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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.

Enjoy Real Mexican at On the Border

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Craving Mexican food? Not those dry and empty tortillas or greasy chips, but real, genuine Mexican food, complete with Mexican beers, tequilas and margaritas? On the Border (OTB), is a United States based Mexican restaurant. The first Sinchon branch opened last Oct. 18, and since has been striving to reach the palates of Korean guests. Like any other family restaurant that serves complimentary bread, OTB also offers free appetizers ― chips and salsa, not bread ― before you choose your dish. The hearty-sized chips are fresh, because they are made daily. We ordered a bunch of dishes: the ``Guacamole Live,'' ``Border's Lunch CYO (Create Your Own) Combo'' ``The Big Bordurrito,'' ``Sizzling Apple Crisp'' for dessert, strawberry and peach non-alcoholic fruit margaritas. The ``Guacamole Live'' (11,900 won) was impressive. The server joins the guests with a small portable table with two avocadoes, a lemon, some salt and cilantro, diced tomatoes and red onion. After asking the guests if there is anything they would like to exclude from the dis

Mar 20, 2008

Hotel Lobby

COEX InterContinental Seoul Asian Live at the COEX InterContinental Seoul offers a new Thai menu by Thai chef Santi Khittikhungphong from April 1. He will be preparing simple, yet modern Thai dishes featuring fresh seafood and vegetables. In addition, Asian Live has recently opened seven new private dining rooms to house a total of 20 private dining rooms available now for special occasions. For more information, call (02) 3430-8620. JW Marriott Seoul The JW Marriott Seoul offers the ``Romantic Holiday Package'' through the end of April. The package includes one night's stay in one of Superior Rooms, two complimentary Marriott Cafe buffet vouchers, and access to the Marquis Fitness Club and Swimming Pool. Especially for couples, the first fifty couples to book a reservation will receive two complimentary satin t-shirts. All reservations receive complimentary room service upon check-in of a bottle of white wine and sweet chocolate. The Romantic Holiday Escape Package is available from Friday through Sunday until the end of April, starting at 299,00

Mar 20, 2008

Hotels Counter Slump With Investment

By Kim Tae-jong Staff Reporter Refusing to flinch in the face of a protracted economic slump, the nation's top hotels are opting to expand investments to get ahead of their rivals. At the forefront of the pack gearing to upgrade their services is the JW Marriott Seoul. It will soon launch a full-scale renovation of its guestrooms and other facilities at a cost of $10 million. ``We know we are in the middle of bad economic conditions,'' Chris Lee, director of marketing at the hotel, said. ``But without decisive investments, we believe we cannot win in the fierce competition with our peers.'' Construction will begin in July with completion aimed for next February. The largest-scale renovation ever at the hotel includes the installation of high-tech TV sets, working desks and other modernized furniture. ``Of course we don't expect to recover what we will spend on the project quickly. But we believe the renovation will pay off in the long-term,'' Lee said. Other hotels also plan to spend a large portion of their revenue on renovating guestrooms, public spaces and fu

Mar 20, 2008

Vive La Korean Food! Hallyu Revitalizes Culinary Tradition

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Garfield the cartoon cat often says, ``you are what you eat.'' Rightly so, the art and science of eating and culinary customs and styles define a people's culture, tradition and spirit. While Korea possesses a unique gastronomic culture, many have turned to imported pastas and pastries. But a few years ago, the TV drama ``Jewel in the Palace'' (aka. Dae Jang Geum) rekindled the general public's interest. The culinary adventures of a Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) court lady traveled overseas, leading hallyu or the ``Korean wave'' far and wide, gaining fans even in Zimbabwe. Recently, the box office hit ``Le Grand Chef'' and popular TV soap ``Golden Bride'' also featured mouthwatering Korean dishes, sizzling the enthusiasm. Hansik, or Korean traditional cuisine, has gained momentum and is out to go global. Let's go behind the scenes to see who cooked up the visually scrumptious delights and ways you can get a tasting! Regal & Refined Those who watched ``Jewel in the Palace'' closely may have noticed that the stocky fingers busily preparing

Mar 20, 2008

Travel Trainers Offer Help for Senior’s Hiking in Switzerland

By Kim Rahn Staff Reporter Switzerland Tourism will resume the ``Travel Trainer'' program this spring, following the successful launch of it last fall. ``Travel Trainer,'' developed by the tourism body's Korean office, is the program in which trainers give consultations and guides to hiking routes according to each traveler's health. ``I see Koreans enjoying the beautiful scenery of Switzerland mainly from behind the windows of mountain trains. I think it is a pity. I wish that Koreans traveling to Switzerland do not only see the beauty, but experience it. One of the best ways to do so is certainly by hiking,'' said Christian Hauswirth, Swiss ambassador to Korea, said in the travel organization's media conference held in Seoul last week. The program enjoyed high popularity last year, especially from the middle-aged and the elderly. According to the organization's survey of 512 people aged over 50, people in those age groups hesitated to travel as they worry about health problems and sometimes suffer from fatigue and other aches after tours. In the program, expert trai

Mar 20, 2008

Local Favorite Il Parco Presents Fresh Cuisine

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Taking someone to a good Italian restaurant is a high-risk endeavor in Korea. Il Parco, an Italian restaurant in Hagye-dong, northern Seoul, is a good place for great Italian food. Due to its ravishing outlook and fame taxi drivers nearby all know the place, the cost of the dishes could be too pricey for most dinners. Steaks range from 27,000 won to 34,000 won and other dishes like pasta, risotto and other side dishes also cost in the 12,000-28,000 won range. The service is excellent and the dishes are well presented. The luxurious interior makes you feel like you are in the dining room of a European home. But for all the great appearances, the food itself does not carry much of a great Italian flavor. Although the steak and lamb were fresh, the sauce and the meat did not match well enough. The lamb (29,000 won) was of great quality and well baked, but once you taste the white sauce you'll wish you had the meat alone. The steak (28,000 won) ― which should have been medium-well done ― was overcooked, and the seafood pasta wa

Mar 13, 2008

Spring Beckons With Festivals

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Spring may well be a season that arrives in our minds, before it actually lands on our soil. You start to feel the chilly wind fade and trees show off fresh buds ― it seems spring is right around the corner. Instead of just lying back and enjoying the warm sun, how about going out and really smelling, tasting and touching the new season? For those who want to welcome the flowery season to the utmost, here is a list of festivals to visit with friends and family. Gwangyang Ume Blossom Culture Festival and Bohae Contest Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, is host to the 12th ``Ume (also known as Japanese apricot) Blossom Culture Festival,'' one of the earliest blossom festivals in the nation March 8-16. Visitors can stroll through a square kilometer of ume blossoms. The annual festival started in 1997 and is famous for the beauty of the trees and the high quality of their fruit. Located near Seomjin River, the ume trees will indeed offer beautiful scenery to wash away your stress. The ume tree is actually a distant relative of the rose

Mar 13, 2008

Hotel Lobby

Renaissance Seoul Hotel Renaissance Seoul Hotel has appointed Sergio Zanetti as Chef de Cuisine at its Italian restaurant, Toscana. Zanetti was born and raised in Italy and served as a program director at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. He has over 20 years of experience as an Italian chef, working in major cities such as Milan, Paris, Hong Kong and Osaka. He has developed many new Italian items and three set courses (Laffaello, Michelangelo and Leonardo) which will be available at Toscana from March 15. Westin Chosun Seoul O'Kim's Brauhaus in the COEX Center holds the annual feast of St. Patrick's Day through March 22nd. The venue will a green St. Patrick's Day theme and guests will be able to select from a wide range of items on the menu, including old Irish Guinness and another high quality beers. The restaurant also serves a variety of house brews. For more information, call (02) 6002-7006. JW Marriott Seoul The Marriott Cafe at JW Marriott Seoul will promote Singaporean cuisine in March. Although influenced by Chinese,

Mar 13, 2008

Banyan Tree Eyes High-End Market

By Kim Tae-jong Staff Reporter The resort industry is often seen as being divided into two categories ― one for the thrifty and the other for the rich. Some budget-sensitive consumers are looking for cheap resorts amid price hikes, but the selection for luxury brands remains small. The latest example of the latter is the Banyan Tree Club and Spa Seoul, which targets high-income earners. The mountain-style resort is under construction on a 69,000-square meter lot on Mount Namsan, in the heart of Seoul. The site was formerly home to the Tower Hotel. The resort will have various high-end facilities such as a fitness center, spa, restaurants, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Membership will cost a 100 million won ($102,000) registration fee and an annual fee of 3 million won per person. The resort plans to increase the admission fee to 150 million won upon its official launch in May 2009. Many may wonder who can afford such fees but it seems that there is demand for such exclusive resorts, given it has already accepted 1,900 members (about 40 percent of the goal of

Mar 13, 2008

Yeongsanjeon of Geojo Hermitage, Sacred Prayer Site

By Jang Eun-hwa Contributing Writer With cleanly shaven heads, an unsophisticated appearance, funny expression and short stature, they do not seem very attractive to earthly modern man's eyes. Moreover, each of them is so liberal and unique in their own body posture that no two of them seem the same ― laughing loudly, contemplating with a chin resting on a hand, riding on a tiger, lost in curiosity with a head sticking out, or being in all eagerness with palms together. And yet, there is something that goes beyond modern man's superficial impression of them. On the one hand, their facial expressions, though not handsome and stylish at all, are so natural and unpretentious that one may never fail to feel friendly and comfortable upon seeing them; but on the other, behind their liberal posture, they appear unearthly and transcendental ― not to be reached with ease. It seems to me that they are radiating something inscrutable, while overwhelming viewers with their respect. Isn't this the very mysterious power that has seen them survive the disasters that frequently tortured th

Mar 13, 2008
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