Seoul Searching

Heavy clouds hovered ominously over our heads like last season's woolly grey sweater in need of a good squeeze. It was a wet evening, marked by relentless scatters of rain and chilling winds, which nudged you indoors.

In other words, perfect for steamboat.

Mum and I headed over to Jang Shou Korean Charcoal BBQ at Esplanade's Colours by the Bay for a fuss-free meal before catching La Sylphide. Not in the mood for bbq, the soybean paste casserole was instinctive, thanks to a need to kick up our body temperatures.


Soybean Paste Casserole with Brisket Meat

The casserole was a well-balanced meal, which contained fatty beef strips, thinly sliced zucchini, rice cakes, straw mushrooms, stuffed tau poks etc. I can't quite describe the flavour of the broth but you could think of it as My Sassy Casserole. More importantly, it was a melting pot of warmth, comfort and that warm zing-y feeling as every spoonful felt like an extra arm over your shoulders.


Soybean Paste Casserole with Brisket Meat

Talk about being at the right place at the right time.



Usually, I would pretty much ignore the condiments. But this time round, my mum and I actually ordered second and third helpings of the peanut in sticky sweet sauce and kimchi (the kimchi, by the way, got on really well with the casserole broth).

On hindsight, it might not been such a good idea to dine in a bbq restaurant before a performance at the theatre. Luckily, this being a week night, the restaurant was less than half-occupied so we were spared from the smoky odorous prongs.

The service, made up of mostly students, was enthusistic and quick to please. When our casserole was being served, one carried the pot while another carried the mini gas stove. and another came over to cut up the chunkier pieces when our broth started bubbling. Looking at these kids fuss over us made me feel like an exploiter of child labour.