Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Korean executive chef at luxury Macau hotel aims for Michelin

By Yun Suh-youngExecutive chef Kim Min at Wynn Palace Macau shows one of the ingredients used at his restaurant./ Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngMACAU -- A handful of Korean chefs work at overseas restaurants but not many rise to the position of executive chef, especially at a young age. This is even less likely if the restaurant is corporately owned or is part of a corporate structure such as a hotel.In Macau's Wynn Palace, one of the luxury casino hotels in the popular tourism destination, Korean executive chef Kim Min heads the Japanese restaurant Mizumi. And he's only 32."I was lucky," Kim said humbly, carefully preparing a dish. "It's rare but not too unusual. I guess I was lucky with timing and opportunity," he said when asked why he thought he was appointed to the position. He has been heading the restaurant for a little over a year since its opening, which came in line with the opening of the hotel in September 2016.There are two Mizumi restaurants with exactly the same name at the two Wynn hotels located in Macau -- one at the Wynn Macau and the other at Wynn Palace -- a

Apr 3, 2018

Korean executive chef at luxury Macau hotel aims for Michelin

Ven. Sunjae, master of temple food, to head Korean Food Promotion Institute

Ven. Sunjae, master of temple food, has been tapped to head the Korean Food Promotion Institute. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Ji-sooMaster of temple food, Ven. Sunjae, has been tapped to head the Korean Food Promotion Institute.The top post at the government institute to promote Korean food had been vacant for some time, following the departure of its previous president, Yoon Sook-ja, last year. The institute was previously known as Korean Food Foundation.Ven. Sunjae of the Jogye Order was its first designated master of temple food, once the diet of monks, but now popular across the board. She began her monastic life in 1980 at Sinheung Temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and graduated from Joongang Sangha University in 1994. Her thesis, "A Cultural Review of Temple Food," gained public attention. She has been leading the Institute of Sunjae Korean Temple Food in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Ven. Sunjae has also written several books on temple food including “What are You Eating Now?” She has also given special lectures at France's Le Cordon Bleu, the Culinary Institute of Am

Apr 3, 2018

Ven. Sunjae, master of temple food, to head Korean Food Promotion Institute

PHOTOS A glimpse of Korea's biggest cherry blossom festival

/ Courtesy Hankook IlboBy Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo Spring is here and flowers are popping out of buds to greet the long-awaited warmth. With millions of cherry blossoms bursting into bloom, it is time for the annual Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival or “Gunhangje.” The festival, one of the biggest flower events here, began in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. It will continue through April 10, covering roads and alleys surrounding a Navy base with a carpet of dazzling white cherry blossoms The carpet is now rolling out northward with cherry blossom trees in Seoul expected to be in full bloom this weekend.Catch a glimpse of the festival with photos taken by The Korea Times photographers. The schedules of other flower festivals are below. 1. Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival will be held in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, from April 5-8. Visit http://www.wangin.kr for more information.2. Daegaya Festival in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang Province, will last from April 12-15. More information is available at http://fest.daegaya.net.3. Shinan Tulip Festival in Shi

Apr 2, 2018

A glimpse of Korea's biggest cherry blossom festival [PHOTOS]

Korean tourists lead way in Japan

A ninja show at Nagoya Castle / Korea Times photo by Jung Min-hoBy Jung Min-hoKorean tourists have fallen in love with Japan.More Koreans than Chinese visited Japan early this year, making up the largest share of foreign visitors, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said Sunday.According to the JNTO, more than 1.5 million Koreans visited Japan in January and February, up 23.4 percent from the same period last year.The total is about 30 percent of all foreign visitors (5 million).Meanwhile, nearly 1.35 million Chinese visited Japan, up 18.3 percent from the same period last year.In 2017, China made up the largest share of foreign tourists to Japan (7.35 million), followed by Korea (7.14 million). With the latest trend, Korea is expected to top the 2018 overall list.Over the past few years, the number of Korean visitors to Japan has surged. Many find the neighboring country convenient to visit and culturally attractive.Most travelers choose to visit big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, but increasingly they also visit many other smaller, lesser-known areas.

Apr 2, 2018

A Swedish home away from home

Owner couple Oh Soo-jin and Daniel Wikstrand of Hemlagat /  Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young Hemlagat This is the second in a series of articles covering restaurants specializing in authentic international cuisine, produced in collaboration with Todd Sample and Sara Park of food consulting brand ToddSample Eats that recommends authentic international cuisine in Korea. Authentic here doesn't mean sticking to the way things should be, it's about representing the "heart and soul" of a culture. This monthly "dine & talk" journey explores food from different regions and the people who are making them. -- ED.By Yun Suh-young Fifteen years ago, this couple would never have thought they would open a restaurant, leaving their daily jobs as office workers. Oh Soo-jin was a product marketing manager mostly in the IT sector and Daniel Wikstrand was the store manager of a Denmark brand's chain stores and worked for a Swedish trading company in China. The two met in 2003 when they were both 31, exploring a new country, a new language, and learning Chinese as students at an academy.

Apr 1, 2018

Hotel briefs

The Fraser Place Central and Namdaemun in Seoul are presenting the barbeque package from April 6 till Oct. 31 at each hotel's rooftop terrace.The barbeque platter includes tenderloin, sirloin, sausage, prawn, abalone, chicken breast, grilled vegetables and two glasses of cold beer. The hotels also offer hotel picnic mat as a gift to all guests who purchase the barbeque package. The package also includes a gift of a premium picnic mattress and access to hotel facilities, including a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool. The barbeque package costs from 145,000 won. For reservations and inquiries, call (02) 2220-8000 for Fraser Place Central and (02) 2098-0800 for Fraser Place Namdaemun. The Grand Hilton Seoul is offering a Dutch Food Festival in the month of April at its Buffet Restaurant. Chef Frank Uphoff from Hilton Hague will take the lead in the kitchen and present a variety of authentic Dutch cuisine, such as Dutch stew, Dutch salad, Dutch herring, raw herring fish soaked in a mild preserving liquid, and stamppot, potatoes mashed with vegetables and fruits. During the festi

Mar 29, 2018

2 Marriott properties to open this weekend

Fairfield by Marriott Seoul lobby/Courtesy of Fairfield by Marriott SeoulBy Kim Se-jeong Marriott International, the world's biggest hotel chain and the operator of 16 properties in Korea, is opening up two new properties on Friday and Sunday.An exterior view of the Four Points by Sheraton, Gangnam/Courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton, GangnamFour Points by Sheraton, Gangnam, in southern Seoul has 199 rooms, buffet restaurant and a bar, while Fairfield by Marriott Seoul, near Yeongdeungpo Station has 572 guestrooms catering to business guests. “Fairfield by Marriott is the second biggest brand among a total of 30 Marriott brands and its debut is the fourth in Asia following those in India, China and Indonesia,” the Marriott International said in a statement. Marriott expects to open three other properties across Korea this year. RYSE, Autograph Collection, will open in Hongdae, Seoul, later this year. Each of its 272 rooms will feature a Bluetooth speaker, a “boombox” and designer bath gowns in order to attract young guests. Meanwhile, Courtyard by Marriot Seou

Mar 29, 2018

Korean restaurant Mingles ranked Asia's 11th best restaurant

From left, Korean chefs Kim Dae-chun of Toc Toc, Kim Jeong-ho of Jungsik and Kang Min-goo of Mingles pose after the awards ceremony of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 held at Wynn Palace, Macau, Tuesday night. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngTop hotel restaurant dropped from list after 3 yearsBy Yun Suh-youngMACAU -- Contemporary Korean restaurant Mingles have been ranked 11th on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list for 2018, up four ladders from the previous year, during an award ceremony held at the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants event in Wynn Palace, Macau, Tuesday.Mingles had been ranked no. 15 on the list for the past two consecutive years since entering the list in 2016, stepping above Jungsik, which had held the highest rank in Korea with no. 10 in 2015 but has dropped to 22 and 25 in the past two years. This year Jungsik was ranked no. 26 on the list."I'm really happy and thankful. It's hard to line up restaurants and the fact that my restaurant was evaluated this way comes as a huge burden and responsibility. It's my restaurant so I had always felt like I could do whate

Mar 28, 2018

Korean restaurant Mingles ranked Asia's 11th best restaurant

Asia's chefs talk about sustainability, identity and next moves

Owner chef Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre speaks during the 50 Best Talks held at the Wynn Macau, Monday, organized as a pre-event leading up to Asia's 50 Best Restaurants annual awards.   /  Courtesy of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua PannaFinding identity is the task for Asian cuisine By Yun Suh-young MACAU -- “To go global is to go local,” said Asian chefs who gathered in Macau to speak at the 50 Best Talks held Monday, a day before the announcement of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants. Identity, sustainability and the next moves for Asia's gastronomic scene were topics discussed. Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang who won The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award -- Asia 2018 said identity was about “giving a space, a country, a city, a chef the right identity instead of duplicating the same thing.”“You want to create something that fits the space, community and identity, and create conversation for the people who live there,” said Chiang during his talk. Chiang is the owner/chef of the Michelin-starred Rest

Mar 27, 2018

Asia's chefs talk about sustainability, identity and next moves

Flower festivals to raise curtain on spring

Domestic tourists enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival held in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, early every April. / Courtesy of Changwon TourBy Kim Jae-heunWith spring approaching, many flower festivals across the country are dragging people from their homes to enjoy the long-awaited warm season.One of Koreans' favorite flowers in spring is, without a doubt, the cherry blossom. Yeouido in Seoul is most crowded in April with people gathering to look at the cherry blossoms in full bloom.But nobody can deny that the best town to savor the cherry blossom festival in the country is Jinhae in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.Situated in the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula, Jinhae is about 370 kilometers from Seoul _ taking over five hours to get there by car. However, over 2 million tourists visit there annually for the country's biggest cherry blossom festival, the 10-day Jinhae Gunhangje Festival. Sailors march in a military parade during the 10-day Jinhae Gunhangje Festival held together with the Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae. / Courtesy of Changwon TourThis year, the f

Mar 22, 2018

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