Grand Tables group hosts city’s 2nd Restaurant Week

Any post-holiday doldrums can be quickly disposed of by dining out at some of Seoul’s finest restaurants when the Grand Tables Association’s second Restaurant Week kicks off on Oct. 9 for six days.
In July 2005, 26 upscale restaurants of various cuisines, cafes and wine bars formed the Grand Tables Association in an attempt to promote fine dining culture in Seoul for Korean diners and expatriates. The association includes Seoul’s already well-known spots, such as Petit Seasons, Nanxiang, Tani, Xian, Grill H, Din Dai Fung and the Park Lounge.
Over the past year, the association has published a guide book and organized various food and wine promotions. In April, the restauranteurs organized the city’s first Restaurant Week, styled after New York’s Restaurant Week. The Restaurant Week is good news to both local diners and tourists as they can sample various dishes at fixed prices much lower than regular. All lunch courses cost 20,000 won ($23 plus 10 percent VAT) and dinners 30,000 won.
Until Saturday, Seasons in Cheongdam-dong, for example, will serve its specialties of Japanese-based fusion cooking, such as black rice soup, scallops, mushroom and flying fish roe pasta for lunch, and a five- or six-course dinner featuring tuna tataki, eggplant and sausage pasta or Caesar salad.
Nanxiang in Cheongdam-dong, which specializes in Shanghai-style dumpling soup, will serve a 10-course dinner including crabmeat shaoling bao, Shanghai-style pork ribs and bok choy stir-fried in XO sauce. Guests need reservations.
Casa Del Vino, one of the better-known wine bars in southern Seoul, will serve a seven-course dinner featuring fois gras, ricotta cheese organic salad and steak.
For information on participating restaurants and their telephone numbers, locations and detailed menus, visit the association’s official Web site, www. grandtable.co.kr.

by Ines Cho