COEX Intercontinental Seoul Hotel Wine and Food Buffet

Quite frankly, this is an amazing value. For 23,000 won, you get all the red wine, white wine, and champagne you can drink. You also get a food buffet that includes a beef dish, a fish dish, usually some other meat dish, cold cuts, fruit, cheese, a small salad bar area, some surprisingly tasty fried squid rings, maybe some asparagus, seafood salad, etc... Plus, the whole thing happens in a luxurious upscale hotel setting. It goes on from 6-9 pm. Probably a good idea to call ahead for reservations. (Phone number 02-3430-8603; also see the website below.)

Judging from my two visits they usually carry a Chilean wine, Australian wine, and a third option. According to the wine connoisseurs of the group the wines available are not that great, but to an unrefined palate the mellow and uncomplicated flavors are the kind that will receive a general appeasement of a large crowd. And for 23,000, you get your money's worth. And the food is actually quite good, in my opinion. Sure, maybe the beef in the beef dish could have been a bit more tender. But the fish is good, there's a half-decent cheese spread, and they even brought out spring rolls at one point. Plus there's cold cuts, asparagus... I think the diversity makes up for any shortcomings you may find in the quality.

Directions: Now, the complicated thing about this buffet is the directions. First off, there are two "Intercontinental Hotels" near COEX (see the map below). This buffet happens at the "COEX Intercontinental Seoul" (in the upper left corner of the map), not the "Grand Intercontinental Seoul." So, following the map, go to Samseong Station on Line 2 and get off at Exit 5. Walk down the street until you get to the Asem-gil (see the map). Then, walk up until you get to the COEX Intercontinental Seoul. The buffet goes on in the lobby. Here's the website: http://www.seoul.intercontinental.com/eng/coex/reb/reb_rbr.asp, which includes the phone number for reservations.