ju shin jung east

trying to keep this blog chronological is harder than i expected! i really do try but i do have to admit, and i humbly apologize, that i am going to cave and skip ahead to post about the dinner g and i had last night at ju shin jung east...

having heard that the bunch of korean riders love the place, i was kinda expecting a pretty authentic korean meal...yes i know it is a charcoal grill joint but with all korean places, half of the fun is in tucking into plate after plate of the yummy side dishes...and while ju shin jung scored above average for presentation, they kind of failed in the area of variety. i was looking forward to huge beansprouts and pickled veggies, you know the usual sorts...but was served several other dishes that i've never come across before. in any case, nothing much to shout about..the dishes were so-so which was good in a way because i didn't get too full indulging in the side dishes!

while they did have a black angus and wagyu promotion going on, highlighted to us twice by our over eager waitress no less, we decided against it and settled for the beef short rib and chicken. again, so-so. carbs choice for the evening was bi bim bab...and i was looking forward to crispy burnt bits of rice....but it was a huge let down. the dish did not even come in a stone bowl and the rice was all mushy. maybe traditional korean is meant to be like that, i thought to myself...trying to take the glass is half full mentality but after settling the bill, this girl has decided that ju shin jung is overrated. i recommend taking the drive and heading central and north to aburiya (yet to be raved about!) and auntie kim's, both whom definitely win hands down in all respects!

ju shin jung east
1018 east coast parkway
#02-01 tennis center
(65) 6447 9279
www.jushinjung.com

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manna

it has been a while since the whole lot of us had dinner together, so it was cool that we were headed out to celebrate viv's birthday.

personally only knowing maybe four korean joints in singapore, and been only to two, i was really looking forward to dinner at manna. everyone had good things to say about the place, having eaten there before and with viv currently on a korean food craze, i was quite sure the food at manna would be quite good.

and good it was! the meal started off with yummy korean appetizers and refreshing cold tea. just as we were savoring the kim chi, we were interrupted by plate after plate of sizzling meats...beef, beef ribs, pork belly, unagi...yes, we pretty much had the whole works! they were all good, marinated till tender, cooked just right, we managed to polish off all the meats almost as quickly as they arrived! all of us got down to it, dipping our meats into the chilli paste and wrapping them in fresh pieces of lettuce, without of course forgetting to add little cloves of garlic!

the dinner was completed with a few more touches of classic korean fare. one - korean steamboat, two - crispy pancake and three (my personal favourite) raw beef!


the steamboat reminded me of my all time choice of cup noodles nong shim, with nice bits of luncheon meat and sausages. the pancake was not bad, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and filled with yummy bits of sotong, veggies and spring onions. but the i enjoyed the raw beef the most. maybe because i haven't had it in a while, and or maybe because manna prepared it slightly different, with a lot more veggies then usual. everything in the dish was raw, from the meat to the egg, right down to the veggies. but the best part was when mixed, it did not taste the least bit raw. really amazing how mixing it seemed to somehow cook the meat and the egg, causing one to really be surprised by the difference in the taste one actually experiences from one which you expect. very well done!

dinner was good but the company was even better...happy birthday viv!

manna
101-109 telok ayer street
(65) 62277425

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k for korean....k for kim!

we were just done visiting my day-old godson at thomson medical and while i had thoughts still on the baby and my good pal joanna, g suggested heading to the korean joint in the neighbourhood for dinner. i was game and glad that g remembered, cause auntie kim's is in my opinion the best local korean place that i know of to date.

there are a few highlights in korean dining, and their appetizers are the first. don't underestimate these small dishes, they are so good that i wish auntie kim's would serve them free flow! from the fresh tao gay to the potato mash, the 6 little dishes truly whetted our appetite and we couldn't wait for the rest of our orders to come!

first up, was the traditional korean pancake. very well done. fresh off the frying pan, it was piping hot, with a crispy layer encrusting the batter mixed with very fresh sotong and spring onions. it was a very big serving, enough for 4 people to enjoy. but dipping it in the special sauce, i think g and i did quite a good job demolishing most of it off! it was so yummy that we had to ta-pao the rest home!

bi bim bap was our choice for korean staple. this is always a classic favourite of mine, just because of the somewhat sticky rice, blend of veggies and the possibility of getting slightly burnt bits of rice *grin*.

to top the meal off, we had short beef prime ribs, barbequed in a special korean marinade. this was good eaten all ways - naked (i.e. eaten on its own), wrapped in cabbage with a touch of chilli paste and fresh garlic or with the bi bim bap.

the place for good traditional homecooked korean food...4 scoopies for auntie kim's! kamsahamnida!

auntie kim's
265 Upper Thomson Road
+65 6452 2112

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