Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Modern Italian at Sky Lounge
The newly-renovated interior of the Sky Lounge, on the 30th floor of the InterContinental Seoul COEX, has a blue-color as its theme, which pairs well with the flood of neon and soft-lights stemming from the surrounding high-rises in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. / Courtesy of InterContinental Seoul COEX
By Kim Ji-soo
Italian chef Federico Rossi at the Sky Lounge at the InterContinental Seoul, COEX
By Kim Ji-soo
The InterContinental Hotels in Seoul have undergone major renovations recently. The entrance to the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas is currently behind a large, temporary wall with renovations set to finish next February. The InterContinental Seoul COEX, which faces the Bongeun Temple, completed its rooms and is at work freshening up its restaurants.
As part of it, the Sky Lounge on the 30th floor has been transformed to feature modern Italian cuisine. The new interior is decorated from floor to ceiling in shades of blue, with stainless-steel plates presented on bamboo-smoke color mats combining to create a new, modern urban feel. The Sky Lounge offers a panoramic view of the Han River and the urban southern part of the metropolis. Flowers by the Italian brand “Armani Fiori” decorate the table.
“We wanted to bring back the authenticity of Italian cuisine,” said General Manager Darren Morrish. “We want to make a statement that we are offering modern Italian.”
To that end, the hotel has tapped into the culinary skills of chef Federico Rossi, a 42-year-old native of Venice, Italy. Having worked in four and five star hotels in Switzerland and the Netherlands from 1987 to 2001, he returned to his native Italy until 2004. He later spent several years running his own restaurant in Thailand. He has a special alliance with Korea, having worked at the Westin Chosun and Paradise Hotel in Busan. His wife is a Korean.
Rossi is well-placed to offer authentic ― not localized Italian cuisine. His best dish is the most simple, homemade Italian Pasta.
“Italian food is about family and friends. It’s not formal, but it can be formal,” Morrish said.
True to this formula, Rossi presented a set dinner menu Tuesday that showed savory but not strong yet classic dishes to the media. They were eggplant parmigiana with lobster, pumpkin cream soup with almond, porcini mushroom in fondue cheese sauce, melon sorbet, grilled Australian wagyu beef ribeye with roasted vegetables and tiramisu and coffee.
The accompanying breads, ciabatta and foccacia, were delicious.
Morrish, who was former chef, said that the key indicator to good Italian food was the bread and coffee, as chef Rossi nodded.
The dough used to make the dishes was made with only flour, salt and eggs, demonstrating that the technique and passion for the freshest ingredients are what makes simple combinations authentic and spectacular. The emphasis on authenticity however doesn’t mean that the ingredients will be flown in from Italy, Morrish said, adding that the hotel tries its best to purchase local food materials.
Also as part of the new menu, Sky Lounge will also be offering premium Italian draft beer, “Peroni Nastro Azzurro.” In honor of the reopening of the Sky Lounge, Chef Rossi will personally choose a “Chef’s Menu” to welcome our guests to this exciting new experience.
The newly renovated Sky Lounge Decorative lights help accent the atmosphere of the restaurant. The redesigned menu is also impressive.
For more information, call (02) 3430-8630.