chef Akira Back (whose Korean name is Back Seung-wook), 45, running his own namesake restaurant brand across the world, added one more Seoul eatery to his impressive portfolio, recently opening a new Akira Back restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. Chef Akira Back speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald at his new namesake restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul on March 7. (Park Hyun-k

March 14, 2019

As rice sales slow, sellers go premium

Rice is under attack like it has never been before. With growing health worries about the intake of refined carbohydrates and gluten, Koreans are eating less and less rice. But at the same time, there is a growing number of rice lovers seeking out better taste, texture and nutrition. Catering to the positive trend, a rice-only shop opened at Hyundai Department Store’s branch in Pangyo, in the southern suburbs of Seoul, in December. The shop, one of four to open at the department store’s branches

March 7, 2019

Affordable kaiseki-style eats at Sazanka

Though Sazanka’s kaiseki-style omakase dinner is an affordable 49,000 won per person, chefs Park Jong-ha and Shin Byung-suk do not skimp on effort or flavor to make ends meet. Drawing from over five years of experience in Japanese cuisine, including time spent learning kaiseki-ryori in Japan, the duo pay careful attention to each detail at this new restaurant, which opened in Seoul’s Sinsa-dong in November. Such dedication shines through in dishes like suimono -- a clear soup served as part of a

March 7, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Weekday dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul offers benefits for diners who visit the hotel’s restaurants on weekdays. BLT Steak provides truffle-flavored french fries and a glass of rose wine to guests who order dry-aged steak during the week. All-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 has corkage-free days from Monday through Wednesday, for up to one bottle of wine per table. For more information or reservations, call BLT Steak at (02) 2276-3330 or Tavolo 24 at (02) 227

March 7, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Welcoming spring at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s restaurant The Lounge is welcoming spring with a new set menu. The four-course meal features spring vegetables in every dish, starting with soup followed by steamed fish, grilled beef, bibimbap and dessert. 　It is available from March 6 to April 19 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It costs 90,000 won per person and can be paired with two glasses of wine for an additional charge of 30,000 won.For more information, call The Lounge at (02) 2016-1205.Celebra

Feb. 28, 2019

Hide and Seek, new, not-quite-underground bakery-deli

Hide and Seek, as its name implies, is not easy to find. Located in a half basement of a renovated house in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, this new bakery-deli has only been open for a few months, steadily building a growing and promising repertoire of baked goods, sandwiches and salads.As the offshoot to Darling Kitchen, a restaurant located on the first and second floors of the same building, Hide and Seek is an organic expansion of Darling Kitchen’s existing baking operations. “We started with Darling

Feb. 21, 2019