Bostock, financiers and more at Cedrat

Before opening his own patisserie in a residential nook of Seoul’s Daechi-dong, Cedrat owner and pastry chef Choi Kyu-sung had already amassed over a decade of experience in pastry making. It began when he enrolled at the Institut National de la Boulangerie Patisserie in France to study pastries and bread making. He then stayed in France for over 10 years, honing his skills before returning to Korea to work as head chef at two cafes. It was only after that when Choi felt the time had come to str

Dec. 20, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Rooms and packages

Santa’s visit at Mayfield Hotel & ResortMayfield Hotel & Resort has prepared Christmas events for families. The Dear Santa package includes a visit by Santa to the room where guests are staying. Santa will make a surprise visit on Christmas Eve and deliver a gift to the children. The hotel will also hold the party concert “Santa Claus is Coming to Mayfield” during which children can dance with their favorite fairytale characters. The event will be held twice -- on Christmas Eve and Christmas day

Dec. 13, 2018

[Graphic News] S. Korean coffee imports expected to fall this year

　South Korea is expected to import less coffee this year for the first time in six years, as demand for the beverage has been hit by sluggish economic growth, according to market watchers here. 　In the January-October period, total imports of coffee stood at 121,019 tons, down 1,031 tons from a year earlier. This is the first on-year decrease since 2012.　Asia’s fourth-largest economy imported 82,446 tons of coffee in the same period in 2012. 

Dec. 10, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Christmas at Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences presents new packages for the holiday season. The Dear My Santa! package includes a night’s stay at the hotel, a Bouche de Noel Christmas cake and a do-it-yourself Christmas tree set. It will be offered from Dec. 21 to 25, with prices ranging from 249,000 won to 299,000 won. The All About Christmas! package adds extra perks, such as breakfast for two, in-room dining service and late checkout. It wil

Dec. 6, 2018

Korean distributors halt sales of instant noodles from Fukushima

Korean retailers Homeplus and Wemakeprice have discontinued sales of Fukushima-imported instant noodles after the product’s place of origin label stirred up health concerns.Otaru Shio Ramen -- produced in Fukushima, Japan, and imported to Korea by Homeplus and Wemakeprice -- has Fukushima printed as the area of production in Japanese. However, the Korean label specifies only Japan as the place of origin, prompting some consumers to point out that the translated label is misleading and takes away

Dec. 5, 2018

Discontinued infamous ‘2X fire noodle’ returns by popular demand

Samyang Food announced on Friday that the discontinued “Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen” will return, with an upgrade to make the ramen even spicier than before.  (Samyang Food)“We decided to officially bring back the product to express our gratitude to customers who loved the ‘Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen.’ Samyang Food will strengthen communication with customers to put out products that meet the public demand.” Samyang Food said.The renewed Haek Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen, also known as 2X

Nov. 30, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Chinese chefs are all about respecting masters’

Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White once said, “Cooking is a philosophy, not a recipe.”Chinese chefs in Korea would wholeheartedly agree, divided as they are into different schools somewhat like early philosophers who were divided into stoicism, Epicureanism and more. Cho Nae-sung, also known as Tiao Nai Hsing, recently joined Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant Taipan. Though the new appointment may look nothing out of the ordinary, it was a big move for Cho, as he was joining the very h

Nov. 29, 2018

Nashville-style hot chicken at Brave Roosters

The journey began when five guys decided to take a stab at Korea’s fried chicken market. “Korea is famous for its chicken,” said Brave Roosters director Choi Se-hoon, 44. “We wanted to enter that market.” Choi and his colleagues balked at the idea of jumping into an already crowded and competitive industry without a specific idea of what kind of fried chicken they would be serving.  Brave Roosters, which specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken, soft opened in Seoul’s Sinsa-dong in November. (

Nov. 29, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Christmas dining at Grand Hilton SeoulGrand Hilton Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Atrium will host a gala dinner on Christmas Eve.The menu includes fresh oysters, lobster soup, smoked duck, king prawns, tenderloin steak, bass roast and Christmas dessert. The set course costs 150,000 won per person. On Christmas Day, Atrium will offer a special brunch that features an unlimited fresh salad bar, king prawns and steaks, seasonal fruits and detox juices. This will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p

Nov. 29, 2018

Binggrae puts out tangerine-flavored milk

Binggrae, a South Korean ice cream and dessert manufacturer, has released a tangerine-flavored milk.The tangerine-flavored milk follows a mulberry-flavored milk, which came out in February. Both are part of the company’s “Milk that didn’t exist before” series. (Binggrae)All Binggrae’s flavored milk products are sold in jar-shaped plastic bottles, said to look like traditional Korean jars.Binggrae’s banana-flavored milk, its top-selling drink, is the first flavored milk in Korea to surpass 200 bi

Nov. 28, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Christmas dining at Grand Hilton Seoul Grand Hilton Seoul’s all day dining restaurant Atrium will host a gala dinner on Christmas Eve.Fresh oyster, lobster soup, smoked duck, king prawn and tenderloin steak, bass roast and Christmas dessert will be served. The set-course menu costs 150,000 won per person. On Christmas day, Atrium will offer a special brunch where unlimited fresh salad bar and king prawn & steaks will be served, along with seasonal fruits and various kinds of detox juices. The br

Nov. 22, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

‘Iron Chef’ desserts at JW Marriott DongdaemunGuests will be able to taste desserts prepared by star patissier Jason Licker at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s The Lounge. Sweet delights created by Licker are available at The Lounge until the end of November. White chocolate Junmai, matcha and makgeolli desserts are on the menu. Licker was the champion of the Thai version of culinary TV show “Iron Chef.” He has been working in Asia for more than 12 years, successfully adapting to local pala

Nov. 15, 2018

Ohagi and matcha at Mochibang

At Mochibang -- a small, artisanal Japanese-style dessert shop -- one will find “ohagi.” In fact, one will find several variations of the Japanese rice cake customarily served during the autumnal equinox. Mochibang specializes in wagashi, or Japanese sweets, with a focus on rice cakes like mochi and ohagi. (Photo credit: Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Owners Lee Bo-ra and Jeon Chan-hong fill their ohagi with everything from “marrons glaces” (candied chestnuts) to fragrant “yuja” (citron). The ma

Nov. 15, 2018

[Weekender] Salted shrimp adds spice to Korean soul food

Korean cuisine wouldn’t be what it is today -- spicy, savory and soupy -- without jeotgal: fermented seafood used as a seasoning or condiment. And salted shrimp, or saeu-jeot, is a key ingredient in quintessential Korean food such as kimchi, as well as an indispensable relish enriching broths such as dwaeji gukbap and sundaeguk. Along with salted anchovies, salted shrimp is the most popular jeotgal variety used in Korean cooking. It often replaces salt in dishes such as steamed egg. Salted shrim

Nov. 8, 2018

[Weekender] Artistry of fermented seafood

Jeotgal, or salt-fermented seafood, continues to be loved Next time you are in Seoul, pay a visit to the heart of the city. Take a gander at Dongdaemun Gate, and tumble onto Jongno 5-ga, where you will stumble across the vibrant Gwangjang Market filled with merchants welcoming regulars, hagglers seeking to put a little more into their bags, and the pungent smell of a mixture of dishes floating in the air.Enter the South 1st Gate into the food zone, and you will find stalls with colorful delicaci

Nov. 8, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

‘Iron Chef’ desserts at JW Marriott DongdaemunGuests will be able to taste sweet desserts prepared by star patissier Jason Licker at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s the Lounge. Sweet delights created by Licker are available at the hotel lounge until the end of November. White chocolate Junmai, matcha and makgeolli desserts are on the menu. Licker was the champion of the Thai version of culinary TV show “Iron Chef.” He has been working in Asia for more than 12 years, successfully adapting t

Nov. 8, 2018

[Weekender] Fishy business: Know your garibi from your eorigul

Though the phrase “pickled seafood” may not sound so appetizing to the uninitiated, savor jeotgal, the fruits of days, weeks or even months of preparation, and everything changes . Jeotgal is salt-fermented seafood. A wide variety of seafood can be used to make it, including fish, roe, clams, oysters and tiny shrimps, as well as fish gills and intestines.  Assorted jeotgal (Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)When naming a specific type of jeotgal, the word “jeot” is used as a suffix. Most types of j

Nov. 8, 2018

Blue Bottle to launch in Seongsu by 2019

Blue Bottle Coffee is launching its first South Korean store in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood by the second quarter of 2019, marking the company’s second overseas expansion.Despite rumors that the company’s first Korean branch would be established in either Gangnam or Samcheong-dong, Blue Bottle Coffee Korea announced recently that Seongsu had been chosen as the venue.(Blue Bottle Coffee)The Seongsu district in eastern Seoul is sometimes called “the Brooklyn of Seoul.” The area is emerging as a c

Nov. 7, 2018

Seoul to host Asia's biggest coffee exhibition

Seoul is hosting the 17th international coffee show, “A Cup of the World,” for four days starting Thursday.South Korea is one of the most coffee-infatuated countries in the world. According to the Korea Customs Service, the domestic coffee market was worth 11.7 trillion won ($10.8 billion) as of 2017, which translates to 26.5 billion cups of coffee sold last year alone. In a country populated by 51.7 million people, that would mean an average of 512 cups consumed per capita. (Seoul International

Nov. 6, 2018

Grape variety with mango taste grows popular in Korea

A new grape variety called shine muscat is an increasingly popular choice on South Korean dinner tables.Shine muscat is distinguished by its unique taste, which includes mango flavors. The yellow-green berries carry a musky flavor, but without much sourness.  Shine Muscat (Yonhap)The variety is more expensive than others in Korea. E-commerce platform E-mart Mall sells the grapes for 1,890 won ($1.68) per 100 grams, while green grapes imported from the US cost 770 won per 100 grams. According to

Nov. 2, 2018