Around the hotels

Spa Package at Grand AmbassadorGrand Ambassador Seoul is offering the “My Spa Package,” providing a comfortable guest room with Prestige Day Spa OCELAS Massage and a brunch set that can be enjoyed through room service.Prestige Day Spa OCELAS Massage comes in two kinds: foot massage and soleus massage. Foot massage is provided for about 30 minutes, promoting blood circulation and helping the body realize the balance of endocrine glands to release tension. The soleus massage is provided for about

Oct. 23, 2015

Sweet shops release autumn desserts

With increasingly colder months ahead, popular sweet shops throughout the city are releasing seasonal treats that run the gauntlet from ruby red apple pies and tarts to burnt orange pumpkin pies.  La Pomme’s tarte Tatin is made-to-order and arrives piping hot, with layers of butter puff pastry, custard cream and warm, spiced apples (La Pomme)　Pumpkin and its similar-hued cousins are classic fall ingredients for these colder months and it has practically become tradition for prominent shops like

Oct. 23, 2015

Around The Hotels

Happy autumn festival at Kensington Jeju HotelKensington Jeju Hotel will present Paw in Paw Kids Package until Nov. 30, 2015.This package is specifically designed for children who love to play and stay at Paw in Paw Kids Club and the kids rooms. There will be ‘Pumpkin Art Festival’ on Oct. 24-31 to celebrate Halloween.Paw in Paw Package comes with a color choice of rooms decorated with the characters from Paw-In-Paw, the television animation series, in blue, pink and brown. The room also provide

Oct. 16, 2015

Home Cooking: Baechu Geotjeori

Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Geot means outer or outside, and jeori means salted or pickled. Most commonly made with napa cabbage, geotjeori goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (a warm noodle soup) and barbecued meat.Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor

Oct. 2, 2015

Around the hotels

Enjoy Kensington Jeju Hotel’s activity programsThe Kensington Jeju Hotel is presenting various activity programs to maximize the excitement of autumn on Jejudo Island. Guests opting for the Luxury All-Inclusive Package will be able to choose from activity programs such as Green Tea Farm Tour and Gotjawal Trekking.Picnic with Autumn Scent is a program for an exciting outing to an animal farm and Saebyeol Orum for a trekking course -- with the beautiful scenery of Muscanthus, as also known as silv

Oct. 2, 2015

A taste of tradition, history and elegance

Restaurant Woonamjung (Woonamjung)For a taste of Korean tradition and history infused with a modern elegance, visit the Woonamjung restaurant located in Kangwon Land, Korea’s only casino open to locals and located in Gangwon Province. Woonamjung is an authentic, traditional Korean restaurant that is run by a descendant of the Joseon royal court chef and specializes in court cuisine. The menus, which consist of the basic Woonam course, a special menu for feasts and a diverse array of seasonal dis

Sept. 23, 2015

Jil’hal Bros dishes out buzzworthy eats

At Jil’hal Bros, one of the latest Seoul-based eateries to go viral, CEO Kim Woo-sik breaks down the components behind the fusion Middle Eastern-by-way-of-New York-style grub drawing lines of foodies to his new spot. In his small kitchen he ladles fluffy rice -- infused with turmeric, cumin and three other spices -- in a takeout container, tops it with that quintessential white sauce, layers it with piping hot morsels of seasoned lamb and beef and piles on more white sauce before topping it off

Sept. 18, 2015

Around the Hotels

Autumn picnic package at Imperial Palace SeoulImperial Palace Seoul is presenting from Sept. 14 through Nov. 29 the Autumn Picnic Package for those seeking a picnic in the heart of the city and a cozy getaway in a hotel room, available for local guests in Korea and foreigners with resident cards. The package includes an overnight stay in a guest room along with a taxi voucher for 10,000 won; a takeout picnic box, which consists of Deli Amador’s club sandwiches and two bottles of Perrier sparklin

Sept. 18, 2015

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari)

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari). (Korean Bapsang)These gorgeous eggplant rolls are healthy and easy to make. They are called gaji mari in Korean. Gaji is eggplant, and mari refers to rolled up dishes. The thinly sliced eggplants are briefly cooked in a skillet, rolled up with other vegetables, and served with a sauce. Eggplants cook down significantly, so make sure they are not too slender when you buy them.I used colorful fresh bell peppers and enoki mushrooms in this recipe. Play around with differ

Sept. 18, 2015

New body launched to rank Korea’s best restaurants

With the aim of creating an authoritative ranking of Korea’s top restaurants and serving as the country’s version of the Michelin Guide, Koreat has assembled an unprecedented list of the 50 “best” restaurants in Korea. Seeking out both trendy and tasty eateries has in recent years become a key pastime for Koreans, allowing Seoul to quickly rise as an epicurean city; but there has been a gaping hole in terms of ranking restaurants through an organized process, said Cho Youmi, head of the Koreat o

Sept. 17, 2015

Around the hotels

Gourmet couture at W Hotel Seoul WalkerhillW Hotel Seoul Walkerhill presents a stylish collaboration between the hotel’s casual dining restaurant Kitchen and designer Munsoo Kwon, starting Oct. 2. The menu is inspired by and reflects the designs in Kwon’s 2015 Fall/Winter collection. The menu will include arugula juice, shrimp and black rice brioche salad, mantis crab, black sesame-crusted and grilled halibut with black sesame risotto and yellow saffron cream, prime beef striploin steak with blu

Sept. 11, 2015

Around the Hotels

Chuseok gift sets at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton is offering a variety of luxury gift sets for the Korean Chuseok holidays, when gifts are traditionally exchanged amongst family, colleagues and business associates. The gift hampers will be on sale from Sept. 1-25.The top-grade galbi gift sets range from 420,000 won to 1.2 million won and offer a range of prime-grade beef including hanwoo, Australian wagyu and U.S. beef and a marinade made by Millennium Seoul Hilton.The premium

Sept. 4, 2015

Korean craft beer and gargantuan meatballs at Malt

Malt’s whole roasted chicken (back), colossal meatballs (right) and Scotch eggs (left). (Ahn Hoon/The Korea Herald)At Malt, a gastropub that opened two months ago in Seoul’s Nonhyeon-dong, drinks and grub take equal standing. Craft beer, cocktails and whiskey are paired with eats that lean toward rib-sticking fare like meatball pasta, roast chicken and Scotch eggs.“One can have a meal here,” said Jo Yun-mi, 27, of the two-chef team at Malt, explaining how Malt is not a small plate-centric spot,

Sept. 4, 2015

Yangnyeom gejang (spicy marinated raw crabs)

Yangnyeom gejang (Korean Bapsang)Gejang is a traditional dish that is marinated in a salty soy sauce brine as a way of preserving the crabs for a long time. These days, the crabs are lightly preserved, in either a mild soy sauce-based brine (ganjang gejang) or in a spicy sauce (yangnyeom gejang), to be consumed within a few days. The most important thing is to buy the freshest crabs. Freezing them will help with cleaning. Clean the crabs very well under running water.Making the spicy version is

Sept. 4, 2015

Eomuk Bokkeum (Stir-fried fish cakes)

Eomuk (fish cakes) are processed seafood made with pureed fish. Eomuk bokkeum is a stir-fried side dish that’s quick and easy to prepare. Busan is famous for the most delicious eomuk. You can use any type or shape for this eomuk bokkeum recipe. Slice the fish cakes if they are thick so the sauce can easily penetrate them. Thin rectangular eomuk is most commonly used type for this dish. It’s the type of eomuk we grew up with before the industry became highly sophisticated. This recipe uses onion

Sept. 2, 2015

Charcoal-grilled saltwater eel at Doo-uh Mari

Doo-uh Mari -- a small, 22-seat restaurant -- opened in Seoul’s Nonhyeon-dong last year. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)Eel, long considered a wholesome summer delicacy in Korea, is the main attraction at Doo-uh Mari -- a small, 22-seat eatery that opened last year in Seoul’s Nonhyeon-dong.“We went to Busan and had saltwater eel,” Doo-uh Mari co-owner Oh Jung-min explained, saying after he and his friend tasted marine eel, a popular dish in Busan, the duo decided it would be a good idea to focus

Aug. 30, 2015

Around the Hotels

Barbecue party at Sheraton Grande WalkerhillSheraton Grande Walkerhill’s Korean barbecue restaurant Myongwolgwan is offering unlimited barbecue, salad, dessert and beer on upcoming Saturdays -- Aug. 22, Sept. 5, Sept. 19, Oct. 3, and Oct. 10 -- from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Guests will be able to enjoy Myongwolgan’s high-quality, charbroiled beef prepared with premium hardwood charcoal at the restaurant’s outdoor garden, which boasts a panoramic view of the Hangang River against the backdrop of Achas

Aug. 23, 2015

Mont St. Clair opens two more stores in Korea

Until a few weeks ago, dessert fiends who wanted to taste Mont St. Clair’s famous cakes could only find them at the Japanese brand’s first overseas outpost in Seoul’s Banyan Tree Club and Spa. Now, one can find them at two more locations in Korea. Mont St. Clair’s two new Korean outlets sell around 100 varieties of desserts, pastries and bread. (Mont St. Clair Korea)Mont St. Clair’s second overseas boutique launched on Aug. 11 at Hyundai Department Store’s Coex branch, and the third outlet opene

Aug. 21, 2015

Mikkeller Bar hits Seoul

Mikkeller Bar Seoul serves a whopping 30 draft beers -- primarily Mikkeller -- on continual rotation. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)　Craft, cult, genius ― these are words often used to describe the brews originating from Mikkeller, a much-buzzed-about Danish “gypsy” brewery that recently launched its second Asian bar in Seoul. Now, as of late June, beer aficionados in Korea can taste a diverse range of Mikkeller’s famed beer straight from the keg and deem for themselves whether or not these ex

Aug. 7, 2015

A world of quality red meat

Gather all carnivores: Amid summery salads and the health fad of green juices, one restaurant in the trending Gyeongnidan district is unabashedly exploring the world of quality red meat. From German sausages to Spanish jamon and homemade American bacon, available at the newly opened John Cook Deli Meats Gyeongnidan branch is a plethora of assorted meats, cooked in a variety of styles from all over the world. Texas BBQ Spare Rib (John Cook Deli Meats)“Our idea was to provide authentic meats from

July 31, 2015