[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Ruby Valentine at Grand InterContinental Seoul The Lobby Lounge at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents “Ruby Chocolate Special” promotion for the upcoming Valentine‘s Day. The promotion features desserts made with chocolate and offers diamond-shaped ruby chocolate as an addition to the three-course meal and strawberry dessert buffet at Strawberry Gourmet Boutique. On Valentine’s Day, the meal and buffet will be available twice at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. “

Feb. 7, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Relax muscles at Grand Hyatt Seoul Grand Hyatt Seoul’s The Spa presents the Muscle Release spa program for guests stressed out from the Lunar New Year holiday. The treatment begins with a scalp massage, followed by a body scrub and full-body massage using organic ginger oil. The Muscle Release treatment is priced at 198,000 won for 60 minutes or 264,000 won for 90 minutes. For more information, call Grand Hyatt Seoul at (02) 799-8808. Valentine’s Day at Mayfield Hotel Mayfie

Jan. 31, 2020

Paella and other crowd-friendly eats at Sigolo

The paella at Sigolo, a newly minted restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, sums up the best qualities of this new fine casual addition to the city’s dining scene. Served in what appears to be a 17-inch pan, this dish meant to serve two is large enough for several diners to dig into. Hearty and fragrant with garlic and onion, each grain of rice has soaked up the nutty and fresh flavors of the clam, mussel and crustacean broths used to craft this Spanish classic. Sigolo’s paella

Jan. 31, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Swellfish season at Millennium Hilton SeoulGenji, Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Japanese restaurant, offers promotion menu featuring swellfish (also called fugu), a seasonal delicacy highly revered in Japanese cuisine. Guests can enjoy a special curated set menu that features swellfish prepared in a variety of ways, including swellfish sashimi, tempura, swellfish cooked in a hotpot, and more. The set course is priced at 170,000 won per person, and is available for lunch and dinner. A-la-carte

Jan. 23, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter afternoon tea at Millennium Hilton SeoulMillennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. The deli’s signature Noel Cake, consisting of a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll, will be available for sale along with fruit sponge cake, chocolate sponge

Jan. 17, 2020

Sweet brews at Under Pressure

There is a reason why Under Pressure cafe team manager Park Yong-jin points to its Latte 60 as a star player in this roaster-cafe’s lineup of brews. One sip of this latte, featuring Under Pressure’s Brooklyn Comfort blend, unleashes a striking balance of acidity, sweetness and depth, mellowed and softened by dairy. The tart sweetness of dried berries peeks through all that velvety microfoam, followed by aromas of dried plums and dark chocolate for an elegant and complex brew. Wh

Jan. 10, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Millennium Hilton Seoul　Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. The deli’s signature Noel Cake, consisting of a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll, will be available for sale, along with fruit sponge cake, cho

Jan. 10, 2020

Luxury hotels become battlefield of strawberries

January is here, which means luxury hotels in Korea are duking it out for social media publicity with photogenic strawberry buffets. It might seem as if spring has already arrived to some tourists, as Korea’s strawberry season starts not in late spring but midwinter. Right after Christmas and New Year’s, hotels move into strawberry buffet-mode, seizing the opportunity for some winter color by creating eye-catching, mouthwatering desserts.  Buffet stations typically have cakes, t

Jan. 10, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set at Grand Hyatt Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel’s lounge cafe Gallery launched the Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set on Wednesday, featuring fresh strawberries and canapes. Served in a three-layered dessert tray, the set includes fresh-baked wild berry scones, homemade strawberry jams, winter berry tarts and more. A buffet station, as well as a ruby chocolate fountain, are also on offer. The tea set will be available through Jan. 31. The price is set at 40,000 won on wee

Jan. 3, 2020

New Sushiya bucks tradition

Rubbing shoulders with some of the most established, elite sushiya in Seoul, newcomer Sushi Sakau bucks tradition on many levels. In a neighborhood where an omakase lunch generally clocks in at over 70,000 won and dinner usually starts at 100,000 won, Sakau has whittled their prices down to 50,000 won for lunch and 88,000 won for dinner.  “It is just me, my wife and my friend,” owner-chef You Jong-tea, 32, said in explaining how keeping staff to a bare minimum and trekking out t

Dec. 27, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set at Grand Hyatt Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel’s lounge cafe Gallery will launch the Winter Berry Afternoon Tea Set starting Jan. 1, featuring fresh strawberries and canapes. Served in a three-layered dessert tray, the set will include fresh-baked wild berry scones, homemade strawberry jams, winter berry tarts and more. A buffet station, as well as a ruby chocolate fountain, will be offered as well. The tea set will be offered from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, and the price is

Dec. 26, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Special dinner buffet and afternoon tea at Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Gangnam The hotel’s restaurant, Evolution, will provide special dinner buffets only for three days, on Dec. 24, 25 and 31. A lobster platter and a variety of seafood and meat dishes will be prepared, along with champagne and strawberry desserts. The price is set at a reasonable 77,000 won per person, and time is limited to three hours for the dinner. The reservation can be made at (02) 2160-8989.Also on Christmas Eve

Dec. 20, 2019

[Video] The puzzle of flavor

Imagine a glass of cold craft beer and place it in front of you. “Psssh.” That’s the sound of beer being extracted from the machine. “Tssst.” Next, the frothy foam on top brings oxygen to the liquor. Afterward, have a quick sip and let the fresh brew glide down. This is perhaps the high point of the day, only rivaled later when you lay down in your cozy bed, ready to fall off to sleep. It’s no secret that Koreans spend some of the longest hours in th

Dec. 17, 2019

Guide to indulging in winter street food

With the freezing cold season approaching, the craving for hot street food grows. Seoul’s street food is perfect for warming the soul. Get some cash ready, put on a coat and head to Myeong-dong to fill your belly. Street food in Myeong-dong is simply amazing. For those who enjoy spicy stuff, it’s like paradise. What is happiness, if not this? Vendors get ready around 4 p.m., and people start visiting them around 5 p.m.Hotteok (Sugar-filled griddlecake)If the country’s frosty te

Dec. 13, 2019

[Weekender] Best places to get cakes, turkeys and wine

Christmas meals here do not necessarily involve a whole roasted turkey sitting right at the center of the table waiting to be carved. The festive feast could be on food of any kind from sushi to fried chicken, pizza or a bowl of rice with good old doenjang jjigae. Whatever the choice is, many folks here like to finish it with a cake, since Christmas has somehow become one of the two special days in a year to be celebrated with a cake, the other being the birthday. Here are some ideas for hassle-

Dec. 13, 2019

[Weekender] Party at home

December’s party scene has changed in Korea. Some say it’s because of the economy and lifestyle trends that focus on well-being. Others point to young generations’ aversion to old-fashioned, big get-togethers that inevitably involve awkward speeches, toast-making and undesired boozing. In the Dec. 27, 2013, issue of The Korea Herald, the Weekender discussed how Koreans devoted the entire month to year-end parties, which left many drinking copious amounts, despite efforts t

Dec. 13, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Winter Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Millennium Hilton SeoulMillennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. It also sells Christmas cakes. Its signature Christmas cake, the Noel Cake, consists of four long rolls: a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll. Fruit Spo

Dec. 13, 2019

22 restaurants in Korea included in La Liste

Though French restaurants are at better odds to be included in the La Liste, a gastronomic ranking system based in France, a total of 22 restaurants in Korea have made it in the recently released 2020 edition of the list.Like that of last year, French fine-dining restaurants Guy Savoy in France and Le Bernardin in New York took the top spots, earning 99.5 points each. Japan also made a presence, with Ryugin and Sugalabo earning top marks.  Meanwhile, Korean fine-dining restaurant La Yeon at

Dec. 9, 2019

Brothers roast small-batch brews for coffee lovers

In hopes of attracting more like-minded coffee geeks, brothers Ko Tae-young and Ko Young-soo have expanded to Seoul’s Sinsa-dong with Vinter Coffee Bar, which soft-opened in late November and features five single-origin coffees roasted by the brothers themselves.“We wanted to focus on coffee,” said Tae-young, 32, of their newest perch. The brothers started roasting coffee as a hobby and gifting it to peers. Their hobby blossomed into a business with the opening of Vinter C

Dec. 6, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Christmas Eve party at InterContinental Seoul Coex InterContinental Seoul Coex is hosting a party on Christmas Eve with jazz performances and wine. Guests will be able to enjoy activities such as making Christmas wreaths, wine tasting and tarot reading from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.Afterward, a seven-course dinner will be offered with wine and a mellow jazz performance. It costs 180,000 won per guest to attend the party. The “Salon de Noel Room Package” includes an overnight stay for two p

Dec. 6, 2019