(123rf)Through a labyrinth of hallways deep inside a 1950s-era building that has housed research that dates back to the origins of U.S. space travel, a group of scientists in white coats is stirring, mixing, measuring, brushing and, most important, tasting the end result of their cooking.Their mission: Build a menu for a planned journey to Mars in the 2030s.The menu must sustain a group of six to

Samhap janggwa is a dish of three kinds of seafood (mussels, abalone and sea slug) braised with beef and seasoning. Nowadays, the seafood is cooked alive, but in olden days it was dried then cooked after soaking in water because the amino acid and taurine content increases during drying and enhances the taste. Ingredients● 160 g abalone, 5 cups water ● 60 g soaked sea slug● 00 g mussels, 3 cups water, 2 tsp salt, ● 50 g beef (top round) Seasoning sauce: 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp mi

Bar Rouge, the hotel’s signature bar, offers five brand new award-winning cocktails created by its bartenders and winners of the Korean national round of “World Class 2012,” the world’s top bartending festival. Bartender Andy, Seo Seong-tae, who won first place in the competition, serves “Mexico Round Trip,” a subtly-flavored cocktail that uses a refreshing blend of Korean hallabong orange, cucumber, lemon and tequila. The five new cocktails are available at Bar Rouge until July 31, and prices a

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant Taipan offers Macau cuisine until Aug. 31. The restaurant offers a unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese flavors and cooking styles. Guests can choose from two set menus, priced at 105,000 won and 130,000 won per person, excluding tax and service charge. The menus include deep fried prawns and potato in tomato chili sauce, braised whole shark’s fin in Chinese ham and porcini broth, stir-fried abalone with coriander and lime sauce, and deep fried lobster with peanu

The Paris Grill, the hotel’s European dining restaurant, presents the “Summer Wine Dinner” offering a gourmet selection of delicacies, paired with selected wines from July 9-Aug. 31. The specially prepared menu features a four-course dinner including appetizer, soup, entre and dessert selections. The menu and wines have been personally selected by the head chef and the sommelier team of the hotel. The menu selections change every two weeks. Dinner costs 120,000 won per person, excluding tax and

The hotel’s Italian restaurant Toscana presents a special menu available on the weekends until Aug. 26. Toscana offers a selection of Italian dishes at a discounted price for families and couples. Guests can choose two dishes from eight different menus including frutti di mare (seafood and tomato), carbonara (bacon cream sauce), aglio olio (garlic and olive oil) and mushroom risotto as well as margherita pizza. The weekend special menu is offered at a price of 35,000 won. For weekend dinner gues

Grand Kitchen at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents “Unlimited Premium Asahi Draft Beer and BBQ Promotion” from July 6-Aug. 31. The promotion offers Asahi draft beer with no extra charge and no time limit. Guests can also enjoy barbecued meat cooked by the hotel chefs. At the barbecue station, guests can enjoy a buffet, which includes special menus such as lobster and Korean beef steak from Daegwallyeong. The promotion is available on weekdays only. Lunch prices run at 67,000 won and d

What is orzo? How do you cook Israeli couscous? Can you say orecchiette?There’s a dizzying array of dry pastas on store shelves. Some have fancy names for something that’s basically macaroni.We’re giving big pasta like elbows and corkscrews the summer off and downsizing for potluck salads.Too often dainty pastas like orzo and ditalini wind up in soups, but they’re great for salads and just as economical as their big sisters.And they cook more quickly because of their size, so you can make pasta

 A Canadian man hunting for edible mushrooms in southeastern British Columbia stumbled upon an inedible whopper that weighed 57.4 pounds.Christian Therrien, 62, and son Sebastien were combing through waist-high wild grass last week near Fernie when they spotted the enormous puffball mushroom, the Fernie Free Press reported."There was lots of laughing and screaming," Therrien said. "I've found a lo

Authentic flavors, chic packaging put U.S.-based artisanal kimchi on the mapWant to know how Korean cuisine is going global in America? From a microcosmic point of view, people like Lauryn Chun, founder of MILKimchi, play an important role in spreading the word, and the grub. After losing a marketing gig during the financial crisis of 2008, Chun parlayed her experience in wine and French cuisine into an artisanal kimchi business. Her mother, who has been running a seolleongtang (oxtail and brisk

The hotel is holding a summer DJ party at WooBar. World famous DJ Christian Marchi will be the main attraction for “W Summer Escape Party” on July 21. The event will run from 10 p.m.- 4 a.m., and guests must wear white. Tickets are priced at 40,000 won at the door but can also be purchased through Interpark at 30,000 won, including tax and service charges. For more information, call (02) 2022-0333 or contact woobar.wseoul@whotels.com.

The hotel is holding the DJ session “Starry Night” at its outdoor pool Grotto Bar. The event will feature bingo games and various giveaway events for the guests. In addition, the hotel is presenting a new resting area at Cliff Garden next to the outdoor pool. Guests can also enjoy tropical summer cocktails, cool beverages, grilled skewers and other snacks at the bar. The menu starts at 19,000 won, excluding tax and service charges. “Starry Night” is open from 7-10 p.m. July 13-Aug.26. For more i

Two restaurants at the hotel are offering new menus available to guests until Aug. 31. The Chinese restaurant, Cheon San, presents Chinese-style cold noodles. The restaurant serves “naengmyeon” made from beef and chicken broth to produce a nutty taste and thinner noodles. Ingredients include jellyfish, squid and sea cucumber used as garnish as well as special peanuts and mustard sauce. The price is 20,000 won, excluding tax and service charges. Buffet Familia presents Japanese cold udon that con

JW’s Grill, JW Marriott Seoul’s signature steak house, will serve a variety of seasonal dishes featuring fresh lobster from the waters of the north Atlantic from July 6-29. JW’s Grill presents 11 individual lobster dishes, including lobster carpaccio garnished with sea urchin sauce; lobster and seafood ravioli with wine cream sauce; mango and lobster salad garnished with champagne sauce; lobster stuffed with scallops and shrimp; and lobster and tenderloin roasted in truffle butter. Two-course me