Around the hotels

Special summer treats at Lotte Hotel Seoul

Lotte Hotel Seoul’s The Lounge presents bingsu on May 1 to sweep away the heat. Bingsu is a popular shaved ice dessert topped with various ingredients, such as boiled red beans or fruit. The hotel offers apple mango bingsu and chestnut red bean bingsu. Apple mango bingsu has the scent of apple and a juicy taste with soft ice shavings sweetened by condensed milk with fresh apple mangos. Chestnut red bean bingsu is a traditional red bean bingsu with its flavor enhanced by chestnuts. Apple mango bingsu is priced at 39,000 won and chestnut red bean bingsu is 32,000 won. For more information, call (02) 317-7131.

Five kinds of noodles at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul

The hotel’s Asian cuisine restaurant Granum Dining Lounge offers five special a la carte Asian noodle dishes for the month of May. The promotion includes Vietnamese pho, Thailand’s pad thai, Malaysia’s laksa, Singapore’s stir-fried noodles, and Korea’s ogol chicken and abalone noodles. Soup-based laksa is made of coconut milk, shrimp, fish balls, chicken and boiled eggs. CNN Go has nominated laksa as one of the “World’s 50 most delicious foods.” Singapore-style noodles are served with barbecued pork, shrimp, egg, and onion. Pad thai is stir-fried with sweet and sour sauce, bean sprouts and fried tofu. All dishes are priced at 27,000 won including tax. For reservations, call (02)2250-8143 or 8080. 

Special promotion for meat lovers at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul

The hotel’s buffet The Café@JW runs a “Magic 12” promotion in May. It features a variety of dishes using 12 different cuts of U.S. beef and pork. The buffet’s western corner serves dishes including beef stew made from tenderloin and Zurich-style roast pork. Cuts including chuck tail flap, skirt, rib finger and roast pork neck with soy sauce are available at the grill corner. The carving corner offers prime beef rib, herb-encrusted roast beef tenderloin, roast pork chops and pork belly marinated in soy bean paste. There are also Korean-style dishes. The lunch buffet is priced at 71,000 won on weekdays and 77,000 won weekends; dinner is 79,000 won on weekdays and 85,000 won on weekend including tax. For reservations, call (02)6282-6731. 

Homemade bingsu at Park Hyatt Busan

The hotel presents three special homemade-style bingsu prepared by their executive chef. The sweet red bean bingsu is composed of milk and condensed milk, sweet red beans, injeolmi (traditional Korean rice cake), green-tea jelly and crispy popped rice. The mango bingsu brings a sweet yet delicate flavor as it is filled with fresh mango on top of milky ice. The berry bingsu has the sweetness of chocolate and the sourness of berries while dark chocolate chunks and pistachio powder hover over the top of the fresh berries. Patrons are allowed to add extra chocolate sauce, berry sauce or whipped cream to further deepen the flavor. The prices range from 16,000 won to 19,000 won, including tax. For more information, call (051) 990-1300.

Sake maker’s dinner at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill

Kiyomizu, the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, organizes a special dinner event by inviting a top sake maker from Japan. For this dinner, six recommended top-end sakes will be paired with the eight-course dinner. For a bit of a cultural touch, Kagami biraki, a traditional Japanese performance, will also be presented during the dinner. The dinner will start at 7 p.m. on May 24. It is priced at 150,000 won per person including tax. For more information, call (02) 450-4599. Meanwhile, the hotel’s European restaurant CLOCK16 also presents a special wine event at 7 p.m. on May 29. The exceptional quality garage wines including Château Valandraud 1999, Bad boy 2007 and Verginie de Valandraud 2007 will be presented. It is available to the first 80 people and priced at 180,000 won per person including tax. For more information, call (02) 450-4516.