InterContinental Globalizing Korean Food
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
"Jabche," or stir-fried potato noodles with vegetables, is served in a beautifully crafted, transparent bag, and the dish is decorated with roasted sea scallops. The taste is the same as the traditional Korean dish, but the presentation is stunningly modern. And it is the first dish of "Made in Korea," a seven-course modernized Korean cuisine served at the Sky Lounge in the COEX InterContinental Seoul.
"It is offered in seven courses to allow guests to taste and enjoy each dish," said Bae Han-chul, kitchens director at InterContinental Hotels Seoul.
The menu, which was originally planned to be only a one-month promotion, became permanent at the Sky Lounge due to the enthusiastic reaction from customers.
The "Made in Korea" menu costs 70,000 won, a rather moderate price for a course dinner at hotel restaurants.
"We want people to come and enjoy. So we priced it cheaper," the executive chef said. The menu is not only popular among expatriates but also for locals looking for a new culinary experience.
The promotion is part of an effort to globalize Korean food, which is led by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and local hotels.
InterContinental Hotels Seoul set up a culinary team to promote the globalization of "hansik," or Korean food. Led by Bae, the team consists of local and foreign chefs.
"We hold CICI Korea events annually and we had to come up with a special Korean dinner menu for foreigners," Bae said. "We wanted to make a modernized Korean dish while keeping its traditional essence, which foreigners can approach with ease."
Non-Korean chefs contribute a lot in devising globalized Korean dishes as they know what foreigners seek in Korean food as well as basic Korean flavors and local produce.
Nick Flynn, the hotel's Executive Chef and a member of the team, said the menu was subtle in its use of Korean flavors so it can be a good introduction to Korean food for expatriates who are encountering it for the first time. "I am very passionate about Korean food and want to let the world hear about it," he said.
The Australian chef first asks his team members how their mother makes the dish. He tastes their samples and thinks of changes he can make to create something with the same taste but with a different presentation and a touch of modern culinary skill. Ultimately, he wants to make a new dining experience.
"We serve traditional dishes as well as provide a modern dining experience. It is a fantastic way for foreigners to be introduced to Korean culinary culture," Flynn said.
For example, the modernized Korean course cannot have traditional bean curd stew, or "doenjang jjigae," as soup, so the chefs created a tomato tea as an appetizing alternative.
Belonging to a worldwide chain is another advantage of InterContinental, and Korean chefs at the Grand and COEX InterContinental Seoul have been invited to present Korean food promotions in Costa Rica, Indonesia and the Philippines, among other countries.
"Foreigners' perception of Korean food is just at the level of bulgogi (marinated beef)," Flynn said. "It's up to us to show beautiful Korean food to the world. I see huge potential there."
The team wants to include Korean dishes at international restaurants in InterContinental hotels worldwide.
"Cross-exposure with sister hotels and communicating with them is important," Flynn said. "If we have well-modernized Korean dishes and supply ingredients, it can be successful in other countries as well."
He said he would definitely introduce these dishes to wherever he ends up after his stint at the Seoul hotel.
The chain is trying various ways to modernize Korean food, and offers a promotion to match Korean dishes and wines in mid-October.
"Korean food has a lot of variety, diversity in flavors and flavor profiles, and uses healthy, good ingredients," Flynn said. "Globalizing Korean food is an ongoing process and we are moving to the next stage."
The hotel also plans to offer a persimmon dessert buffet in November. It has held various dessert buffets featuring such items as chocolate, strawberries and oranges. "This is an attempt to present persimmons, a popular Korean fruit, in a Western way," Kim Hyun-sook, the hotel's promoter said.