Korean Cravings

Toasts had seemed to be quite an “in” thing lately, and I was really glad that MenboLah was open during the weekends when most eateries in the building would have been closed.

Upon order of the Mentaiko Chicken Cutlet Garlic Toast (S$8.10), the staff assembled the ingredients for me in a couple of minutes, and because of the snugly-fit packaging, the Mentaiko mayonnaise did not smear.

I would say that these toasts could serve as an easy lunch for those on the move, but apart from this item, those who would like to have it for breakfast should try their Egg Mayo with Hashbrown French Toast (S$6.90) which I thought was very tasty as well!

I had always wanted to try the Soontofu here but the biggest question was whether it was worth so much money to eat a Tofu soup.

So I finally stepped into the restaurant and ordered just the Seafood Soontofu (S$21.00), and I didn’t expect that I was served with lots of Panchan, a stone bowl of rice, a whole fish (although it wasn’t very big to be fair) and a piping hot bowl of Soontofu, with their Tofu freshly made daily. The soup was flavourful and sufficiently spicy in an appetising way, and all these food was already enough to fill my stomach. This must be very comforting during a rainy day, but it would be satisfying at other weather situations no less.

On top of that, they also had their free flow Corn Tea at S$1.00 per pax.

When my friend recommended a casual dinner to Manbok (or Sin Manbok if that mattered), I truly did not expect such a feast coming. Just think about unlimited servings of meat, with a choice of Korean stew (Kimchi, Spicy Tofu or Army), one serving of Korean Fried Chicken (Original, Seasoned or Soy) and then a round of sides which comprised a Pancake, Rice Cakes / Steamed Egg and a Jajangmyoen / Pork Cutlet…… all at an outrageous price of S$29.00 per pax!

All I would say was that, if you knew the right things to pick, you would definitely leave the place bloated but extremely satisfied. The only undesirable takeaway might just be the lingering BBQ smell that would just cling on you (and your bags) until you were to perform a thorough clean-down.

On days when I didn’t mind myself getting myself smelling like barbecue, I would not mind stepping into a Korean BBQ restaurant to enjoy some grilled meats and to indulge in Banchan dishes.

As my friend asked me out for dinner at Wang Dae Bak, I was also mindful that we only had less than 90 minutes to have our dinner. Since we wanted to try a bit of everything, we ordered a All In One Set B (S$49.00) which comprised marinated boneless prime ribs, pork belly, marinated pork collar and spicy marinated chicken. On top of that, we also added on a Combo A for S$35.00 which came with a small soup (we chose Kimchi soup) and a Half-and-Half Korean Pancake.

My initial take was that the service crew could be more attentive to our order, as the raw foods came after the add-ons, and that was almost 15 minutes after we placed our order. Unfortunately as well, even though a staff was there to help us grill and cut the meats, she burnt a substantial part of our chicken and it was not the best sight to see. However, the appeal for me was actually the egg mix that was frying around the rim of the barbecue plate, which kind of made use of the fats that oozed out from the meats to grease the “drainage” for a non-stick effect. In addition, I appreciated the charcoal-fired grill, which probably also gave the meats some natural smoke flavours as well.

In short, although service might have fell short during this visit, the spread of delicious Korean BBQ essentials and the other side dishes and Banchans would be good reasons to consider returning for more the next round.

Mainly the combination of Korean Ramyeon and Tteokbokki, Jinjja Chicken also had their take on the Rabokki. At S$7.90, the bowl of noodles was pretty quickly served. I quite liked the thickness of the soup because, which was further thickened by the cheese that came with it. This could be an alternative to fried chicken, especially for those who needed a bit more carbohydrates to last through to the next meal.

During peak hours, it would be good to find a seat before placing orders. But what was most interesting for me was the two times of power tripping that happened during the visit, which I almost thought they were doing some birthday surprises.

Business was thriving during the lunch hours of Dosirak, and I was quite lucky to get a seat quite quickly with my lunch date.

Burpple Beyond allowed us to have a one-for-one deal of their Bibimbap. The Soy Citrus Salmon (S$12.90) had some cubes of seared salmon, topping a bed of brown rice (additional S$1.00) and five sides which I would personally recommend their spinach, beansprouts, kimchi, corn and cabbage. Onsen egg (additional S$1.00) would also be a nice additional touch to the rice box for some extra protein amidst the crunches.

Add both the Omma’s Gochujang and Soy Garlic Jang to enjoy a spicy finish with additional fragrance to the already tasty Bibimbap. Don’t be shy to also shake the box like a pro to mix the contents evenly, and then add a second round of sauces to make sure every single grain would capture some authentic Korean flavours.

#BurppleBeyond

For something more fancy than just purely plain fried chicken, the Curry Fried Chicken (S$28.90) came with a coating of curry seasoning powder that combined some light spices with a little sweet finish. My first few bites reminded me of eating a sweetened curry flavoured Twisties. Like their other fried chicken variants, the fried chicken was crusty and crispy, perfect to go with any of their alcoholic beverages.

On the flipside, I thought that they could go a wee bit easier with their curry seasoning as the saltiness became apparent towards the end of the meal. Perhaps that was why a mango cream dip was provided by the side to neutralise the taste a little bit, but the aftereffects of thirst was still inevitable.

Especially if you are a pair of diners and you find no reason not to benefit with Burpple Beyond, the way to go is to pair your fried chicken dish (for 2 pax) with their salad, for that will also help to clear your palate from all that grease and seasoning powder.

#BurppleBeyond

Being one of the two promotional items for the month of March, the Watermelon Bingsu (S$16.00) was the perfect dessert to combat against the heat out there. With the fruit scooped into balls, the skin of the watermelon turned into a bowl to contain a heap of shaved milk ice, before the watermelon balls were stacked on top of the ice mountain.

So the big question is: worth the money? To be honest, I can easily satisfy myself with a chendol or ice kachang if I was willing to go further to Old Airport Road Food Centre. However, diners at the adjacent Korean restaurant get a 10% discount for the bingsus. Besides, they throw in a quarter of rice-cake (mochi) waffle with cinnamon sugar on top of this deal as a complimentary item. To conclude, it still works out as a quick relief of an iced dessert.

I was searching for something fruity after a hearty dinner, and decided to come by the Punggol East Container Park for some Bingsu in a rainy night. Now, for those who would think that Bingsu is always a sweet affair, this one has just proven me wrong.

Priced at S$18.90, the Mango with Ice Cream Bingsu (Yoghurt Base) is basically finely shaved ice (spoiler: mini marshmallows inside!), with cubes of mangoes lined up evenly to form that mountain, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream tops the Bingsu before drizzling some mango sauce. Interestingly, the mangoes were not as sweet as they seem, but eating it with melted vanilla ice cream and yoghurt shaved ice made this dessert not so gelak to have. I almost thought that Seoul Good recreated a deconstructed Mango Lassi, but no it is still pretty much Korean, if not Singaporean.

If you’re a mosquito magnet, just remember to bring a cardigan or jacket, and hope that the indoor air-conditioned container has a vacant table for your desserts or meals, else you will have to settle for outdoor seats. But you’ve been warned, that it can get quite cold inside if the weather out there is not sunny.

Tteokbokki is basically Korean-style hot and spicy stir-fried rice cakes. And Dookki offers all-you-can-eat buffet for only S$18.80 (before service charge and GST). Apart from the rice cakes, there are other ingredients such as eggs, sausages, vegetables, fried food and skewered food to enjoy with the different varieties of rice cakes. Dookki, which means "two meals" in Korean, just means that after eating the Tteokbokki, you can carry on to use the leftover sauce to make Kimchi fried rice. And for those who still want more, instant noodles are also available at self service, as if you haven't eaten for days. Drinks are also available, free-flow.

But if I would have a second chance, I will not be getting the Double Cheese Ring (S$9.80). My experience with it is that the pan does not conduct heat that well for the cheese to stay melted throughout the meal. Chances are that it will either cool off eventually and harden, or will get burnt and the whole cheese thingy will be "wasted" after half an hour or so. I suppose if you can mix the sauce well like Koreans do, there is no need to add the cheese flavour to your meal.

90 minutes? Sure. But if you are a slow eater with a big appetite, you will be likely to feel a rush to get a satisfying meal out of this.

...... but given that this is at Resorts World Sentosa, I think that these two dishes -- the Hotstone Bibimbap with Pork (S$14.00) and the Seoul Fried Chicken (S$13.00 for 12 pieces) -- are not the most desirable dishes to get.

The Bibimbap to me is just a bowl of rice that does not come across as having much of other ingredients, making it lack the crunch from the vegetables. The Fried Chicken reminded me of some Chicken Karaage with minimal marination. Both did not seem to hit the right spot for me.

Methinks there are other restaurants in the vicinity that is better worth the money spent.

While all the Korean Fried Chicken are delicious here, let's not forget that some of their appetisers should not be left out, especially this Kimchi Pancake (S$18.00). Whether with or without the sauce dip, the Kimchi Pancake captures the taste of kimchi without losing its identity as a potato pancake. Moreover, this portion is big enough to serve 3-5 people easily, on top of the fried chicken orders.