Myeongdong Kyoja 명동교자 (明洞餃子) (South Korea, Seoul)

Dumplings (Mandu) 만두 8,000 KRW (S$10)

If you have been to Myeongdong in Seoul, you would have probably heard about Myeongdong Kyoja 명동교자 (明洞餃子). This restaurant chain has two stalls located less than 100 metres apart along the same stretch of street in Myeongdong!

Myeongdong Kyoja established in 1966, is popular among the locals and tourist. The restaurant is famous for their knife-cut, handmade kalguksu noodles in chicken broth. In fact, they have self proclaimed themselves as the inventor of kalguksu noodles in Korea.

Myeongdong Kyoja does not offer a wide variety of items on its menu. Just 4 main dishes [Choppped Noodles (Kalguksu) 칼국수, Bibimguksu 비빔국수, Dumplings (Mandu) 만두 and Soybean Noodles (Kongguksu) 콩국수] as seen above and with Kimchi as the side dish (banchan / 반찬). 

Dumplings (Mandu) 만두 8,000 KRW (S$10)

The Dumplings (Mandu) 만두 8,000 KRW (S$10) is also another of their popular dish. You would see this dish at nearly every tables. The Kimchi given are refillable.

Dumplings (Mandu) 만두 8,000 KRW (S$10)

These dumplings are bigger and contains more filling compared to the Xiao Long Bao which you can find in Singapore/China. The outer skin is smooth and thin so much so that it is nearly translucent and you can see the fillings. Although the dumplings do not contain any broth in it, the filling which consisted of a mixture of pork and vegetable was juicy, tasty and addictive. The two of us had no issue finishing all the dumplings!

Choppped Noodles (Kalguksu) 칼국수 8,000 KRW (S$10)

This is the signature Choppped Noodles (Kalguksu) 칼국수 8,000 KRW (S$10) which is a must order!

Choppped Noodles (Kalguksu) 칼국수 8,000 KRW (S$10)

The handmade noodles cutted using a knife was served in a bowl of chicken broth filled with minced meat, small dumplings, vegetables and garlic. Both the noodles and broth taste so tasty. In addition, they would give you a small bowl of rice for you to pour into the bowl once you have finished the noodles.

ps: The soup and rice are refillable.

Soybean Noodles (Kongguksu) 콩국수 8,000 KRW (S$10)

The Soybean Noodles (Kongguksu) 콩국수 8,000 KRW (S$10);  a summer delicacy for the locals consist of cold noodles in soybean soup. The noodles are made with flour and chlorella (hence the noodles are green in colour).  The soybean soup is made by grinding black beans and big beans with a small amount of water. As the soybean soup spoil easily, they are made twice a day to ensure freshness.

Soybean Noodles (Kongguksu) 콩국수 8,000 KRW (S$10)

The Soybean Noodles (Kongguksu) 콩국수 was too exotic for us. None of us liked the taste and we could not finish it. We were too adventurous and really regretted ordering this..

The restaurant which I want to has two levels. Although there would normally be a queue during peak hours, the turnover is very fast due to their large sitting capacity. If you find the restaurant too crowded for you, you can try going down to the other branch located in the same street 90 metres away. Directions are appended below.

I have been to this restaurant chain several times over the past 7 years, it never disappoints and the quality is consistent! 

Myeongdong Kyoja 명동교자 (明洞餃子) (South Korea, Seoul)
The Main Restaurant of Myeongdong Kyoja
25-2 2-ga, Myeong-dong
Jung-gu, Seoul 
Tel: +82 2 776 5348 
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 930pm
Website
Directions: From Myeongdong Station Exit 8, turn left onto Myeongdong 10-gil Road. This is the alley btween Family Mart and Tous Les Jour. Go straight about 200m, the restaurant is on the right. 

The Branch Restaurant of Myeongdong Kyoja 
33-4 2-ga, Myeong-dong
Jung-gu, Seoul 
Tel: +82 2 776 3424 
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 930pm
Directions: Myeongdong Station (subway line 4) Exit 8, turn left onto Myeongdong 10-gil Road. Go straight about 290m, the restaurant is on the left.

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Bindaetteok, Mayak Kimbap and Boribap at Gwangjang Market (South Korea, Seoul)

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Gwangjang Market 광장시장 established in 1905 is one of the oldest and largest traditional market in Korea. The market with two levels has over 5000 stores selling a wide variety of products ranging from silk, satin, bedding, fabric, hanbok, kitchenware, clothing and food is popular among the locals. In recent years, the number of tourists visiting the market has increased significantly. Despite that, Namdaemun Market and Dongdaemun Market are still more popular among tourists compared to Gwangjang Maret.

We visited the food section of Gwangjang Market which is located at the right hand side of exit 9 of Jongno-5(o)-ga Station.

The food section is located at the ground level of the market. This is one of the 3 food alleys where the street food is located at. The Boribap 보리밥 (which you will read about towards the end of the post) is located near the toilet signage in the background of the above photo. 

The first food we went for was the Bindaetteok 빈대떡, also known as Mung Bean Pancakes which the market is famous for. You will be able to find several stalls (located next to each other) selling this at the center of the food section in the market where the three alleys meet. Despite the presence of so many stalls, you would need to wait for a seat. Turnover was relatively fast as it was essentially a eat-and-leave concept. We ate ours from the stall shown in the above photo. 

At each stall, you would see stone pestles which are constantly revolving, grounding the mung beans into paste. 

We sat long enough and saw stall owners making the Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes). They first add the grounded mung beans paste into a large container. Then added beansprouts, green onions, and garlic along with condiments. Then after that give it a good mix using their hands with their gloves on of course.

The end result is this - a well mixed mixture. They did not add any water.

They would then scoop out the mixture and fry it in a shape of a thick round pancake.

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

The Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes) 빈대떡 which cost 5,000 KRW (S$6.25) is a must try!  It was served with soy and onion dipping sauce. The freshly fried Bindaetteok was so crisp and tasty. The addition of the beansprouts was a fantastic idea as it provided a crunch to the otherwise soft ingredients. Perfect snack. Despite the large portion, we finished it and in fact I was wishing that we had the (stomach) capacity to order another! Considering the ingredients, I was amazed by its taste - Simple + Fresh ingredients = Delicious! 

Next we went for the Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥. We visited the stall with the bright red signboard as shown in the above photo. This stall is also located at the center of the food section in the market where the three alleys meet.

This is the stall which was featured on Running Man Episode 186 with CNBLUE as the guests.

Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 

The Mayak Kimbap 마약김밥 are similar to kimbap; dried seaweed rolls stuffed with carrot, pickled daikon radish and rice. The main difference was that they were in bite-size. These small Mayak Kimbap are also known as as "Drug Kimbap” because they are so addictive! With its dipping sauce (mustard or sesame ), I was told that you would never stop at one!

Eomuk 어묵

The stall also sells Eomuk 어묵 - fishcakes served on a skewer in broth.

We followed what the locals in front of us did. Order, pay and collect our food. The food are placed in small black plastic bag. Then walk to the side where you would enter the area where customers could sit. It was not very spacious and customers would normally eat and go. There was a water cooler inside, and toilet papers and fans placed at strategic locations.

Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 2,500 KRW (S$3.13)

This was the Mayak (Drug) Kimbap 마약김밥 2,500 KRW (S$3.13). True to its words, it was addictive. But personally, the Bindaetteok surprised me more.

Eomuk 어묵 500 KRW (S$0.63)

We also ordered a Eomuk (fishcake) 어묵 500 KRW (S$0.63). This is a popular street food which you will see everywhere in Korea. Their Eomuk are thin and rectangular in shape.

After that we went on a quest to hunt for the stall which Running Man visited for its Boribap 보리밥. The above picture shows the stall which Running Man visited.

Featured in Running Man Episode 186 with CNBLUE as their guests.

Boribap 보리밥 and Miyeok Guk 미역국 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

The Boribap 보리밥 which cost 5,000 KRW (S$6.25) was served with a bowl of complimentary  Miyeok Guk (Seaweed Soup) 미역국.

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Boribap 보리밥 is similar to Bibimbap. The main difference is that instead of plain rice, it comes with a mixture of rice and barley! It was served with fresh vegetables such as lettuce, bean sprouts, zucchini and pickled greens, and topped with gochujang (red pepper) sauce and sesame oil,

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Boribap 보리밥 5,000 KRW (S$6.25)

Give the Boribap a good mix and its ready! The Boribap was refreshing and tasted surprisingly delicious. The addition of barley added a lot more crunch into this dish. Shiok and healthy!

The food at Gwangjang Market was yummy! I wished we had the time to make a second trip down to this market. Nevertheless, I will definitely visit this market again when I next visit Seoul! I highly recommend the Bindaetteok and Boribap! Must try! 

Bindaetteok 빈대떡, Mayak Kimbap 마약김밥 and Boribap 보리밥 at Gwangjang Market (South Korea, Seoul)

6-1 Yeji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

서울특별시 종로구 예지동 6-1

Directions: From Jongno-5(o)-ga Station (subway line 1) exit 9, turn right into the first alley.

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K.Cook Korean BBQ Buffet 고뷔페 (Orchard Central)

K.Cook Korean BBQ Buffet 고기 뷔페 is a Korean BBQ buffet restaurant in Orchard Central (Somerset MRT station) which started operation in August 2014.

I visited on a weekday for lunch. Being Kiasu (as usual), I made called the restaurant beforehand and was told that they no longer accept reservations. Hence, we went 10 minutes early, at 11.20 am before the restaurant opened. Everyone seemed to have thought like-wise. There was a queue of more than 10 persons when we arrived.

When the restaurant opened, the queue stretched to more than 20 persons long. I was wondering how come everyone was not working and if they were like me (who applied for leave). 

K.Cook Korean BBQ Buffet offers both air conditioned and alfresco (outdoor) areas. The seating capacity at the air condition area was way smaller compared to the alfresco area. We chose to sit outdoors as there was a Big Ass Fan (High volume slow speed fan) which made the area so well ventilated. Even though it was noon, it did not felt hot. In addition, you get a clear view of the city.

Prices

The prices for the buffet are show above. The price for weekday (Mon to Fri) lunch at $14.90++ was so value for money!

Corn

Korean rice cake with fish cake

The buffet consist of a wide variety of cooked and raw food. In the cooked food section, there was Corn, Korean rice cake with fish cake, japchae (glass noodles), Korean pancake, fried chicken wings and spicy tofu stew.

We went for more than 1 servings of Korean rice cake with fish cake and japchae (glass noodles) as these were delicious. We did not manage to try the fried chicken wings, as these were taken as soon as they were replenished.

At the raw food section there were Marinated Beef Short Rib, Beef Bulgogi, Pork Belly, Pork Collar, Marinated Pork Collar, Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Chicken Sausages, squids and prawns.

As with all korean buffet, there was a section with vegetables (lettuce), mushrooms, onions, radish and kimchi.

Besides these, there was also fruits and salad section and a counter for drinks.

Chicken, Pork Collar, Prawns, Squids

Look at how thickly sliced the Pork Collars are. This is by far the thickest sliced Pork Collar I had for a buffet. Most other buffets would slice their meat thinly.

Beef  Bulgogi and Pork Belly

The Pork Belly was also of decent thickness which the Beef Bulgogi was well marianted.

With the large pan, it was easy cooking the food. We started off with the Pork Belly so that fats would grease the pan.

Food wise, it was impressive. The Pork Collar and Pork Belly of good thickness allowed the juices and flavours to be retained in the meat. Basically for the raw food, we spammed the Pork Belly, Pork Collar, Beef Bulgogi and mushrooms.

For a Korean buffet, the cooked food and the raw food were quite good. One of the better Korean buffet I have tried. Worth going back for more considering the price and quality. 

K.Cook Korean BBQ Buffet 고기 뷔페 (Orchard Central)

 #07-01 Orchard Central

181 Orchard Central Road 

Singapore 238896 

Tel: 6884 7282

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 10pm

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Bornga Korean BBQ Restaurant 본가 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Bornga is a leading Korean Barbecue (BBQ) restaurant chain with outlets in Korea, USA, Malaysia and Singapore. The restaurant chain is started by Korean Celebrity Chef Jong Won Paik.

We visited this restaurant on a weekday. I have not tried Bornga in Singapore. But since we were in City Square (Johor Bahru), we decided to give this a try!

The interior of the restaurant. Above each table, there was an extendable exhaust pipe mounted on the ceiling that could be pulled down to the table if BBQ meat was ordered. 

The dining table, before it was cluttered with a whole lot of Ban Chan .

A few minutes after ordering, one of the staff placed hot charcoal into the BBQ stove and pulled the exhaust pipe down. As as you may have guessed, we ordered BBQ meat! We could feel the intense heat from the hot charcoal. 

Ban Chan / Side Dish (반찬)

A selection of the Ban Chan / Side Dish (반찬). More were added subsequently! And they were refillable too! There was also a tray full of fresh and crunchy assorted raw vegetables which will be used for wrapping the BBQ meat.

Woo Samgyup RM38

The first dish was Bornga's signature Woo Samgyup RM38 which consisted of beautifully marbled thinly sliced beef brisket in Bornga's special sauce and golden pumpkin.

Woo Samgyup RM38

At Bornga, you do not need to do the cooking. The staff would do all the cooking for you. All you have to do is to eat! The staff first pulled the exhaust pipe down and cook the meat in front of us. He first spread the Woo Samgyup on the stove and let it cook. As it was thinly sliced, the meat was cooked very quickly. We were glad that the staff cooked the meat for us as we did not want to overcook the meat.

Woo Samgyup RM38

Once the Woo Samgyup are cooked. You can dip the beef into the special house sauce provided and roll up the meat with rice and various vegetables. The Woo Samgyup was delicious. The essence, flavour and juice of the meat was still retained, making it a rewarding gourmet experience whether you had it alone or wrapped in vegetables.

Mansinchang Samgyupsal RM28

The second dish was the Mansinchang Samgyupsal RM28; tenderised pork belly seasoned with parsley flakes, salt and pepper.

Mansinchang Samgyupsal RM28

Mansinchang Samgyupsal RM28

Again, the staff cooked the meat for us over the charcoal stove. All we had to do was to watch! =)

Mansinchang Samgyupsal RM28

Once the Mansinchang Samgyupsal was cooked, the staff would put them into a plate for us. The procedure is the same again. You can either eat the meat on its own or dip it in sauce and wrap it with vegetables. Personally, I thought that this was just an average dish.

Chadol Duenjang Jjigae RM24

We also ordered a Chadol Duenjang Jjigae RM24, a traditional Korean soybean paste stew with beef and vegetable. Personally, the picture of this on the menu did not entice me. But as the partner was quite keen to have this, we ordered it.

The soybean paste stew was cooked in front of us at our table and boiled till the it was reduced.

Chadol Duenjang Jjigae RM24 - vegetable bowl

One the meat was cooked, the Duenjang Jjigae was mixed into a vegetable bowl, and mixed with rice and vegetable (like how you would do it with bibimbap).

Chadol Duenjang Jjigae RM24

The end result! Tada! The Chadol Duenjang Jjigae was superb! Each grain of rice was well coated with the intense fragrant and flavour from the stewed soybean paste. Each mouthful was just so incredibly flavorful and brilliantly in terms of texture (soft or crunchy depending on what you ate). Fantastic! The more you dig into this bowl of rice, the more you will love it. This was our favourite dish in this meal! A Must Try!

Do note, there’s a minimum order of two meats for BBQ.

It was certainly a good decision to visit Bornga at City Square! The food and the service was good. And for such a price, it was certainly value for money! 

Bornga Korean BBQ Restaurant 본가 (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

Unit MF-23, Level 3, Johor Bahru City Square Shopping Mall

106-108, Jalan Wong Ah Fook, 80000 Johor Bahru

Tel: 07 207 2334
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm

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