Entree Kibbles: LeJomo Cafe (乐周末) - The Joy of Missing Out & Serving Korean Food @ Fook Hai Building (Chinatown, Singapore]

Saturday, May 15, 2021

LeJomo Cafe (乐周末) - The Joy of Missing Out & Serving Korean Food @ Fook Hai Building (Chinatown, Singapore]

When it comes to overseas hotel stays, I have the tendency to check the surroundings on google map and see if there's any eateries with good reviews. For my staycations in Singapore, I adopt the same strategy as given the sheer number of dining establishments in Singapore; it's possible we could miss out on the hidden gems.

For my staycation at Parkroyal Collection Pickering, I chanced upon this cafe by the name of LeJomo which located at Fook Hai Building; literally across the street! When I saw the name, I thought it was a mix of Cantonese and Chinese, roughly translated into "what you doing".

It's actually a play of words and abbreviation that meant "The Joy of Missing Out". That's refreshing given that FOMO (fear of missing out) is more the case with many people nowadays.

With the motto "happiness is an inside job", the cafe had a important message for the world we are in now and that is to "quit worrying about missing out on what other people are doing or saying". Sometimes, it's really just about us and for me, I do like doing things alone, eat alone, visit tourist attractions alone etc.

It might be a lonely journey yet necessary for self reflection. Of course, I am not asking you to be a recluse and shut off all social activities. It's more to know yourself better and think who are the friends and relatives worth your time and effort. So philosophical today. Haha

As you can see from the photographs so far, the cafe had two levels and the seating arrangement catered for both groups and individuals. I thought it's quite a cosy place although that could have been possible because of the lack of customers past the peak lunch hour.

This is so mesmerizing! Looking as if it was half suspended from the ceiling, what would you have inferred from this artwork? Note the deep roots.

Whatever the case, I am here for the food which falls under Korean cuisine; albeit more the comfort food like street toast, chicken wings, bento, sandwiches, ramen etc. And they do sell Korean soju if you intend to take a sip. p.s. possible only after 13 June 2021 given the COVID-19 restrictions that would be enforced starting from tomorrow, 16 May 2021.

Himalayan Pink Salt Coffee (right) and Melon Coconut Smoothie (left); latter for Alex and I took a sip. It was pretty nice; minty with strong taste of melon that overwhelmed the coconut, leaving just a weak trace.

My Himalayan Pink Salt Coffee; at S$6.90, I got it at S$2.00 only due to the purchase of the Korean street toast. Well, it had that usual Americano taste with milk, albeit saltier.

Teriyaki Chicken Bento - frankly, this was literally your usual chicken chop with teriyaki sauce poured over it. To be fair, it was a tender, juicy piece of chicken and the sprinkler of sesame seeds did magically better the taste. Overall still pretty decent although not the usual teriyaki chicken I was accustomed to.

Korean Seafood Pancake - I love stuff with crispy texture and / or crisp edges and to me, Korean pancakes need to have both the aforementioned. The above didn't but strangely; I love it! It wasn't your typical Korean pancake. It tasted more like Japanese okonomiyaki and aside from the squid and prawns, I thought there were bits of oysters too!

Korean Street Toast - known as gilgeori, I had been wanting to try this for a long time after seeing it in Korean dramas and movies, and no, I didn't even manage to try it when I was in South Korea a few years back.

Honestly, it was delicious and reminded me of this amazing sandwich toast I had almost daily when I was working at Jurong Island during its development stage!

Between the buttered toast, you would find omelette with cheese, ham, and onions and lettuce. It was a combination smacked of tasty satisfaction! Unless you are just having the toast on your own as main meal, I would suggest sharing.

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Two things marred my dining experience though and I seriously hope they could improve the process in the kitchen as it's quite a nice chillout place; one, I found egg shells in the omelette and two, a strand of hair.

p.s. on a side note, although the above message is true, I think the context is important. If a person loves to complain, do more of it is just detrimental to the receiver!

Address

150 South Bridge Rd,