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Hotel Lobby

Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Sheraton Grande Walkerhill is holding the 50th Winemaker's Dinner on Nov. 27, 7 p.m. at the hotel's Aston House mansion. Classic wines from France and contemporary wines from Chile will be served with a formal dinner menu prepared by the head chef. Among the luxurious wines are Chateau Mouton Rothschild 97, Almaviva 06, Chateau Cos D'Estournel 05, Don Melchor 06, Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc 08 and GANCIA Pininfarina Prosecco. An opera performance, followed by a blind wine tasting event, wine auction and lucky draw giveaway will also take place during the dinner. For more information, call (02) 450-4747. Hilton Namhae Golf and Spa Resort Hilton Namhae Golf & Spa Resort won two honorable prizes in the categories of Korea's Leading Resort and Korea's Leading Golf Resort for the third year in a row at the 2009 World Travel Awards. The winners of the 16th World Travel Awards were chosen by thousands of votes cast by 167,000 travel agents and tourism professionals across the globe. The awards, established in 1993, are often dubbed as th

Nov 12, 2009

Braised Short Ribs With Radish (Galbi Jjim)

By Kim Yong-ja This dish needs tender loving attention to make it well. The meat should have a darker color and be very tender but should stay as chunks. INGREDIENTS (serves 4) 3 lbs/1.4 kg BEEF SHORT RIBS with bones, cut 2"/5 cm 8 oz/225 g RADISH, peeled and cut into chunks 1 CARROT, cut into chunks 4 dried SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, soaked in water until soft and cut in half 6 CHESTNUTS, peeled 12 GINKGO NUTS, shelled and inner skin removed 2 SCALLIONS (green part only), cut BLACK PEPPER "JIDAN" (Yellow and White Egg Pancakes) for garnish: optional MARINADE: ⅔ cup SOY SAUCE 2 tablespoons SUGAR, 2 GARLIC CLOVES, crushed 2 tablespoons SESAME OIL ⅓ ASIAN PEAR, grated 1. Cover the ribs with cold water for 30-40 minutes. Then bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the stove and discard the water. Clean the pot and cover the meat with fresh water (approximately 9 cups water) and bring to a boil again. Simmer half covered for 1 hour. Let cool. 2. Drain the liquid into a separate container and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. It makes it easy to s

Nov 12, 2009

Cooks Focus on Globalizing Korean Food

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The globalization of Korean food is a hot topic at the moment ― first lady Kim Yoon-ok and many high-ranking policymakers have stressed that making national cuisine attractive to foreigners is a major component of promoting the country's culture around the world. Lee Sang-hoon and Roh Young-seung, both of whom are cooks at the Renaissance Hotel Seoul, won the grand prize at the World Korean Food Festival last month in New York with their traditional and innovative dishes. The eight-course menu, consisting of vegetables, soup, noodles, meat and desserts, won unanimous acclaim from the panel. "We first wanted to help foreigners understand that Korean food isn't as spicy as they may think and to disseminate its versatility," Lee said. "In five years, I'd bet that many foreigners will enjoy the original version of Korean foods more than ordinary Koreans. But at this stage, we need to soften their first impression and help them get used to the smells," Roh said. He said that the aroma and the strong taste of Indian food or other spicy foo

Nov 12, 2009

Which Cupcake Will It Be?

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Cupcakes have become a trend here, with shops springing up like mushrooms all over Seoul. But for a unique experience, pay a visit to some of the most famous ones that boast not only taste, but also their own distinctive style. Just Like Home As one of the first cupcake shops in Seoul, ``Life is Just a Cup of Cake'' has lived up to its reputation quite well: Easy, simple and comfortable. Although the shop is not spacious, it's cozy and perfect for a comfortable evening with a cupcake, coffee and a chat with friends. ``I went for the `Tom Sawyer' or even the `Anne of Green Gables' concept, which I always liked. I loved the images where there is a friendly aunt, making delicious cake, offering a big piece on a colorful plate with the children gobbling them down instantly with a large glass of milk,'' Lee Saem, the owner of the shop told The Korea Times. Having worked in an advertising company, Lee discovered that she didn't have much time to fulfill her needs ― not as an employee of a company ― but as a person. ``There came a

Nov 12, 2009

Hotel Lobby

Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton's French restaurant Seasons is offering a special truffle promotion this month. Truffles are a pungent fungus known for its aromatic flavor. The special dinner includes sauteed goose liver and truffle salad with Port wine sauce, galette of salmon with truffle scrambled egg, Chateaubriand in Perigueux sauce with truffle sarladaises potato, and chocolate crepe with truffle honey ice cream. The Truffle Tasting Menu is available only at dinner time and is priced at 120,000 won. For reservations, call (02) 317-3060. Imperial Palace Hotel The buffet restaurant of Imperial Palace Hotel, Familia, offers traditional dishes of the Philippines from Nov. 20 to Dec. 24, inviting culinary kings from its branch in Philippines. Two experienced chefs from Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa in Cebu, opened in September, will show off delicacies such as Lechon kawali, a fired suckling pig eaten during festivals in the country. Some 30 other dishes include crispy pata (fried pork after boiling), chicken with black bean sauce a

Nov 5, 2009

Persimmons With Honey & Lime Juice

By Kim Yong-ja This is an excerpt from “Korean Cuisine: Healthy Food, Full of Flavor,” (Yekyong Publishing, 224 p., 28,000 won). The book is on sale at major bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore, Youngpoong Bookstore and Bandi & Luni’s. ― ED. The persimmon is a symbol of autumn in Korea. There are two kinds: one is round and pointed and is very soft inside; the other, which I prefer using, is flat on top and medium firm. If the persimmons are very hard at the time of purchase, let them sit at room temperature for a day or two. They should be a bit tender. With honey and lime juice, persimmon slices will clear your palate very pleasantly. INGREDIENTS (serves 4) 6 GAAM (PERSIMMONS), flat shape 2 round tablespoons HONEY ½ LIME or LEMON 1 Peel the skin of the persimmons and remove the bottoms. Divide them into 4. 2 Drizzle honey and lime juice over the fruit. 3 Serve while fresh! (Serves four)

Nov 5, 2009

Sheraton Incheon Delights in New Bridge

Neither Alain Rigodin nor the Sheraton Incheon Hotel invested in the monumental Incheon Bridge, which is the seventh longest in the world and links the heart of Incheon to Songdo. The bridge is 21.38 kilometers long and brings together the major Incheon area, including Incheon International Airport, to the up-and-coming metropolis Songdo. Nestled right next to the Incheon Conventia, Sheraton Incheon is all set to greet the enormous number of visitors who will surely grace this port area in the years to come. ``It is going to take about 18 months, but things will pick up soon,'' said Rigodin, general manager of the 319-room five-star property over lunch at Bene, its luscious Italian eatery. The French hotelier was referring to the amount of time it will take the hotel up to full speed ― though he appears to be headed in the right direction. Already, he is overseeing the operation of its restaurants. There's Yue, which serves Chinese cuisine; Miyabi, which serves Japanese; buffet restaurant Feast; and Bene. There is also the B-Flat bar and the Connexion lounge. ``The

Nov 5, 2009

Discovering the Perfect Wine Pairing

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Wine is in vogue at the moment ― Koreans consumed more than 28,770 liters of imported and some unmonitored local wines last year. The popular Japanese comic ``Les Gouttes de Dieu'' (Drops of God), has accelerated the sales of wine dramatically, and also contributed to creating a trend of ordering wine at dinner tables and making a toast. Eun Dae-hwan, the sommelier at the Ritz-Carlton Seoul hotel, said ``No one can deny that the book has generated a renewed enthusiasm in wine.'' Eun, however, said wine the drink itself has enough to charm and attract people. ``Wine resembles natural human lives: the younger in vintage it is, the more powerful and strong it tastes while the older it is, the more subtle and deep the flavor gets," he said. Koreans have become sophisticated and direct in choosing wine, he said. ``They have studied a lot and tried various kinds of wine. They have certain wine lists in their heads and name specific items at dinner tables,'' Eun said. However, many people still find it quite difficult to choose what to drink

Nov 5, 2009

Beomeo Temple, An Urban Escape

This is the fifth in a series of templestays. ― ED By Roger Shepherd Contributing Writer Recently I had the pleasure of participating in an overnight temple stay program at Busan's famous Beomeo Temple (Beomeosa). The large Buddhist complex sits under Mt. Geumjeong in the Youngnam area of what is known as the Nakdong-jeongmaek (ridge) on the eastern side of the city. It gets its name from the pillar-like rock that sits atop of Mt. Geumjeong. On top of that rock is a well (spring) that is always full of gold colored water. Legend states that a gold-colored fish came down from the sky and played in the well giving the area the name of Geumsaem (gold spring) and fish from heaven (beomeo). Certainly, as I walked into the busy weekend grounds of the temple, there was a golden feeling about this panoramic location. My research told me that Beomeo Temple was the 14th headquarters of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order. The Zen Mountain Temple administers over 100 subordinate temples and 11 hermitages. Said to have been built approximately 1,300 years ago in 678 by Master Ui Sa

Nov 5, 2009

59th Warwick’s recommendation: Doenjang-jjigae (Soybean paste stew)

"Doenjangjjigae" is one of the typical forms of Korean stew. Though the taste of fermented soybean might strike most strangers as unfamiliar, Warwick said the dish can be glamorized with interesting stories as a representative of Korea's everyday dishes. Ingredients 90 grams of beef (top round or sirloin), 15 grams (3 sheets) of brown oak mushrooms, 700 milliliters (3.5 cups) of rice-washed water, 75 grams (5 tablespoons) of soybean paste, 250 grams (0.5 block) of tofu, 2.2 grams (1 teaspoon) of chili powder, 20 grams of green onion, 15 grams of green pepper, 20 grams of red pepper Seasoning sauce: 9 grams (0.5 tablespoon) of clear soy sauce, 4.5 grams (1 teaspoon) of minced green onion, 2.8 grams (0.5 teaspoon) of minced garlic, 0.5 gram (1/3 teaspoon) of sesame salt, 0.3 gram (1/8 teaspoon) of ground black pepper, 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of sesame oil Preparation 1. Clean blood off beef with cotton cloths, and cut 2.5-centimeter square and 0.5-centimeter thick pieces. 2. Soak brown oak mushrooms in water for 1 hour, then remove stems, wipe water and shred into

Oct 30, 2009
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