Gourmet panini for the thrifty foodie

Crescent-shaped housemade loaves of bread form the foundation for Bistro Piuzza’s panini.  Bistro Piuzza’s porchetta panino is crafted with fennel seed-spiced pork belly that has been slow roasted for over three hours. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)　Smoky from a stint in a wood-fired oven, the bread boasts a crisp crust and an airy, hollowed out center ideal for sandwiches. 　“We bake our panini bread to order,” said Bistro Piuzza chef Hwang Dong-hui, gesturing to the oven in the open kitchen.

Jan. 29, 2016

Home Cooking: Tteok sanjeok (skewered rice cake with beef and vegetables)

Sanjeok is a traditional holiday dish that is a variety of jeok -- skewered meat and vegetables. Unlike some other jeok varieties, sanjeok is not egg- or flour-battered. The ingredients are skewered and then grilled or pan-fried. Depending on the main ingredients used, they are called gogi (beef) sanjeok, songi (mushrooms) sanjeok, pa (scallions) sanjeok, etc. Tteok (rice cake) sanjeok is made with garaetteok, which is unsweetened rice cake that’s shaped like a long cylinder. 　Garaetteok is abun

Jan. 29, 2016

[Weekender] Drinking soju can be a lesson in gastronomy

Drinking is almost a national sport in Korea, and soju takes a large chunk of the market.Soju is so popular that the fact that mineral water sales outpaced those of soju at one of Korea’s largest supermarket chains made headlines in 2015. Soju comes in many shapes and guises, ranging from the cheap but effective brands that cost about $1 a bottle at a supermarket to those produced using traditional methods with significantly higher price tags. Regardless of the quality of soju, “anju,” or food e

Jan. 22, 2016

[The Palate] Eat like a local on Jeju-do Island

Christine Cho, a Korean-American expat in Seoul, has been eating and cooking her way around the world for 16 years as a private chef. -- Ed.The list is long as to what one should eat on Jejudo Island as a visitor, but it is a top culinary destination. Some of the most flavorful fruits and vegetables in the country grow on the island and it is prized for its Jeju black pigs and the abundance of seafood from the surrounding waters. Jeju black pig is a heritage breed indigenous to the island and pr

Jan. 22, 2016

Home cooking: Slow cooker galbijjim (braised short ribs)

The slow cooker is such a convenient kitchen appliance when you need to multi-task. You can do other things you need to do while it does the cooking for you. This recipe is a slow cooker version of traditional galbijjim, hence the same great authentic flavor. When I use my slow cooker, I like to minimize the prep work as much as possible. So, there’s no grating, mincing, par-boiling or browning in this recipe. 　You can do the prep work the night before. Start the slow cooker in the morning befor

Jan. 15, 2016

Topped toast and shakshuka at Underyard

Underyard -- a new cafe that opened less than a month ago -- has all the trappings of a hit.　Insta-worthy interior and plating? Check. Chic fare with a healthy attitude? Check. Plenty of caffeine? Check. 　The day the new hangout tossed an LP onto its old school turntable, flipped on its espresso machine and started assembling uber-hip topped toast, it seemed destined to attract lines, and, it did. 　That day was Dec. 21, about a year after she and her husband first started planning to open Undery

Jan. 15, 2016

Korea’s culinary zeitgeist

Korean food and the city of Seoul are having a culinary moment. Globally Korean cuisine has reached the heights of popularity and here, in Korea, a new style enveloping local and foreign flavors has gained strong foothold. Mingles Restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, is representative of all that is cutting edge about eating in the capital. Its chef patron, Kang Min-goo, is one of the most talked about chefs in Seoul today, taking top spots on restaurant rankings with his beautifully modern take on Kor

Jan. 8, 2016

Striking the right balance in modern hansik

Chef Kwon Woo-joong has been losing sleep recently, contemplating how to best prepare and present Korean seafood cuisine in front of hundreds of global star chefs and business executives at the upcoming Madrid Fusion in Spain.Kwon Woo-joong (Kwon Woo-joong)Together with the Korean Food Foundation, Kwon will lead a team of five chefs from his Korean restaurant Kwon Sooksoo to represent Korea and introduce three seafood dishes at the global food congress on Jan. 25-27. The Korean Food Foundation i

Jan. 6, 2016

Hip pasta at the Doughroom

At the Doughroom in Seoul’s Seorae Village, pasta is a must. 　Head chef Yoon Dae-hyun and team make eight varieties of pasta from scratch, proofing pasta dough for four to 24 hours before crafting coils of gossamer thin capellini and curved shells of cavatelli. 　“Pasta is our main event,” said Yoon, 29, before explaining that each variety of pasta is used in its own special dish to bolster awareness of pasta’s diversity. 　For example, one can order “ravioli, tomato” or “orechiette, spinach” off

Dec. 18, 2015

Home Cooking: Galbitang (beef short rib soup)

Galbitang is a hearty, nourishing soup made with beef short ribs. Typically, the ribs are boiled along with Korean radish (mu), onion, garlic, and ginger until fork tender. A good soup soy sauce is also important for the flavor of this soup. It’s common to add starch noodles (dangmyeon) to the soup at the end of cooking. Beef short ribs are an expensive cut of meat, so this soup is considered a luxury among Korean soups and often served for special occasions such as wedding receptions. 　Galbitan

Dec. 18, 2015

[Around the Hotels] Movie time at Grand Hyatt Seoul

Sheraton Incheon gets new name　Sheraton Incheon Hotel in Songdo City has changed its brand name to Sheraton Grand Incheon.　Sheraton is part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a leading hotel and leisure company. 　The new premier tier -- Sheraton Grand -- is only granted to properties where guests can get exceptional and sophisticated services.　The purpose of introducing Sheraton Grand is to recognize the best Sheraton properties that are committed to impressive design, exemplary service

Dec. 18, 2015

Around the hotels

Verove appointed Hyatt Regency Jeju GMHyatt Regency Jeju announced the appointment of Patrick Verove as its new general manager. Verove will be in charge of the hotel’s operations and management, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the hotel industry.Before joining Hyatt Regency Jeju, he spent more than five years as the manager of Grand Hyatt Incheon. Verove started his career in 1989 at Grand Hyatt Melbourne, beginning his 27-year relationship with Hyatt. “I am committed to continuing

Dec. 11, 2015

Comfort food to soothe the winter-weary soul

Christine Cho, a Korean-American expat in Seoul, has been eating and cooking her way around the world the last 16 years as a private chef. -- Ed.Winter is upon us, and what better way to begin The Palate, a new column that celebrates food culture here in Seoul and beyond, than with a warming visit to the 76-year-old gomtang restaurant Hadongkwan.One of the most iconic eateries in the capital, Hadongkwan made its name with a long-history of making one single dish: gomtang, a thinly sliced beef so

Dec. 11, 2015

Intro to homey Korean dishes

For those who wish to enjoy popular dishes such as bulgogi and bibimbap in the comfort of their own homes, “Easy, Home-Style Recipes from the Korean Kitchen,” a new cookbook written in English, provides 20 recipes that can be easily replicated by even those unfamiliar with Korean cuisine.“This book is meant to serve as an introduction to Korean food and Korean culture to people who may have little knowledge of either,” the authors, Han Kyung-im and Jeon Mi-hyang, said in a statement.The book con

Dec. 9, 2015