Kim Dae Mun Korean Food (Concorde Hotel)

Spicy Beancurd Soup (Soondubu Jjigae) 순두부찌개 $7.50

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food is located in Concorde Hotel; previously known as Le Meridien Hotel. If you are wondering where is Concord Hotel, it is located along the Orchard Shopping Belt, in between Dhoby Ghuat (Plaza Singapura) and Somerset (Orchard Plaza) MRT stations.

Menu

As it's name suggest, Kim Dae Mun Korean Food specialises in serving Korean cuisine. They order quite an extensive variety of dishes ranging from soup, meat, rice, ramen and side dishes. In a short time span of 4 years, the eatery has shifted located 3 times times; from the food court at level 1 to level 2 and then back to another standalone bigger unit at level. I doubt they will move further as the sitting capacity that they have now is huge!

The kitchen and counter is manned by Koreans. This is the Ahjumma who always takes the order at the counter. After taking the order, she would always relay the order to the kitchen through a mike.

Although there is always a queue, they are perfectly trained to handle the crowd. They moved with clock work precision. I waited just 10 minutes and the food was ready. Upon collection of the food, customers could choose between kimchi, anchovies or cucumbers as sides.

Spicy Beef Soup Set $8

The Spicy Soup Set is one of their most highly raved dish online. This time round I ordered the version that comes with beef; Spicy Beef Soup Set $8. The set consisted of a big bowl of spicy beef soup served with a bowl of rice and a side dish.I chose anchovies.

Spicy Beef Soup $8

The Spicy Beef Soup Set was filled with generous amounts of ingredients such as slices of beef, beancurd, vegetable, Korean (thick) vermicilli, spring onion, egg and onions. The soup was spicy and tasty - not salty (I doubt MSG was added). The combination of soup with rice was perfect. In terms of the price, it was reasonable considering the quantity and taste of the food.

Bibimbap 비빔밥 $8

The Bibimbap 비빔밥 $8 was served in traditional stone bowl.

Bibimbap 비빔밥 $8

This is the Korean's version of mixed rice, that comes with a variety of vegetables, an egg, rice, meat (in this case I had beef) and the hot chili pepper paste (also know as gochujang).

Bibimbap 비빔밥 $8

Give it a good mix to ensure that each grain of rice is well coated with  the hot chili pepper paste. With each mouthful, you would be able to to experience different texture and taste due to the assortment of vegetables (some are crunchy whereas some are soft).

Spicy Beancurd Soup (Soondubu Jjigae) 순두부찌개 $7.50

This is the Spicy Beancurd Soup (Soondubu Jjigae) 순두부찌개 $7.50. It comes in two versions, with or without the spiciness.

Spicy Beancurd Soup (Soondubu Jjigae) 순두부찌개 $7.50

Personally, I thought that the taste was just average. It was spicy but lacked flavour.

Tender Sliced Beef $10

The Tender Sliced Beef $10 is their most expensive item on the menu. This dish is also highly raved about.

Tender Sliced Beef $10

The beef was well marinated and tasty. However, certain pieces were hard and tough. At $10, I thought that the price is on the higher end (i.e. not so value for money).

Did you know that their hotplates items are cooked with water instead of oil? Yes, you heard me right!

I will certainly be back at Kim Dae Mun Korean Food to try out other dishes. I have been wanting to try their ramen. Their food is quite the tasty and authentic. Moreover, it is now no longer tough to find seats!

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food (Concorde Hotel) 

100 Orchard Road #01-03D

Concorde Hotel And Shopping Mall 

Singapore 238840 

Tel: 9112 5910

Opening Hours: 11am to 8.30pm

                           Closed on Mon

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Orchard Yong Tau Foo (Cuppage Plaza)

Orchard Yong Tau Foo (Cuppage Plaza) is located at level 1 of Cuppage Plaza. This Yong Tau Foo has a small seating capacity of around 15 seats.  Despite that, many shoppers and office workers frequent this stall.

Customers would first need to choose the ingredients they want. After choosing the ingredients, they would need to choose the choice of rice / noodles ranging from bee hoon, kway teow, yellow egg noodle to mee pok. They would need be assigned a number and be asked to wait for their number to be called.

I went on two occasions and waited for less than 20 minutes. Do note that if you are coming with a group of more than 3, it would likely be a longer wait and you would be assigned to sit in a row.

Orchard Yong Tau Foo offers wide variety of ingredient such as stuff tofu, mushrooms, golden mushroom, bitter gourd, fish balls, fish cakes, meat balls, hotdogs, seaweed, cuttlefish, quail eggs, century egg, salted egg, broccoli, and Chinese cabbage.

The ingredients were fresh!

A rough gauge of the price range, 7 items of ingredients (excluding the noodles / rice) would cost $4.90.

Once your number is reached, you will be assigned to a seat. The space inside is pretty narrow and small.

I ordered mine with Kway Teow and with soup.

Kway Teow Yong Tau Foo.

On another occasion I ordered it with bee hoon.

Overall, this bowl of Yong Tau Foo was delicious. The ingredients were so fresh and well cooked. Take for example, the radish was soft, not hard. And for those ingredients that were too big such as bitter gourd, radish and fish balls, they would be cut into smaller pieces. The soup stock was another star of its own. Made from soy beans, it was clear, flavourful and hearty. Mind you, it was not salty unlike those you would normally get elsewhere.

The chilli and sweet sauce was excellent too! Personally, I preferred the sweet sauce. It was mild sweet and yet so tasty and fragrant. They had extracted the sesame flavour into the sauce!

Lastly, despite the narrow, small seating capacity, another aspect that would make me come back was the service. The service was excellent! The uncle who called out the queue number, clear the tables, collect the cash and serve the items to the tables was so attentive and friendly! He would notice and ask customers if they require a refill of soup when he noticed that had drank most of their soup. He would also ask if he noticed that customers need a refill of sweet or spicy sauces. Kudos to him as I noticed that he was already so busy, yet I noticed him asking those around me all these questions.

Orchard Yong Tau Foo (Cuppage Plaza) 

5 Koek Road #01-09 

Cuppage Plaza

Singapore 228796 

Tel: 9067 5245

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 8am - 630pm

                         Closed on Sun

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Ayam Penyet Ria (Lucky Plaza)

Ayam Penyet Ria is an Indonesian restaurant chain specialising in Ayam Penyet (Smashed Fried Chicken). The restaurant is halal certified. The restaurant is located in Lucky Plaza, Far East Plaza, Jurong Point and Bedok Mall. In Lucky Plaza, it is located at two different levels, at level 1 and at level 4. I visited the outlet located at level 4 (which was bigger) on a weekday.

 There was ample seating place as the restaurant occupied three units. 

There was even an area where customers could wash their hands before or after their meals. 

Ayam Penyet $7.40 and Lime Juice $2.05

I ordered the Ayam Penyet $7.40 and Lime Juice $2.05.

Ayam Penyet $7.40 

The Ayam Penyet $7.40 comprised of a plate of plain rice and a plate filled with half a smashed chicken, kangkong, fried beancurd, beancake, raw cabbage and cucumber, batter crumbs and sambal chilli. 

Ayam Penyet $7.40 

The batter skin of the smashed chicken was quite good. The interior was a little too dry on some parts. The sambal chilli was incredibly spicy yet addictive. It complemented the chicken well. It would be good to order a drink in advance such as Lime Juice to help ease the spiciness. The other ingredients such as kangkong, fried beancurd and beancake were ordinary.

At its current price, I doubt I will be back anytime soon. 

Ayam Penyet Ria (Lucky Plaza) 

304 Orchard Road 

#04-25/26/27  Lucky Plaza 

Singapore 238863

Opening Hours: 12pm to 9pm

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Koh Grill & Sushi Bar (Wisma Atria)

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar located at level 4 of Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, next to Food Republic Food Court probably needs no introduction. It's Shiok!!! Maki has been highly raved about on the social media. This sushi bar can get very crowded during peak periods and it is advisable to make reservations during these periods. 

I have heard so much about Koh Grill & Sushi Bar for quite a few years but had not have the chance to visit although it is centrally located; near ION Orchard. After much procrastination, we made reservations and proceed to visit during lunch on a weekday. I was surprised that there was no queue. 

Pitan Tofu $4

The Pitan (Century Egg) Tofu $4; chilled tofu served with homemade paste was unique. 

Pitan Tofu $4

The paste had a very strong unique century egg flavour. It provided a strong taste to the bland tofu. In addition, the tobiko (roe) provided a distinct crunchy texture of the soft tofu. I quite like the taste of this dish. Do note if you are not a fan of century egg, you are likely to dislike this dish as the flavour of the century egg is overwhelming. 

Aspara Buta Maki $3

The Aspara Buta Maki $3 was essentially charcoal grilled Asparagus Pork Belly Roll.

Aspara Buta Maki $3

Although it was slightly charrred on the other side, I liked the fact that the asparagus retained its crunchiness providing a different texture. In addition, it had a smoky flavour. 

Shiok!!! Maki $16.80

We ordered the highly raved about signature Shiok!!! Maki $16.80 sushi. Its photo appears in nearly 80% of all photos in Instagram and Facebook tagged with the name of this restaurant. Priced at $16.80, the Shiok!!! Maki was not cheap. It comprised of a combination of charcoal grilled eel, avocado, sushi rice wrapped with lightly roasted salmon and topped with cheesy mayonnaise and generous serving of tobiko (roe). 

Shiok!!! Maki $16.80

After trying a piece of Shiok!!! Maki, I was won over. The combination of taste and texture was heavenly. It was hard to stop at one. Now I know why this had been widely raved about. Its never too late! 

Sukiyaki Beef with Ramen $16

The Sukiyaki Beef with Ramen $16 consisted of a mixture of assorted vegetables, tofu, beef and ramen in broth. 

Sukiyaki Beef with Ramen $16

This was easily the worst dish. Nothing fantastic and it did not appeal to us. The other 3 dishes were just too outstanding. It did not help that the homemade broth was on the salty end. 

Overall, the food was decent. I liked three out of the four dishes ordered. Mainly, because we did our research before coming (it was not hard, there are so many reviews on this place). We will be back for more! 

Koh Grill & Sushi Bar (Wisma Atria) 

435 Orchard Rd 

#04-23 Wisma Atria Shopping Centre 

Singapore 238877 

Tel: 9180 3805

Opening Hours: Daily 1130am to 1030pm

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Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake 徹思叔叔起司蛋糕 (ION Orchard)

Uncle Tetsu 徹思叔叔起司蛋糕 has opened its first outlet in Singapore!! If you have not heard of this brand, this is a very famous and popular brand - for using premium Japanese dairy ingredients to produce Japanese style cheesecake. Uncle Tetsu originated from Kyushu, Japan and has been in operation since 1990s. It has outlets in Japan, China (e.g. Shanghai) and Taiwan (e.g. Taipei). In Taipei and Shanghai, it is so popular that there are perpetual queues and customers are limited to a purchase of 1 box each. 

Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90

Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90

Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake $9.90

The spongy cheesecake $9.90 was incredibly soft, light and fluffy. It kind of melts in the mouth. In addition, it did not taste too cheesy and was not dry. I am not even a fan of cheesecake and would only take one bite of most cheesecake just to test the flavour. But for Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake, I must totally love it! Shiok! A must try!

I wonder if queues will start to form for this too. 

Do note, their cheesecake can only last a few days as they use little or no preservatives. 

Uncle Tetsu's Cheese Cake徹思叔叔起司蛋糕 (ION Orchard)

#B4-35 ION Orchard

2 Orchard Turn

Singapore 238801

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Spicy Chicken Soup Set at Kim Dae Mun Korean Food (Concorde Hotel)

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food is located at the basement food court at Concorde Hotel; previously known as Le Meridien Hotel. (come to think of it, when has there ever been a food court in a Hotel? The norm should be restaurants.) If you are wondering where is Concord Hotel, it is located along the Orchard Shopping Belt, in between Dhoby Ghuat (Plaza Singapura) and Somerset (Orchard Plaza) MRT stations.

As it's name suggest, Kim Dae Mun Korean Food specialises in serving Korean cuisine. It is probably the most famous stall in the food court. I have heard many people raving about their food. Hence, after a period of procrastination, I decided to visit this food court on a weekday evening for dinner. 

It was easy to spot the stall with its distinct blue signboard. Moreover, with a queue of more than 10 persons, it would be hard to miss this stall. I was quite surprised to see the long queue considering that it was a weekday. I joined the queue and waited 20 minutes before I was able to order. After that it was another 5 minutes of wait for my food. To be fair, the staff were quite efficient considering the crowd. 

Spicy Chicken Soup Set $6.50

I ordered the Spicy Chicken Soup Set  $6.50 which was widely raved about online. The set consisted of a big bowl of Spicy Chicken Soup served with a bowl of rice and a side. For the sides, customers could choose between kimchi, anchovies or cucumbers. I chose anchovies.

Spicy Chicken Soup Set $6.50

Spicy Chicken Soup Set $6.50

The Spicy Chicken Soup Set was fill with generous amounts of ingredients such as chunks of chicken, beancurd, vegetable, korean (thick) vermicilli, spring onion, egg and onions. The soup was spicy and tasty - not salty (I doubt MSG was added). It was awesome combining the soup with the rice! In terms of the price, it was reasonable considering the quantity and taste of the food. 

If I am ordering this the next time I would request for a less spicy version (overheard a customer requesting this). 

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food is one of the few korean stalls in food courts worth a try. I will certainly be back. For the record,  I seldom ordered Korean food in a food court. Besides the Spicy Chicken Soup, many others have raved about their potato pancake, tender beef sliced set and spicy shredded chicken. 

Did you know that their hotplates items are cooked with water instead of oil? Yes, you heard me right! A healthier choice! What are you waiting for?

Kim Dae Mun Korean Food (Concorde Hotel)
100 Orchard Road

Level 1 Concorde Food Court

Concorde Hotel And Shopping Mall

Singapore 238840

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The Eastern Restaurant (Centrepoint)

Edited on Oct 2013: Closed. 

The Eastern Restaurant, a restaurant located in the heart of Orchard specialises in serving authentic Northern Chinese cuisine. It is tucked away in a deep quiet corner of Centrepoint. It has been located at the same spot for many years. With virtually no signs to guide anyone here, most people would have probably missed or not know of this place. Even we ourselves who had been here before got lost while trying to recall how to get to the restaurant.

I first got to know of this restaurant more than five years ago, way before I started FoodieFC. I remember that the food here was not bad and its Xiao Long Bao was worth a try. So here I am, back here again for its Xiao Long Bao! Visited on a Saturday evening. 

The seating capacity at the restaurant seemed to considerably reduced. Previously, the tables and chairs extend all the way out and there were also tables and chairs under the escalator next to the restaurant. This time, the tables and chairs have been removed.

You may noticed in the above photos that it has a open kitchen concept. You can scrutinise view how your food is being prepared. Moreover, it also assure customers that their food are prepared diligently and hygiene is well taken care of. 

Despite the reduced seating capacity, the Eastern Restaurant was full! Quite surprising, considering the location and lack of signs. 

Clean, air conditioned environment. Even though there was such a crowd, our food was served fairly quickly within 10 minutes upon ordering. 

Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce (5 Pcs) $6

The Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce an authentic Sichuan cuisine was very well executed. The use of vinegar and spicy oil caused a distinct difference in taste that made it hard for me to stop at one. The skin of the wanton seemed slightly thicker than the other wantons else where helped hold the fillings in place and adsorb the immense flavours of the sauce. Very spicy and sour, yet addictive. If you are can't take spicy food, you should refrain from ordering this. 

Xiao Long Bao (4 Pcs) $4

The Xiao Long Bao, one of their signature items did not disappoint. The skin was slightly thicker in comparison to the other Xiao Long Baos I have tried. Each Xiao Long Bao contained alot more hot soup in it (more than those in Crystal Jade/Ding Tai Fung). Most probably, the thicker skin was required to hold the soup in place. The hot soup was tasty and well flavoured while the meat was well marinated. The only issue I had was that the skin at the top was too thick. This may not be the best Xiao Long Bao I had, but it was certainly one of the better ones. 

Noodle in Hot & Sour Soup $8

I ordered the Noodle in Hot & Sour Soup, which is another Sichuan Cuisine - spicy and sour. Luckily the sauce used was different from the Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce. The sauce this time was more sourish and less spicy. It came with diced mushrooms, peas, black fungus, shredded beancurd and meat. The noodles were too hard and could have been cooked for a long period of time. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this dish despite feeling the spiciness towards the end. Kudos to the chef as he got the difficult part right - balancing the taste of the hot & sour soup.

Stewed Beef Brisket Noodle Soup $8.80

The partner ordered the Stewed Beef Brisket Noodle Soup which was one of the recommended items in the menu. The soup was light, clear and flavourful - very forgiving and not salty. Generous serving of beef chunks were given and the meat was stewed till they were incredibly soft and tender. It would have been perfect if the noodles were cooked longer as we felt that it was a tad too hard. 

Overall, the dining experience at The Eastern Restaurant was good.  It's a hidden gem. There's no need to queue even during weekend peak hours. The food that we ordered was delicious. Despite being at full capacity  the service was prompt and efficient. Price wise, it was reasonable. In fact, I would say affordable considering that this is in the heart of Orchard.

The Eastern Restaurant (Centrepoint)

176 Orchard Road

#01-57 Centrepoint

Singapore 238843

Tel: 6736 2638

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
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