Gochu - Exciting Korean Dining

The cavern-like walls of a hot new restaurant, Gochu, definitely caught my attention, and the fact that the signature dish of Gochu is Gochu, crispy chilli stuffed with meat, seemed to promise an unique experience at this restaurant. And so I decided to transverse through the quiet part of Singapore, which is the far off end of Yishun, to get to this quaint restaurant that is nested within the Orchid Country Club Golf area.

Well, despite the secluded location, this restaurant is so full on a weekend that I have to wait for an hour for a table. But the wait is actually pretty okay since there is a nice built-in wooden bench outside to sit on where I can look at the people practising golf. After the wait, it actually feels so refreshing to step into this cool space furbished with black interior, cave-like stone walls and full panel windows overlooking the greenery outside.

And the menu looks good, with plenty of options for different cuts of beef and pork, Korean side dishes, the usual favourites like Seafood Pancake and unique traditional Korean dishes, such as Gochu. Usually, the meats of Korean BBQ are usually tough due to the thick cuts. But the meats are tender and juicy, so I'm really impressed. In addition, I like it that the friendly staff will barbecue the meats on the grill stove in front of the patrons. The taste of the food is very tasty and hearty. Definitely a good choice for Korean fare.

The complimentary Deep fried White Bait is crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. A delicious snack to much on.

Gochu hits all the points of the taste spectrum from savoury, sweet, spicy, tangy meaty to vegetal. It is pure excitement on the tastebuds.

The ribs, well-marinated, is perfectly cooked by the staff to retain the meaty juiciness with a touch of char for the extra sweetness. This is a must-try here.

Another cut of beef, being more lightly seasoned, and is delicious too due to the juiciness.

Yummy Complimentary Side Dishes.

Thoughts: Good, Hearty Korean Food

1 Orchid Road

Orchard Country Club

So Seoul Korean Dining & Bar - So Unique Korean Cuisine

This restaurant is no longer in operation

There is more to Korean food other than Korean BBQ, Ginseng Chicken, Korean Pancake, Bibimbap and Banchan. And this place is a testimony to that. Soy Marinated Crab, Korean Tacos, Seafood prepared in various ways and Skewers, seeing these in the menu makes adventurous me, food wise, all excited about coming here.

Ambience wise, So Seoul features a chic, cool vibe, which is different from that of typical Korean restaurants. Service is good and thoughtful. Due to these unique points and with traditional Korean fare still served here, I like this place a lot.

I never know that I can eat raw crab until I get a taste of Soy Marinated Crab, and it's delicious. The super fresh Korean flower crab, completed with the beautiful orange roe, is full of briny sweetness. The texture of the meat is a bit like that of sashimi, and it is super juicy. When I bite the softer part of the shell to suck out every single bit of the crab meat–since it's too good to let any bit left uneaten lol, I get lots of umami juices of the crab. When paired with the cute rice balls and seaweed wraps, it makes for a very hearty treat.

And one noteworthy thing: disposable gloves are provided for handling of the crabs. Yes! This is how some of us can fully enjoy the savouring of crabs without getting our hands dirty.I love this thoughtfulness of the restaurant.

By the way, when done with the body of the crab, you can request the service staff to bring the crab to the kitchen to crack open the claws for more meat.

The banchan of kimchi, pickled cubed radish and peppers is yummy and refreshing. I like the crunchy texture of the radish and peppers. The kimchi is slightly sweeter than the usual kimchi, and surprisingly, I prefer this over the usual type. Yes, they are complimentary.

I choose Kimchi Pork Korean Taco out of 6 varieties. I actually had my eyes on Crab Korean Taco at first, but I decide to get a different type of meat instead. Soy Marinated Crab is cold, so the warm pork and rice sandwiched between kimchi and seaweed sheet is a nice change in the feel of dining. Very flavourful. 

Update:

I get to try Crab Taco on 2nd visit and it's oh so good. Huge dollop of creamy, briny sweet crab stacked on top of starchy rice definitely pleases the palates. If wanting to save the hassle of handling crab, then this taco is the great alternative to get a taste of Korean crabs. Though it will be perfect if the seaweed is crispy.

Scallop Truffle Carpacchio is a luxurious dish, featuring silky smooth, sweet scallop slices topped with cute moulds of caviar. This is full of flavours. And I tried eating the lettuce with the scallop, and my verdict is it's better to eat the scallop on its own.

Pork with Onion Skewers is very interesting since pretty rolls of pork wrapped around spring onion are grazed with a spicy, sweet sauce. I like the taste but extra work needed to chew up the onions.

Sweet Floral Lychee Mojito is a nice accompaniment to the meal.

While the place has this dining bar ambience, there are flowers, leaves and vines hanging from the glass ceiling and one of the walls, which is not what I expected in a bar. But somehow, it works in this case, so I have a feel that I'm dining in a bar situated within a garden.

Actually, I had not been going to Korean restaurants for quite a while since I'm not really into Korean BBQ due to the specific cut of meat commonly featured in Korean BBQ and the smell of BBQ lingering on me. I need something else to get me interested. I'm taking the plunge for this restaurant because I'm totally impressed with the dining experience in the Japanese Omakase sister restaurant, Hiryu. So I figured that surely, there should be some standard there, right? I'm glad that I decided to try Korean food again at this restaurant.

I look forward to try the more traditional food or value-for-money lunch sets here, no BBQ for me though, and see if I get any surprises from them.

Thoughts: Interested in Korean food again because of this place.

49 Tras St

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Seoul Restaurant - Best Korean BBQ Restaurant

Few years ago, a friend of mine, who is a self-professed foodie, had recommended a Korean restaurant in The Regent Hotel. I was pretty interested since I have very good impressions of Regent's lineup of restaurants due to the fact that I like Summer Palace and Basilico a lot. Though I enjoy Korean cuisine, the truth is it is not exactly the type of cuisine I will jump into trying. So I never got around to trying the food there. By a twist of fate, I end up coming here for lunch, and found the best Korean BBQ restaurant in Singapore.

The appetizers are pretty standard fare of kimchi, which is nice, as expected, sweet potato tempura, beanspouts and potato salad. In this department, I still prefer Hansik's offerings. Then again, the highlight of Seoul Restaurant is the meat, so let's get to that now.

The meat here is the best among all the Korean BBQ places I had been to. The meat is incredibly fresh and thoroughly marinated, thus yielding very flavourful, succulent, juicy barbecued meat that is imbued with the aroma of charcoal. Yes, instead using the conventional heater, we barbecued the thick slabs of meat over charcoal, and this is one of the reasons that make this restaurant a winner in barbecued meat department. And it helps that the grill station is designed in such a way that the oil will not be sprayed onto me, unlike what regularly happened when I visited other self service BBQ restaurants. The sesame oil with salt is a great condiment to go with the meat. Highly recommend the pork collar since the meat is not too chewy like the ribs, and the pork is generally more flavourful than the chicken. Another suggested way of enjoying the meats here is to go light first by savouring the BBQ chicken first, then the pork. And one more thing: the pork belly looks like the thinly sliced type in the menu, but when it is served, I am shocked to see that each slice is at least one centimetre thick! So if one wants to try that, be prepared, especially since pork belly has high ratio of fat.

The spicy soft beancurd stew with clams and egg yolk is another must order. The umami of the clams is impossible to resist.

Seafood pancake is prepared right in such a way that the ratio of vegetables to flour is high.

Chilled buckwheat noodles soup is a novelty, which reminds me of cold soba that I love. Add a splash of vinegar and a dot of mustard, the smooth cold fine noodles, soaked with the essence of the soup, is a enjoyable, refreshing treat. But I do find it a tad too chewy as compared to soba.

Service is, well, pretty okay. Kind of like in the middle for all aspects.

If I want to have Korean BBQ, is fine with travelling down to Orchard area and do not mind the aftermath of strong barbecue smell on me, this restaurant is the first to come to my mind.

My Thoughts: My Number One Choice for Korean BBQ buffet

Nearest car park: The Regent Hotel’s car park
Nearest MRT: Orchard

1 Cuscaden Road
The Regent Hotel #03-02
Singapore
Contact No: 63388548

Yoogane - Novelty in the Presentation of the Food

Closed

This restaurant is all about Chicken Galbi, which is prepared right in front of the patrons. A huge pan of fresh raw ingredients consisting of marinated chicken and crisp, fresh chopped vegetables is brought to the table, and a service staff will stir-fry them till a pan of piping hot chicken galbi is ready for tucking in. The seasonings on the chicken make it very flavourful and adds taste to the plain vegetables. This is really one hearty meal. Sides are not bad, do well to whet the appetite but lacks variety.

The place is open concept with only short fences drawing the boundaries of the restaurant. The good part about this is that it is great for gatherings since patrons will have no reservations about having boisterous conversations. Service is pretty okay, nothing worth that extra mention, but I do give them the credit for whipping up a decent meal.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Bornga - Enjoyable Korean Fare

Closed

It is by pure chance that I stepped into Bornga for my lunch since I happened to hang around Vivocity and was in no mood for either Chinese cuisine or Italian cuisine. I did not expect much, but I was quite pleasantly surprised to find that this place serves pretty good grilled pork.

While the side dishes are very ordinary and do little to refresh the palates and whet the appetite, the spicy grilled pork, Dwaeji Gohchujang Barbecue, get the thumbs-up from me. Each moist, thin, fresh pork slice is saturated with flavours of the spicy specialty sauce. It is hearty dish to tuck into.

But when I saw the plate of sliced, raw pork served to the table beside me, I was glad that I did not order that. Because the slices are so thick, and so far, my experiences with eating such thick slices of meat, especially at Korean restaurants, were all nightmares. Of course that is just me only.

With the scenic view of the harbour beside Vivocity, the ambience is pretty good for a casual meal. And I'm glad that the oil and smoke from another table did not suffuse to my side. Service is not bad, the staff did gain extra points by bidding farewell to patrons.

If I happen to be at Vivocity, I sure do not mind dropping by to have a meal.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Nearest car park: Vivocity's car park

Nearest MRT: Habourfront

#02-123 Vivocity

1 Habourfront Avenue

Singapore

Contact No: 63768268

Hansik Korean Family Restaurant - Surprisingly Good Heartland Restaurant

This restaurant is no longer in operation 

I don't write a lot about Korean restaurants because quite a number I had visited did not inspire me enough to do so. So this says a lot about Hansik, in which I share my thoughts on this place.

I like the side dishes here since they taste refreshing—exactly how appetizers should be like, to refresh one's palates for the mains and complement the grilled items. The kimchi is not too spicy, which is how I like it.

The chargrilled chicken is fresh, succulent with hints of the burnt aroma of grilled meat. The mushrooms that come with the chicken pack lots of moisture under the grilled surface. Dip the chucks of meats or mushrooms into the sea salt sauce, the result is grill goodness.

The seafood pancake is quite a disappointment as compared to the side dishes and chargrilled chicken. Too much flour, too little seafood, I feel like I am eating mouthfuls of slightly flavoured cooked dough. This can be given a miss.

Since this restaurant has ala carte menu instead of going buffet style, the air there is fresher, with none of the smell and grease that hang in the air of lots of Korean restaurants. I actually prefer this kind of dining environment. The service is okay lah. No highlight and no lowlight.

I definitely look forward to go back to check out other dishes on the menu.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Gaia Korean Restaurant - Yummy Korean Food

One thing I like about this place is the great variety of side dishes given, this week, it could be bean sprouts, vegetables, lotus roots, next week, it could be tofu, potato, radish, another week, another entirely different set of cold side dishes, only the kimchi remains the staple of the cold dishes. So it is hard to get bored coming to this place for a meal and it definitely helps a lot that the most of the side dishes are quite tasty and appetizing. However, I feel that appetizers are more of home-cooked food standard instead of restaurant standard.

My only complant is that the kimchi tends to be a bit too spicy as compared to the Chongga kimchi I love. The grilled meats being thoroughly marinated with a delicious sauce, are fresh, tasty, delicious and juicy. The ginseng chicken soup is not too salty and tasted full of ginseng goodness.

The place is nice, simple and clean, the staffs are generally okay, they seem to be really busy, so it is kind of hard to catch their attention. Once become regular patrons, I find that the service to be great and friendly.

This is the place I'll go to whenever I want to eat Korean food.

My Thoughts: Pretty Good

Nearest car park: Open air URA car park at end of Lorong Liput (alternatively, go for Holland Shopping Centre's car park or multi-storey car park in Blk 5A at Holland Close)

Nearest MRT: Holland Village

17E Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Singapore
Contact No: 63393313

Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ (Ngee Ann City) - Not too bad

Closed

I still remember that when I first tried out the Korean BBQ meat here, I was wowed over by the strong, tasty flavour of the meat (to be precise, it should be the sauce). The sauce is salty and aromatic, complementing the fresh meat perfectly. The six complimentary dishes consist of typical Korean fare, like Kimchi, salad and veggies, are great for keeping one occupied. The spicy seafood soup totally whets one's appetite and the pancake is so fragant (Though the bimbibap is dry and tasteless).

The service is not exactly fantastic but is good enough for me to have an enjoyable meal there. And thus, I became a regular patron of this restaurant.

But alas, as time goes by, I had tasted food from many different dining establishments; I had gotten picky. So now when I revisit this place, while the standard is still the same and I still kinda enjoy the food, I just find the food to be so-so only; kind of salty and did not bring out the true flavour of the original ingredients. I find the meat to be not so fresh. The main thing I still like about this place is the kimchi, not too hot with lots of zest. Though for this kind of price, the food is considered very value for money.

I'll still go back to satisfy my cravings for Korean food. Provided that I don't want to trudge down to holland village for Gaia.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Bibigo - Yummy and Fresh

Closed

Bibigo bills its food as Healthy and Fresh, well, I'm not sure about the healthy part, though I'm positive that the dishes are yummy and fresh.

While the side dishes are neither free nor free flow, the quality exceeds those in most of other Korean restaurants. My impression of Korean side dishes is always not bad, good variety, but is of usual home's cooking standard. Not the case for those in Bibigo where they are packed full of flavours, simulating to the taste's buds and extremely fresh. The seafood pancake is a beautiful dish packed with lots of veggies instead of flour, and the accompanying sauce is one great condiment due to the excellent mix of zest, spiciness and saltiness. The dumplings are good also due to the juicy meat fillings, and it helps that the same delightful sauce of the pancake is also used here.

The fresh grilled chicken is the winner because of the fresh chicken used, the precise grilling which retains the juiciness of the meat while bringing out the charred flavour, and the flavourful sauce used. This is a must order. The grill pork is good but tends to be a bit too salty as compared to the chicken. The spicy seafood soup holding lots of the goodness of sea is of just the right spiciness for me—enough for the kick but not too much to send me breathing out fire.

The service is very good and full of young energy as the young staff are responsive and friendly. The ambience is more of the casual type.

Definitely my favourite Korean's restaurant which I'm always looking forward to going back.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Though take note that the branch I always frequent is the Suntec one. And this review was done based on the food done by the original kitchen crew.

Note: This chain of restaurants has pulled out of Singapore.