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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Hotels Offer Classy Autumn Weddings

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Many women fantasize about weddings. A large wedding hall, however, may not seem like the ideal place. Top class hotels are presenting original weddings packages for those who are planning their special day. Whether you want it to be lavish or simple, major hotels will cater to your plans. European Touch The Ritz-Carlton Seoul presents an ``Opera Wedding,'' where the ceremony is held in two storied grand rooms and guests can enjoy the wedding as if they were enjoying an opera from a box seat. The wedding venue is six stories high, with one wall completely made of glass, and the event is ``broadcast'' on a large screen for a maximum of 600 guests. The hotel offers a one-night stay in its Executive Suite with a bottle of wine and assorted fruit. ``Ritz-Carlton chains worldwide are well known for wedding extravaganza. Here in Korea, we thought providing class and practicality at the same time would work,'' Carrie Yoon, the hotel promoter, said. At the Imperial Palace Hotel, the ``French Wedding'' in its luxurious Dubet Hall

Sep 17, 2009

Autumn Hails Book Festivals

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Scorching heat is giving way to cool autumn breeze. Fall is considered to be the best season for reading books because of its mild weather and calm atmosphere. To make good use of the season, various book festivals and events are taking place around the city this month. Seoul Wow Book Festival The 5th Seoul Wow Book Festival will be held from Sept. 18 to 24 near Hongik University. The festival offers 53 cultural events such as meetings with authors, book fairs, exhibitions and a street book market in which 75 publishers will participate. This year's festival has been lengthened from the three-day festival from previous years to a seven-day event due to its growing popularity. Myung Roh-jin, the host and actor-turned-author, will hold a session every evening on the first three days in which writer Kim Young-wook, renowned for ``The Painting Book Meets Music,'' will explain his book and talk to readers. Han Seong-ju, former Miss Korea and an entertainer, will host a charity event to raise funds for providing books to underprivileg

Sep 17, 2009

Explore Moroccan Cuisine at La Vie

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Morocco, especially Casablanca, is one of those exotic places that most people dream of visiting some day. But the reality is that it's far away, and expensive to get there. People interested in discovering the taste of Moroccan cuisine don't have to hop on a plane to the North African country; they just need to head over to Itaewon. La Vie, which opened last December, serves authentic Moroccan food, such as "tagine," "couscous" and "bastilla." The restaurant's owner Abdellah Bjaoui raved about his country's unique cuisine, describing the flavorful stews, steamed vegetables and, of course, couscous. ``You can't imagine any Moroccan who does not eat couscous,'' Bjaoui told The Korea Times. Couscous, a dish with steamed wheat granules, looks easy enough to cook but many restaurants serve it as gritty and sticky. At La Vie, the couscous is cooked to perfection. The wheat grains were surprisingly light and did not stick to each other, which Bjaoui attributes to a ``secret'' ingredient. Couscous Royal is served with potat

Sep 17, 2009

Thai Dishes Up Substance Over Style

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Thai cuisine here has become increasingly popular but many of the restaurants are pricey, making the exotic dishes delicacies rather than everyday meals. But Thai in Myeong-dong, called ``Ssalguksueui Jeonseol,'' or ``legend of rice noodle,'' offers something palpably different ― in style, substance and price. We visited Thai during lunchtime on a weekday and were intrigued to find such an obscure place amid the hustle and bustle of Myeong-dong. Quietly tucked away on the second floor of one of the numerous buildings that crowd the area, the place definitely isn't a hot spot for first dates. Thai has foregone the ornate decorations and floral motifs usually found in its local equivalents. It is instead lined with rather discolored family restaurant-style booths, TV screens playing Thai pop music videos and a few local paper lanterns. But as the clock ticked past noon, businessmen and women started filing in. Once we figured out how the self-service policy worked and experienced the down-to-earth goodness of the food ― and the prices ― it

Sep 10, 2009

Hotels Offer Pine Mushroom Delicacies

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The weather is getting colder and it is officially autumn ― time for good pine mushrooms. Natural pine mushrooms are a gourmet favorite because of their deep flavor and rarity. Top class hotels here are working on presenting their signature dishes with this luxurious mushroom. Park Hyatt Seoul presents pine mushroom menus including tagliatelle with pine mushrooms, barley risotto with taleggio cheese and pine mushrooms, Australian Wagyu beef sirloin with pan seared pine mushrooms and many more at its Cornerstone restaurant from Sept. 14 for two weeks. In addition to a la carte menus, a three-course set menu ― from pine mushroom appetizers to pastas to main dishes ― is also provided. The prices start at 22,000 won, excluding tax. The Westin Chosun Seoul offers natural pine mushroom delicacies in Japanese restaurant Sushi Cho from Sept. 1 to 30 and in Chinese restaurant Hong Yuan from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. Sushi Cho's full course meal includes natural pine mushroom salad, natural pine mushroom broiled on a charcoal brazier, roasted abalon

Sep 10, 2009

Hotel Lobby

Imperial Palace Hotel The Imperial Palace Hotel presents a ``Full Moon Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) Package'' from Oct. 1 to 4. Guests will be able to stay one night in its Superior Room for 115,000 won exclusive of tax. For an additional payment of 40,000 to 50,000 won, guests will be offered a European-style breakfast buffet at the ``Amiga'' restaurant. Free access to the fitness center and the indoor pool is provided and a 10-percent discount is applied for in-house restaurants. For more information, call (02) 3440-8000 or visit www.imperialpalace.co.kr Sheraton Incheon Hotel The Sheraton Incheon Hotel launched its Japanese restaurant Miyabi Sept. 2. The 98-seat restaurant has three rooms equipped with a floor-seating system and one room with table and chairs. Its menu ranges from sushi, sashimi, original Japanese meal courses, as well as high-end sake. At its open kitchen, chefs will offer freshly cooked teriyaki-sauce yagyu, seafood mix, abalone and scallop dishes. Lunch and dinner sets are provided, ranging from sashimi, sushi to bento

Sep 10, 2009

Taking It Slow: Slow Down, Relax at Korea’s Slow Cities

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Seoul is without a doubt one of the busiest cities in the world, and many Koreans have started to realize the importance of slowing down. Try visiting a "Cittaslow," or one of the country's slow cities to appreciate the environment, food and culture they have to offer. Cittaslow Corea, the Korean branch of the Cittaslow movement, was started by its Chairman Sohn De-hyun in 2007. After organizing the branch, Sohn quickly recommended several cities to the Cittaslow committee and after observations of the areas an inspection team designated Sinan, Wando, Jangheung, Damyang and Hadong Counties as members. Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province has also applied for membership and is waiting for final confirmation from the team. Sinan County ``The salt farm in Jeongdo is a blessed land'' ― Cittaslow Inspection Team Jeongdo, located in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, is the seventh-largest island among the 1,004 in the region and is famous for the nation's largest salt farm, where more than 15,000 tons of sea salt is harvested ever

Sep 10, 2009

Seoul Cooking Contest for Korean Food Successfully Held

By Kim Hyun-cheol Staff Reporter A huge cookery hall at the Human Resources Development Services Center in western Seoul was full of sizzling heat and tall-capped chefs Tuesday afternoon, as the nation's most acclaimed experts on Korean food bid for spots to represent the country in an upcoming international cooking competition. A total of 41 teams, along with eight invited exhibition groups, matched their skills and expertise in Korean cuisine or ``hansik,'' at the fourth and last regional contest for the upcoming World Korean Food Competition and Festival. Some of the nation's top experts of traditional and contemporary Korean food took part in the contest, in which they were required to prepare a full-course meal within three hours. Participants included chefs from Seoul and metropolitan-based hotels such as Mayfield, Westin Chosun, JW Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Seoul and Grand Ambassador. Cooks from several local food and cooking franchises also vied with entries of creative and authentic hansik menus. A pair of cooking professors became the winners in the most

Sep 8, 2009

Korea House to Turn Into Cultural Complex

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The Korea House, a tourist spot for learning Korea's tradition and culture, has been renovated as a cultural complex. The first change the 28-year-old Korea House had to go through was management. The former executive director of Korean Air, Kim Maeng-ryung, was appointed as the new CEO. ``We have decided to bring the Korea House to the next level in quality. With choreographer Kook Soo-ho upgrading traditional performance programs and Korean food expert Han Bok-ryeo introducing her new meal course ``Daejanggeum Jeongsik,'' we will strive to bring the essence of Korean culture to both the public and foreign tourists,'' Kim said during a press conference last week in the complex. Along with the two professionals working on the upgrade, the Korea House opened its new building called ``Chuiseonru,'' which houses cooking classes, a traditional gift shop and a terrace with benches where visitors can rest and chat. ``It took a long time to get rid of the remains of the last 28 years,'' Kook said. ``I transformed the performance hall into

Sep 6, 2009

Hotel Lobby

The Imperial Palace Hotel The Imperial Palace Hotel is holding a ``Make a Wish'' event from Sept. 1 to 17 to mark its 20th anniversary on Sept. 17. Guests with food bills of more than 200,000 won will receive a lottery ticket to win tickets for a stay at the chain's Itaewon IP Boutique Hotel, IP Hotel Fukuoka, or Cebu Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa; a dining voucher; airplane tickets and others. A stay at a suite and dining vouchers at its Chinese and Japanese restaurant will also be offered as prizes. For more information, call (02) 3440-8000 R Hotel ``R Hotel'' opened Sept. 1 in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. The first class boutique hotel has 86 differently designed rooms, a restaurant, and a rooftop lounge where various parties are scheduled to mark the opening. Targeting tourists and business travelers from all around the world, the rooms are about 50 percent larger than others, the hotel said. The hotel is planning to offer various packages for bachelor parties, marriage proposal parties, birthday parties and others. The R Hotel is located at the

Sep 3, 2009
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