There is a new Korean BBQ restaurant at 82 Amoy Street and we were excited to try! The restaurant is easy to spot and if you are lucky, you may get a parking spot close to the restaurant. PUJIM is owned by Busan native, Mr D.O Kim and this spacious new place serves Busan cuisine and good meats for its BBQ.
When you walk into the restaurant, you will definitely notice the purple neon signs scattered throughout the dark interior of the restaurant. Of course, the other noticeable item would be the smoke extractor above all tables. The neon signs gave the place a rather happening vibe and the tables are adequately spaced out.
PUJIM's interior
PUJIM is fairly new and there is an opening promotion at the moment. The menu will indicate accordingly, or you could also enquire from the friendly staff.
menu
artwork
We noted that free wifi is available in the restaurant. For drinks, the range of alcoholic drinks included local beer or Korean beer (Hite/Cass), soju (plain or flavoured), makgeolli, baekseju, bokbunja, and non-alcoholic drinks of canned drinks and bottled water. You can also BYOB and the corkage fee is $50 for wine and $70 for others.
drinks
This BBQ place offers 6 types of banchans and for BBQ, there is a minimum order of 300gms for the first order and subsequent order is in minimum of 100gms thereafter.
banchan for two tables
For the banchans, the kimchi was pretty good and the apple salad was rather refreshing. The surprise item was the pickled celery. It was a surprise as the taste is of a familiar and unexpectedly homely. Try it and you'll understand what I mean.
lovely kimchi
pickled celery
are we having bread later?
The utensils are placed in the drawer located at the ends of the table.
retrieve the utensils and we are ready to eat
The staff will do the cooking and diners only need to enjoy the food. There are plenty of dishes that one could order while waiting for the BBQ. We started with Busan Amok Tang (부산어묵탕) and Seafood Soup (해물탕). Two medium sized bronze pots were brought to the table and placed ontop of the gas stoves.
Seafood Soup 해물탕 @$35 (UP $40)
Busan Amok Tang 부산어묵탕 @$35 (UP $38)
The haemultang (seafood soup) was loaded with seafood such as flower crabs, large scallops, prawns, mussels, clams, octopus and squid. The soup was slightly spicy with a lovely umami flavour. Shiok!
The Busan Amok Tang (Fishcake Soup) is suitable for the kids, and came with many variants of fried fishcake (long, short, round, squarish), lots of onions and spring onions and some ricecake (tteokbokki). The soup was sweet and tasty. Our table liked both of these soups. I personally preferred the seafood soup.
There is also the seafood pancake 해물파전 which looked slightly different from what I had tried before in other Korean restaurants. The flour was really to a minimum and the base was mainly green spring onions.
Haemul Pajeon 해물파전 @$35
Plenty of crunchy shiny prawns ontop of the pancake and some squid too. The pancake was nice, not overly seasoned, and lovely prawns but I kind of missed the flour. Dipping sauce is provided but it was not necessary. This dish was also noticeably oily towards the base.
prawns
Next up, meats! We were so ready for these. Started with Premium Beef Ribeye Cap, which is said to be the tastiest cut of a steak. It is shaped like a prawn and is located under the front section of the backbone.
Premium Beef - Ribeye Cap @$38 per 100gm (UP $43 per 100gm)
sizzling in progress
The smell from the grill was amazing. The prawn-shaped meat cooked well and we got to enjoy this delicious and rare cut within minutes. The cooked meat would be laid ontop of the white bread for guests to partake.
The meat had lovely grill marks and the thin layer of meat was easy to breakdown. As this was not marinated, one could enjoy the natural taste of the meat. The meat was easily chewed and it wasn't too oily.
Ribeye Cap
Next, was the ultimate Premium Beef of dreams. The striploin A4 wagyu. Look at those marblings and imagine its melty taste..mMmmm.
Premium Beef - Striploin @$35 per 100gm (UP $40 per 100 gm)
listen to its sizzles~
fire dance
I actually preferred the striploin over the ribeye cap. Loved the oily mouthfeel of the striploin and it just melted in my mouth. Minimal chewing was needed. Enjoyed this premium beef very much!
striploin - chunky cut (by female staff)
striploin second piece - strip cut (by male staff)
What goes well with the grilled meats? A little bit of alcohol. Beer or soju, your choice. Wah, did not realise that the flavoured soju was actually pretty good.
flavoured soju (grape) and Korean beer
For non-beef eaters, one could do BBQ pork as well. The version here uses Iberico pork and diners would have a happy-belly good time with quality meats. The pork collar was a formidable looking chunk. Enough meat to feed all the meatatarians in the group!
Iberico Pork Neck @$54 for 300gm (+30gm free) (UP $20 per 100gm)
Not too sure how this large chunk of meat was supposed to be cooked but luckily, the staff was on-hand to do the cooking.
look at those fats!
Watch the meat cooks and hear it sizzles (please don't mind the noise behind):
The pork neck needs to be cooked much longer as it was of a thick cut and with plenty of fats. Till the meat turned a delicious brown and that's when it is ready to be eaten. The pork neck has stronger flavours and it paired well with icy cold beer.
Iberico pork neck
For pork, of course one must not leave out the pork belly cut. Samgyeopsal is the classic cut for Korean BBQ. The plate of pork belly in PUJIM looked really beautiful and the layers of fat and meat were so evenly spread!
Pork Belly 삼겹살 @$11 for 100gm (UP $13 per 100gm)
grilled samgyeopsal
chunky meat lettuce wrap with a dab of gochujang
After all the unmarinated meats had been consumed, it was time to move on to the marinated beef brisket.
beef brisket $16 per 100 gm (UP $18 per 100 gm)
The thinly sliced briskets cooks quickly, and once again, we enjoyed the tasty flavours of this cut. Tender, slightly leaning on the sweet side and highly enjoyable. Recommended.
grilling the briskets
beef brisket wrap
It has been a while since I've enjoyed good quality meats at a Korean BBQ place. It brings back lovely memories of Busan's trip.
All in all, PUJIM is a Korean BBQ restaurant that offers its diners not only good quality meat but also Busan's flavours and hospitality.
Special thanks to Alvin for extending the invitation and PUJIM for hosting us. Had enjoyed the food and the hospitality. Will be back, see you soon.
It was our last night in Busan, hence we wanted to try some BBQ before we leave for Seoul the next day. Earlier, we went sightseeing in Gamcheon and by evening time, we were hungry again. We went to a street that had some BBQ shops but couldn't find one with beef though. As most of the shop signages were in Hangul, we had no idea whether it is ala-carte or buffet. Randomly, we picked a shop that had mostly local customers.
shopfront
I liked that the lady in the shop welcomes us (the tourists) and was patient enough to explain the items in the menu and how the pricing works. If I remembered correctly, they have a time-limited special where one could enjoy unlimited grilled meat (selected) for an affordable price of ₩5500. That's a very good deal if you ask me.
We ordered some the unlimited servings of meat, some ala-carte and of course, makgeolli. There were two guys (probably in their late thirties or forties) sitting at the next table, and he saw us having makgeolli. He was saying something in Korean but we didn't know what he was saying but he asked the lady to bring us a can of soda. Orhh...for mixing with makgeolli. He said he's buying us that can of soda. Hahaha!
setting up the table
The appetiser included a bowl of beondagi 번데기 which is steamed silkworm pupa. It was fear factor for us so we returned the bowl to the staff. No thanks. The guy at the next table chuckled at us and said it is 'health food' before proceeding to pop some into his mouth.
I liked the acorn jelly appetiser with its tangy broth. Very refreshing and appetising.
appetiser of acorn jelly
pork
grilling into deliciousness
Sprite, courtesy of the guy next table
While language barrier was there, that did not stop us from making merry with the guy at the next table. He was grilling some pork skin and offered us some. So nice. In return, we offered him some yukhoe as well.
It was my first time eating 육회 (yukhoe) which is raw seasoned beef strips. The seasoning included sugar, salt, soy, minced garlic, spring onion, pepper and sesame seeds. Mixed it well with the raw egg and add the pear strips for sweetness and crunchy texture. As a result, it was delicious!
육회 yukhoe
Makgeolli and good meat, we were happy! The folks were friendly and the food was good. Worth a visit.
That day, we ventured out to Jagalchi Market and had a big seafood brunch at one of the local restaurant there. After which, we had a bout of shopping and coffee break, and then pre-dinner snacks (blame it all to the food basement of the department store) and thus, we weren't exactly hungry till much later. That later, translated to about 9pm.
So, it was more of like a supper that we went out looking and we swore off fried chicken for at least, the next few meals.
What was the top eats in Busan again? Milmyeon was one of it and coincidentally, there was one near Busan Station. About 10 to 15 minutes walk. Arrived at about 915pm and was told that most of the items were sold out. Left only a few bowls of milmyeon so we had to order fast.
menu
tea?
We ordered milmyeon cold soup and dry version. The dry version was actually much tastier. But the cold soup was rather good too! The wheat noodles are actually very very filling. It's not like our mee sua where it is suitable for light eaters.
Once you've ordered, the staff brings out a kettle for you. It looked like a pot of tea but in actual fact, it was a rather tasty beef soup. Served hot and so comforting. Flavorful to the max and we can't stop drinking it. Loved these complimentary stuffs.
물밀면 (cold noodles)
close up view
The mul-milmyeon was rather refreshing and plenty of noodles to chew. The spice level was rather mild too. The thin slice of meat and the egg was more decorative and the star would be the noodles and the soup.
Reasonably priced at ₩4000 per bowl.
Choryang Milmyeon 초량밀면
Address: 225 Jungang-daero, Choryang 2(i)-dong, Dong-gu, Busan, South Korea
Contact: +82 51-462-1575
Business Hours:
Daily: 10am to 10pm
Come 9 August, Element and Element on Tras Street buffet guests could enjoy the all-you-can-eat Mao Shan Wang, D24 or Kampong durians, and have a short walk down a short memory lane with old school games of 'Tikam-Tikam' (sure win!) or the 'Knock Down The Tins' for a prize. There are also snack stalls such as tutu kueh, muah chee, and ice-cream cart where one could choose to enjoy the ice-cream wrapped in bread, much like the ice-cream uncle style. For a limited time, don't forget to let your caricature be drawn by Singapore's fastest caricaturist, Adam Chua and there's also a photo booth with vintage props including a trishaw and a samsui woman. Yup, or rather a lady dressed in samsui style. She's friendly.
Priced at $88++ (adults) and $36++ (child 6-12 years), and for 8 other paying guests, 2 gets to dine-free. For group bookings of 53 adults, there will be free flow iced-tea for you.
Read on for a preview of available activities and specials of FUNOLOGY SG53 Aug 2018.
The durian stall is setup at the outer side of Element on Tras, complete with alfresco table for outdoor enjoyment of the King of Fruits. There will be about two to three variants of the durian available and we got to taste the Mao Shan Wang, D24 and kampong durians during the media event.
Durian Buffet Party
hurry and chope your table for all-you-can-eat durians
My personal favourite for the durian would be Mao Shan Wang. An attractive bright yellow hue, firm thin layer of outerskin that is not wet, plus that burst of creamy bittersweetness when one sinks their teeth into the soft flesh.
Mao Shan Wang 猫山王, just look at that beauty
Interestingly, kampong durian is available and it was of a much paler hue. Looks interesting but with limited stomach space, decided to give this a miss. Do let me know how it tasted if you had tried it.
kampong durian
Tropical fruits
Also tried our hands at the retro game stalls and got a prize from the sure-win Tikam Tikam. The game with the tins gave the arms a slight work-out!
my Fun Pass
Tikam Tikam and Bola Bola
Tikam Tikam prize
Trishaw ride / photo op
After all that fun and games, don't forget to head right in for the buffet line-up. Element's Dinner Buffet menu highlights for National Day include DIY Rojak Station, Daily Smoked Salmon (3 types!), Seafood on Ice (oysters, poached lobsters and prawns, Alaskan Crab, scallops), Carving Station's roasted meat (chicken, pork, char siew), Noodles Station (Singapore laksa without cockles, or Mee Siam), Hot Live Station (Katsu Don), Charcoal Grill Satay Station (chicken, mutton) and Dessert Stations where durian-based dessert takes centrestage with signatures available (for example chempedak creme brulee, nonya kueh). Please note that some of the items will be on rotation basis.
National Day dining
seafood on ice
freshly shucked oysters from France
For buffet, I'd start with oysters. The freshly shucked oysters from France are creamy and briny. I can sense the recurring theme of 'creamy'!
smoked salmon
Peking Duck Station
Peking Duck wraps
Live Noodles Station
Katsu Don
roasted meats
Old school eats of kueh tutu (with coconut fillings), muah chee and ice cream bread.
kueh tutu
muah chee
ice-cream bread
And for finale, eat to your heart's content at the dessert counters. Cakes, creme brulee, pudding, mousse, nonya kuehs are awaiting for your pick!
Durian Cake
Durian Mousse
Durian Panna Cotta
Happy SG53 and Happy Feasting!
For reservations, please call +65 6879 2607 or email to: element_sg@amarahotels.com
Thank you Lindy and Amara Singapore for the invite and Chef Charles for your hospitality.
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