Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Best hotel Ultimate French cuisine at Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul
The opening of Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul in October 2008 at the Lotte Hotel Seoul introduced a whole new concept of French dining to Korea.
Operated by the world-renowned three-starred Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire, the restaurant features Gagnaire’s French cuisine of revolutionary cooking methods and artistic revelation; a collection of 270 different wines selected to match the chef’s creative dishes; stylish interior design; Gagnaire’s comprehensive service manual ranging from reception and service technique to food and wine pairing; and a multi-concept bar, the first in the world to have his name.
Gagnaire doesn’t easily allow his name to be used because restaurants bearing his name should maintain a high level of quality.
Only five of his restaurants across the world bear the name, which are in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai and Seoul, meaning guests of the Seoul restaurant can have the same quality of food and service as that in Paris.
The Lotte Hotel Seoul was able to bring the highest level of restaurant to Korea by investing about 7 billion won in the Pierre Gagnaire brand import, design, recruiting staff from Paris, menu consulting and employee’s overseas benchmarking and training.
The chef explores the science behind textures and combinations of different food ingredients. He introduces jarring juxtapositions of flavors, tastes, textures and ingredients that have never been attempted before. His touches are evaluated to be daring and bold, yet subtle. Such factors have positioned him among the world’s greatest chefs in the culinary world.
Gagnaire follows genuine French cuisine regarding food ingredients and basic cooking methods, but his cooking style is modern, innovative and diverse. To enhance the color contrast, only white tableware is used.
The chef personally selected the collection of 270 wines, including 100 that have never been introduced in Korea before. All the food ingredients are of the highest quality in Korea, while rare ingredients and spices are imported directly from France.
The restaurant is comprised of a main dining hall for up to 40 guests, four private rooms with different themes, and “Pierre’s Bar.” The motif of the restaurant is the “Secret Garden of the Palace of Versailles.” Gagnaire himself was actively involved in interior design and decoration, selecting not only accessories but also all the silverware, glassware, chinaware and linen from Paris and Milan.