Grand Hilton kick-starts early bird Oktoberfest sales

The Grand Hilton Seoul is gearing up to host its annual Oktoberfest, marking the 10th anniversary of one of the city’s largest beer festivals. The festivities will kick off on Sept. 3 at the hotel’s convention hall. It will feature unlimited Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier and Weihenstephaner Original Lager on tap, along with traditional German food including Bavarian white sausage, schweinshaxe, Black Forest ham and a wide choice of buffet dishes – much like Germany’s original Oktoberfest. This

July 14, 2016

Shake Shack burger to open this month in Gangnam

Shake Shack, a popular burger chain from New York City, will open its first store in Gangnam on July 22, Korean food and confectionary company SPC Group said Tuesday.  (Shake Shack)The store will be near Sinnonhyeon Station, Subway Line No. 9, which is on the same main street in Gangnam as Gangnam Station, Subway Line No. 2. SPC, the operator of bakery chain Paris Baguette, will be operating the burger store under an exclusive contract with Shake Shack. Shake Shack started out in 2001 as a hotdo

July 12, 2016

Seoil Farm enchants with organic and slow-food style

If you look at food history and the culture of any country, the roots of their cuisine usually lie in local and naturally grown ingredients as well as seasonal and slow-food cooking methods. 　Whether you are in Italy or Mexico, or here in Korea, the backbone of traditional food rarely changes with time, keeping culinary history strong. 　At Seoil Farm, an organic working farm and education center in Anseong County, traditional methods of Korean cooking and preparation have been preserved in a bea

July 8, 2016

Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung brings taste of Thai to Korea

With the popularity of Thai food on the rise, Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung Academy is hosting “Thai Cuisine Week” from July 11 to 16 to promote authentic Thai gastronomy in Korea.The week-long lecture series will educate and provide participants with opportunities to prepare and try Thai recipes. From globally recognized dishes, such as pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles), som tam (green papaya salad) and tom yum goong (hot and sour soup with shrimp), to the intricacies of fruit carving and arrangeme

July 7, 2016

[EYE] Giving people the gift of time

Breakfast is a big part of Korean life, the family gathering for a proper sit-down breakfast that would set you off right for the day. Or that used to be the case.These days, such scenes seem to happen only on television. Many students and working people skip breakfast entirely or grab something to eat on the go as they rush out the door. In fact, for most people, a full breakfast is a luxury savored only on the weekends, if at all.Out to change this unhealthy lifestyle is Cho Sung-woo, CEO of B

July 1, 2016

[Home Cooking] Miyeok muchim (Seaweed salad)

Here’s a nice, refreshing summer side dish! Miyeok, also known as wakame, is an edible brown sea vegetable that is highly nutritious. Dried seaweed is a staple in Korean pantries and it is used to make soups and salads year round. In its fresh form, miyeok is brown. You may see brown fresh miyeok sold in markets. It turns green when blanched in boiling water. You can use fresh miyeok for this recipe.  Once soaked, miyeok turns green, plump and is ready to be eaten. However, blanching it briefly

July 1, 2016

MasterChef Korea’s Austin Kang on fast track to fame

Chef-celeb Austin Kang had no idea he would be cooking on cable TV.Up until February, he was far away from the limelight, three years deep into working in the kitchen, first at a Mexican fusion restaurant then at a French establishment, racking up experience in the hopes of one day running his own joint. Then, with his friends’ support and advice, Kang auditioned for cable food channel Olive’s “MasterChef Korea Season 4.”“I didn’t feel I was ready for it,” said the 25-year-old chef who remembere

July 1, 2016

How to grill vegetables right, no matter the shape

Look on the bright side: What with global warming sending our poor, precious planet into a hellbound death spiral, and summer's newly blistering temperatures turning your kitchen into Satan’s sauna, this is the perfect opportunity for you to spend a little more time outside at the grill. So grab your tongs, Prep Schoodents, and let’s grill us some vegetables.　Remember that the grilling of vegetables is not an impenetrable mystery like the true identity of Jack the Ripper or the whereabouts of D.

June 30, 2016

Centuries-old winemaking in Bordeaux gets a modern twist

BORDEAUX, France (AP) -- For centuries Bordeaux has been the corporate center of French winemaking, known for luscious wines, elegant chateaus and shrewd wine-sellers. Now there's a new twist: More consumers want vineyards to use organic or sustainably farmed grapes, and so wineries are responding by mixing tradition with high-tech quality control.The vineyards at Chateau Haut Lafitte offer visitors a look at both the past and the future of winemaking. The vineyards date back to the 1300s, and t

June 30, 2016

Chilled chicken noodle soup to stave off the heat

　As the hot and humid days of summer lie ahead for the next three months, finding ways to cool off has one yearning for more comfortable environs and seeking foods to comfort one’s stomach and weary soul. The Korean palate is often dictated by purpose and seasonality, so for that reason chicken, glutinous rice, cold noodle soups, and high protein ingredients such as sea abalone are highly coveted during the summer months.   Icy Pyongyang chogyetang (Christine Cho)　Chogyetang is a delectable chic

June 24, 2016

Mastering smoothies this summer

With temperatures sizzling, it’s time to break out the blender and start whipping up some frosty, fruity and flavorful smoothies.The beauty of smoothies is that you can add just about anything to them, from kiwi to carrots. And this time of year, there is no shortage of options.Great things to add are seasonal fruits like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, figs, apricots, peaches, plums and nectarines. Others like to blend veggies into the mix, such as spinach, kale, squash and carrots.Nut

June 23, 2016

Healthy-ish burgers at Park Royal offshoot

Nearly two years into the business, owner-chef Derek Oh felt an itch to do something more casual than his already semi-relaxed dining spot, Park Royal. 　He landed on the idea of burgers. 　“We started selling them at Park Royal first,” Oh, 37, said. 　After gauging how diners reacted to the new menu addition, Oh transformed the first floor of his two-story restaurant into an offshoot dubbed Honest Burger by Park Royal. At Park Royal’s casual, burger-centric offshoot, customers order their meat san

June 17, 2016

Brillat-Savarin cheese makes a buttery companion to grilled pears

Brillat-Savarin and I have been getting together — a lot. Not the man, who expired 190 years ago. But the cheese, which is immortal.Who can resist those square shoulders, that tender soul? Who can turn down the triple-cream brie named for Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the savant who said: “The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star.” This is the wit who declared (in French, no less): “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”Wh

June 17, 2016

‘Biggest Loser’ researcher explains why weight loss won‘t stick

SACRAMENTO, California -- When Anne Miranda goes shopping for new clothes, she has to remind herself not to reach for a size 16.Now a slim size 6, Miranda said she still sees herself “as a fat person” despite losing nearly 34 kilograms three years ago. Adjusting to her new figure has been difficult at times, she said. So has keeping off the weight.“It was like Christmas every morning, putting on clothes and having them fit or even be too big,” she said of the period following her drop in weight.

June 16, 2016

Cafe 395 introduces Singapore cuisine

The Millennium Seoul Hilton’s flagship international buffet and all-day-dining restaurant Cafe 395 is serving up Singaporean fare prepared by guest chefs from Singapore until Sunday.　Junior sous chef Koh Kwee Huat and chef de partie Pang Cheah Sing of the Orchard Hotel Singapore -- an affiliate of Millennium Seoul Hilton -- were invited to Seoul to showcase some of Singapore’s most iconic dishes at Cafe 395. Orchard Hotel Singapore’s chef de partie Pang Cheah Sing (Orchard Hotel Singapore)　“We w

June 14, 2016

Foreigners pick marinated crab as most challenging Korean food

Foreign visitors to South Korea chose "ganjang gejang," or raw crab marinated in soy sauce, as the most challenging Korean food, a survey showed Monday.According to the survey of 726 foreigners who visited the country between April and May, 508 respondents, or 65 percent, said the marinated crab is the most difficult dish to eat. (Instagram upload by seungtae.kim) Instagram upload by guun_95"Cheonggukjang," or soup made out of fermented bean paste, came second with 16.7 percent, followed by "san

June 13, 2016