Day 1 and 2 - Jeju, South Korea itinerary

The last time I visited South Korea was with my family on a Chan Brothers tour.

So Zg and I decided to go to South Korea this year on our own and we eventually decided on Jeju and Seoul as the two places in Korea that we will visit! We thought long and hard whether to do Busan too but eventually decided not to because we didn't want to rush and we really wanted to take our own time for the 10 days we were there.

Our first stop was Jeju. We flew into Incheon on a red eye SQ flight and landed in the morning. We took the all stop AREX to Gimpo where we caught the domestic flight on T'way to Jeju. The weather was great, bright and sunny, and we picked up our rental car in high spirits. We rented from Hertz  (Lotte Rent a Car) which always delivered. Since our horrifying experience with other car rental companies in USA many years ago, we have only gone with Hertz and never looked back. 

Navigation in our rental car was a breeze. We just keyed in the telephone number of the place and it will route us there. Saves us the trouble of trying to type the English name of Korean places.

First stop, Samseonghyeol Haemultang. This seafood stew restaurant was quite near to the airport (and Hertz) so we drove over after picking up the car. I read elsewhere that queues can be quite long but it was empty when we reached at 3 pm. I guess having lunch at odd hours worked to our advantage!

They serve the seafood alive! Yes the octopus was squirming away in that pot.

Truly seafood overload but woah the seafood was really very fresh and sweet!

Took the one hour drive from Jeju-si to Seogwipo where we were staying. We chose to stay in Seogwipo because it was near all the sights and the trails that we wanted to hike and explore. Checked into Hotel Yeon which provided free parking. The view from our room was perfect. We had the best view of the Seogwipo Port and I really love the place. There was a convenience store nearby and we were within walking distance to the Lee Jung Seop street. Highly recommend!

Day 2 saw us waking up bright and early to go to Oedolgae. There is nothing really impressive about seeing a rock in the middle of the sea, but I really enjoyed walking along this part of the Olle Trail. I guess I just really like walking around, enjoying the cool breeze against my cheeks, and the warm sun on my back.

So Zg and I are really big Starbucks fans and we collect the You Are Here mugs from different countries that we visit. Yes their coffee suck but I love how Starbucks serves different drinks in different countries and it is always fascinating to see what they serve. In Jeju, Starbucks serves this interesting Mugwort Tea Latte which Zg ordered and Yuzu Tea which I ordered.

Jeongbang Falls next (2000 won entrance fee). This waterfall goes right into the sea and everyone was crowding around the rocks near the base of the waterfall enjoying the splash.

If you fancy some freshly caught seafood, you can purchase them from this little make shift store set up near the foot of the Jeongbang Falls. Otherwise, there is nothing much at Jeongbang Falls.

Cheonjiyeon Falls (2000 won entrance fees). This was more like a park, unlike the Jeongbang Falls which felt more like a fenced up area for the waterfall. After strolling through the park, we reached the Cheonjiyeon Falls and took a moment to enjoy the scenery.

Lunch was at a really affordable soup restaurant along Lee Jung Seop Street. I had the beansprout hangover soup and Zg had the pork rib soup. Both were great and so affordable!

Jusungjeollidae which was a bunch of lava column cliffs along the coast. It was really nice but I didn't fancy jostling with a bunch of other PRC tourists who were shouting in my ears so that kind of marred my experience here. It would probably be nice to visit earlier in the day when there were less tourists.

Osulloc Tea Museum. So this was my favourite cafe in Jeju definitely. I am a huge tea lover and being at Osulloc just made me so so happy. You can buy tea from the gift shop or order their tea and desserts at the cafe. Of course I did both.

I ordered the Halla Tea which came in a large bowl. I poured my tea into the little cup and sipped happily for the whole time we were there. I also ordered the green tea cake with chocolate and it was so nice. The taste of green tea was fragrant and there were bits of crunchy chocolate in the base. Zg had the set which we shared. The green tea ice cream was great. The sponge cake didn't really taste very much like green tea though.

Exploring the tea plantation.

Innisfree was right beside the Osulloc Tea Museum so we dropped by too. The cafe was definitely less crowded than Osulloc. 

Walked down to Seogwipo Port for dinner and we saw this pretty pink sky and a rainbow!

It started to rain so we ducked into Seom Sarang. We had no clue what they served and the place was empty. In fact we were the only customers the whole time we were there.  We asked for the English menu and ordered the seafood stew. Once again, the seafood was super fresh and sweet. Jeju really does super good seafood.

Masizzim at 313 Orchard and Club 55 MBS

Dinner with Stef for her birthday. Belated of course, we are never on time. Or rather, I am never on time and this post comes even later than the belated celebration (oops). Bad habit, I know. But hey, I firmly believe in the concept of better late than never. I can only hope my family and friends have that mindset as well!

Decided to have dinner at Masizzim in 313 Orchard before drinks at Club 55 in Marina Bay Sands. 

Ordered the Tomato Cheese Kimchi Pancake ($13) and it tasted like thin-crust pizza with kimchi! Very interesting combination to have cheese on the korean pancake and totally unlike the usual korean pancakes in traditional korean restaurants. 

This was the highlight for me - the pork stew with glass noodles! Omg the pork was so well-marinated and it was just so soft that it fell off the bone easily with a small tug. 

This was the interesting part about Masizzim that I heard about even before I visited the restaurant. You put on gloves, mix the rice, squish the rice mixed with the ingredients into small balls and stuff them into your mouth. Sounds easy but it was just way too much work for me. My balls were not packed closely enough and fell apart quickly. Eventually, I ended up eating spoonfuls because I just wanted to eat and not make rice balls. I'm a lazy bum. 

Come for the pork stew! I would highly recommend that! Anyway, I tried to make a reservation but I don't think they take reservations for weekends so we were left to queue. Thankfully we were seated quickly.

We headed to Club 55 at Marina Bay Sands after our dinner. Club 55 is located on Level 55 of MBS' Tower 2 and offers a perfect view of the CBD area on one side and Gardens by the Bay on the other. I never knew that Gardens by the Bay looked so lovely at night from the top! The night view in this part of town always amazes me. I loved it so much when I was drinking at New Asia Bar and I love it even more here at Club 55. Despite being named a club, Club 55 is not really the partying sort of club (i.e. not the Zouk type). Instead, it is very much like a lounge where you can indulge in some chocolate and cheese if you wish, or a bottle of wine (like us).

Masizzim

#B3-02 313 Orchard Road

65095808

Club 55

Marina Bay Sands Hotel Tower 2 Level 55

Chick and Ken, Lorong Telok

Another Korean fried chicken store and this one is in the hood! Our office hood, that is. After Kko Kko Nara, Choo Choo Chicken and Chir Chir Chicken, I have to say that I am rather addicted to korean fried chicken. They definitely do it better than the usual Kentucky Fried Chicken and Popeyes.

Chick and Ken has a $9.90 set lunch which allows you to choose one flavour of chicken and one side. All meals come with a complimentary ice tea. Most of us wanted to try both the salted egg and soy and garlic flavours so we formed pairs and ordered one each so that we could share!

I am convinced that salted egg anything is yummy. The salted egg sauce was good and went well with the fried chicken. That said, the sauce and fried chicken tasted separate and the chicken meat itself was not well-marinated. 

The soy and garlic flavour fried chicken was different. The chicken was well-marinated and absorbed the soy and garlic sauce well.  

We ordered rice with kimchi as our sides which was normal white rice with a small serving of kimchi. For some reason I was expecting something similar to Choo Choo's kimchi and tuna rice burger. Oops, wrong expectations! Furthermore, both wings were somehow more tender and juicy as compared to the drumlets which were a tad dry. 

Truffle fries!

The fried chicken at Chick and Ken was not bad and I would come back if I was craving for korean fried chicken during lunch. However, Chir Chir still remains my favourite korean fried chicken shop now. 

21 Lorong Telok (we walked along Circular Road and took the right fork)

+65 9652 0905, +65 9295 9309, +65 9150 7257

Reservations were not allowed during lunch but it was not too crowded anyway.

Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory, 313 Somerset

Yes, so I jumped on Chir Chir's bandwagon and came around for dinner with my friends from jc. I walked past Chir Chir a couple of times since they started business and was always surprised to see a queue of more than 20 people at the door. I was curious about Chir Chir and their fried chicken but was unwilling to brave the long queue for what could essentially just be a hype. So when Eu suggested Chir Chir for dinner and assured us that the fried chicken was awesome, I agreed happily.

We had Mac and Cheese and the grapes salad for starters. My friend found a hair in one of the starters and the service staff replaced both dishes promptly with much apologies. Stellar service definitely. So different from places where I would receive a dirty look for pointing out that there were bits of hair or insects floating around in my food. There was once I told a waitress that my sashimi was sour (!) and she replied "Really? This is fresh you know?".

Garlic Fried Chicken ($26.90) was so yummy! Extremely crispy on the outside yet so tender and juicy within. The marination was perfect too and seeped into the chicken meat evenly. The best part has to be the freshness of the chicken without the taste of frozen meat! This is definitely a must try.

This is the famous Nest Snow ($32.90) that everybody is talking about. A pile of chicken tenders sit prettily on a bed of cheese with sweet potatoes and vegetables. The chicken tenders were quite spicy and the combination with creamy cheese and sweet potato mash was interesting. While this was good, my favourite remains the Garlic Fried Chicken.

Portions are large here so you should come around with friends to share the wonderful fried chicken in Chir Chir. Service is good and attentive and they provide these little clamps for you to hold the fried chicken so that you never have to worry about dirtying your fingers. Very kind thought! The only downside has to be the queue so if you intend to check Chir Chir out, grab a small snack, get in line and be prepared to wait a long while before your fried chicken feast. 

#B3-04 Somerset 313 (at the basement where all the food outlets are located)

Mon - Thu: 10:00 - 22:00

Fri - Sat: 11:00 - 23:00

Sun: 10:00 - 22:00

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine, Orchard Road

I was a young university undergraduate the last time I visited Kim Dae Mun. Back then, I was desperate to get away from the exorbitant and hugely disappointing meals in SMU and was willing to walk the distance just to eat something satisfying. I suspect that was when I nurtured my love for walking, just strolling around in the evening to get to some awesome food. One such walk took me to Kim Dae Mun which was a stall in the basement food court. When the food court disappeared subsequently, I thought I had lost Kim Dae Mun forever. I graduated and my hood became Raffles Place for a very short while before I settled down at City Hall/Clarke Quay. I did not look back. Why would I? I have so much yummy food in this area and there was no reason for me to head to the Dhoby Ghaut area. However, I read somewhere that Kim Dae Mun has a shop of its own now! I was dying to try it so I brought the boyfriend there for dinner one day.

Furnishing was sparse and simple, with neat rows of plastic tables and chairs, and a counter where you can place your order. Very much like the previous food court style, you place your order at the counter, wait for your food to be ready, and bring it over to a table. 

It was crowded on a Saturday night and it took some effort to find a table. Everybody was waiting around trying to snag a table and the queue at the counter was long.

The boyfriend chose the Spicy Pork Set which was yummy! Kim Dae Mun is well-known for cooking their hotplate dishes in hot water instead of oil so it was a much healthier option. 

I picked the Kimchi Stew which was heavenly. Just the right amount of spicy and sour with a generous amount of kimchi, egg, and tofu in a thick stew. Perfect with steaming white rice.

I really like my trip to Kim Dae Mun. Food court pricing for delicious food in the middle of town is a combination that I cannot resist. Sure, it is not a fancy place and Concorde Hotel is not exactly in an accessible area of town, but I would say the trip is worth it to save a few bucks and indulge in some homely Kimchi Stew.

#02-17 Concorde Hotel (between Istana and OG Orchard)

10 am to 9 pm

No reservations so just get in there early enough and hope you get a table.

Choo Choo Chicken

Wow this post is long overdue. I think the draft somehow got buried in the long list of posts and I just kept missing it!

Met Eunice for lunch a long while back and we decided to meet in Bugis because it was a centralised location from our workplaces. Choo Choo Chicken is located along Bali Lane, just a lane away from the happening area of Haji Lane. If you are walking from Bugis MRT Station, you would reach Choo Choo Chicken in about 5 minutes.

When we reached Choo Choo Chicken, the place was crowded but thankfully, we managed to find a small table at the back of the restaurant. See below for the lunch menu! All sets are at $8.90.

I took the Garlic Set (Garlic Fried Chicken) while Eunice took the Soy Set (Soy Fried Chicken). Both of us added $2 for a mini rice burger and chose the tuna and kimchi rice burger.

The Soy Fried Chicken was tasty and savory, very crispy on the outside and juicy within. Unfortunately, the Garlic Fried Chicken was drenched in garlic sauce which caused the fried chicken to lose its original crispiness. It would have been much better if the garlic sauce was marinated into the chicken before frying instead of dousing it on the fried chicken. 

The Kimchi and Tuna Rice Burger was really yummy. Sweet tuna with spicy sour kimchi mixed with rice. 

I would recommend the Soy Fried Chicken if you visit Choo Choo Chicken. Even though Kko Kko Nara serves better fried chicken, the prices at Choo Choo Chicken are much more affordable.

33 Bali Lane
62990980
Daily - PH: 11:30 - 23:00

Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant, China Square and Ding Dong, Ann Siang

Stef and I were heading out for my birthday dinner and our initial plan was to feast on some good old seafood at Market Grill. However, we were greeted by sheets of rain pouring down on us when we met up at our favourite bus stop in front of the Supreme Court. We were still trying to be gung ho about it and convinced ourselves that we would be able to reach Market Grill in that downpour. We took the bus down to Telok Ayer but eventually chickened out from the long walk because we were SO wet and cold. We were near China Square by then so we picked the next best alternative - hot cozy korean BBQ at Wang Dae Bak.

We ordered Pork Belly and Chicken Wings for the barbecue and a kimchi soup. They served us the raw meat quickly but were not very conscientious about barbecuing the meats for us. Eventually we took to barbecuing the meats by ourselves which resulted in slightly charred pork belly and chicken wings as seen in the photos below.

They poured egg around the grill which cooked quickly and was really delicious! The marinated pork belly was good too. Well-marinated, tasty, with fats that melted in my mouth. The cuts were rather thin and while I would prefer thick juicy cuts of pork belly, the thin cuts of pork belly at Wang Dae Bak did keep me warm and happy in that cold night.

The chicken wings were delicious. Fresh and extremely tender, the chicken fell off the bone easily and I love the crispy chicken skin. We asked for more egg because it was really yummy.

The kimchi soup was delicious and the hot soup filled my belly with warmth. On that cold rainy night, with wet feet and clothes, I was very grateful for the hot food on the table, the grill with sizzling meats on top, and the spicy soup that spread warmth in my belly. 

When we were done eating and our hair and clothes were finally dry, we left Wang Dae Bak happily and headed for drinks at Ding Dong along Ann Siang. Thank you Stef for the birthday dinner at Wang Dae Bak and the drinks at Ding Dong! Nothing can beat eating sizzling grilled meats with a good old friend on a cold rainy night :)

Ding Dong was housed in a shop house along Ann Siang with a curved staircase leading up to the main dining area and bar upstairs. I ordered Fujiyama which was yoghurt sake, elderflower liqueur, fresh strawberries and yuzu liqueur. Stef ordered Tommy Moves East which was Don Julio Anejo, yuzu liqueur, agave, and bitters. My drink was sweet and fruity, with a distinct taste of yoghurt. Stef's drink tasted strongly of alcohol and perhaps not much else. I would recommend the Fujiyama if you visit Ding Dong because it is a lighter drink.

But then again, I would not recommend visiting Ding Dong at all because the service sucks. To be fair, the kitchen crew downstairs was friendly and nice (they greeted everybody who went by with enthusiasm) but the waiter on the second floor was so disinterested, I was affronted. Or perhaps, I should say we were discriminated. He clearly placed more emphasis on the Caucasian customers sitting around us and left us to rot in our little corner. First, we took a long while to get his attention to place our orders. When I asked him to refill our glasses of water, he picked up the glasses, poured water in, and slammed the glasses back down on the table. When we asked for the bill, he nodded in our direction and proceeded to fuss around the other customers, chatting with them, having a laugh, went back to the bar to collect their drinks, served their drinks, continued the chat, went to take orders at another table (also filled with Caucasian customers), returned to the bar to place their orders, and then served their drinks. I got his attention again and asked for the bill the SECOND time. Once again, he gave me yet another cursory nod and went to the bar. I thought he was going to get our bill but guess what? He proceeded to chat with the customers (also Caucasian) at the bar! What on earth is going on?! Eventually I got our bill from his female colleague who brought the bill to us promptly. Brownie points to you girl!

I sincerely apologize for not being aware that Ding Dong did not welcome locals. Now that I am aware, I hope everyone is as well.

Wang Dae Bak
#01-64 China Square Central 22 Cross Street
62252646
Mon - Sat: 11:30 - 14:30
Mon - Sat: 17:30 - 22:30
Closed on Sunday

Ding Dong
Somewhere in Ann Siang Hill which you need not know because hey, you can spend those bucks somewhere else and get much better treatment. Just go next door. Or next next door. Anywhere but here.

Yoogane, Bugis Junction

I heard about Yoogane from friends and really wanted to try it so I told the folks one Sunday evening that we should head over for dinner. We reached Bugis at about 6 pm and joined the queue at about 6:10 pm. There were roughly 15 people in the queue ahead of us and the line snaked around the side of Yoogane. My dad stood in line while my mum and I shopped for toiletries at Watsons. The queue moved along pretty fast and we secured a table at about 6:45 pm. We were given the menu and had our orders taken before we entered.

We ordered Chicken Galbi with Octopus and were told that two portions would suffice for the four of us ($39.80). We also had the Combination Fixings ($10.90), additional fried rice ($3.90), mozarella cheese ($3.90), Seafood Pancake ($16.90), Royal Court rice cake.

A large pan was brought to our table with a heap of raw food arranged on it. We were handed mini red bibs so that our clothes will not be stained by the inevitable splatter when stirring the galbi. What a thoughtful little gesture. It certainly protected my light pink blouse from any stains.

The large pan was filled with chicken and octopus marinated in chilli sauce, vegetables, rice cake, and bunches of golden mushroom. The waiter mixed and stirred the contents in the pan and brought some sort of shield which enclosed the pan.

While the chicken and octopus galbi was cooking in the pan, our Royal Court rice cake was served. This was really different from the usual spicy rice cake that I am used to. The Royal Court rice cake was fried in a light sweet sauce with bits of vegetables and golden mushrooms. It was a unique dish but truth be told, I would prefer the traditional spicy rice cake any day.

The Seafood Pancake arrived shortly after and was pretty good! It was nicely pan-fried and extremely crispy on the outside, yet still moist within. Not much seafood in the pancake though, and I spotted more spring onions than anything else.

When the chicken and octopus galbi was ready, the waiter removed the shield and announced that we could proceed to dig in. We did so joyfully. The chicken and octopus galbi was delicious. The sauce was fantastic, the chicken chunks were juicy and well-marinated, and the octopus slices were just right. I was also really fond of the instant noodle and rice cakes in the galbi.

When we were almost done with the chicken and octopus galbi, the waiter started to prepare our fried rice with mozarella cheese in the same pan. The fried rice was awesome. I never knew cheese would go so well with fried rice but it did. Ahhhh and together with the chilli sauce and bits of chicken and vegetables left from the chicken and octopus galbi, this was absolutely divine. 

I would definitely return for the galbi at Yoogane. While the chicken galbi at Yoogane rivals that of Big Mama, I would say that Yoogane is far more accessible and comfortable as compared to Big Mama. You could reach Yoogane easily by alighting at Bugis MRT station and going up to the 2nd level of Bugis Junction. Furthermore, the ventilation at Yoogane is definitely better than Big Mama.

#02-47/48 Bugis Junction (where NYDC used to be)
63377337
Daily 11:00 - 22:00

Kimchi Korean Restaurant, Suntec City

The only reason I stepped into this place was because of the glorious reviews floating around online. And the only reason I am spending precious time talking about this place is because I do not wish for anyone else to waste money and calories here. I do not know why people would post such awesome reviews about this place and I can only conclude that they were either sponsored or very kind in their words. I hope to believe in the latter. 

Situated in Suntec City, Kimchi Korean Restaurant is easily accessible. The perk ends there. Sure, if you happen to find yourself in Suntec City and you are just dying to eat Korean food, then please go ahead. Do not let this review stop you. 

The pancake was bland and rather tasteless.

I ordered the Seafood Soup which was really watery and yes, you guessed it, bland. The soup really tasted like the chef simply poured water into the pot, chucked some seafood in, and allowed it to simmer for five minutes before serving it on my table. I wish I could say that this was a healthy option, or perhaps, this was good for me, but unfortunately I am a terrible liar. 

We ordered some pork belly and mushrooms for the grill. The pork belly was hardly marinated. I wondered if they took the pork belly slices from the fridge and brought it directly to us.

My family ordered a bunch of other main dishes but I was so appalled by the standard of the food that I gave up. I was also extremely angry and upset that I suggested this place after reading all the wonderful reviews and I could not bear the disappointment that was crushing down on all of us. 

What a major bummer.

#02-387 Suntec City

63377811

Daily 11:30 - 22:00