Michelin star-winning chefs go to luxury hotels

With 26 restaurants boasting highly coveted Michelin stars, Seoul’s fine dining scene is definitely on the rise. Streets in posh neighborhoods of Seoul are dotted with eateries serving cuisines from around the world. By comparison, the restaurant scene in hotels seems to have lost its luster. Up until the 2000s, hotel restaurants were where one headed here for the upscale, fine-dining experience. But today, star chefs at independent restaurants are the trendsetters leading the fine-dining

July 18, 2019

Half the guilt, double the pleasure

Ice cream and eating healthy have never quite gone hand in hand. But some alternative brands are trying to bridge the seemingly opposite ideas, producing low-calorie ice cream. 　Among them is Halo Top, an ice cream brand based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2012, it boasts a “better for you” ice cream.  Created by two former lawyers interested in healthy lifestyles, a pint of Halo Top’s ice cream has 285 to 330 calories, one-fourth that of typical ice cream product

July 18, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Charging summer energy at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant presents a summer meal course.Taipan offers a seven-course meal featuring summer health and vitality foods. The meal will start off with a special seafood appetizer with caviar, followed by turtle soup with ginseng and Chinese matrimony vine. The soup will be followed by stir-fried chicken and neungi mushrooms, and then live freshwater eel with garlic and chili sauce. Diners will be served st

July 12, 2019

[Weekender] Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

Around 8 o’ clock on a recent Sunday morning, more than 30 people waited in line outside a building in eastern Seoul. At the end of the line stood a sign reading “You will not be able to buy from here on.” Just before 9 a.m., a man came out, opened the door and started clearing the street where people stood in line, as they rushed into a small shop. Inside, there’re no tables, just a stack full of very fat and thick macarons. In less than 50 minutes, the door closed again

July 5, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Korean bingsu with Danish flair at Grand InterContinental Seoul ParnasIn celebration of its 30th anniversary, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents bingsu in collaboration with Danish porcelain brand Royal Copenhagen.Retro Mugwort Bingsu will be served in an exquisite bowl from Royal Copenhagen until the end of August. The bingsu comes with mugwort jelly, mugwort-flavored fresh chocolate, mugwort-flavored condensed milk, injeolmi rice cake, adzuki beans and granola on top.Those who order

July 5, 2019

Housemade pasta and more at It’el JAE

When the tajarin arrives tableside at the newly minted It’el JAE, it is a decadent, mouthwatering affair -- a sumptuous tangle of handmade pasta bathed in sage-infused butter, strewn with translucent slices of black truffle and showered with pungent Pecorino and Grana Padano cheeses. A barely poached yolk, golden and glossy, is nestled in the center. After politely waiting for diners to document the dish in photos, the servers use a fork and spoon to break the yolk and delicately blend eve

July 5, 2019

[Weekender] The dessert craze

Beside a coin launderette and a convenience store inside a dowdy, two-story building in a not-so-fancy residential neighborhood in Gayang-dong, Seoul, nestles a small dessert shop specializing in French macarons. Selling the colorful confections for 1,800 ($1.55) to 2,300 won apiece, shop owner and baker Kim Hyun-seo also makes party favor boxes and occasionally hosts macaron-baking classes. “Being a dessert lover myself, I have been baking at home for years and recently decided to open a

July 5, 2019

‘Sommeliers are no longer just about serving good wine’

Though sommeliers are evaluated on their expertise on wine and service skills, for hotel sommeliers, there are other qualities to consider, too. Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas’ sommelier Yoo Seung-min, 43, was recognized for his competence in May, being honored as the Asia Winner of Sommelier of Stelliers. The Stelliers is formally known as the Hotelier Awards. Hoteliers from more than 100 hotels from 19 countries participated in the event, competing in 19 different categories related

June 26, 2019

[Weekender] A game of chicken

Ask South Koreans how they unwind after a long day at work, and many will say chimaek -- deep-fried chicken paired with cold beer. Neither of the two originated here, but the combination has become so popular that chicken bars are almost ubiquitous in Korea now. From an economic point of view, however, the trend may be overdone. According to Statistics Korea and a study by the KB Financial Group Economic Research Institute, there were nearly 87,000 chicken eateries as of February this year. That

June 21, 2019

[Weekender] What would you do for fried chicken?

A majority of Koreans love fried chicken, but some take it to a whole new level. For instance, those who attend BBQ Chicken University, dedicated to the art of the deep-fried dish. Established by the fried chicken franchise Genesis BBQ, the institute is not a real university. It is a training camp for new employees and franchisees. But it also welcomes those who would like to know more about the secret to delicious fried chicken.  According to the institution, its one-day program instructed

June 21, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Going vegan at Grand Hyatt Seoul 　Grand Hyatt Seoul has introduced its new vegan burger at its poolside barbecue station.The Beyond Burger vegan patty that is nearly indistinguishable from meat comes with vegan cheddar cheese, vegan mayo and a variety of fresh vegetables. It is made from 100 percent plant-based ingredients.Listed on the Grab & Go menu offered at the poolside barbecue station, the burger can be ordered alongside other salads, sandwiches and low-calorie options. There are also

June 20, 2019

[Seoul Food Alley] Behind jewelry shops, pairing pork, kimchi and oysters in Jongno

Note: This is the last installment of the Seoul Food Alley series. Over the last two months, The Korea Herald has explored back alleys of Seoul, introducing clusters of restaurants specializing in local delicacies, including stir-fried baby octopus, tteokbokki, sundae and grilled meat. - Ed. Tucked away behind the shiny jewelry district of Jongno 3-ga are decades-old restaurants serving bossam, boiled pork wrapped in kimchi. Though bossam is widely enjoyed in Korea, the restaurants here a

June 19, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Going vegan at Grand Hyatt Seoul Grand Hyatt Seoul introduces the how, new vegan burger at its poolside barbecue station.The Beyond Burger vegan patty that is nearly indistinguishable from meat comes with vegan cheddar cheese, vegan mayo and a variety of fresh vegetables. It is made from 100 percent plant-based ingredients.Listed on the Grab & Go menu offered at the poolside barbecue station, the burger can be ordered alongside other salads, sandwiches and low-calorie options. There are also

June 14, 2019

Sanuki udon by way of Osaka at Hyun Udon

Hyun Udon owner-chef Park Sang-hyun takes noodle making very seriously. To ensure their freshness, Park and his team make the noodles twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. His udon noodles are crafted with flour, sun-dried salt, vinegar and water. The acidic nature of vinegar, according to Park, interacts with the gluten in the dough in a manner that helps him achieve the noodles he wants -- which are incredibly chewy and smooth. After resting the dough twice, once for t

June 14, 2019

[Seoul Food Alley] Tender, sweet spareribs at Seongsu-dong

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. -- Ed.Going out for grilled meat is always a treat, especially if you can sit outside in the nice early summer weather.Seongsu-dong Galbi Alley, situated near Seoul Forest in eastern Seoul, allows diners to grill meat outside. Tables and chairs

June 13, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Relaxing spa at Grand Hyatt SeoulGrand Hyatt Seoul’s The Spa presents special spa treatment programs for the summer. The Vitamin Pulse Facial program includes a 30-minute back massage and one-hour anti-aging massage. The Green & Citrus treatment consists of a 90-minute body massage along with a bottle of organic cleanse juice. The Spa allows customers to choose the type of music to be played during its treatments. Treatments cost 220,000 won each. For more information or reservations,

June 7, 2019

[Seoul Food Alley] Trip back to ’90s: visiting ‘seagull meat alley’ in central Seoul

In all its retro glory, an alley in Seoul -- serving grilled “seagull meat” -- has risen as a popular dining spot. Though the name may indicate its location to be near a port city, “seagull meat alley” is actually situated at the heart of central Seoul, near Jongno 3-ga Station.(Video shot and edited by Lee Sun-hye /The Korea Herald) Don’ let the name galmaegisal, which could mean seagull meat in Korean, mislead you. The name refers to skirt steak, the cut

June 5, 2019

Food Safety Ministry to kick off YouTube series promoting less salt, sugar in diet

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is starting a YouTube series to encourage people to eat less salt and sugar.The series will feature cooking shows with low-salt and low-sugar recipes, as well as on-site evaluations of the salt and sugar content of packaged foods and restaurant dishes.Ahead of the series’ launch, the Food Safety Ministry held a healthy diet forum Monday.Reducing sodium and sugar intake is one of the campaigns being run by the ministry this year. From May 14 to 17, the m

June 3, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Fruit bingsu at Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Cilantro Deli presents bingsu, topped with summer fruits. Four varieties of bingsu, Koreans’ favorite summer desert made with shaved ice, are offered, featuring melon, pineapple, avocado and mango as the main topping. Large-sized, they are designed to be shared by two to three people.Each bingsoo is accompanied by small bowls of nuts, sweet red bean paste and rice cakes. Bingsu is priced between 43,000 won to 48,000 wo

May 31, 2019

Coffee with character at T.o.ch

The scent of candied strawberries fills T.o.ch Coffee’s small showroom, emanating from freshly ground beans of Bourbon and Castillo varieties hailing from the El Paraiso association in Colombia. Once extracted as pour-over coffee, this brew unleashes an initial layer of lemon peel, followed by the sugary, dairy-rich scent of strawberries and cream.“This coffee possesses a very clear character,” said T.o.ch Coffee CEO Lee Min-kyu. The 35-year-old seems to view character as

May 31, 2019