Kim Family Restaurant [ Lorong Kilat ]

Been to Kim Family Restaurant a few times but had never wrote anything about them and decide is time to 'do' something about it.

Was craving for something spicy and decided to go for their Triple Hotpot which looked red and spicy from the photo.

Triple Hotpot [ 곱창전골  ]

Triple Hotpot which is known as Gopchang jeongol [ 곱창전골 ] in Korea, is a kind of spicy stew or casserole made by boiling beef tripe, seasonings and vegetables in beef broth. Gopchang [ 곱창 ] refers to the small intestines of cattle. The dish is mainly based on gopchang [ 곱창 ] but other parts of beef tripe are also used so as to give the dish a richer flavor and a more chewy texture.

However, the triple hotpot ( Gopchang jeongol [ 곱창전골 ] ) in Kim Family Restaurant uses pig intestines instead of cattle.
The food arrived shortly and I was excited to get my first bite but still gonna wait patiently as the food got heat up and cooked.
When the food was finally cooked, I took a sip of the soup as I am very particular about the taste of the soup as I felt that the soup of a dish contains the flavor of all the ingredients of the dish and if the soup is not up to my expectation, I can consider giving the dish a miss.

The stew was quite diluted to my liking despite the amount of chilli and ingredients used for the dish. There was a slight smell and taste from the intestine which some people might not be used to it. The restaurant used beef in the dish and the beef was not chewy but yet it wasn't too tough. Most of the  ingredients in the dish taste separated just like their own individual flavor despite being cooked and boiled in the stew for a long time. However the Enokitake ( golden needle mushroom ) and the King Oyster Mushroom absorbed in the flavor of the intestine ended up that you will taste the gopchang [ 곱창 ] instead.

Personally, I will not order the dish again as I'm not a fan of intestine but ordered the dish as I wanna try something different and yet spicy at the same time. I was disappointed with my order as the dish wasn't spicy despite the stuff in the restaurant warned us that the dish is more on the spicy side. The dish was also too diluted as compared to other Korean dishes that I had eaten before.

However, to be fair too, I might considering trying out the dish again if I happened to come across it in Korea as my friends told me that even in Korea, due to the fact that the process of cooking and preparation can be tedious, so the dish is usually eaten in restaurants that are specialize in Gopchang jeongol [ 곱창전골 ].

Kimchi Hotpot Stew [ 김치전골 ]

Another dish that I tried recently is Kimchi Hotpot Stew [ 김치전골 ].

Kimchi Hotpot Stew [ 김치전골 ] is a category of elaborate stews in Korean cuisine and is similar to jjigae [ 찌개 ]. In the olden days, Jeongol [ 전골 ] was meant as a dish for the upper-class Koreans and also members of the royal courts while Jjigae [ 찌개 ] was more a simple dish for the commoners.

Kimchi Hotpot Stew [ 김치전골 ] of Kim Family Restaurant consists of clear noodles, tofu, pork, Enokitake ( golden needle mushroom ), zucchini and of course the main ingredients - Kimchi [ 김치 ].

Although the stew is red, but the taste of the stew is more sour rather than spicy due to the Kimchi [ 김치 ].As the kimchi was boiled in the stew for a long time, the kimchi was soft and suitable for people who are trying kimchi for the first time as most of the taste in the kimchi had been absorbed into the stew and the fermentation taste of the kimchi becomes more acceptable to all.

The ingredients had fully absorb the flavor and fragrance of the stew and the soup was thick with a sourish taste. Will recommended this dish for people who enjoy food that is more on the sour side but yet wanna try spicy food and is  unable to endure the burning sensation on your tongue and in your stomach after eating spicy food.
Do note that this dish contain clear noodle and is not necessary for you to order rice unless you are a big eater.

Do take note the portion for both dishes are quite large and is a shared dish. It can be shared among 2 to 4 people depending on how much your stomach can take in.

Kim Family Restaurant is located at:
17 Lorong Kilat
#01-06 Kilat Court
Singapore 598139

Tel :
6465 0535

Opening Hours :
Lunch :  12pm - 3pm
Dinner : 5.30pm - 10pm
Closed: Every 1st and 3rd Monday of the Month

Nearest MRT station:
Downtown line - Beauty World

Ming Jia @ Bukit Timah Plaza

Went for lunch at Ming Jia today. The eatery - Ming Jia that I am refering to is not the small little stall tucked away in the corner of Bukit Timah Plaza but a 'newly' opened stall located just beside WTS travel, right at the escalator.
This eatery is actually a sister shop of the original Ming Jia but has more food choices as compared to the original stall.

Was deciding in between common dishes that you can easily find at Korean restaurant or dishes not is not easily find in Korean restaurant in Singapore. Finally settled on a mixture of both.

Side dishes [ 반찬 ]

A common practice for Korean restaurant - side dishes are served while you are waiting for your meal. 

I love the salad and the kimchi [ 김치 ] of this eatery. The kimchi of this eatery is not as spicy as compared to kimchi of other Korean restaurant but I find it just right, as there are some kimchi that only carry the flavor of spiciness and nothing else. The kimchi of this eatery is spicy and yet you can taste the freshness of the vegetable at the same time. 

And they do sell the kimchi if you are interested in buying and the pricing is quite reasonable - $6 for about 500g of Kimchi. 

Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ] 

Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ], one of the most common dish that you can find easily in any Korean eatery. But people always say that food that is hardest to cook is usually the common dishes and if they are able to do the common dish well, it means that the food from the eatery is really delicious. 

Although this dish is named as Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ], but there are also squid in the pancake too. Ingredients used for the Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ] are quite generous as there are lots of squid used and you can say that every piece of the pancake contain one or two pieces of squid and it is consider a lot for a pancake that is suppose to contain nothing but Kimchi. The Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ] will have taste even better if the Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ] is a bit crispier. 

Totally recommended this dish if you are lookin for a side dish or just a snack and you happened to be a fan of Kimchi. Do note that the portion of the Kimchi Pancake [ 김치전 ] is enough for the serving for 3 to 4 people if you intend to order other food. 

Kimbap [ 김밥 ]

Kimbap [ 김밥 ], another popular and common dish that be seen easily in any Korean eatery in Korea but really hard to find in Singapore. Kimbap [ 김밥 ] is also known as sushi of Korea but there are some differences in sushi and Kimbap [ 김밥 ]. Sushi uses more of seafood and also vinegar in the rice but Kimbap [ 김밥 ] uses more of vegetables and sesame oil in the rice. Sushi are usually eaten cold but Kimbap [ 김밥 ] can be served at room temperature or even hot too. Personally, I feel that Kimbap [ 김밥 ] taste better than Sushi. ( No offence for Japanese food lover but this is just personal preference. ) 

However, it is really hard to find Kimbap [ 김밥 ] in Singapore, even in Korean eatery. I been searching for lots of Korean eatery to satisfy my craving for Kimbap [ 김밥 ] but usually I don't get my craving satisfied. I guess that the reason for the rareness of Kimbap [ 김밥 ] in Singapore is due to reason that the process of making Kimbap [ 김밥 ] can be quite tedious - the cutting of ingredients into strips, the boiling of the vegetables separately, the rolling of the Kimbap [ 김밥 ]. 

When I finally find Kimbap [ 김밥 ] in Ming Jia, I tell myself that it is a must to order. There are different choices for the Kimbap [ 김밥 ] on the menu - Vegetable Kimbap, Bulgogi Kimbap, Bacon Kimbap. Ordered the Bulgogi Kimbap but was told that they are no longer doing other choices for Kimbap [ 김밥 ] but only left with the original and common Kimbap which consists of various vegetables and ham. Decided to go for it as I really wanna get my craving satisfied. 

The Kimbap [ 김밥 ] was quite a big portion for the price of $8.90, and can easily feed two people. The kimbap was filled with lots of vegetables and you can really see that the ingredients are much more than the rice. The taste of sesame oil in the rice is quite strong with the additional glaze of sesame oil on the seaweed makes it even stronger. So for people who do not like the smell or even taste of sesame oil can just consider skipping the dish. 

Jjampong ( Spicy Seafood Noodle ) [ 짬뽕 ]

Last but not least, we ordered Jjampong ( Spicy Seafood Noodle ) [ 짬뽕 ]. Jjampong [ 짬뽕 ] is a Korean Chinese cuisine that is derived from traditional Chinese cuisine but has been locally influenced by local ingredients in Korea. Jjampong [ 짬뽕 ] can be easily find in Korean Chinese restaurants and certain Korean eatery too. This is also another dish that is not commonly find in Korean eatery in Singapore. 

The appearance of the Jjampong [ 짬뽕 ] seemed to be spicy from the colour of the soup, but looks could be deceiving. The soup didn't taste as hot and fiery as I was expecting. The spiciness doesn't linger in your mouth and can be easily be washed off with water if you find it too spicy. Mussels, squids and prawn were used in the cooking of the Jjampong [ 짬뽕 ] thus u could taste sweetness from the seafood. It could have been better if the soup can be more zesty and the taste can linger in your mouth instead of come and go. 

However, I really love the texture of the noodle. The noodle was chewy, soft and tender but yet it didn't have the unpleasant texture that most overcooked noodles have. 

Will recommended this dish if you are looking for a different kind of noodle that carries the different taste of Korea. 

The eatery can be easily spotted. It is just located beside WTS travel at level B1. However, do take note of the opening hours :

12pm - 4.30pm

6.00pm - 10pm

( Do note that the opening hours for dinner can varies according to the eatery too. ) 

Sync Korean Fusion Bistro @ Westgate

It had been some time since I last updated the blog. Back with a short personal review on the food I had at Sync Korean Fusion Bistro.

Sync Korean Fusion Bistro is situated at Westgate ( a new and yet not so new shopping mall ). Sync Korean Fusion Bistro is being managed by Samsung and this restaurant aimed to bring in good food with technology to the people.

The moment I entered Sync Korean Fusion Bistro, I found myself in a stylish and comfortable environment with soft music being played in the background. I was led to my seat and was served quickly ( maybe because there isn't much customers around ).

I decided to order their Bean paste soup [ 된장찌개 ] and my friend order their Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ]. We did not spend much time waiting for our food.

Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ]

Their Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ] was spicy on the first bite. As I consider myself as a person who like spicy food, the spiciness of the Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ] was acceptable. The Ddeok [ 떡- Rice cake ] itself was a bit hard and chewy. I felt that the ingredients of the Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ] had yet to absorb the aroma and the taste from the sauce. They had a egg added to the dish and egg yolk started to flow when you cut open the egg. However, I felt that the taste of the egg just do not blend in well with the dish. 

On the side note, I can only taste spiciness in this dish and it is not like any other Ddeokbokki [ 떡볶이 ] that I had try, whereby you can taste both sweet and spicy in one dish. 

Bean paste soup [ 된장찌개 ]

My Bean paste soup [ 된장찌개 ] was served and I couldn't wait to try it. The first thought that came to my mind when I tried the soup was the soup was really salty. I decided to had a look at the ingredients instead. I found a lot of Enokitake ( Commonly known as golden needle mushroom ), tofu, zucchini, prawn and squid inside the soup. I admit that they are consider generous for the amount of ingredients considering the price. However, I feel that the soup is not up to the standard of the normal Bean paste soup [ 된장찌개 ] that I had tasted as I can only taste nothing but saltiness from the soup. 

I feel that although this restaurant served Korean food but it is not authentic but catered and change to suit the taste bud of most people staying in Singapore, thus the restaurant is being named as Fusion Bistro. 

Note : My review is only based on my personal thoughts and it doesn't mean represent the reviews of others. 

For me personally, I don't think I will patronize this restaurant again as I preferred authentic Korean food rather than Fusion Korean food. 

However, for those who feels that they want to have a taste of fusion Korean food, this is the address of the restaurant. 

Sync Korean Fusion Bistro :

Westgate, 3 Gateway Drive

#03-01 

Singapore 608532

( Westgate shopping mall is located next to Jurong East Mrt Station )

Tel Number :

6369 9913

Opening Hours :

Sun - Thurs : 11am - 11pm

Fri and Sat : 11am - 12am

More Food At JooMak [ 주막 ]

Seemed to be going to Joomak [ 주막 ] quite often for the past week. So here I am to update about the different food I had.

For the exact location of JooMak, please refer to the post on Dinner at JooMak [ 주막 ].

Did not had a chance to take photos of  the side dishes ( also known as banchan - 반찬 ) previously so gonna make it up now.
Korean restaurants are famous for their banchan [ 반찬 ] as they would always provide a variety of banchan [ 반찬 ]  and there is no exception for JooMak.

JooMak will provide about 6 side dishes all the time and Kimchi is the basic and a must for one of the choices. Sometimes they will also have other alternative of side dishes such as 계란찜 ( Steamed egg casserole ), 오징어채볶음 ( Stir-fried Shredded Squid with Gochujang ( Chilli pepper paste ) ) and many others. 

You can also request for more side dishes after you have finished yours. 

This time round, I ordered Army Stew which is also often known as Budae Jjigae [ 부대찌개 ] and also Seafood Pancake [ 해물 파전 ].

The aroma of the 부대찌개 started to get stronger as the soup started to boil. The soup did not taste as spicy and hot as you expected at the first mouth, however the taste got stronger and stronger as you continued eating. As you get to the bottom of the pot, you can see the amount of chilli padi being used to contribute to the spiciness of the soup. The soup was really thick and tasty with sweetness and spiciness. 

There was a lot of ingredients in the soup especially spam, sausages, bean curd and onions in the soup. The ingredients in the soup absorbed all the taste and fragrance from the soup and make you crave for more. 

Will recommend this dish to you as you are able to experience the mixture of some common ingredients that is combined into one dish and yet is it tasty at the same time. The taste of the different food blend well together too. 부대찌개 is one of the most popular dish order in JooMak and is still one of the more popular food in South Korea, so do give it a try if you have the chance. 

Seafood pancake [ 해물 파전 ] is one of the popular food in Korea. As you can see from the picture, the pancake is filled with lots of squid, prawn, and scallion. I admit that I am a really picky eater and there's a lot of things that I don't eat and scallion is one of it. But this is one of the dish that I will and don't mind eating although the whole pancake is basically filled with scallion. 

Although the pancake contains lots of scallion, but you won't feel that the taste of scallion is too strong and it blend well with the taste of the pancake. The squid and prawn used in the pancake is not those kind of small shrimp or even being cut into small pieces. You will taste more of the ingredient rather than the pancake portion. However, the pancake will taste even better if it is more crispy.  

Will recommend this dish if you are a seafood lover.

Last but not least, I found my new love. Korean Spicy Seafood Noodles [ 짬뽕 ]. Finally get to eat it this time as it wasn't available the precious round. 

Korean Spicy Seafood Noodles [ 짬뽕 ] arrived and at the first look, my reaction was 'Wow, look at the amount of clams.' 

Spiciness came to my tongue at the first mouth of the soup. Decided to give the noodle a try. The noodles was really chewy and it did not become soggy despite being soaked in the soup for a long time. The hotness from the soup remained in your tongue as you continued to eat. However, after a while, the spiciness was gone and replacing it was sweetness from the onion and clams. As you continued eating, you will start to experience a familiar taste which set you thinking what is it but only to realize that it is the taste of ginger. However, the taste of the ginger goes well with the soup and it does not give out the usually tangy taste. 

Totally recommend this dish to you if you are a fan of seafood and if you love spicy food. You will be able to experience this dish with different level of tastes. 

Will be better if the 짬뽕 can be keep warm/hot all the time. 

Do note that most of the food portion from JooMak is quite big and it is enough to share about 2 people or even 3 people for some dishes. 

Dinner at JooMak [ 주막 ]

Was craving for some Korean food so decided to pay a visit to Joo Mak. 

Joo Mak is a Korean restaurant which is situated at a small corner nearby the hawker centre, and at the top level of Beauty World. Joo Mak is one of the restaurant that served  really authentic Korean food and some Korean food ( eg: Spicy Octopus [ 낚지 볶음 ] ) that is uncommon is Singapore can be found in Joo Mak. 

Wanted to try dishes that I have never tried before so decided to order Spicy Rice Cake with Ramyeon [ 라볶이 ] and also Seafood Soup With Noodles [ 짬뽕전골 ] but was told that Seafood Soup With Noodles [ 짬뽕전골 ] was not available. Changed the order to Fish Cake Soup [ 어묵탕 ]. Was disappointed though as I really wanted to try  짬뽕전골.

It so happened that there was a gathering there so waited for quite awhile for the food. 

Spicy Rice Cake with Ramyeon [ 라볶이 ] 

The 라볶이 was spicy enough for me but I feel that the rice cake might have been cooked for too long, so it become a bit too soft and lost the chewy texture of the rice cakes. However, the rest of the ingredients inside the 라볶이 was really tasty as they had absorbed the aroma and taste from the sauce especially the fish cake which was totally spicy and also sweet at the same time. 

Will recommend this dish if you want to experience a combination different taste and texture in one dish.

Fish Cake Soup [ 어묵탕 ]

Fish Cake Soup [ 어묵탕 ] arrived with a pleasant aroma and I can't waited to have a taste of the soup. The bowl is really filled right to the brim of the bowl with lots of ingredients in the soup. 
The soup taste sweet upon the first mouth and it makes me crave for more. ( Couldn't stop drinking the soup ). Although there chilli is being cooked together with the soup but you won't feel any hot and spice at all. 
As the fish cakes and fish balls get lesser and lesser, you will start to see other ingredients appearing. Was quite surprised to see clams inside the soup. Also saw radish inside the soup too.....guess the radish add on to the sweetness of the soup. 
The boss is really generous with the ingredients of this soup and we couldn't finished the fish cakes and fish balls in the soups as there's really too much. 
Will recommend this dish if you are really a fish cake or fish ball lover. 

We paid a total of about $42 for these 2 dishes and is shared among 2 person which I felt that it is reasonable. Another thing to take note : Joomak only charged for services but not for GST. 

Joomak is located at:
144 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Beauty World Centre
#04-01

Tel : 
6466 7871 / 8378 1036
( You can call to make a reservation if you have a larger group )

Opening Hours :
Lunch :  12pm - 3pm
( No lunch hour on Monday )
Dinner : 6pm - 11pm