Kimildo 김일도 Premium Korean BBQ @ 100 Tras Street

Suggested this place to the gang when we were doing our Amara staycay and Kimildo is literally a few steps away from Amara Hotel. Reservation was made via Quandoo and the restaurant staff will call you a few hours before the appointed time to confirm the reservation.

shopfront

Do note that there is a 90-minutes dining limit per table.

The menu is really simple and us being a group of 4 pax, decided to go for the Pork Platter (@$66) and the Special Beef Platter (@$88). 

tips on eating pork, the delicious way

Also note that lettuce is ordered separately as ala-carte item.

assorted pickes and dips

One of the set, also came with gyeran jjim (steamed egg), but I forgot which one. Could be the Pork Set if not wrong.

complimentary steam egg from the Set

getting ready

while we wait

They will assign one staff to do the grilling for you at your table. We got a guy that grills in a super fast speed. Quite amazing as both our pork and beef platter were grilled in half hour including the change of grill plate. I have read Google reviews where diners had feedback that their meat was being moved around too much during the cooking, and yes, this was indeed true especially with the pork. I think he had to move the meat around very quickly because the charcoal heat was on permanent high.

We were served with the Special Beef Platter first. The staff did not introduce the meat cuts to us and would just go about BBQ'ing really quickly. We actually hijacked the platter for photo taking otherwise, straight onto the grill, it'd go.

Kimildo Special Beef Platter - ribeye, shortrib and finger rib

heating up the sauce

ribeye on the grill

is it ready?

cutting it up to bite-sized

yummy beef

The beef did not require any further sauces nor dip, and was good on its own or at most a slight dab of salt. Meat was tender and juicy.

Beef was devoured all too quickly and as fast as lightning, the staff changed the grill and started BBQ'ing the pork right away as soon as he has done BBQ'ing the beef. Such efficiency!

Pork Platter all in

The Pork Platter has belly, shoulder, skirt and a sausage. But we didn't have a chance to differentiate which is which because, after it was cooked, everything was just served together onto the metal plate. Of course, sausage was the easiest to differentiate. Hahah! Grilled cherry tomatoes was good.

TMI: One thing about the metal plate placed on the grill, it reminded me too much of a clinic/hospital.

Let's see a slow-motion short video:

fire-licked meats

Here's a short video of staff helping us to BBQ the meat:

all done

pork collar

In general, the group prefers the beef over the pork. Both are likeable, but beef is more tender. I prefer the usual way of eating the pork wrap, which is with a dab of the samjang sauce, and garlic slices. The turmeric curry flavoured salt was interesting and reminds me of grilled lambs (cumin?) The special cocaine sauce was watery hence not sure what's the fuss about this. Was it addictive? Not really.

Even with 2 meat platters, we still went for supper after this meal. Completed our dinner ahead of the 90-minutes because to cook, it took only 30 minutes and another 30 minutes for us to finish up the meat.

Thank you Ivan, Hence and Tracy for being such good food buddies!

Kimildo 김일도 Premium Korean BBQ

Address: 100 Tras St, # 01 - 08, Singapore 079027

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Kimildo-Korean-BBQ-109557730796893/

Contact:  6444 8516

Business Hours:

Sun: 11:30am–3pm, 5:30pm–10pm

Mon-Sat: 11:30am–3pm, 5:30pm–12am

Jang Won Korean Restaurant @ Mosque Street

This was one of the suggestions from Hence and Tracy when I asked about Korean restaurants to try. This shop was quite peculiarly situated as it is nestled amongst the many Chinese eateries in the area. Directly opposite of Hotel Mono, if you need any landmark.

outdoor signage

ooh, looks like a KBBQ place

Another discovery, was that its actual menu is different from the online menu. When enquired, staff informed that there was a slight change in menu and the online version have not been updated. Hmmph... was disappointed as I wanted to eat the gyeran mari (rolled omelette) which is now not in the menu.

Nevertheless, settled on trying their KBBQ Pork and Beef Set for 2 pax (@$78++), which came with banchans, a small gyeran jjim and a small stew (limited selections).

And, of course, I added a beer. This time, trying out Terra which the staff said is the trending brand in Korea. Oooh, looks like Terra is from the same company as Hite.

Terra Beer @$12++

The beer is a pure lager, and tasted refreshing in our hot humid weather. Lovely.

getting ready to BBQ!

Six banchans were served and there's cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, beansprouts, fish cake strips, potato strips and boiled broccoli.

banchans

kimchi and cucumber

big flavours potato

The steamed egg and the small stew were served piping hot.

Steamed Egg (gyeran jjim 계란찜)

Wendy was feeling adventurous that day, and she opted for fermented bean paste stew (cheonggukjang). We could smell it when it was brought out and before reaching our table.

The boss was amused and enquired if we had tried this before. We shook our heads and he went on to explain the nutritional and flavour of the dish. Keke.

Fermented Bean Paste Stew (cheonggukjang 청국장)

There was plenty of ingredients inside, like small tofu cubes, diced onions and radish, spring onions and fermented beans. Tasted like doenjang but hits your nostrils with a somewhat pungent but bearable smell before you take a taste. Hahaaa, healthy wholesome flavours.

pork belly and prime ribs on the grill

all the yums

The marinated meats at Jang Won was rather mild. Definitely needed the ssamjang or the sesame oil with salt dip. The meat texture was good and the grill could get pretty hot at times hence, be careful not to leave out the meat too long otherwise, it'd char at the bottom.

Another discovery was... the ssamjang sauce and the kimchi, were all not spicy. Not sure why though as I forgot to ask about it.

pork collar

I enjoyed the pork collar texture more than the pork belly. Overall, it was nice if you don't mind the milder flavours.

And yes, we smelled like BBQ after the meal. While we were there, I spied other tables who ate non-BBQ stuffs like rice meal, or japchae with rice. The japchae smelled really nice. Maybe, next time I'll try that.

Jang Won

Address: 44 Mosque St, #01-01, Singapore 059522

Website: http://www.jangwon.com.sg/

Contact: 6532 6949

Business Hours:

Daily:  11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30–10pm

Luna and GO! K-BBQ @ Amoy Street

For our first dinner at Telok Ayer where we were doing a staycay at The Clan, we actually whatsapp'ed a place to reserve but unfortunately, no response by dinner time. Dropped by the said place and was informed that, sorry, the earlier reservation did not go through. Hence, we walked around and decided to try GO! K-BBQ, one of the many Korean BBQ places around the area. Left our name in the waitlist and walked over to Luna for some dessert first.

The shop had some tables left, so we sat down comfortably and ordered some cakes and drinks. Can see the cakes on display, make your order and pay at the counter. Return to your seat and the friendly crew will call you when the order is ready.

Gula Melakaya (back) and Matcha Opera (front) @$8 per slice

Gula Melakaya

Truth be told, I thought the cakes looked rather dry. But, I'd soon discover that after taking one big bite, that was not so, as the layer of cream complemented the texture and taste. Sweet but not overly. Gula Melakaya tasted of pandan and coconut-ey.

Matcha Opera

There's a bit of edible gold flake on the Matcha Opera, so that gave it an instant chic feel. As the fork cuts through, one could feel the denseness of the cake. This is matcha gao gao (strong matcha taste). Of matcha mousse, ganache and chantilly cream. Very likeable and recommended to share.

Luna

Address:  53 Amoy St, Singapore 069879

Website: https://www.luna.sg/

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri: 12–6:30pm

Sat: 12–6 pm

Sun: 12-4pm

By 8pm, we went back to the BBQ place to check if it was close to our turn. Alas, not quite. So we guai guai stayed in queue. Think there were about 3 to 4 groups ahead of us still.

GO! K-BBQ

let's eat meat!

Noticed that the Manager running the place was super busy. He does almost everything from attending to the customer queue, cutting up the meat and serving the tables, and that's pretty impressive.

looking at pictures while waiting

We finally got a table around 9pm and the floor manager was pretty apologetic about the long wait. No problem but first up, let's order meat! Left it in the good hands of Tracy and Hence to recommend while I made a quick dash to the washroom.

By the time I returned, the table was starting to get crowded.

side dish and wraps for the BBQ, the pickled leaves should be 깻잎 장아찌

lots of lettuce 많은 상추

salad

steamed egg 찐 계란

let's have a big bite

Big Beef Rib Soup 큰 쇠고기 갈비 수프 @$22++

It was comforting to have the hot food. Steamed egg was soothing and the beef soup was good, with bits of ginseng and red dates. The meat was good with a dab of salt.

Have you tried beef tartare / yukhoe before? I had it in Busan and it was good. But in Singapore, this was my first time trying. A bit squeamish when you see those reddish hue of the liquid from the pear mixed with the raw meat. Taste wise, it was enjoyable and non-funky.

Yukhoe 육회 @$28++

Let's wash it down with some soju. I'd prefer flavoured soju but this original one, was not bad as well.

Jinro Soju @$15++

But let's get some BBQ action going, shall we? Guests can sit back and relax as the staff will do the grilling for you. Jerome was assigned to our room and he's pretty quick.

Beef

let it sizzle

almost done

ready to eat

Within a few minutes, we finished consuming the first place of meat. Not enough, let's have some more. This time round, let's try pork. As with aged meat, there was some smell emanating from it but the taste was alright and the texture was nicely tender.

pork neck and pork belly with tteok 돼지 목과 삼겹살

let's brown it

not yet

almost

I think in total, there were 4 portions of meat, 1 yukhoe, 1 soup, 1 egg and lots of vege, all consumed from within 1.5 hours. Yes, we were that hungry!

finale, of iron pressed pig skin

If you like QQ, then the last bit of pork skin will appeal to you. For me, not so much in this manner and moreover, our dinner was more like supper hence, felt sinful after inhaling all the meat.

Food adventures with Tracy, Hence and Ivan.

GO! K-BBQ

Address: 76 Amoy St

Contact: 6423 0308

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri: 11:30am–3pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Sat - Sun: 5:30–10:30pm