Entree Kibbles: Paik's Bibim - Korean Traditional Bibimbap @ City Square [Malaysia]

It's funny that whenever I am in an overseas country, I often go for cuisines that actually don't hail from the host country that i am travelling to. One example is Thailand where I often have Japanese food and another country is Malaysia, specifically Johor Bahru (JB) as I did realise recently that I keep having Korean food!

In addition to Jang Won Korean BBQ Charcoal Restaurant, i took the opportunity to try Paik's Bibim at City Square in my recent trip.

A fast-food restaurant concept for Korean bibimbap and it didn't dawn on me then that Singapore already has a number of branches! The embarrassment deepened when i shared my experience with my lunch kakis as they had in fact bought for me before!

Anyway, Paik's Bibim is the brainchild of Mr Jong Won Paik; the same guy who came out with Bornga! If you prefer to Korean BBQ instead of bibimbap at JB City Square, Bornga is actually just next door and you can check out my review here.

Alex's tummy wasn't feeling too well so he opted for something simpler. For me, of course i will take their signature dish; the original bibimbap! To be honest, the jap chae was less oily compared to many others although it translated directly into a drier texture that's also less tasty.

The steamed egg was just, well, steamed egg without much alternative flavour that would have set it apart from what i could cook myself in the comfort of my own kitchen.

Original Bibimbap - "beef stir-fried in soy sauce served over rice with loads of vegetables"; such simplified explanation fails to stir my appetite even though the picture on the menu did. Most people nowadays are visual creatures, leading to a spike in popularity for apps like Instagram.

Vegetables include fat beansprouts, carrots, radish, lettuce, cucumber and seaweed - from the look of it, i believe i had exceeded the recommendation by Singapore's Health Promotion Board's My Healthy Plate.

Clueless people would just start eating and i guess that's the reason why the eatery specifically installed such a big piece of wallpaper teaching diners the best way to eat bibimbap!

Most important item for bibimbap, the gochujang; a red chilli paste that's essential not only as a binding agent for all the ingredients but also the dispenser for the flavour so well loved by my sister and i.

This didn't disappoint - literally an amalgamation of goodness; the sweetness of the marinated stir fried beef, the fresh crunchiness from the vegetables and the light spiciness of the gochujang! Yummy!