Entree Kibbles: Huluruk Myeon House @ Bishan Junction 8 [Singapore] #koreanfood

I walked past Huluruk Myeon House when I had dinner at the neighboring Canton Paradise (Bishan Junction 8) and did remember that despite the eye-catching façade; there wasn't a queue outside the restaurant serving Korean cuisine.

Don't be too quick to judge; an observant person would have noticed that the eatery was full of customers and that the entrance was at the other side, within the shopping mall. And there was a snaking queue! It cleared pretty fast though and we were brought to a table after a wait of less than 25 minutes.

There were so many dishes on the menu; I wouldn't be able to decide what to have if not for the Great Kon who had patronized the restaurant before and knew who to order, and what not to.

Some would judge a Korean eatery with the kind of side dishes served. I don't but I would be darn impressed when many side dishes were placed on my table! At Huluruk, it's a simple affair comprising of just kimchi and pickled radishes. Guess we would have to place more hope on the dishes we would be paying for!

Stir Fried Bulgogi Pork (Non Spicy) - quite nice, yet unexceptional. We opted for non-spicy since Alex is a weakling against chilli; hence, there's a chance our review might differ if this was served in the original, spicy format.

Grilled Pork Jowl - jowl is actually the pig's cheeks and the first time I had it was at Ramen Santouka more than 10 years ago! The last time I had it was at the now-closed Jeju Kitchen (Northpoint).

The ones from Huluruk Myeon House were comparatively taster; they were all grilled to a crisp with the insides still retaining the tender juiciness! The deal-breaker was the drizzles of sweet teriyaki sauce topped with sesame seeds!

Original Dumplings - the famous Din Tai Fung was just next door even though I am not such a huge fan of their signature xiaolongbao, which looked a bit like these original dumplings that also came in two other flavours; kimchi and chilli crab.

Unlike the Chinese style dumplings, these Korean ones were meatier with an intense ginger-infused punch! To a person who loves to eat Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao with tons of sliced ginger, the above was a delicious nugget of satisfaction!

Jjajang Myeon - I am fan of Running Man and it's no secret that Jjajang Myeon (noodles with blackbean sauce) is the favourite food of the main host, Yoo Jae-suk! Every time I saw him slurping the noodles on the show, I would tell myself I must continue to try those from other stalls as my virgin experience wasn't that great.

And with huge anticipation, came disappointment. Yoo Jae-suk always had Jjajang Myeon with a happy expression and I just couldn't relate to that! The yellow noodle tasted weird and the black sauce didn't manage to result in a delicious combination. I guess I wouldn't be trying at Jjajang Myeon in the future unless I have some strong endorsements from friends.

Cold Buck Wheat Noodle - ask around and you would know I am hardly an adventurous person when it comes to food. I usually need people like Kon to 'force' me to try something new and in this case, I was actually introduced to this cold noodle from a colleague.

The first time I had it; I was dumbfounded, just like that time I had cold soba on a plane flying from Hokkaido to Bangkok. This cold buck wheat noodle is best eaten on a hot day, for obvious reasons, and I absolutely love how the vinegarish broth tingles with my taste buds! In spite of my well-documented love for meat, it was the least of my priority when it comes to this bowl of cold Korean noodle soup.

Grilled Pork Belly with Signature Noodle - to be honest, the grilled pork belly would be secondary as it's quite normal but we decided not to go with the Chef's Choices' mixed seafood or signature 3 treasures as Alex didn't want seafood and some of the things like original dumplings would be ordered in larger amount.

Knife noodle, similar to guan miao noodle, didn't impress but the extremely flavourful broth was the star here! Infused with the tasty flavours from the sea, this would make a marvelous stock for ramen but in my case, I am just wondering if I could just have the soup, without any carbohydrates like noodles / rice...

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Hits and misses; overall, still a satisfying meal with great company and almost everything wiped out! Like Jeju Kitchen, it's said that the volcano fried rice is delicious; guess I shall give it a try the next time I am there.

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