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A Pleasant, Tasty Meal at Gramercy Kitchen

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter If you are looking for a stylish restaurant with food and atmosphere fit for a hotel near Sinsa-dong, Gramercy Kitchen would be a smart choice. Among the stylish brunch places scattered around the neighborhood, Gramercy Kitchen is yet to be noticed with its hotel-quality meals and desserts and cozy atmosphere. The crowd ranges from office workers, couples to middle aged women, and the manager and chef Alberto Lee said that the restaurant is perfect for any occasion, complete with a terrace, wine bar and even a private space for parties on the second floor. As soon as you walk in, the tall glass wine cellar, flowers and the warm brownish interior welcome you. Settling down on the terrace located in the back of the restaurant, we ordered the lunch set (50,000 won) that included a salad, soup, steak dish and dessert. The meal started with assorted bread including ciabatta and baguettes, which were warm and delicious. The grilled shrimp with radicchio, endive, arugula, tomato and a drizzle of mango dressing was a lovely start to begi

May 14, 2009

Be Your Own Rock Star

Record an album, form a rock band & more By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Lee Jung-hwan, 28, has a passion for singing but never pursued a professional career. He is in fact a busy medical student, but he decided to do something more than just croon his favorite tunes at the local ``noraebang'' (karaoke) to express his musicality ― he recorded a couple of albums at a studio. Featuring a dozen tracks, a glossy jacket and casing, they look like professional CDs released by major labels ― except the songs were sung by Lee and his family and an artsy friend designed the covers. ``It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, an eventful and fruitful family event that lasts,'' he told The Korea Times. The project arose when Lee's mother heard about a studio where amateurs can make albums. The family of three took the opportunity to spend several days together, from choosing the songs to the actual recording and designing of the album cover. They also headed to the photo studio for a family portrait to feature in the album jacket. ``It's an event where everyone got together and got r

May 14, 2009

Hotel Lobby

Millennium Seoul Hilton Seasons, Millennium Seoul Hilton's French restaurant, is offering a one-month promotion of white asparagus. Executive chef Park Hyo-nam's asparagus-themed menu captures the ambrosiac qualities of this spring delicacy. The menu includes White Asparagus and Asparagus Almond Jelly with Caviar Dressing, Asparagus Soup with Truffle Cappuccino, Roast Veal Tenderloin with Asparagus Puree with Crisp Potato in Truffle Vinaigrette and Strawberry and Rhubarb Mousse Charlotte with Asparagus Ice Cream. The special menu is available until the end of May and priced at 120,000 won. For reservations, call (02) 317-3060.

May 14, 2009

Exploring Possibility of Foods

Pierre Gagnaire Thinks Korean Food Is Competitive By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter ``My restaurant's goal is to provide pleasure and happiness to the guests,'' said three-star Michelin chef Pierre Gagnaire. Gagnaire was in Korea last week on a weeklong trip to check up on the restaurant that carries his name. It was his third visit since opening ``Pierre Gagnaire a Seoul,'' located on the 35th floor of the Lotte Hotel Seoul in the center of the city, last October. The restaurant has become known for offering exclusive gastronomic adventures a la Gagnaire, and local gourmets flock to the restaurant to taste the culinary art of the man dubbed the ``Picasso of the palate.'' But Gagnaire is a man with a mission. Currently, about 30 percent of the ingredients used are imported. He wants to increase that level to include those that can't be replaced by local products, the likes of French lobsters and mushrooms among them. ``I wish the Korean customs would simplify the process,'' he lamented. That doesn't mean that Gagnaire wants to import everything from overseas and m

May 14, 2009

Indulge in Guilty Pleasure of Daechang

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter It's juicy and fatty and just melts on the tip of your tongue. ``Daechang gui,'' or grilled beef tripe (the largest of the cow's four stomachs), is, even for many locals, an exotic Korean delicacy that is considered an acquired taste. But for those who relish the savory stuff, it's the chou cream of the meat world. This reporter admittedly has never been a big fan of beef tripe, or even beef for that matter, but she decided to brave something new, and was pleasantly surprised at Busan Yang Gopchang in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul. This family restaurant as typical of such Korean eateries is a large hall lined with tables you enter, shoes off, and sit down in the traditional style. There are a few regular tables in a tent outside as well. The venue is crowded around the clock, with a varied clientele ranging from the necktie-clad corporate types to sunglasses-sporting celebrities that all come for one thing: garlic-smothered charcoal-grilled intestines. In traditional agricultural Korean society, the cow was man's best friend. After a long li

May 7, 2009

Hotel Lobby

W Seoul-Walkerhill W Seoul-Walkerhill is launching another W YUM event ``Crab @ Namu and Kitchen'' from May 4 to 17. Crab will be reborn into Kitchen-style salads, risotto, roasted food and Namu-style rolls, soup and steamed whole crab. Kitchen also offers curry-spiced Alaskan crab salad with apple jelly and avocado while Namu provides king crab roll sushi with ponzu sauce. Prices vary from 25,000 won to 40,000 won. For reservations, call Kitchen at (02) 2022-0111 or Namu at (02) 2022-0222.

May 7, 2009

Sunday Brunch Offers Scrumptious Weekend Escape

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Stressed from the workweek? Need a relaxing bout of respite? Then why not indulge in the growing brunch culture at local hotels? The breakfast-lunch meal combo is now a popular trend among those seeking a relaxed dining experience, especially over weekends. Novotel Ambassador Gangnam presents a brunch menu on weekends and holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. In the Lobby Lounge, the menu features steak, salad, eggs, waffle and fresh juice. Also included are grilled sirloin steak, toasted bagel with smoked salmon, classic omelet with cheese and mushroom and buttermilk pancakes. Coffee, tea or juice is provided free of charge. ``I come here to have brunch with my friend. Since both of us work, weekend brunch gives us a nice time to catch up with what happened during the week,'' said office worker Kim Bo-na, 25, who was in the hotel Sunday morning. She ordered the omelet served with roasted potatoes and cherry tomatoes. ``The omelet itself was very good, filled with potato, cheese and mushroom, but the garnish was also potato and mushroom, maki

May 7, 2009

Celebrate World Fair Trade Day With Coffee, Chocolates

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter When you sip a cup of coffee or snack on a bar of chocolate, chances are you don't think about where the coffee beans are from or the farmers who grew the cacao beans. It's hard to imagine that the simple act of buying coffee or chocolate has the power to change people's lives, but thanks to ``fair trade,'' it does. Buying fair trade coffee and chocolates, which are also organically grown, helps improve the lives of coffee farmers in Guatemala and Ecuador, cacao farmers in Ghana and Dominican Republic and sugar cane producers in the Philippines. What is Fair Trade? For the last 50 years, the fair trade movement has been gaining traction around the world, changing the way people think about buying and consuming products. But it has only recently been gaining ground in Korea. Fair trade addresses the issues of inequality and injustice in traditional trade, by giving sustainable prices and providing good working conditions for farmers in developing countries. By doing this, farmers and workers are able to improve their lives

May 7, 2009

Grilled Pork and Rice Cake Make Good Combo

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter ``Samgyeopsal'' or grilled pork loin is undeniably one of the favorite grilled dishes in Korea. ``Tteok'' or rice cakes are another favorite snack. But the idea of combining grilled pork loin with rice cakes does not exactly sound like a great meal. Or is it? We checked out the restaurant chain Tteoksam Sidae (Fusion Pork House) to find out what it's like to bring together tteok and samgyeopsal in one meal The restaurant chain has many branches, but we picked the one in Myeongdong, which attracts a good mix of tourists, shoppers and office workers during lunch and dinner. The menu is fairly simple: ``tteok-sam'' (shorthand for rice cakes and pork loin) with kimchi (9,000 won for 180 g.), ``chadolbagi'' or beef brisket (18,000 won for 150 g.) and rib eye roll (29,000 won for 150 g.) If you can't choose, you can order the set that includes both samgyeopsal and chadolbagi (25,000 won). We settled on ordering the restaurant's specialty, tteok-sam. Each table has a stone grill, where the slabs of fatty pork loin, a heap of kimch

Apr 30, 2009

Hotel Lobby

Grand InterContinental Seoul Grand Cafe, located on the first floor of Grand InterContinental Seoul, presents a temple food buffet consisting of healthy vegetarian dishes using organic ingredients from May 4 to 15. The temple food buffet offers nutritious vegetable dishes such as rice with mountain yarn, three colored noodles and cabbage kimchi. Instead of meat, many dishes are made with tofu. The buffet features lotus root porridge with grinded lotus, cold soup with eggplant, sweet potato rice, edible spring flowers and healthy seasoned vegetable dishes such as turnip julienne salad. The temple food buffet is offered at the price of 33,000 won. For reservations, call (02) 559-7614. Lotte Hotel Seoul Lotte Hotel Seoul holds the ``Korean Culture Festival'' for Japanese travelers and other international guests from May 1 to 7. This event will be an opportunity for foreigners to experience the unique culture of Korea. An exhibition of Korean artworks will be held in the Pine Room. Ancient furniture, ceramic ware, folk painting, pillows and patchwork will enhance foreig

Apr 30, 2009
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