HoHo Korean Restaurant, Sunset Way

One Saturday, we decided to venture out of our comfort zone (meaning town and the club) and popped over to Hoho Korean Restaurant for dinner.

Located at Sunset Way, this is a neighbourhood favourite and to come without reservations would be courting misery. Before our dishes arrived, a bevy of banchan arrived fast and furious. If this was an indication of things to come, we were in for a good time.

We ordered a Dolsot Bibimbap, grilled Samgyupsal (pork belly) and Yangmyeom Moksal (seasoned pork collar with soy sauce). The piping hot bibimbap was lovely as hell, with delightful scorched burnt bits. Both grilled meats were gloriously tender and flavourful. Food this unpretentiously yummy makes me giddy with joy.

The dishes were mostly excellent. The only dish that was a salty bummer was the Korean ramen. I ordered a non-spicy version for the boys but on hindsight, they would have been pretty ok with the spicy version. This ramen was inexcusably salty. Sad face.

 

놀러와 - Come N Joy, Millenia Walk

In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much from Come N Joy. The restaurant usually sports a sparse lunch crowd (not sure about their dinner crowds) and that didn't particularly incite much confidence. Doesn't help that the name sounds kind of "???" too. However, the friend had the Entertainer app which meant a 1-for-1 offer and that prompted us to try out Come N Joy.

Happy to report the food is actually really good!

Their gimbap was wholesome and tasty, packed with beef, carrots, cucumber. The ratio of rice to condiments was a pleasant 20:80. Gimbap is an overlooked cousin of sushi and this version will easily make converts out of non-believers.

The chicken took a while to arrive and when it did, the server candidly told us to be careful as it was hot. HE WAS RIGHT. While I'm super thrilled that the chicken was freshly made, do not pick up the chicken with your bare fingers as they will burrrrrrrrn.

The Lemon Cheese Chicken, an in-house signature, sounds like a monstrosity but it was in fact really good! Deep-fried chicken tossed with lemon sauce, then topped over with melted cheese... It was crunch, creamy, lemony, cheesy - weird flavour combinations that sounds odd but oddly enough works!

We ordered the Soy Garlic Chicken, which was crazy satisfying too. Sweet, savoury and of course, indulgent. What I liked about the chicken here is the generous sizeable pieces.

An unexpected great find - will come back again real soon with KW and the boys!

Hyang-To-Gol Korean Restaurant, Raffles City.

The evening before the Firstborn told me, he wanted to eat at a place where he can "wrap meat in lettuce." I took that to mean Korean food. We didn't want to risk the Friday crowds without any reservations and the rain eliminated several options, so we found ourselves at at Raffles City. Some of you would find the name familiar. This is an offshoot from the Amara Hotel branch. A casual, more accessible outlet.

We ordered a selection of familiar favorites - BBQ Seasoned Pork Belly, Beef Short Ribs, Kimchi Jigae and Korean Rampyeon. I really enjoyed the meal - perhaps the sight of the Firstborn tucking vivaciously into galbi wrapped in lettuce and Korean ramyeon made my heart sing.

Good ol' Auntie Kim's, Upper Thomson

With my humble net cast across limited parts of Singapore, my favourite Korean restaurant is Wang Dae Bak at China Square. Sadly, they don't open on Sundays, thus for our Sunday family lunch, we popped over to second favourite Auntie Kim's.

Now the area is currently a mess due to construction of MRT lines and parking is a challenge (#thinkbigpicture #propertypriceshuatah), but that doesn't take away the fact that the food is legit. The banchan is homely and pleasing; I especially enjoyed the marinated beansprouts and spinach.

 

Budae Jjigae - Spicy sausage stew

An excuse to eat spam and instant noodles

 

 Nakji Somyun - Stir-fried octopus with spicy sauce

Lip-smackingly flavoursome

 

Haemul Jeon - Seafood pancake

Not the best but serviceable

 

Godengeo Gui - Grilled saba 

Omega-3 goodness

 

KFC - Korean Fried Chicken (original and spicy)

Finger-lickin' good

Lunch at Wang Dae Bak, China Sqaure

Spicy beef soup with a side of seafood pancake (you get the crusty bits)

I am so glad I work near probably one of my all-time favourite Korean restaurants, Wang Dae Bak. This spicy beef soup had just the right kick without burning a hole in my stomach. If you want the ereal deal, grab hold of a couple of friends to share that amazing seafood pancake. 

Choo Choo Chicken, Cineleisure (Deliveroo)

Happy Hump Day... Here are some pictures of Korean Fried Chicken to get you through the day. 

For our friend's potluck party,  we ordered a bunch of wings and drumlets from Choo Choo Chicken. They were demolished in 15 mins f-l-a-t and we ordered two more batches after modesty gave into gluttony. Two more batches! I like my friends.

Still crispy and juicy upon arrival, I personally loved the spicy and garlic flavour. I think the feeling of eating from the comfort of home (meaning you can just veg out after pigging out) is also hard to beat. 

The Deliveroo delivery was punctual the first time round but 15 mins late the second time round, so they provided a $15 discount for the next order. 

Haemul Pajeon from Wang Dae Bak

I have Korean-American colleagues and one of them shared, Wang Dae Bak means "best of the best." We had our team lunch atWang Dae Bak Korean BBQ, and the food was in general really good and generally portioned. This mammoth seafood pancake was a cushiony thing of comfort, but the kicker was their superb and equally mammoth kimchi pancake. I can't wait to have it again! ARGHHH

Bouchon Singapore, Bugis Plus

Boneless chicken in soy-garlic sauce

Japchae - Russell love this

Okonomiyaki - Lucas loved this

No surprises, but unexpectedly good meal at Bouchon Singapore. 

Oven & Fried Chicken, Telok Ayer Street

Working near Telok Ayer Street definitely has its perks, and variety is one of them - although adventure comes at a cost. One Friday, colleague J suggested for lunch at Oven & Fried Chicken, one of the many Korean restaurants around that area, but definitely one of the most popular too. By 12pm, the restaurant was packed and there was a line at the door. Seriously, people? Queueing for Korean fried chicken for lunch? Don't you have to go back to work?

Speaking of getting back to work, I really like their "Call" button, as it saves me the hassle of having to get someone's attention.

According to credible sources aka their website, Oven & Fried Chicken uses rice flour to fry its chicken, which results in a thickish but light and remarkably ungreasy batter. My only grievance is we should have gone with boneless thigh version and avoided the breast meat.

I didn't think I would like the sauce-y version better but the Soy Sauced version was a winner in my books. Sticky, sweet and savoury, I can see how it could get cloying after a while but that is why it helps to get a variety.

Turns out colleague J is a closet fan boy of Oven & Fried Chicken. Well he wasn't that discreet with his ardor as soon as the baskets were laid down in front of us and I can see why =)

Seconds at Big Mama Korean Restaurant, Kim Tian Road

Decent spread of refillable banchan, which is even available for takeaway orders

Love the char on the Buchu Jeon (seafood and chives pancake)

Kimchi Jeon (kimchi pancake) on steroids

The Firstborn gets a lesson in lip-numbing deviousness, 

thanks to this Budae Jugae (Army Stew)

Fatty fish oils get in muh belly... 

Their very awesome signature Dalgalbi

Cue carbs coma 

Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ, Takashimaya

We don't eat Korean food often enough. I don't know why... Maybe it is because I always end up saying too much so abstinence is the surest form of control. 

After Lucas' medical check-up, we had lunch at Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ at Takashimaya. There  Being part of the Crystal Jade group of restaurants, there is a certain level of standard maintained. No, they didn't reinvent any wheel but that suited us just fine as we were looking for familiar favourites anyway.

The banchan selection isn't astounding but it comprised of some of my favourites including seasoned bean sprouts and spinach. It is always important to start off on a good note, especially when one anticipates OD-ing on meat and carbs later on.

Barely 10 minutes after the banchan arrived, our beef short ribs arrived. The dish received much tender loving attention from the boys . Yes, plural - for someone who doesn't like meat, we were surprised by Russell's recent affection for beef. I regarded the dish's sauciness with a tinge of skepticism but that was right up KW's - and the Munckin's - alley.

The bibimbap was a flavour bomb mash-up of julienned vegetables, beef slices, mushrooms, gochujang sauce and rice: the mixed-in raw egg lends an added layer of comfort.

Let the rice sit for a while before you scoop up those delectable crusty bits.

A must-order for me is seafood pancake. While this wasn't the best I have had, it sure brought back lovely memories of our trip to Seoul last year. Ah yes, the wandelust bug bites again. Maybe I should have played the Mother's Day card and persuaded KW to take us back to Seoul.

Sarang, Orchard Central

Don't bother googling Sarang (#07-01 Orchard Central). Or rather, read whatever you find with a pinch of salt. It is one of those places with more media-invites blog reviews than those written by paying customers. 

Damn those food bloggers who take awesome pictures while letting their food turn cold. *Swallows drool* I have to admit I found myself intrigued by what Sarang had to offer, thanks to those mouth-watering pictures. Fortunately, an opportunity to try out the eatery presented itself when a Groupon deal popped up in my Spam.  

Apparently, Sarang had also undergone a re-vamp and now offer Korean "tapas." That probably gives them an all-access pass to reduce the size of the dishes without tweaking their prices downwards, I guess. 

I don't think one would balk at the menu prices but when the dishes came, I couldn't help but feel slightly shortchanged. That's 'dining out' for you, I guess. However, putting all our First World grievances aside, the food was actually pretty good. 

From the Korean Tapas menu, the rice cakes and okonimiyaki were pleasing and a great way to appease those feeling more peckish than hungry. 

To be honest, I was really excited about the Korean nachos but it fell flat on festivities (damn those blogger pictures). However, all is not lost as I have grand plans to beef this dish up for home parties. Stay tuned. 

The grilled meats were quite something as well. The Meat Lover's platter and short ribs were spot on, in terms of timing and flavour. 

But don't feel your meats on the hot plate for too long unless you like your meats to taste like your jelly flats i.e. tough and rubbery (not that I have ever bitten into my jelly flats). 

The Army Stew was a tasty filler, guaranteed to spoil those craving for sodium glutamate. 

Service-wise, it was a case of "don't expect much" but passable if we didn't overanalyzed it. Throughout the meal, the restaurant was comfortably packed but I couldn't help but wonder if the other patrons were trying to use up their Groupon vouchers as well. I guess we will find out in due course. 

Togi Korean Restaurant, 11 Mosque Street

We had our minds set on visiting some cool new cafe (well, new by our mountain-tortoise standards) and having sandwiches for lunch but a quick change of heart landed us some Korean food. 

The name: Togi. The game: some of the most satisfying Korean food I've had in a while. 

Banchan was standard fare - zilch chance of stealing any limelight away from the main dishes - but I enjoyed the sauteed garlic stems and cucumber kimchi. 

One thing I noticed was how they willing they were to top up the banchan, unlike other restaurants whose staff would often look as if you've made some indecent proposal when asking for more. 

When it comes to Korean soups and stews, I will choose the galbi tang over the kimchi chigae or soon dubu chigae any given day. Togi offers a seemingly mild galbi tang with fistfuls of boneless ribeye and minced garlic. While the ribeye wasn't the most tender, every mouthful of that immensely flavorful broth warmed the inner cockles of my heart. 

The spicy stir-fried squid was a real kicker. Sliced squid, cabbage and carrots were generously coated in a thickish sauce that was also perfect for slathering over rice or in our case, the seafood pancake. The squid itself was chewy but not to the point where it could have become a baby teether. 

The thing about most Korean food is that the spiciness is only skin deep; but if you can't handle the heat, don't worry help is an arm's stretch away. 

To say I was looking forward to the seafood pancake is an understatement; to say my heart literally burst with joy when I tucked into this crisp and hefty monster is a six-feet-understatement. #DiedAndGoneToHeaven 

This was probably the thickest seafood pancake I've ever had and it wasn't due to starchy fillers but loads of seafood and spring onions. 

Don't be silly, we didn't finish everything...

Service was quick and if I may add, very polite. The owner's state of dental care suggests he could have gone through tougher times and he was really sweet throughout our visit there. 

Can't believe we almost missed out on this for sandwiches.