[Food] Omakase adds new flavor to Seoul’s food scene

“Omakase” is a traditional Japanese dining style where guests leave their menu choices up to a chef. Literally meaning “I will leave it to you” in Japanese, omakase in Korea usually refers to a high-end dining experience at a Japanese restaurant’s sushi counter. The chef prepares one piece of fish at a time and introduces its name and origin.  Recently, non-sushi items, from tempura, coffee and pork, have also found their way into the local omakase scene. The

May 28, 2022

[Temple to Table] Precious, revitalizing ingredient: Ssuk injeolmi

Located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Geungnaksa is a quiet, beautiful place. Surrounded by Gubongsan and a small creek running beside the temple compound, the temple looks well situated, even to someone who doesn’t know geomancy. The Ven. Yeogeo is well known to the general public as a teacher of temple food. Emphasizing the value of seasonal ingredients, she creates different dishes every season based on the veggies, fruits, and flowers available to be harvested from the mountains and f

May 28, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul offers homemade bingsu The Lounge, the premium lounge destination in the eighth-floor reception lobby at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, celebrates the arrival of summer with three varieties of homemade iced bingsu dessert, available until Sept. 18. Annual bestseller Jeju Apple Mango Bingsu, the Lounge’s signature summer dessert, features mango pearls topped with a whole sliced apple mango. Ocean Bingsu, newly created for 2022, features blue pearls topped with blue Cu

May 27, 2022

When flowers bloom on your plate

In the month of May, flowers are given on several different occasions in Korea, often to celebrate and express gratitude. From Parents’ Day to Teacher’s Day, flower shops are busy preparing lavish bouquets and baskets throughout what is known as Family Month. What if such beautiful flowers can also be enjoyed as part of your meal? An Italian restaurant and a dessert cafe in Seoul proves that flowers can indeed be a feast for the palate, not just a feast for the eyes. Flower piz

May 21, 2022

[Holly’s Korean Kitchen] Dububuchim, crispy Korean pan-fried tofu

This Korean pan-fried tofu recipe is a great way to enjoy plant-based protein in a healthy and inexpensive way. No pressing is required to get the crispy texture. This is one of the best low-effort, pan-seared tofu dishes you can easily make at home. Here I present one of my favorite Korean side dish recipes. This pan-fried tofu has just the right texture: Crispy outside and chewy inside. A slightly spicy Korean soy chili sauce drizzle gives a flavor boost to the bland tofu. This fast tofu r

May 21, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

L’Escape launches ‘You be You’ package with Starbucks L’Escape Hotel, located in Seoul’s Myeong-dong, is offering a collaboration package with Starbucks. The package includes a night stay at L‘Escape’s Deluxe Room. Gifts include a Starbucks logo patch and a limited edition design patch made by L’Escape for a fashionable summer look. At Marque d’Amour, the 26th floor hotel bar, three special cocktails based on Starbucks VIA coffee is serve

May 20, 2022

Not your typical jjamppong

"Should we go for jajangmyeon or jjamppong today?” This is a typical question asked at a Chinese restaurant in Korea, where the two dishes are the most popular. Jjamppong refers to a Korean-Chinese noodle dish with either a spicy seafood broth or pork broth, made with red gochugaru, or red chili powder. In recent years, the traditional jjamppong has been getting a makeover, just like other fusion dishes that have mixed cultural roots. While retaining the spicy kick, jjamppong t

May 14, 2022

[Temple to Table] Sweet taste of food in spring: Fresh kimchi with bomdong and deodeok in doenjang sauce

Society attributes a variety of adjectives to temple food such as healthy, natural and cleaner. Are such words accurate? Ven. Dorim, who teaches at Hyangjeok Segye, a culinary art institute operated by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, disagrees, saying, “Temple food is not that grand.” Monastics use the same ingredients that Koreans used to eat in leaner times and prepare them in ways to enhance the taste. Temple food is neither extravagant nor special. The most important

May 14, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents Japanese breakfast menus Tamayura, the luxury Japanese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, presents three authentic Japanese breakfasts prepared with seasonal ingredients. Abalone Ozen is a rice porridge dish made with carefully selected abalone from the waters off Wando Island. Eel Ozen is a donburi-style breakfast dish of sea eel, served on pot-steamed rice. Sea Urchin Roe Ozen features saffron-steamed rice topped with sea urchin roe, tofu skin and aspara

May 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] Studying traditional Korean food: An art of patience and endless questions

The fame of “K-food” was not built in a day. Korean cuisine, an important component of the country’s soft power along with K-pop and K-dramas that have a relatively short history, dates back centuries, with written records of it going back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC–AD 668). In metropolitan cities, fine dining restaurants that serve ornate contemporary Korean cuisines and small eateries with bite-sized Korean snacks are easy to find. However, places that serv

May 7, 2022

[Holly’s Korean Kitchen] Bibimbap, Korean rice bowl with beef and vegetables

Classic bibimbap, made with an array of vegetables, beef, and the savory bibimbap sauce, represents the best of Korean food. The colorful display of vegetables makes this world-famous Korean mixed rice dish a wholesome and healthy meal. This bibimbap recipe can become vegetarian or vegan if you omit the beef and egg. Once you have had a bibimbap experience, you’ll be hooked. And you can totally make a scrumptious Korean bibimbap at home with this easy bibimbap recipe. The recipe serves

May 7, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents special dining promotion for families Flavors, a buffet restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, greets the arrival of May with a special buffet menu dedicated to families. During the month of May, the buffet features seafood, grilled meats, Korean dishes and other cuisines prepared at seven live stations. On Children’s Day, May 5, kids’ favorites including beef tacos, rose tteokbokki with chewy noodles, mini burgers and mozzarella hotdogs will be av

May 6, 2022

Booming Napoli-style espresso nudges Americano

Around 11:00 a.m. Thursday at a coffee bar in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong, a bunch of caffeine lovers took a few sips of their coffee served in tiny white cups.  Aside from the smaller servings, the place had another key difference from the many coffee joints that can be found in streets of Seoul. Many of its customers were indulging in their coffee standing because about half of the tables were standing tables with no chairs. The unique cafe is part of a new addition to South Korea&rsq

May 2, 2022

[Temple to Table] Shaking off summer fatigue: Braised green chili pepper

Ven. Seonjae is the first Korean Temple Food Master certified by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Having entered the monastic community at age 25, she has worked hard for over 40 years to make temple food accessible and enjoyable to the public. For three years until 2021, she served as chairman of the board of directors for the Korean Food Promotion Institute, and promoted the excellence of Korean food widely, beyond the boundary of temple food, her area of expertise. “What we eat pr

April 30, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Grand Hyatt Seoul launches new steak dishes The Steak House at Grand Hyatt Seoul brought a fresh change to its menu starting early April, offering a variety of steak options using its signature cooking methods. To go along with different steak options, the restaurant has created their own four different mustard sauces for the best pairings. Guests will be able to enjoy a customized dining experience with live cooking performances for the three options: aged Korean beef tartare, Avruga caviar

April 29, 2022

Louis Vuitton to open first-ever pop-up restaurant in Seoul

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton is set to open its first ever pop-up restaurant at its flagship boutique in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, next month. Pierre Sang at Louis Vuitton will open on the fourth floor of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul from May 4 to June 10, serving French cuisine inspired by seasonal ingredients, according to the company. The pop-up restaurant will offer daily multicourse lunch and dinner service from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., respectively. Coffee a

April 26, 2022

Cold comfort: Three unique ice cream spots in Seoul

As the weather gets warmer and pandemic restrictions are mostly lifted, ice cream shops and vendors are hoping to present their frozen delights to more customers. The cold dessert has been loved by Koreans through more than half a century of changes. In the ‘60s and ’70s, summer months saw ice pop vendors selling the cold treats from their carts in downtown streets and market alleys. Carried in a portable wooden box, the vividly colored frozen ice pops were sold for 5 won (3 cen

April 23, 2022

[Holly’s Korean Kitchen] Kongnamul muchim, Korean bean sprout side dish

This Korean bean sprout side dish is made with soybean sprouts. It has a crunchy texture and nutty taste. This salad side dish recipe is easy to make and is one of the many healthy banchan, Korean side dishes, that can accompany any Korean or Asian meal. We call this soybean sprout side dish, kongnamul muchim in Korean. It is perhaps the most common Korean side dish of all. For that reason, Koreans call it a “national side dish of Korea (gukmin banchan)” because every household cons

April 23, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul unveils new signature bakery collection The Atrium Lounge at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents a new collection of signature bakery goods, crafted by head baker Morgan Muller in accordance with authentic French recipes combined with natural Korean ingredients. The signature collection features natural sourdough-style fermentation techniques. Options include the plain sourdough baguette, multigrain sourdough baguette and pistachio, apricot and cranberry sourdough.

April 22, 2022

'Bajirak, bajirak!': Fresh sound alerting the arrival of spring

When Koreans think of clams, bajirak will most likely be the first thing that comes to mind. The most popular and widely used littleneck clams in Korea, bajirak can be boiled, steamed or stir-fried. After the very first sip of hot bajirak broth, Koreans often exclaim, “siwonhada!” savoring the clean flavor of the sea with the soul-clearing, refreshing taste.  While bajirak is available year-round, the best time of the year to taste their chewy, succulent meat is from spring

April 17, 2022