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Lunch @ Ju Shin Jung

September 11, 2015 in Korean

I remember lunch-ing at Ju Shin Jung (East Coast Parkway branch) many years back with my family. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Especially my brothers and I with the BBQ buffet. We were young and we sure did stuff ourselves well. Not that we are very old now lah. Haha.

So when we picked our Mom from the airport over the weekend (recently) and were brainstorming for a place to eat dinner at 9.30pm, I suggested Ju Shin Jung. Since it was en route to home, and they closed late at 11pm. The hungry us won’t be too happy to head up North only to find most restaurants closed.

And since I like to try substantial number of dishes before posting a review, a second trip was made back to the Guillemard branch for lunch (with my friend).

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), we ordered:-

1) Side dishes (above) – I like the wide variety of their side dishes. Especially the seaweed! However, I noticed I was given the same number of side dishes, irregardless of me dining with a friend or in a group of 5. One would think they would give us 2 sets of side dishes if there were more people. Hmm… And I’m not sure if we could ask for (complimentary) top-up cause when my family and I came for dinner, we did not know ‘last order’ included the side dishes. And thus, we did not get our top-up when we requested for some. I wanted more kimchi. Sob, sob.

3) Dolsot, $14 (above) – Mixed vegetable rice in stone bowl. With hot pepper paste served separately in a saucer.

4) Binaeng, $12 (above) – Spicy cold noodle. Unfortunately, we were not informed what to do with the cup of ‘icy liquid’. I am calling it ‘icy liquid’ cause I am not sure if it was a drink or additional soup. We ended up enjoying the noodle as it was served. Although I do suspect one could pour the ‘icy liquid’ to make the dish into the Korean cold noodle. Enlightenment, anyone?


5) Bossam, $30 (above) – Steamed pork & special kimchi. This was really good. If one doesn’t want to end up reeking (too much) of smoke, one should opt for this.

6) Buldak, $35 (above) – Spicy chicken with rice cake. And this was really good. The chicken was tender and juicy. However, we concluded it’s the sauce which gave the dish the ‘level up’. The sauce was finger-licking good. A must order.


7A) Hangjeong, $35 (200g) (above, topmost) – Pork jowl. My brothers and I wanted BBQ, but because it was 9.45pm by the time we reached the restaurant, we were told BBQ buffet was not available. And thus, we went a-la carte.

7B) Beoljip, $28 (200g) (above) – Honeycomb pork belly. And we chose ‘herb’ of the 3 flavours available; Herb, chilli and honey sweet.


8) Daenjang, $50 (above) – Soyabean paste & seafood.

10) Dessert, Complimentary (above)

So yes, Ju Shin Jung is still going strong as a formidable player in the (Korean) food industry with their delectable dishes at affordable prices. Guess that’s no surprise since they have since opened 3 more outlets (Yess Center, East Coast Parkway & Robertson Walk). Aad having dined at 3 of the 4 outlets, I really like how big and spacious the seating areas are. No need to speak hush hush. Keke. There’s also in-house playground for children to have fun in while the adults indulge in their food. Haha.

However, I just have a slight issue with their service, although I acknowledge it’s not entirely the restaurant’s fault since we came in pretty late for our dinner at Guillemard branch. When I was having lunch with my friend, service was pretty good. It wasn’t difficult to get the staff’s attention. However, when I was having (late) dinner with my family… I noticed they were concentrating (more) on clearing the tables. They could have at least appointed 1 or 2 staff to solely attend to customers.

I do know the staff helps with the BBQ-ing, but ours were left to burn on the grill (since they got busy with clearing up thereafter). Website stated last order was at 10pm, but at the restaurant, we were told last order was at 9.50pm. And when we tried to request for additional side dish of kimchi at 9.55pm (since we did not know last order included sides), the staff just went “Kitchen closed.” Well… The staff could at least have pretended to walk to the kitchen to check for us.

  

And for the wet towels, pour water onto the small white coins for them to expand. Of which, I was shocked to learn that we were charged at $1 per person for the towel, bottles of water and Korean tea. I don’t remember being charged for water at other Korean restaurants. Hmm…

And the extra selling point about dining at the Gullimard branch is that there’s a Korean dessert shop (Bing Go Jung Dessert House) just beside it. So yes, if one still has space, one could head over for some Korean ice kachang (bingsu). Do retain the Ju Shin Jung’s recipt as it entitles one to 10% discount!

JU SHIN JUNG
102 Guillemard Road, #01-01, Singapore
6440 7707, Website, Facebook
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Fri : 11:30 – 14:30 (Lunch)
Ambience: 7
Mon – Fri : 18:00 – 22:00 (Dinner)
Value: 7
Sat – Sun : 11:30 – 22:00
Service: 7

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Dinner @ Dal-In 2 Korean

April 8, 2015 in Korean

My friend and I were making our way home from dinner when I noticed Dal-In 2 Korean Charcoal BBQ Sashimi Restaurant. Actually, what caught my eye was the word ‘sashimi’ in its name. Ha. And with that, I returned with friends for dinner. On 2 nights, to be exact.

The restaurant was fairly empty on our first visit in January 2015. However, in our most recent visit in March 2015, the place was packed. Yet somehow, I got to sit at the same table on my 2 visits. But I digress. Ha! =p

For the menu, they had gone electronic by using iPads. And probably because of that (like how iPads are more expensive compared to printed menus), we had to share 1 menu iPad. Unlike the norm where we would be handed a printed menu each.

I came specially for the sashimi, but I was disappointed to learn that they don’t serve items from their ‘Korean sashimi’ menu anymore. And in all honesty, I almost wanted to leave. Oh yes, I am stubborn like that. I won’t really think of staying if I can’t get what I came for. But my friends dissuaded me otherwise. And wanting to make up for my disappointment, I tried to satisfy my craving for raw food by ordering the raw crab. But alas, it was not available too! The owner explained, “Very expensive to buy in Singapore (to cook and sell).” Hmm…

But during my 2nd visit, I noticed they have since revised their menu. In any case, I am glad my friends convinced me to try their other dishes cause I had an enjoyable first dinner at Dal-In 2 with the grilled meat that I went back a second time.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), we ordered:-

1) Haemul yachaejeon, $22 (above) – Sliced seafood with vegetables and egg pancake. This pancake was leaning towards the starchier and crispier version. I normally prefer the ‘more doughy’ pancake such that it’s slightly crisp on the exterior yet moist and chewy on the inside. But somehow, this rendition went well with me that particular night.


  

2) Half ginseng chicken soup, $17 (above) – Because this was under the ‘dinner special’ menu, 1 free steamed egg was given but limited to 1 per table. And the ginseng chicken soup was average in terms of taste. Nothing spectacular. Chicken meat was tender and came off the bone easily. Just some good old comfort (Korean ginseng chicken) soup.


3) Black pork belly ($25) (topmost, RHS) & sliced pork collar ($24) (topmost, LHS) (above) – As mentioned, I ordered BBQ meat during my first dinner and it left a good impression. I liked that the meat was nicely marinated, and most importantly, thick! Keke. Lady boss came over to grill the meat for us, ensuring that the meat was grilled to perfection; Slightly charred but still maintaining its juiciness. She even taught us a new way to enjoy our grilled meat, which was to include the shredded (marinated) cabbage. But during my second visit, with the restaurant running at full capacity, I realised they were under-staff with only 1 to 2 people on the ground. Some tables had to tend to their own grill. But I say, food taste better when we do it ourselves. But don’t let us grill the meat entirely by ourselves too lah? Haha!

4) Korean ramen (chicken), $13 (above) – With 4 flavours (beef, chicken, kimchi and vegetable), we opted for chicken. I did not really like this though. The soup was a little bland. This was also from the ‘dinner special’ menu, so the table would be entitled to 1 free steamed egg.

5) Jokbal, $38 (M) (above) – Pig trotters boiled with Korean traditional sauce. I just had to try this after seeing a table of Koreans order this. However, my friends and I only knew how to tuck into the meatier bits. Ha.


6) Kkangpunggi, $38 (above) – Stir-fried chicken with hot pepper sauce. The male boss seemed to be a little surprised to see this dish on our order cause he came back and doubled checked with us if we really wanted to order this, before continuing to enquire if we wanted it to be very spicy or less spicy. Which of course I opted for the latter! Ha. Unfortunately, this dish did not work well for us. Some pieces did not have any meat in it. So it was like playing a game. A game of trying to find the pieces with meat.

7) Makguli, $19 (above) – Korean rice wine.

There’s no lack of Korean restaurants in the Telok Ayer area. Will I recommend Dal-In 2 Korean? Well, maybe for the grilled meat only. And to cater to the lunch crowd, Dal-In 2 has lunch menu (pages 1, 2, 3) too.

And should anyone wonder why some patrons walk out with ice creams… I think it’s the culture where Koreans enjoy ice-creams after their meals. I think. Thus if one wishes to eat ice cream, it can be ordered from the menu! I thought the ice creams were free at first, and was wondering why they did not given us any. (^^lll) Haha. I am such a cheapskate!

DAL-IN 2 KOREAN CHARCOAL BBQ SASHIMI RESTAURANT
21 Amoy Street, Singapore
6222 4647
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Sat : 11:30 – 14:30 (Lunch)
Ambience: 7
Mon – Sat : 17:30 – 22:00 (Dinner)
Value: 7
Service: 6

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Dinner @ Kimchi Korean

February 6, 2015 in Korean

Ever since I got to learn about Kimchi Korean months back, I had been wanting to check them out. And from reviews shared by fellow bloggers, I learnt that the portions at Kimchi Korean were smaller. You know like how the food portion at most Korean restaurants are huge. Like the smallest size was already meant for 3 to 4 people which makes it non-favourable for small groups. Especially for people like me who love to order lots. Ha.


And so, my girlfriends and I arrived on a weekday evening with much anticipation. And because we were a big group of 7, we were given a room! Well, okie. It was actually a big room divided into 2 smaller rooms with foldable partition wall. We did not realise we were actually sharing the space with another group (till after dinner) and were talking way too loud. Oops.

The only con of being housed in the room was that it was impossible to get the attention of the staff. We had to step out when we wanted to place additional orders, etc. And to place our orders, we were to write the codes of the respective dishes onto the order slip before passing it to the staff.

And from the menu (pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), we ordered:-

1) Mushroom BBQ, $6.80 (above)

2) Marinated chicken, $16 (above) – The chicken pieces were big and thick, and thus took longer to cook. To ensure the meat was thoroughly cooked, we used the scissors to cut them into smaller pieces.



3) Pork belly, $18 (above)


4) Kim mari, $4 (above) – Deep fried Korean seaweed wrap, glass noodle, mayonnaise.


5) Gun mandu, $3 (above) – Fried Korean pork dumpling served with Korean yang yeom sauce. I did not like this. Couldn’t see or taste any meat. It seemed to be dumplings of glass noodle instead.

6) Jap chae, $7.80 (above) – Korean glass noodle stir fried with vegetables. This was good. As the portion was small, we ordered second for this to get more of it! Think thick strands of chewy glass noodles. Nice.

7) Yang yeom chicken, $9 (above) – Deep fried chicken serve with Korean sweet chilli sauce.

8) Haemul Pajeon, $12 (above) – Traditional Korean seafood, spring onion pancake.

9) Bu chu gul jeon, $15 (above) – Traditional Korean pancake, oyster, Chinese chive pancake. Maybe it was too traditional for us, but we did not know how to appreciate this. Too many chives, too little batter. And oysters had a fishy taste.

10) Kimchi ramen, $11.90 (above) – Kimchi broth, Korean noodle, mix vegetable, egg + Korean side dishes. Frankly, this was way too salty for me. I enjoyed the noodle, but without the (salty) soup. But my girlfriends, who probably could eat spoonfuls of salt without drinking water (yes, they love salty food that much) loved this.

11) Samgae juk, $12.90 (above) – Rice porridge with ginseng, shredded chicken, jujube red dates, ginko nut served with Korean soybean sauce on the side + Korean side dishes. This was so good! Generous amount of shredded chicken which ensured we had meat in every bites. It could be I was starving (cause I was busy grilling the meat before I could tuck into the food properly), but it was spoon after spoon for me. A must try!


12) Jang eo jeon bok dolsot bap, $33 (above) – Korean rice, bean sprout, Chinese chive, salmon, scallop, marinated eel fish, abalone, pollack roe, egg sunny side up in hot stone served with Korean seaweed, egg soup + Korean side dishes. Another must try! And it was an accidental find when we did not stir the rice properly which allowed the rice that was in direct contact with the hot stone pot to be slightly burnt such that it had a slight crunch. I think the Koreans call that scorched rice. Really nice.

13) Kimchi jjigae, $11.90 (above) – Korean traditional kimchi soup, pork, vegetables, tofu. Since the portions at Kimchi Korean were small and the 7 of us were still hungry, my salt-inhaling girlfriends decided to order this as they felt they did not have enough of the dish ‘kimchi ramen’. Kimchi soup = Kimchi ramen – noodle. But thankfully, this wasn’t salty. But the soup was spicy!

14) Sam gae tang, $16.90 (above) – Ginseng chicken broth, ginseng, jujube red date, ginko nut, half spring chicken + Korean side dishes.

15) Ma sam gae tang, $18.90 (above) – Huai sham ginseng chicken broth, black half spring chicken, Chinese chive, pine nut, jujube red date, ginseng + Korean side dishes. Unfortunately, none of us knew how to appreciate this. Soup was thicker compared to the ginseng chicken broth (item 14).

16) Four season mochi, $6 (above)


17) Busan hodduk, $9 (above) – This was pretty good!

My girlfriends and I enjoyed ourselves. Food was reasonably priced and we got to try many dishes from the menu. However, Kimchi Korean could improve the service by running through our order slips when we submit it. We happened to pen down the wrong code which got us trying the black chicken. Which… Was left almost untouched. Ha. And Kimchi Korean being located in Suntec City made it a very convenient place for friends to gather and meet for meal!

KIMCHI KOREAN RESTAURANT
3 Temasek Boulavard, Suntec City Convention Tower, #02-387, Singapore
6337 7811, Website, Facebook
Overall: 7
Opening hours:-
Food/Beverage: 7
Mon – Sun : 11:00 – 22:30
Ambience: 7
Value: 7
Service: 6

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