[Korean food] SBCD Korean Tofu House 부창동 순두부

In the recent years, Korean restaurants/fastfood specializing in signature Korean food are getting more popular in Singapore.  Some of these specialties include bingsu, fried chicken, gimbap, bibimbap and the latest addition to the list is now soontofu (순두부).  In the 1970s, Korean soft tofu soup has been regarded as a daily comfort staple that provides a rich source of nourishment to Koreans and other nationalities residing in Korea.

SBCD Korean Tofu House, the latest Korean Restaurant in the Tanjong Pagar CBD district, specialises in a variety of Korean soft tofu soup, where the word "soon" actually means soft.

The restaurant uploads the kitchen philosophy of serving uplifting and complete meals.  Every soontofu dish is created using handmade silken tofu prepared fresh daily.  The broth comes in 4 different levels of spiciness - mild, medium, spicy and crazy hot.  After trying the various level of spiciness, level 3 seems to suit me best.  However, this may be a little too hot for some, who aren't into spicy food.

The modern and spacious restaurant has a total sitting capacity of 120 with 96 in the main dining area and 24 in the private dining area.

The private dining area can be further split into 3 smaller rooms with 8 seats each.  The private rooms are names after the restaurant's name, calling itself b-dong, c-dong and d-dong.  In the administrative division in South Korea, "Dong" means neighbourhood.

(entrance to one of the private rooms)

 (Private dining area)

The soft tofu is made with mature white soybeans, after they have been boiled, curdled and pressed.  The soybean is low in cholestorol and carbohydrates and is a good source of protein and calcium.  The chef comes in as early as 7am daily just to start preparing the fresh tofu for the diners.

(Chef making Prawn Tofu Pancake)

(Prawn Tofu Pancake)

Each soontofu soup is served with an egg and individually prepared in a rich, savoury broth.

Another unique practice in SBCD Korean Tofu House if the way the rice served with every meal.  Each bowl of rice is served in a hot stone bowl, and scooped out into a metal bowl at the dining table.  A thick crust of scorched rice (nuraungji) will remain in the hot stone bowl and corn tea is added into the hot stone bowl and covered to retain the heat to further cook the leftover rice.  Diners get to enjoy a bowl of rice porridge dish later, that is not only nutritious, but also aids in digestion.

(Hot Stone Bowl)

Each bowl of rice is cooked in individual hot stone bowl.  Each batch of rice are covered and pressure-cooked for a precise 15 min and 20 secs! 

The healthy soontofu soup is served with comforting taste of homemade side-dishes (ban chan), which include kimchi, seaweed, pickled green chillies, spicy squid strips and a whole fried croaker fish!  Serving a whole fried fish as a side dish is not common in Korean restaurants in Singapore.  Amongst the side dishes, what stood out for me was the seaweed and the kimchi.  They were totally delicious.  The price of set-meal ranges from $17.90 to $29.90.

There are a total of 4 appetiser dishes in the menu.  Besides the Prawn Tofu Pancake, there are also japchae, fried dumplings and seafood pancake.  Price ranges from $12.90 to $19.90.  The prawn tofu pancake is generous with the minced prawn fillings than the soft tofu itself.  Each portion of the appetiser is suitable for 2 to 3 to share.

(Prawn Tofu Pancake)

Besides the soontofu soup, the restaurant also serve popular Korean meat dishes such as L.A. Galbi, Spicy Grilled Chicken and Spicy Baby Octopus, with price ranging from $23.90 to $35.90.  Options are available to order these dishes as main dish or to include them in the combo meal along with a soontofu soup of choice.  My personal preference is the spicy grilled chicken, although I must say that the level of spiciness has been moderated, perhaps to suit the local taste.  The price for the meat dishes are comparable to BBQ dishes at other Korean restaurants.

(Tteok Galbi - Grilled Short Ribs Patties)

 (Spicy Grilled Chicken)

There is a good selection of 10 soontofu soups on the menu and fortunately for vegetarians, 1 of which excludes meat in the soup.  All soup base contain pork and vegetable, except for the Sesame Soontofu which does not use pork in the broth.  The ingredients used in this healthy option includes sesame, broccoli, mushroom and zucchini.  The taste is really light and suitable for diners who just want a light soup meal.  It is also the only dish that is non-spicy, making it suitable for junior diners.  

Overall, the restaurant serves quite a wide range of Korean popular dishes although the main highlight are the soontofu dishes.  The available of seats provides office workers in the vicinity, a good option for a healthy meal after work and with the enjoyment of continuous K-pop music.

The restaurant is located in Tanjong Pagar Centre, the newest tallest building in Singapore and is conveniently connected to the Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

SBCD Korean Tofu House
7 Wallich Street, Tanjong Pagar Centre, #B1-01/02 Singapore 078884
Tel: 6366 6441
Opens daily fom 11.30am to 10pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBCDSingapore

[Singapore Restaurant] Korean Food: Jang Shou Korean BBQ

It has been more than 5 years since I last stepped into Jang Shou Korean BBQ.  Jang Shou also means longevity.  The restaurant is conveniently located downtown, at The Esplande.  For this visit, I tried 2 BBQ and a soup dish.

Jang Shou restaurant is generous with their side dishes.  A total of 9 dishes are served, in addition to the onion soup as appetiser.

I always hesitate trying this dishes as I was afraid that the onion taste will be too over-powering.  But thankfully, the onion soup was quite refreshing.  It tasted sweet and a little sourish.  The restaurant serves set meal only during lunch.  Each set meal costs $23 and comprises 1 grilled meat dish (choice of beef, pork and chicken) and 1 stew dish (choice of soybean paste stew, spicy soft tofu stew, buckwheat noodles in cold broth and dry buckwheat noodles in spicy sauce).  For such a combination, I personally think that it is pretty worthwhile. 

But for this lunch, I decided to order BBQ meat instead of the set meal.  For some reason, the restaurant uses charcoal for BBQ only during dinner.  And during lunch, it is cooked over gas.  The first BBQ meat I ordered was the Jang Shou Galbi, marinated pork ribs in olive and honey.  There are 3 BBQ pork choices.  Besides pork ribs, they also serve olive-wine marinated pork belly and hot-pepper marinated pork belly.

The second BBQ meat that I had was Jang Shou Dak Galbi, grilled spicy chicken.  In fact, the choice of BBQ chicken is only limited to the spicy flavour.

While the spicy chicken looks more appetising than the pork ribs, I like the pork ribs more than the spicy chicken.

The soybean paste stew was average.  I like it more when the beanpaste taste is stronger.  But I guess the restaurant would have to cater to the majority's preference.

Overall, the dishes are decent but variety is limited for non-beef diners.   But I like the variety of side dishes served.  There are very few restaurants that provides such elaborate side dishes.

Note: WAH! Korea Club members enjoy 5% discount on regular food items from Monday to Thursday, excluding set meals.


Jang Shou Korean Charcoal BBQ
Address : 8 Raffles Avenue, #01-13A/B Esplanade Mall, S039802
Tel : +65-6337-8880
Business Hour:
Mon to Sat: 11.30am to 2.30pm / 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Sun and PH: 5.30pm to 10.30pm.

Website: http://www.jangshoukoreanbbq.com/

Getting there: Nearest MRT station is Esplanade Station on the Circle Line.  Follow the walking directions with the MRT station to Esplanade - Theatres by the Bay.  Go to level 1, take the exit next to Harry's.  Keep left and turn left into the entrance to Jang Shou Korean Restaurant.




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[Singapore Restaurant] Korean Food: Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant

Wang Dae Bak - this is a restaurant that I had wanted to visit since some time back but only get to do so now.  Friends, who are fans of Korean food, have been raving about this restaurant and after trying, there's no doubt that this is possibly one of the few Korean restaurants that serve pretty decent BBQ!

The restaurant isn't very big and the size of table is good for 4 pax.  The deco of the restaurant ie. the BBQ chimney, seats with round metal chairs, cylinder tank beneath the table top, resembles what you see in BBQ restaurants in Korea!

Side dishes - a total of 5 and all were really delicious.  We asked for refill and the service staff topped it rather speedily.

 

Each person is also given individual portions of condiments comprising salt, ssamjang for the BBQ meat and sesame oil. 

For the BBQ, we order a portion of pork belly and marinated chicken.  It came with tteokbokki and a bunch of enoki mushroom.

For lunch, the BBQ isn't cooked over charcoal.  Instead, it was cooked over the Korean-style hotplate.  Notice that the side of the hotplate is used the scrambled egg?  This is the first Korean restaurant, amongst the many that I have visited that uses such hotplate. 

Between the pork belly and the marinated chicken, it was unanimous amongst me and my friends that the BBQ chicken was really delicious!  And just to clarify, it is not the case that the BBQ pork wasn't delicious.   It was!  Just that the chicken BBQ was better!

And none of us would object that the seafood deonjang jjigae (bean paste soup) was delicious!  But note, for those who have not tried Korean bean paste soup before, the taste of this dish may take a while for one to used to.  Deonjang jjigae is made from fermented soy bean and hence, the fermented taste may be a little overpowering for some people.  Otherwise, for seasoned Korean food eaters, this is one place that I will recommend for deonjang jjigae.  

Andong Chicken is one dish that is quite subjective.  For people who haven't tried this dish and likes spicy food as well as stewed chicken, it is actually quite delicious.  But for those who have tried Andong Chicken in Korea, this would not be able to match up to the standard.  But overall, it is not a bad dish though.

The haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) is uniquely served on a bamboo-woven plate.  The portion was bigger than what we expected.  The pancake was quite nice too... thin and crispy at the edge.

We had also ordered the gamjatang (potato and pork ribs soup) and the dish was not impressive.  There wasn't any distinctive taste from both the potato and the pork ribs.  So... this is one which I will give it a miss.

Good news is that diners are entitled to 15% discount during lunch except for BBQ meat dishes.  You may also wish to try out the new dishes on their lunch menu.

Overall, the food, ambiance and value of food at Wang Dae Bak is good!  I will be back for more next time!

Wang Dae Bak
98 Amoy Street, Singapore 069918
Tel: 62260450
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Website: www.wangdaebak.com.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wangdaebak

Getting there: Walk from Raffles Place MRT station, Exit F.  It is approximately a 7 to 10 mins walk, depending on your individual speed.  With the opening of Downtown Line, it is in fact nearer to walk from Telok Ayer MRT station to the restaurant.



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[Singapore Restaurant] Korean Grill BBQ Buffet - Ssikkek BBQ

Hey, looking for buffet, and particularly Korean buffet?  Not many Korean restaurants serve buffet and Korean food is known not to be cheap in Singapore. After so many years, Ssikkek has maintained its top spot in the hearts of my friends and I because the food is generally good and it is quite affordable.  Weekday lunch buffet at $14++ and dinner at $22++.  Weekend / Public Holiday is at $24++.  Check the website for kids' price.

The kimchi soup is always the first dish that we would dash for because it is soooo popular.  Relatively thick gravy and flavourful.  Look!  The soup is finishing up faster than the ingredients!

Second on my list to dash for is the rice cakes, ddeokbokki.  Fresh fish cakes and rice cakes that are chewy and not too hard.  Sauce is good too.

Third item to dash for is the pancake, pajeon.  Thin slices and fragrant.  Those who prefer thick batter may disagree that this is worth dashing for.



And finally, meat dishes is what people may dash for at other restaurants.  But in Ssikkek, even though all the side dishes and drinks have ran out, the meat continues to be available.  It isn't that the meat dishes are not popular, in fact, they are very well marinated and delicious.  The standard chicken, pork and beef variety is sufficient to fill any hungry fellow.

While all these may sound all too good, are there things to note while dining there?  Yes, there are.  Firstly, due to long queues at the restaurants all the time, they have staggered the dinner hours.  I may not be totally certain but I think there are only 2 timings to choose from for dinner, either 6pm or 8pm.  So, timing isn't that flexible.  Secondly, if you are taking the 8pm dinner slot, fast fingers are needed to dash for the side dishes because the dishes may run out by 8.30pm :(  Thirdly, the restaurant closes at 10ish, so dinner at 8pm may be a little short if your plan is to have a slow and relax meal....

Ssikkek Korean BBQ

101 Thomson Road, United Square

#B1-15/16/17

Singapore 307591

Tel: 6254 8123

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ssikkek-BBQ/155178511226866

Opening Hours:

Mon to Fri : 11.30am to 2.30pm (Lunch), 5pm to 11pm (Dinner)

Weekend / PH : 11.30pm to 11pm

Nearest Station: Novena Station

Getting there: Use Exit B1.  Walk in the direction against the traffic flow and pass by Goldhill Shopping Centre.  The next building is United Square. 



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10 of Seoul’s Most Famous and Popular Galbi Restaurants

Koreans love barbeque food.  It is known as galbi... If you are in Seoul and do not know where to find galbi, check out the restaurants listed on this list...

10 of Seoul’s Most Famous and Popular Galbi Restaurants

Hansang Korean Family Restaurant‎

Hansang Korean Family Restaurant
10 Sinaran Drive, #03-33 Square 2
Tel: 6397 6752‎

Known as Little Seoul, Square 2 gives the most complete Korean shopping experience at the 3rd level with 2 Korean restaurants (Hansang and Seoul Yummy), Korean rice cake shop, Korean Supermart, Korean hair salon etc.

Hansang Korean restaurant is the more expensive restaurant between the 2.  Seoul Yummy operates much more casually and the food is cheaper.  Whereas at Hansang, you're served with 10 side-dishes, authentic silver chopsticks and spoon.  You get to choose to seat at the BBQ or non-BBQ section inside the restaurant.

BBQ set meal for 2 persons starts from $65 before taxes and you get the following...

This is a starter dish, individual portions served.  Depending on availability, the cold tofu may sometimes be replaced with a scoop of potato salad.  Portions are dividually equally so if 3 persons are sharing a 2-pax set meal, 1 person may need to forgo the starter.

Next is the pa-jeon dish.  Again, it is 1 set person.  Each set comprises of 1 piece of fish fillet pa-jeon and 1 piece of seafood pa-jeon.  There is also an individual serving of soy sauce for the pa-jeon.  The seafood pa-jeon was much delicious than the fish fillet pa-jeon.

Next dish that was served was the glass noodle dish.  The noodles are fried with carrot strips, green veggie and mushroom; and garnished with egg and seaweed.  This dish was rather flavourful, especially the noodles. Highly recommended if you're ordering ala carte.
 

There was also a small pot of rice, korean rice with a piece of carrot, pumpkin and sweet potato and a red date.  With the added ingredients, the light taste of sweetness came through the rice.

 

I must say that the stew dishes at Hansang is really good. Besides the bean paste soup, kimchi chigae is also highly recommended. The soup stew is thick and you can tell that they have cooked the stew dish for hours. The kimchi flavour has deeply penetrated into the veggie, tofu and noodles.

This is the highlight of the day - BBQ pork.  For the 2-pax set meal, a choice of pork or chicken is available.  For pork BBQ, there are 3 types of pork available and we had opted for collar meat and ribs.

For ala carte BBQ dish, a minimum of 2 portions is required and each portion costs at least $25.  Hence, I figured out that it is more worth-while to opt for the set meal.  For $15 more, we get to try out a selection of other dishes including pa-jeon, chigae and rice noodle. 

For the set meal, coffee/tea and fruits are also served at the end of the meal. But if the above is too much for 2 persons to stomach, it is perfectly find to share the 2-pax set meal among 3 persons.

But great food comes with price, be prepared to pay at least $76.50 for a meal for 2 if you're going for the dinner set meal.

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Awon Korean Restaurant (BBQ & Steamboat Buffet) [Closed]

Awon Korean Restaurant (BBQ & Steamboat Buffet)

#04-01, 5 Coleman Street, Excelsior Hotel

Singapore 179805

(Update on Jul 2010 : The restaurant has moved out from Excelsior Hotel.  New location is not known yet)

This is my 4th visit to Awon over 8 years. First was in 2001 with a big group of Korean, 2nd was with my Korean Language class, 3rd was with an ex-colleague and 4th with my present colleagues. Back in 2001, it is not uncommon to find Korean restaurants in Singapore. There were a couple of them along Tanjong Pagar Road, one near Miramar Hotel, Korean stalls at Suntec and food court in the current OG Orchard before it was taken over by OG.

So actually, Awon is quite a old Korean Restaurant.... don't be surprise to see furnitures that are a little run-down and deco that isn't zen-ish like what we see in the newer Korean Restaurants. In fact, we are spoilt for choices when it comes to Korean Restaurant.

Back in 2001, I remembered there was no BBQ & Steamboat buffet, there were just ala carte and set meals (very reasonably priced ones). Not sure when they started serving buffets.

We had 2 steamboat pots, one for beef eaters and one for non-beef eaters. This one is topped with marinated chicken. The steamboat pot is actually 2-in-1. The top section is actually for the BBQ and the lower section is for the steamboat.

We were supposed to use the soup stock to BBQ the meat by constantly drenching it, no oil required. After drenching the meat, the soup stock will flow back into the steamboat section. You can imagine, at the end of it, the soup is actually quite 'sweet'.

The chicken BBQ is actually quite tasty, at least better than the BBQ pork which I find that the slices were too thick.

And this one is topped with marinated beef. My colleagues commented that the beef tasted quite good as well.

We added glass noodles, prawns, fish cakes, vegetables etc into the steamboat pot. As the pot is quite shallow, only limited food quantity can be cooked at 1 time.

Vegetable section....

 

UOB Cardholders are entitled to a 30% discount. So for a Friday dinner, we spent about $20.60 per pax. Heard it used to be 50% discount for UOB cardholders.... Hmmm....

The meat section - beef, chicken, pork and prawns...Noodles and steamboat ingredients section...The buffet spread also lacks variety. This is the pickle and sauce section.Side dishes - actually I was quite disappointed with the variety and the quality of food. There were no potato salad, lotus roots slice and eggs! It was just kimchi, anchovy, sausage, bean sprouts, spinach and tofu. Very pathetic!