Seoul Yummy

Seoul had so much great food that we decided to have some Korean food since we were walking aimlessly around in Marina Square. It was spacious and we were surrounded by K-pop related pictures, videos and music the moment we stepped in. 

The banchan were unfortunately a far cry from those that we had in Seoul. Miserable in quantity and didn't taste fantastic either- look at the miserly and pathetic looking vegetables. The ikan bilis were also too salty.

I had the Special One Combo ($15.90). This combo came with a choice of your main (kimchi ramyon, korean fishcake udon, korean jajang rice or seoulyummy bibimbab) and side (fish pancake, fried pork dumplings, fried kimchi dumplings, fried prawns, fried assorted mushrooms or fried wings and drumlets).

I opted for the fried prawns where they surprisingly gave more pieces than I had expected. It was deep fried to a golden crisp and accompanied by a sweet mayonnaise like dip.

As for the mains, I went with the Kimchi Ramyon. While it was definitely spicy, it was not overwhelmingly so. The ingredients were a little sparse and I wish they had given more mushrooms to give the soup a more robust flavour.

This is what I would call the Pastamania of Korean food- affordable, fast and average. Service was pleasant and friendly.

Seoul Yummy
6 Raffles Boulevard
$02-202
Tel No: 6337 3730 

Read More

Ju Shin Jung

I seldom venture to this part of Singapore. Located opposite Haw Par Villa, this is a good place for people to drop by to satisfy their hunger pangs. (Speaking of which, Haw Par Villa remains one of the tourist attractions that makes me think, help, I can't unsee what I just saw!)

Upon entering the shop, you get greeted by friendly Korean staff. 

First up, lettuce for you to wrap the meat in.

The banchan came out in a steady flow, till there was no space for anything else on our tables. Seaweed soup, marinated squid, kimchi, toufu, pumpkin soup etc.

We went for the Unlimited BBQ ($29++ for lunch) where you could order pork belly, pork collar, marinated pork, marinated chicken and fresh tiger prawns. Each plate of meat came with two button mushrooms. We ordered a plate of everything.

There would be a waiter who would help barbeque the food while you enjoy your meal in peace, without worrying that the food will be charred etc. My favourite of the lot was the marinated chicken so we ordered another portion. The meats were grilled just right so that they didn't become dry. The prawns weren't that fresh but not so unfresh that you would get a stomach upset. The provision of cold barley tea also felt like it eased in digestion.

The price of the unlimited BBQ also includes one of the following: Fried Saba Fish, Clear Beef Rib Soup, Spicy Soft Tofu, Hot Stone Bowl Rice and Soya Bean Paste Soup. We got the Hot Stone Bowl Rice because it felt like the meal wouldn't be complete without rice. As usual, loaded to the brim with lots of vegetables and we mixed it with the gochujang.

I wouldn't go out of the way just to go to this restaurant because this food was really just okay. Service was good.

Ju Shin Jung
27 West Coast Highway
#01-18
Tel No: 6 464 0872 

Read More

Ga Ya Geum

I do not understand why all the shopping centres in Bukit Timah look so run-down when it's supposedly a rich man area. Nevertheless, it's the little gems contained within the shopping centre that matter more! We decided to have lunch at Ga Ya Geum, which apparently refers to a Korean traditional zither. 

The lunch set is pretty worth it. $9.90 for a platter of appetisers and a main. 

The appetisers were nothing to shout about. I had never seen macaroni being part of a Korean appetiser before and I felt that the mayonnaise was a little too overpowering. My favourite anchovies were sadly missing from the platter. 

I got the Grilled Chicken Set ($9.90). I  prefer the one at Kim Dae Mun because of the sweeter sauce. Nonetheless, it was quite a generous portion of tender chicken with a bed of beansprouts and cabbage beneath it. 

My friend had the Sundubu JJigae Set ($9.90) and review of this dish and photo is kindly provided by her!
"The 순두부 찌개 (sundubu jjigae) had a generous amount of soft tofu in it and a little seafood (shrimp and mussel to be specific). The spice level was just right and the soup was very flavourful and refreshing. Loved it! The banchan was very limited and not impressive - kimchi, macaroni salad, pancake and beansprouts. Was most disappointed with the beansprouts because they use mungbean sprouts instead of the soybean sprouts that are normally used in Korea, plus it wasn't very well marinated either. But the table across us that don't order the set meal got the full set of banchan, guessing that that was probably better."

This was the Sunsal Chicken (Small) ($18) with spicy soy. Although we couldn't really taste the spiciness, the chicken had a very crispy exterior with an addictive sweet sauce over it. To describe how good it was, you had to see the reaction of my two small-sized friends chomping on the deep fried chicken like it was the yummiest thing on earth. I have never seen them finish their food so quickly once upon a time when we ate crappy food in the university canteen. 

I suppose the lady serving the food was the lady boss. A motherly figure, she didn't understand much English. But she was still friendly and very helpful. One friend asked her if she had chilli sauce and she took some time to figure out what my friend was talking about. Another friend said, "Gochujang!" The lady boss's face lit up instantly and gave two thumbs up to my friend.

Food wise, I think it was pretty ordinary although the Sunsal was quite good. Worth a visit if you are looking for somewhere affordable, chill and has good service.

Ga Ya Geum 
Bukit Timah Shopping Centre
#B2-14
Tel No: 64638011

Read More

Kim Dae Mun

Tired of eating at Plaza Singapura, I googled for food around the area. We ended up at Kim Dae Mun, located in the food court of Concorde Hotel. When we reached around 610pm, we were the first in the queue. By the time we finished at around 645pm, there was already a queue formed. The good thing about the food court in the evening is that it's very easy to find a seat. 

To view the variety of dishes, please click on the photos above and below to view their enlarged forms. 

I ordered the Spicy Shredded Chicken Set ($6.50). You could choose a side dish (kimchi, anchovies or cucumbers). I got the anchovies. There is a very generous portion of chicken on the hotplate and they make it an effort to inform you that they use water and not oil on the hotplate. The chicken is very tender. Below that mountain of chicken is some veggies to soothe your guilt of eating so much meat. I like the sweet and mildy spicy sauce and it goes great with rice. The anchovies were also very appetising. 

Yes, the food here is not bad. But I have tasted similar Korean food at some food places at similar prices. But if you are in the area and craving budget Korean food, you can drop by!

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine

Concorde Hotel 
100 Orchard Road
Food Court at Level 1

Read More

Full House

I don't know why I've been eating Korean food for the second time in less than a week given that I haven't eaten it in what must have been quite some time.

Today, we went to Full House because the reviews on it were pretty good. It was quite empty although it was was weekend noon. Anyway, we ordered a set lunch and the sides were free. There's a counter where you get a choice of what side dishes you want. They were pretty ordinarily tasting. While the variety was there, I preferred the one at Kim's. There's just some missing taste to it.

We ordered their dumplings as well. Crispy outer layer with some veggie and tang hoon in it.

This was the bibimbap. You got a soup to go along with it. You could choose from pork/octopus/vegetable. I chose pork. Well, you shouldn't choose this option if you're going healthy. They use the kind of fatty pork in your kong ba pao. It keeps the pork succulent, but at the same time, think of those fats. The rice was done nicely- a layer of hardened rice at the bottom but not charred. And the flavour of the sauce was a good accompaniment to the rice.

The set lunch is rather good value. Bibimap + soup + side dish = $10. The rest of the items might be slightly pricey though standard for Korean food I think.

Full House

336 Tanjong Katong Road
Tel No: +65 6344 6244

Read More

Kim's Family Restaurant

I'm a person who likes to look at food blogs with pictures. Therefore, it's nearly unacceptable that this post is devoid of pictures (didn't bring my camera along!). But if I were to compare having a blog post about food without pictures and not having any blog post, I'd rather the former.

I never knew that stretch of eateries existed next to Beauty World because I don't happen to live anywhere remotely near there. And it was because of my friends' major cravings for Kim's that we trooped down there.

Here's a video featuring the restaurant.

The first thing that greets you in a really strong smell in the shop, a smell that will stick with you after you leave the shop. I try as far as possible not to step foot in these kind of shops because I don't want to go around smelling like what I just ate.

That aside, we ordered some food to share- kimchi pancake, bibimbap and BBQ pork. We got promptly served with 10 complimentary side dishes. Yes, you got that right, TEN. Ikan bilis, some green chinese vegetable, kimchi, cucumber, cuttlefish, fishcake, mushrooms, cabbage or something similar, large beansprouts and potatoes. These side dishes are appetising, just that i didn't really like the Chinese vegetable because it was a little bitter. But the rest were a good start to an appetising meal.

The spicy pork was a heap of pork (four of us shared it). It's spicy and sweet, and goes really well with rice. Just that we had some minor problem with it cos it was a little minced and was a little difficult to pick up with the chopsticks.

The kimchi pancake was huge also. We couldn't finish it. The taste of the kimchi wasn't strong and the pancake wasn't oily. An image of 葱油饼 appears in my mind- I don't eat it because it normally oozes with oil. My friend is a big fan of the kimchi pancake here.

And the bibimbap was spammed with the red chilli sauce before mixing it up. I'm not accustomed to eating Korean food so I don't appreciate how bibimbap tastes "super awesome" according to my friend. Plus each of us just had a few chopsticks worth of rice because four of us shared on bibimbap!

The trip here was an eye-opener for a non-Korean food eater. The portions are big and relatively expensive ($20 for the BBQ pork). So do not try to order a BBQ pork and try to finish it on your own. It's better if you go in a group so that you guys can share the cost and the huge portions as well! Between the four of us, we paid $11.55, so share!

Kim's Family Restaurant

17 Lorong Kilat

#01-06 Kilat Court

Tel: +65 6465 0535

Read More