Mingles offers a per-person course at 950,000 won, drawing competition among Michelin-starred restaurants

Limited menus and wine pairings sell out almost instantly

[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

"It only comes once a year. Because it's such a special occasion, I want to dine somewhere truly nice — even if it costs more than usual."

As the year-end season approaches, more consumers are opening their wallets for a memorable meal. Ahead of Christmas, some of South Korea's most celebrated fine-dining restaurants are rolling out limited holiday courses priced at hundreds of thousands of won per person — reaching as high as 950,000 won ($710) — and demand for a coveted seat is fierce.

According to industry sources Monday, Mingles — the country's only three-Michelin-star restaurant, run by Chef Kang Min-goo — will offer a Christmas special course from Dec. 24 through Dec. 26. The price is 950,000 won per person, which includes the meal and a four-glass wine pairing. That is 300,000 won more per person than the dinner option in Mingles' year-end special course, which runs from Dec. 18 through Jan. 1 and is priced at 450,000 won for lunch and 650,000 won for dinner.

Other fine-dining establishments are also unveiling Christmas-only menus. Jungsik, run by Chef Lim Jung-sik, will offer a special course on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 at 500,000 won per person. Etanic Garden, led by Chef Son Jong-won, will serve a lunch course at 450,000 won and a dinner course at 750,000 won over the same period.

Last year, two-Michelin-star restaurant Mosu ran its Christmas special course on a four-person reservation basis. The meal was priced at 520,000 won per person, with a beverage pairing available at an additional 480,000 won — bringing the total to 1 million won per person with pairing included. Even so, the restaurant was overbooked.

Several factors push Christmas course prices above the usual level: limited menus, premium ingredients and beverage pairings all play a role. Each restaurant pairs specially crafted dishes — distinct from the regular menu — with wines and other drinks, marketing the experience as something available only on select occasions. The scarcity of being able to enjoy a menu only during a specific window that includes Christmas Day is itself a draw. Mingles, for instance, offered a separate dessert called "Christmas Wreath" last year.

Securing a reservation has become nearly impossible. Posts have appeared on secondhand trading platforms offering to snag Christmas bookings at top restaurants on behalf of other diners. Etanic Garden's Christmas special sold out almost immediately after reservations opened. Interest in upcoming Christmas courses at other restaurants continues to run high.

The year-end appetite for upscale dining extends to hotel buffets as well. Hotels are applying premium holiday pricing ahead of Christmas and New Year's to capture peak-season demand.

The Park View, the buffet restaurant at Hotel Shilla Seoul, has set its dinner buffet price at 235,000 won per adult from Dec. 18 through Dec. 31. A party of four adults would pay 940,000 won for dinner alone — 30,000 won more per person, or 120,000 won more for four, compared with the regular weekday dinner price of 205,000 won.

La Seine at Lotte Hotel Seoul will raise its dinner price to 235,000 won per person starting Dec. 19, up 25,000 won from the current rate of 210,000 won. Flavors at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul has set its dinner price at 234,000 won — about 30.7 percent above the regular weekday dinner price of 179,000 won.

"Christmas special courses stand apart from regular menus precisely because they can only be experienced during that period," an industry official said. "Even at somewhat higher prices, there is steady demand from diners seeking limited menus and differentiated service."


siuu@heraldcorp.com