The Korean concept dining, Kkongdon Korea BBQ - is brought to Singapore by JP Pepperdine. This is the same group that also manages Jack Place and Restaurant Hoshigaoka, among others. Kkongdon's first restaurant was launched in Sinchon, Seoul in January 2005. Today, in less than 10 years, there are over 67 outlets in Korea alone. Like its mother restaurant in Seoul, Kkongdon Singapore maintains the same philosophy of offering its guests high quality Korean BBQ at affordable prices.
We had prior bookings and when we arrived, everything was ready for us. There was absolutely no fuss when we requested to change seats and it was all executed like a breeze.
We chose to order from the a la carte menu. If you prefer, they also offer set meals that are very reasonably priced. A small counter offers a limited variety albeit free flow spread of kimchi and other Korean side dishes.
For mains, our order comprised a serving each of the spicy marinated pork belly and the beef fingers.
Although the beef was of natural fed prime cut imported from their own Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand, darling wife and I still preferred the marinated pork belly as it had more oomph. The layers of fats barbequed to a light crisp gave the meat that special sizzle and flavour familiar to every pork belly lover. We enjoyed the pork belly so much we vowed to make a return visit just for this dish alone.
The other dish that we really enjoyed was the restorative ginseng chicken. The young chicken was served whole, stuffed with sticky rice, jujubes, garlic and, of course, ginseng. Besides being a booster for the immune system, this popular Korean dish is also believed to promote longevity and increase libido.
We also had pork kimchi stew. When it arrived at the table, my first thought was, “I’m having an overdose of kimchi.” Surprisingly, we still enjoyed it. The soup was robust with heavy overtones of fermented kimchi and hot chilli pepper. The pork, on the other hand, was subtly infused with the flavours of the ingredients.
Overall, we were happy with the dishes. However the only let-down would be the kimchi pancake. It was not crispy as I had expected. Instead it was soft and limp. For me, it simply lacked the crunch!
We also had a miniature serving of bibimbap, Korean-style steamed egg, and cold noodles, all of which were good but not exceptional.
Special mention must be made of the dips and sauces that came with the meal. We were informed by the staff that these are brought in direct from Korea thus ensuring consistency in taste and quality. We particularly like the Oriental dressing and the Ssam Jang sauce – a spicy chilli sauce. A sort of onion sauce was also provided and this was the perfect accompaniment to the barbequed meat.
Besides good food, realistic pricing, and service with a smile, KKongdon also provides a clean 'smoke-free' environment which makes for a pleasant dining experience. Retractable suction hoses are installed above each table and air purifiers are placed strategically throughout the restaurant space. On exiting, they spray a deodorant-like mist to get rid of any residual odour that might have lingered on your clothing.
Kkongdon Korea BBQ
6 Raffles Boulevard
#B1-01/02 Marina Square (Marina Link)
https://www.facebook.com/kkongdon.sg
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Price: $$
Recommended dishes: Korean ginseng chicken, spicy pork belly, pork kimchi stew.
We had prior bookings and when we arrived, everything was ready for us. There was absolutely no fuss when we requested to change seats and it was all executed like a breeze.
We chose to order from the a la carte menu. If you prefer, they also offer set meals that are very reasonably priced. A small counter offers a limited variety albeit free flow spread of kimchi and other Korean side dishes.
For mains, our order comprised a serving each of the spicy marinated pork belly and the beef fingers.
 |
| Spicy marinated pork belly |
Although the beef was of natural fed prime cut imported from their own Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand, darling wife and I still preferred the marinated pork belly as it had more oomph. The layers of fats barbequed to a light crisp gave the meat that special sizzle and flavour familiar to every pork belly lover. We enjoyed the pork belly so much we vowed to make a return visit just for this dish alone.
The other dish that we really enjoyed was the restorative ginseng chicken. The young chicken was served whole, stuffed with sticky rice, jujubes, garlic and, of course, ginseng. Besides being a booster for the immune system, this popular Korean dish is also believed to promote longevity and increase libido.
 |
| Ginseng Chicken |
We also had pork kimchi stew. When it arrived at the table, my first thought was, “I’m having an overdose of kimchi.” Surprisingly, we still enjoyed it. The soup was robust with heavy overtones of fermented kimchi and hot chilli pepper. The pork, on the other hand, was subtly infused with the flavours of the ingredients.
 |
| Pork kimchi stew |
Overall, we were happy with the dishes. However the only let-down would be the kimchi pancake. It was not crispy as I had expected. Instead it was soft and limp. For me, it simply lacked the crunch!
We also had a miniature serving of bibimbap, Korean-style steamed egg, and cold noodles, all of which were good but not exceptional.
 |
| Bibimbap |
Special mention must be made of the dips and sauces that came with the meal. We were informed by the staff that these are brought in direct from Korea thus ensuring consistency in taste and quality. We particularly like the Oriental dressing and the Ssam Jang sauce – a spicy chilli sauce. A sort of onion sauce was also provided and this was the perfect accompaniment to the barbequed meat.
Besides good food, realistic pricing, and service with a smile, KKongdon also provides a clean 'smoke-free' environment which makes for a pleasant dining experience. Retractable suction hoses are installed above each table and air purifiers are placed strategically throughout the restaurant space. On exiting, they spray a deodorant-like mist to get rid of any residual odour that might have lingered on your clothing.
6 Raffles Boulevard
#B1-01/02 Marina Square (Marina Link)
https://www.facebook.com/kkongdon.sg
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Price: $$
Recommended dishes: Korean ginseng chicken, spicy pork belly, pork kimchi stew.
No comments:
Post a Comment