Famous Chef Menus Delivered and in Lunchboxes... Contactless 'Seoul Gourmet Week' from 11th to 15th

'Seoul Restaurant & Bar 100 Selection' Features Leading Restaurants and Famous Chefs
From Hotel Cuisine to Alley Restaurants, Takeout and Delivery Services... Comforting Citizens Weary from COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City announced on the 9th that it will hold the first-ever non-face-to-face gourmet festival, "1st Taste of Seoul," from the 11th to the 15th, featuring representative restaurants and chefs introduced in the "Seoul Restaurant & Bar 100 Selection," as well as Seoul's alleyway eateries.

Amid growing global interest in K-food and Seoul emerging as a world-class gourmet city, 100 restaurants where visitors can enjoy Seoul's unique and differentiated gourmet culture have been selected. The city has produced the first Taste of Seoul guidebook in both Korean and English to promote Seoul's appeal as a gourmet tourism destination.

In the "Seoul Restaurant@Home" program, special menus from 10 famous restaurants and 2 hotels, which are usually difficult to access, can be enjoyed through delivery and drive-thru services. If reservations are made by the day before the desired date, customers can receive delicious food along with a heartfelt message from the chef at their preferred time and place via the Zero Delivery Union service. At the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and Hotel Seoul Dragon City, ordering one menu item results in another meal being delivered to medical institutions responding to COVID-19.

For Hallyu fans overseas, Chef Jo Hee-sook of Hansik Gonggan, known as the "chef of chefs," and Chef Kang Min-gu of Mingles will conduct real-time interactive "live streaming cooking classes" connected to Rome, Italy, and Brussels, Belgium. They will introduce Seoul's flavors with menus based on Korean fermented sauces such as gochujang and soy sauce, which can be recreated abroad, to local gourmets, influencers, and Hallyu fans who cannot visit Korea.

During "Comfort Food Week," Seoul City will provide various supports to restaurants that previously did not offer delivery or takeout services, including packaging systems, eco-friendly lunchbox packages, promotional materials, and video production to boost sales. Additionally, citizens using these services will receive a "One More Time Coupon" to enjoy an extra meal.

On the 13th and 14th, the "Wheel-Equipped Restaurant" will operate to deliver hearty comfort through delicious meals to neighbors exhausted by COVID-19. Selected applicants will receive lunchbox deliveries during lunchtime and enjoy meals while touring major Seoul tourist courses on a city tour bus in the evening.

At Seoul City Hall's "Seoul On Studio" on the 14th, an ontact (online contact) concert titled "The Most Desired Seoul Travel Destination After COVID-19" will be held. Comedian Kim Shin-young, known as Second Aunt Kim Da-bi, who has never visited Seoul before, will communicate in real-time via live streaming with popular YouTubers at major Seoul tourist sites, allowing viewers to enjoy the trip together online.

Joo Yong-tae, Director of Seoul City's Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, "Seoul's dining market is changing and growing so rapidly that it is hard to feel any time difference with the rest of the world. Through the first-ever 'Taste of Seoul' event this year, we aim to properly introduce Seoul's gourmet scene and develop it into a leading gourmet city surpassing New York and Paris."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.