“Be My Valentine” dining packages at Grand Ambassador Seoul

The hotel’s two premium restaurants will each be offering a romantic “Be My Valentine” dinner. At Caf de Chef, a special six-course French meal will be served with a bottle of wine handpicked by the sommelier. The main course will include king prawns, lamb shanks, tenderloin steak, foie gras, sea urchin custard, crab tempura and much more. Guests will also receive a flower basket and a Valentine’s Day cake. The dinner is 150,000 won per person, tax included. Alternatively, the hotel’s buffet THE

Feb. 7, 2013

Valentine’s Day romance package at Hyatt Regency Jeju

The hotel presents the “Romance” package for couples for Valentine’s Day from Feb. 1 to March 13. The package includes an overnight stay at an exclusive Regency Club room, a continental buffet breakfast and a happy hour at the hotel’s Regency Club Lounge. Guests will be offered homemade chocolates and red wine. In addition, package guests can enjoy complimentary use of the indoor swimming pool, gym and sauna. The hotel also offers various in-room decorations at various prices, which include tax.

Feb. 7, 2013

Tteokguk (Rice cake soup)

Tteokguk is a soup made with sliced rice cakes, usually in beef broth. It’s a traditional New Year’s dish made with garaetteok, which is unsweetened and shaped like a long cylinder. For the soup, garaetteok is sliced into thin oval shapes. The white oval shape symbolizes a bright and prosperous new year. Growing up, I always loved to eat long steaming garaetteok my mother would bring home from a rice cake mill in preparation for the New Year’s feast. She would wait a couple of days for the garae

Feb. 7, 2013

Healthy New Year: Try recipes that add grains, greens and healthy protein to your diet

It seems every year, the New Year is the time when so many of us make healthy eating resolutions. Of course, January is when memberships for weight-loss programs boom. But, inevitably, the resolve to diet withers, and we go back to scarfing and feeling guilty.So what’s the long-term solution? “People need diners’ education just like they need drivers’ education,” says Carolyn O’Neil, a dietitian and journalist, who writes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Healthy Eating column.“Nutrition advice

Feb. 7, 2013

Internet ‘floggers’ cashin on food-mad Asia

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ― As a Hindu who does not eat beef but craves other meat, Tashny Sukumaran discovered her new passion for pork burgers through her native Malaysia’s vibrant food-blogging, or “flogging,” scene.The Muslim-majority country’s mainstream media shy from references to pork and other foods objectionable to Islam, but blogs have helped spark a burger boom in a nation with sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.“I kept reading about pork burgers on ‘flogs’ but have never seen m

Feb. 6, 2013

Valentine’s Day special at Lotte Hotel Seoul

Korean restaurant Mugungwha invites French chef Eric Trochon, the executive chef at restaurant Semilla, Paris and winner of the MOF (Meileur Ouvrier de France), to present a special Valentine’s Day menu. The chef will feature his unique version of Korean plates titled “Reinterpretation of Korean Cuisine” for two days, Feb 14-15. The Valentine’s Day specialties are priced at 300,000 won for lunch and 500,000 won for dinner (tax and service charge included). The prices are for two adults and two c

Feb. 1, 2013

Valentine’s Day special menu at Hyatt Regency Incheon

The hotel’s restaurant, Restaurant 8, is introducing a Valentine’s Day special menu. The hotel’s executive chef Mitele Sbardellini will present six courses in Verona style. The first course starts with rainbow trout carpaccio, to be followed by celeriac soup with sea scallop, herb oil and caviar. The third course, Gnocchi Rosa will be served as a pasta course followed by roasted duck breast as the main dish. For dessert, guests can enjoy passion fruit mousse with soft almond meringue and raspber

Feb. 1, 2013

Valentine’s Day package at Conrad Seoul

The hotel offers the “INFINITY by Conrad ― BEYOND LIMITS” package. The package includes pick-up service by a stretch limo, overnight accommodation, 120-minute spa treatment in a private room, and an exclusive dinner for two at 37 Grill. The set menu includes champagne, yellow kingfish, lobster, halibut and wagyu strip loin along with desserts. Guests will receive special room service that includes a personal eye mask, bath master service, champagne, a gift set and flowers by Armani. A relaxed br

Feb. 1, 2013

Lunar New Year’s Day package at Grand Hilton Seoul

The hotel is offering three special packages “Luck,” “Love,” and “Joy” from Feb. 8-12. The “Luck” package is priced at 130,000 won for one night at the hotel’s newly renovated deluxe room. The “Love” package includes movie tickets, pizza and Coke, and will be offered for 170,000 won. The “Joy” package offers a spacious room for three guests for 170,000 won. Guests booking any of the three packages can enjoy complimentary use of the fitness center and a 50 percent discount on the sauna. To celebr

Feb. 1, 2013

Sri Lankan cuisine at Millennium Seoul Hilton

The hotel’s international buffet restaurant, Orangerie is having a Sri Lankan food promotion during the month of February. For the first two weeks of the event, Sri Lankan guest chef from Colombo Hilton, Chef Premathilaka, will offer favorite Sri Lankan dishes with a fresh Sri Lankan rotti station, chicken stew with mustard and onions, oriental-style baked fish with green chili and more. The lunch buffet is 64,000 won for adults and 38,400 won for children aged 12 and under. The dinner buffet is

Feb. 1, 2013

Korean-flavored chicken wings

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner in the U.S. I am not a football fan, but I enjoy hosting a small party. It’s always fun to get together with family and friends to watch the big game, as we cheer for our favorite team. This time, it will be the Baltimore Ravens for my family. Besides the geographic proximity to the Washington D.C. area, where we live, it’s the city where we began our immigrant lives a long time ago. It’s also the city where my son was born. For some of our friends, t

Feb. 1, 2013

Taking raw beyond copycat cuisine

LOS ANGELES ― The kimchi dumplings at Matthew Kenney’s M.A.K.E. restaurant in Santa Monica, California, might be the poster dish for modern raw cuisine: origami-like bundles of cashews, pickled cabbage and tahini, packaged in wrappers made with dehydrated coconut puree mixed with cilantro juice so that they’re bright green, and served with sesame-ginger foam and nasturtium flowers. Hello to the new raw food.The dumplings, one of the most popular items on the menu at the 3-month-old restaurant, r

Feb. 1, 2013

Coffee chains strengthen membership services

Korean coffee shops are trying to attract more customers with membership services and free coupons amid intensifying competition. The three biggest coffee chains in Korea -- Starbucks Coffee Korea, Caffebene, and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Korea -- are at the forefront of such marketing campaigns to lock customers into their programs.Starbucks promotes its membership card and purchase-based free coupons to retain its customers over the long term. It has what it calls Green and Gold level service

Jan. 29, 2013

Lunar New Year holiday package at Imperial Palace Seoul

The hotel presents an “Enjoy Your 2013 Package” for warm and blissful relaxation away from the cold, available during the Lunar New Year from Feb. 8-11. The package includes a one-night stay in a room commanding a spectacular night view, and free access to the gym and swimming pool. In addition, families and couples can enjoy a memorable New Year holiday with the hotel’s complimentary gift, Yut Nori, a traditional board game. All guests will receive a body and hair gift set from KORRES, a presti

Jan. 25, 2013

Lunar New Year healing retreat package at Westin Chosun Seoul

The hotel presents a Chinese New Year package from Feb. 7-12. The package comes in four types depending on room and services offered, and are priced from 180,000 won to 350,000 won, excluding tax and service charge. Package I includes a Business Deluxe Room, 10 percent discount at hotel restaurants, in-room espresso coffee, free access to the gym and swimming pool, and a coin book. Package II offers all the benefits from Package I plus a super salad, two bottles of mineral water and free use of

Jan. 25, 2013

Exclusive Valentine’s Day dinner at Ritz-Carlton Seoul

The hotel’s restaurant The Garden will offer a Valentine’s Day dinner this year for couples in search of a truly romantic dining experience. Reserved for only 20 couples, each couple will be seated at a table decorated with rose petals and candlelight, and served a six-course dinner accompanied by two glasses of sparkling wine. Courses will include lobster and king crab ceviche with caviar dressing, foie gras with fruit chutney, aglio olio pasta, Korean beef steak with Marsala sauce, and Grand M

Jan. 25, 2013

Strawberry buffet at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas

The hotel will be hosting its renowned dessert buffet from Feb. 1 to March 31. At this year's buffet there will be three main sections to experience. In Section I guests will be offered strawberry pizza, classic French Frasier sponge cream cake, and rehrucken, a traditional German chocolate cake. In Section II guests can enjoy sugar-soaked strawberry compote, Italian panna cotta, macaroon, strawberry pie, cheesecake and more. Section III will provide fresh strawberries and a pink chocolate fount

Jan. 25, 2013

Gentlemen’s Club at Grand Hyatt Seoul

The hotel introduces a brand new institution, the “Gentlemen’s Club.” The club features a variety of the world’s finest cognacs, as well as gourmet dining experiences. This month the theme of Gentlemen’s Club is “Cognac,” featuring cognac from Hennessey. The event will start off with a welcome cocktail reception, followed by a three-course gourmet meal served in a private room and accompanied by fine wines. Hennessey brand ambassador Arnaud Mirey will host the event, and participants will get an

Jan. 25, 2013

Japchae, (Stir-fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables)

Japchae is a noodle dish made with sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), also known as glass noodles. The chewy and stringy noodles are nicely paired with thin strips of beef and various vegetables such as carrots, spinach, onions and mushrooms. All of the ingredients, separately cooked to develop the layers of flavor, are combined at the end into a deliciously colorful dish with a smooth balance of sweet and savory flavors. This classic method is what makes this dish special and a Korean fav

Jan. 25, 2013