Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul

An Italian promotion titled “Festa Italiana” will be held at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul’s modern European restaurant The Festa Bistro and Bar Nov. 3-8.

Customers can enjoy modern Italian cuisine prepared by guest chef Massimo Mele, executive chef at Hugos Group Sydney, who has served VIPs in the G’day USA promotion in the U.S. in 2009 and 2010. He also appeared in several television shows and magazines.

Lunch and dinner courses start from 45,000 won. The promotion will also have a variation, such as aperitivo Thursday with Peroni, Italian gourmet wine dinner, slow Sunday Italian brunch, and an Italian cooking class, at between 40,000 won and 150,000 won. For more information, call 02-2250-8170.

Imperial Palace Seoul

Imperial Palace Seoul’s buffet restaurant Familia offers 11 special “Australian-Korean menus” together with Meat & Livestock Australia in celebration of the Korea-Australian Year of Friendship 2011.

Prepared to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the dishes, created by Australian sous-chef Martin Todd Kindleysides, combine Australian dish with Korean ingredients. They include rare beef salad with chili lime dressing, chili and pineapple chicken, and braised beef cheeks.

During the promotion, the restaurant will be decorated with images of Australia. The promotion will be held from Nov. 7 to Dec. 4. Weekday lunch is priced at 62,000 won and weekend lunch 68,000 won, and dinner is 72,000 won during the whole week. For more information, call 02-3440-8000.

Westin Chosun Seoul

Westin Chosun Seoul’s Japanese restaurant Sushi Cho holds Oden and Premium Sake Delights promotion today and tomorrow.

The promotion will introduce original Japanese concept of oden ― any ingredient can be used for oden dishes. Ingredients used will include shark’s fin, shrimp and Korean beef. Four kinds of premium sake will also be available ― Gyokusen Gyokujjo, Hiya, Momokawa daiginjo and Taketsuru. As sake’s flavors change drastically depending on serving temperatures, each sake will be served at their best temperature to maximize its unique taste and aroma.

Dinner is priced at 350,000 won at the table and 400,000 won at the sushi counter. For more information, call 02-317-0373.

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas will have two star guest chefs during the Seoul Gourmet 2011 food festival.

On Nov. 3, the French restaurant Table 34 will have Joan Roca, executive chef at El Celler de Can Roca, a restaurant ranked second in the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2011. Roca is famous for using a sous-vide method of low-temperature vacuum cooking.

Chocolatier Stephane Leroux from France, who was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, will be in charge of desserts. He also won the top prize at the World Pastry Championship in Las Vegas in 2002 and 2004.

The course menu prepared by the chefs is priced at 500,000 won. Only 10 seats are available, and reservations are on the first-come-first-served basis. For reservation, call 02-559-7631.

The Plaza

Celebrating its one-year anniversary of reopening, the Plaza will hold Purple Voyage promotion from today through Nov. 5.

The hotel’s Japanese, Chinese and Italian restaurants will offer set menus of the most beloved dishes during the past one year at a special price of 110,000 won. All diners will also receive complimentary Purple Cocktail and be included in a lucky draw for a round-trip ticket to the U.S. on Delta Airlines.

Special room packages are also on offer. Newly renovated rooms are available at 200,000 won, while “stay-and-learn” packages that include a lesson from the hotel’s specialists are priced from 220,000 won. The lessons will be given by bartenders, florists and bakers. For more information, call 02-771-2200.