By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
One of the best ways to celebrate the arrival of autumn would be to enjoy the seasonal food, and few chefs would hesitate to praise the delicacy of pine mushrooms around this time of the year.
Often called the ``jewel of the forest'' for their superb taste and flavor, pine mushrooms are also regarded as a health food due to their antioxidant capacity as well as low calorie count, helping to lower cholesterol and improve circulation.
Top restaurants at local hotels are now busy preparing seasonal dishes featuring the mushrooms, which start to produce the best tastes and quality at the beginning of the new season.
The Grand InterContinental Seoul's Japanese restaurant Hakone will have a new menu highlighting the wild pine mushrooms, available through Oct. 31.
``Pine mushrooms are best in fall,'' sous chef Kim Ki-joong of the restaurant said. ``They are also well matched with other ingredients through various recipes. But we are trying to keep their flavor and tastes best without using much spices.''
Brought directly from Bonghwa village located in mountainous Gangwon Province, the mushrooms are served in a nine-course meal at the restaurant.
Some of the dishes include braised pine mushroom, fried pine mushroom, pine mushroom sushi and pine mushroom soup. The course meal ends with rice with flavored pine mushroom and ginkgo nuts.
The pine mushroom promotion is offered for both lunch and dinner. The course meal price is 160,000 won. For more information, call (02) 559-7623.
Another Japanese restaurant at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam also brings the finest autumn delicacy to its tables for gourmets.
The restaurant offers an eight-course menu, priced at 150,000 won.
A set of a la carte is also available with prices starting from 35,000 won.
The special menu is available through Nov. 7. For more information, call (02) 531-6477.
Park Hyatt's main restaurant, the Cornerstone, also introduces a new menu, featuring pine mushrooms.
Stefano Di Salvo, head chef of the hotel, recommends such dishes as beef carpaccio, fully complemented by the fresh scent of pine mushrooms, grilled sea bass, Salmon ceviche, mushroom risotto and taleggio.
Diners can also try out a four-course set menu, which is especially favored by women looking to lose weight.
The new menu is available through Sept. 27 with the prices for single course meals starting from 22,000 won and set menus from 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2016-1234.
Hyatt Regency Incheon's Restaurant 8 is holding a special ``pine mushroom" promotion available daily for dinner, through Oct. 31.
The menu includes pine mushroom salad, pine mushroom with squash and leek and grilled pine mushroom.
Prices range from 25.000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, call (032) 745-1234.
Lotte Hotel Seoul brought premium pine mushrooms from Yang Yang County in Gangwon Province to hold a promotion at its restaurants from Sept. 18 to Oct. 31.
Japanese restaurant Momoyama offers a natural pine mushroom course menu at 250,000 won and salt-grilled pine mushrooms at 130,000 won. Korean restaurant Mugunghwa present a grilled natural pine mushroom set at 100,000 won and pine mushroom bean paste soup set at 45,000 won. Chinese restaurant Toh Lim's pine needle course is available at 170,000 won, maple course. For more information, call (02) 771-1000.