Since 2017, the year it was opened, Paradise City Casino in Incheon has set a new, high standard of South Korean hospitality. On top of its 669 gaming stations, the ‘casino resort’ is home to a 711-room luxury hotel, a spa, a convention centre, a shopping centre and more than 20 different food and beverage outlets serving everything from Michelin-standard cuisine to casual poolside snacks. Fine dining options include Milan-inspired Italian restaurant La Scala, contemporary Japanese restaurant Raku, a new outlet of award-winning Cantonese concept Imperial Treasure and high-end international buffet restaurant On The Plate.

The brief

• Paradise City Casino needed to fit out the kitchens, bars and pantries of all the food and beverage facilities in the complex, including the areas used for staff meals, in just eight months.
• In particular it needed both open and back-of-house kitchens where space was decidedly restricted and forced several adjustments to be made.
• The aim of the resort was very clear: to provide a high-quality hospitality offering to a sophisticated international client base, reduce kitchen staff to a minimum and at the same time maximise service speed and efficiency.

The solution

• The choice fell on the Korean company Daeryung Co., Ltd who dealt with design and installation of all the equipment required.
• From the outset, project manager Hwang JungHoon and his assistant Jin Park managed the project and were only too aware of the magnitude and complexity of the task to be completed. “This project was a historic and remarkable project in the Korean kitchen field due to its huge scale, which required a particular design that could perfectly drive everything in a smooth way from the kitchen to the table in all the restaurants,” JungHoon said.
• In total, Daeryung supplied twenty traditional kitchens, eight open kitchens and ten bars. The pièce de resistance was the show kitchen for On the Plate where every dish is cooked to order using only fresh ingredients. “As our customers are able to see the cooking in real-time in front of them, it builds up the communication between chefs and customers,” said sous chef Lim HeeDo.
• JungHoon knew that Daeryung’s long-time partner Ambach would be the best kitchen equipment provider for the majority of the project, based on a combination of the company’s reliability, flexibility and its robust, high-quality products.
• “Despite the large scale of the entire hotel, because of the narrow hallways, numerous pieces of equipment required, and the space that was needed for storage, cold rooms, food preparation and dish washing, the actual kitchen space for the islands was limited,” explained Park, who supported JungHoon in managing this ambitious project.
• The Ambach System 700 line was chosen for some back-of-house kitchens, while System 850 islands took centre stage at both La Scala’s open kitchen and the hotel’s main kitchen at On The Plate. System 850 was also used back of house at Imperial Treasure, La Scala, the bakery, the banqueting facilities, several of the casino’s dining and lounge areas and for the central hot food production kitchen. “We chose the System 850 line based on its robustness, finish and appearance, as well as its ability to deliver high-quality cooking results”, noted JungHoon. “Ambach islands are both heavy-duty pieces of equipment and pieces of art and also meet our strict standards when it comes to hygiene, reliability and high performance”.
• Considering there were so many restaurants and kitchens to be equipped, getting the overall design flow right was no easy task. “Throughout the two years of the project, around 100 basic drawings and design reviews were required. I had numerous meetings with world-renowned kitchen consultants in order to finish everything”, recalled JungHoon.
• The entire supply then had to be installed in only eight months. This deadline was met with all the parties involved pulling in the same direction. “Every department made a significant contribution to ensure the successful outcome of the project, but teamwork and optimal communication between different departments was the main key to success of the project,” said Park.
• “Despite the various challenges and the seemingly endless missions we faced during the project, we successfully met our client’s high expectations and maintained our high standards,” JungHoon said. The sous chef HeeDo was particularly impressed with the sleek System 850 island of On the Plate’s show kitchen, with black finish and majolica top. “My code states that customers should taste the food with their eyes, nose and mouth and the layout of this kitchen means I can fulfil that perfectly. My team are also super satisfied with the island, its design and peformance, as well as its great user-friendliness and safety.”