800kg pumpkin wins Calif. weigh-off

An pumpkin filling a pickup truck bed and weighing 1,775 pounds won Monday‘s weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., the self-described “World Pumpkin Capital.”For Thad Starr, 45, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., it was his third win as a pumpkin grower in what was billed as a “world championship pumpkin weigh-off.” He high-fived his daughter Danika, 9, as his wife Katrina and son Derek, 7, joined the celebration, the San Mateo County Times reported.“It’s awesome,” Starr said.He will be awarded a prize of $1

Oct. 9, 2012

Singaporean delicacies at Grand Hyatt Seoul

The hotel’s restaurant “The Terrace” invites guests to enjoy Singaporean delicacies by three chefs from Grand Hyatt Singapore from Oct. 11-24. Guests can experience the flavorful Singaporean cuisine of Low Hui Heng, Mahahtyir Bin Ya and Rajesh Kumar. Dishes include Pulut Hitam, a spicy, sweet dish made of black rice and coconuts; Beef Rendang, a Malaysian short-rib stew; Popiah, a spring roll consisting of vegetables and seafood wrapped in a wheat pancake; and Tandoori Oven Chicken, an Indian di

Oct. 5, 2012

Authentic Chinese cuisine at the Shilla Seoul

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant Palsun has invited the staff of Shanghai’s most famous contemporary restaurant, Whampoa Club, to present their finest cuisine from Oct. 18-20. Whampoa Club, located in The Bund, Shanghai, is praised by many critics for premium cuisine that is both diverse and modern. The restaurant’s executive chef Alan Zhou, along with five chefs, a tea sommelier and a hall manager, will visit Korea for the first time, and re-create the taste and environment of Whampoa Club at the

Oct. 5, 2012

Balinese delicacies at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul

The hotel presents traditional Balinese and Indonesian dishes at its restaurant “Granum Dining Lounge” from Oct. 5-12. With guest chef Sariati from Banyan Tree Ungasan’s Artawan restaurant, diners can enjoy fine delicacies such as Bebec Betutu, smoked duck wrapped in a banana leaf along with 25 spices; Gado, vegetable salad with peanut sauce; Mie Goreng, Indonesian fried noodle; and Sate Lilit, chopped chicken baked with coconut juice, shrimp paste and kaffir lime. “Balinese Trio Custard,” a tra

Oct. 5, 2012

Fruit dessert promotion at InterContinental Seoul COEX

The Lobby Lounge at the hotel presents the third season of its “Fruit Dessert Buffet,” a chance for guests to savor the season’s fresh fruits available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Sept. 7-Nov. 18. With a menu carefully selected by its ptissiers and guest feedback from the previous two seasons, the Lobby Lounge brings visitors the finest desserts. Fruit-flavored macaroons beneath a decadent chocolate fountain, and a soft persimmon panna cotta and banana crme brle are also available. In

Oct. 5, 2012

Guldubu jjigae (tofu stew with oysters)

Guldubu jjigae is a clear stew made of oysters, tofu and salted anchovy juice. Among seafood, the oyster contains the highest amount of nutrients and plenty of protein, so Koreans refer to them as “milk from the sea.” Oysters have been widely enjoyed in Korea since the country is surrounded by sea on three sides. Ingredients● 100g oysters, 1 cup water, 1 tsp salt ● 1/3 tofu cake ● 20g small green onion, 1/2 red pepper, 1 tsp minced garlic ● 3 1/2 cups water, 1 tbsp salted shrimp juice, 1/2 tsp s

Oct. 5, 2012

Tofu central

Korean restaurant makes house-made tofu focus of modern menuAt Dudukansang ― a restaurant located in Gyeonggi Province near Pangyo that opened a year-and-a-half ago ― tofu and other soybean-based dishes are the focus of an inventive and health-oriented menu. Owner-chef Lee Song-mo parlays expertise built up in the realm of Western cuisine to give snowy, creamy, house-made bean curd a pleasant and unexpected “oomph,” draping cubes of it over a spicy, tomato-infused mussel soup and using it to mak

Oct. 5, 2012

Chuseok package at Park Hyatt Seoul

The hotel presents a Chuseok package for six days from Sept. 28-Oct. 3. The package includes a one-night stay, a bottle of premium red wine, complimentary in-room Internet access and free access to the fitness studio, swimming pool and more. In addition, from 6-8 p.m. every evening, “Aperitivo Time” offers unlimited aperitifs with matching finger food, such as cold cuts, cheese, bread and home-made marinated vegetables and fruits, for 20,000 won. The package also offers free access to the fitnes

Sept. 28, 2012

Dream in Venice at the Shilla Seoul

The hotel presents its fall package, “Dream in Venice,” from Sept. 21-Oct. 20. Guests can enjoy a variety of Italian wines at the hotel’s “Venice-themed” outdoor pool. The package includes a ticket to “Dream in Venice Winery Tour” from 7-11 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to enjoy unlimited wine while enjoying the atmosphere, charming sounds of the wind chime, and a transparent bridge that gives the feeling of walking on water. Guests can enjoy premium wines from Italy such as Brioni, Valen

Sept. 28, 2012

“Seven Luck” sandwiches at the Plaza Hotel

The hotel’s boutique caf and bar “The Lounge” offers a newly added sandwich menu, “Seven Luck,” featuring six kinds of sandwiches made by the hotel’s chefs for each day of the week. The chef at the Lounge participated in the whole process of creating three new sandwiches. The “Oceans Burger” contains fresh shrimp, squid and halibut cutlet, and “Camembert Cheese Mushroom Panini” is made with Turkish traditional bread ekmek, camembert cheese and mushrooms. The “Olive Chicken Sandwich” is a perfect

Sept. 28, 2012

October Beer Festival at Renaissance Seoul Hotel

The hotel’s outdoor bar Beer Garden presents the “October Beer Festival” for the upcoming autumn season every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from Oct. 4-Nov. 2. October Beer Festival offers a variety of German-style dishes and unlimited BBQ including German-style potato soup, German potato salad, marinated cabbage salad, German pickles, Frankfurter sausage, beer-marinated roasted pork knuckle, traditional German sauerkraut, and sprout-marinated grilled chicken. Also, guests with the “Beer Garden

Sept. 28, 2012

Japchae (potato starch noodles stir-fried with vegetables)

Japchae is a dish of potato starch noodles mixed with various stir-fried vegetables. Japchae is served without fail on holidays and traditional ceremonial days. The name japchae, or sundried vegetables, came about because it is mixed with various vegetables. Ingredients● 50g beef (top round), 10g (2 sheets) brown oak mushrooms, 3g Jew’s ear mushrooms ● Seasoning sauce ①: 1.2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp minced green onion, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp sesame salt, 1/2 tsp sesame oil,

Sept. 28, 2012

Presidential diners give restaurateurs a big rush

WASHINGTON ― Are presidents good for the restaurant business?They are if the first families are inclined to dine out, as the Clintons were in their time and the Obamas are now.Ashok Bajaj credits President Bill Clinton with putting “Indian food on the map” after visiting his Bombay Club here in Washington in August 1993 and eight to 10 more times after that during his two terms.“There’s definitely a spike in business” after a president dines in your establishment, Bajaj said. “It’s very much lik

Sept. 28, 2012

Chuseok planner

Pairing Chuseok dishes with green tea and handling leftoversWith a mere week left till the nation celebrates one of South Korea’s biggest annual holidays, the time has come to start gathering the necessary ingredients needed to prepare traditional dishes for the ancestral “jesa” table next Sunday morning. By now, Chuseok gifts have begun to trickle in. Generally food-related and seasonal, these packages range from precious rows of pine mushrooms redolent of early autumn to neatly arranged slabs

Sept. 21, 2012

Annual Oktoberfest at Millennium Seoul Hilton

The hotel’s international buffet restaurant Orangerie is hosting “Oktoberfest,” a festival which originated in Munich, Germany, during the month of October. Orangerie will be decorated in blue and white, the representative colors of Oktoberfest. Adding to the ambience, the servers will be dressed in traditional Oktoberfest garb and guests may taste the festival’s signature delicacies including handmade German sausages, sauerkraut, German-style potato salad, German sausage salad and more. Lunch b

Sept. 21, 2012

Autumn promotion menu at Imperial Palace Seoul

The hotel presents autumn seasonal special menus at its Chinese restaurant Cheonsan, Japanese restaurant Manyo and Italian restaurant Verona until Nov. 30. Cheonsan introduces invigorating pine mushroom dishes such as natural pine mushroom abalone, sea cucumber and steamed shark’s fin. Manyo presents “Woo Bon Shu Woo” course menus, which include traditional Kyoto cuisine, autumn pine mushroom and seafood, Dobimushi and “autumn-colored shinzoo” made of natural pine mushroom. Verona offers seven s

Sept. 21, 2012

Package after renovation at InterContinental Seoul Coex

The hotel, celebrating the completion of its renovations, presents the “First Stay Package,” offering accommodation at discounted prices through Nov.11. The package will cover a one-night stay at a superior room or an elite room as well as free access to the fitness center and free internet. In addition, a special coupon book will be provided with a gift certificate for a second glass on the house at the lounge bar, a 20 percent discount at any hotel restaurant, and more. Asian Live, Sky Lounge,

Sept. 21, 2012

Dishes for autumn gastronomy at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill

The hotel’s Asian restaurants Myonwolgwan and Kiyomizu present “Dishes for Autumn Gastronomy,” available until Nov. 30 and Oct. 31, respectively. Myongwolgwan, the Korean restaurant offers a healthy and eco-friendly dish, steamed rice in lotus leaf. Lotus leaf is a perfect menu for guests with high blood pressure and diabetes. Chef Nagatsuma, the executive chef at the Japanese restaurant Kiyomizu, presents the “autumn kaiseki cuisine,” refined authentic Japanese delicacies composed of pine mushr

Sept. 21, 2012