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.

Address 

9 Bishan Pl, 

#01-40, Junction 8, 

Singapore 579837

Website

https://huluruk.com/

Order List

As above.

Pricing

Stir Fried Bulgogi Pork (Non Spicy) - S$9.80

Grilled Pork Jowl - S$8.80

Original Dumplings (10 pieces) - S$9.50

Jjajang Myeon - S$10.80 

Cold Buck Wheat Noodle - S$13.80

Grilled Pork Belly with Signature Noodle - S$12.80

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Chai Chee Noodle Village - Dry Bak Chor Mee @ Ang Mo Kio Central Block 727 [Singapore]

I was just looking around for a place to have a decent breakfast after snacking the sardine and yam + ginkgo nut puffs from AMK Curry Puff. Came upon a coffee shop renowned for its pancake king stall and my tired legs decided this would be it even though I had no idea what I would have.

This lady, in red, sharing our table strongly recommended the bak chor mee from Chai Chee Noodle Village! She was so insistent; I was persuaded to give it a try despite the fact that minced pork noodle isn't my preferred local noodle. 

The header "where to get the best minced pork noodle" was surely encouraging. Interestingly, I didn't capture the part where it was mentioned that the "soup has 18 ingredients"! Damn, I should have taken a customary sip! Wait, maybe I did but since I didn't write it down; guess it didn't quite make an impression.

My bowl of bak chor mee; forgot to inform the lady to substitute the liver for something else! It's okay since my elder sister was with me and she would gladly take the liver! She balances my life as she would indulge in things I don't eat; for example, cockles and oysters! 

Now, the reason why I don't particularly like bak chor mee is because it tends to leverage on way too much vinegar. This bowl from Chai Chee Noodle Village was vinegarish but most importantly; it's not overpowering! The vinegar did work out an appetite and it so complemented the super smooth mee pok noodle, with a little bit of chilli.

It seems quite the norm nowadays to provide such meatballs with minced meat within. They tasted not bad; just that I am actually happy with just normal fishball and meatball. 

Rest of the ingredients tasted not bad; from the tender sliced pork, well-braised fragrant mushroom to the crispy pork lard. Needless to say, I am collating pieces of all the good stuff into this last spoonful that would eventually end up in my mouth! 

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Address

727 Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, 

Singapore 560727

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Bak Chor Mee - S$4.00

The Original Lobster Roll from Burger & Lobster @ Raffles Hotel Arcade [Singapore]

After Happy Chef and Lala Bee Hoon, I don't think it's an exaggeration to categorically state that I am literally stuffed. But when the Great Kon suggested having the lobster roll from the famous Burger & Lobster branch at Raffles Hotel, I was stirred as I had been waiting to try it ever since they opened a branch at Genting Highlands! 

So here I was, facing the bar counter and feeling all guilty as it's a fact I had over-indulged that day and there was a nagging thought that all the weight I lost in the past few months would all suddenly pile up overnight.

Nevertheless, the allure of food never fails to motivate me, especially when it comes to one of my favourite crustaceans; the lobsters!

And the ones at Burger & Lobster were huge; the above buddy had claws the size of my fist! Charged by their weight with one costing easily more than S$200, I didn't think I would spend that much money on a meal. 

Before we had our lobster rolls, it's happy hour time with cocktails retailing at S$10.00 each! No thanks to my alcoholic influencer friend who introduced me to cocktails and it's amazing how different liquor can be mixed to such delicious concoctions! Can't remember what's the short one but the tall glass was Bellini. 

Here's our beautiful lobster roll. The description on the menu mentioned "chilled chunks of lobster meat dressed in lemon mayo and served in a toasted brioche roll. Accompanied by our lemon and garlic butter"! 

Chunks of lobster meat? It wasn't an overstatement as there were so much lobster meat; to the extent the whole roll appeared 'pregnant' with pieces of lobster neat 'oozing' from the seam! 

Drenching the roll with the sauce that tasted both garlicky and buttery! Don't you think the serving jug look somewhat like the lamp from Aladdin? 

I might have a big mouth but I bet it would be a challenge for me to even chomp down half of it in one go! Never mind, I am not going to attempt that as it didn't come cheap and it's best to slowly savour our food.

Bursting with chunks of lobster meat! For S$28 a roll, you get your worth given the amount of meat hidden inside and to think I paid S$23 at Dancing Crab back in 2014 for that pathetic amount of lobster meat. While the brioche bun was toasted to a crisp with that unmistakable buttery aroma, the taste strangely felt more like a normal, boring toast. 

Eventually, I gave up on the toast and just targeted the meat; satisfaction max when you eat the lobster meat on its own with the garlicky, buttery sauce! Remember to squeeze in that slice of lemon for that light punch of sourness! Now, it was a good 'snack' but I admit that when given a choice between lobster and crab meat, I would still prefer the latter. Just my personal preference.

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Address

328 North Bridge Rd, 

Within Raffles Hotel,

Singapore 188719

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.burgerandlobster.com/locations/singapore/raffles-hotel/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Cocktail - S$10.00 each

Lobster Roll - S$28.00 

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Ocean Curry Fish Head @ Block 92, Toa Payoh Lorong 4 [Singapore] #curryfishhead

In August 2020, I happily arranged tp meet up with my mom to visit Toa Payoh so that we can grab some irresistible Uggli muffins. Alas, we were too late and there were only a handful of stalls opened for business; none of which caught our fancy.

We wandered around and accidentally chanced upon this snaking long queue comprising of almost 20 persons! Hunger was almost making us crazy and we eventually settled with kim keat hokkien mee! Nonetheless, I told myself to return for the source of the queue! 

It took me four months and let me, now, introduce you to the source - Ocean Curry Fish Head. My mom and elder sister's family had actually visited the place before; I know why I didn't join; to be frank, I am not that big a fan of curry fish head until after circuit breaker.

The queue was actually for the chap chye png (economic rice) dishes for takeaways although for dining in, you do order from the same dishes on display, with options to top up with their signature curry fish head.

For dining in, please don't join the queue for chap chye png; just proceed to the inside of the coffeeshop where there's a separate cashier for dine-in order. 

To be frank, I can survive with just the curry fish head and one or two bowls of plain, white rice. However, my sister and brother-in-law would be joining and it's a fact they prefer more dishes as they don't ingest as much carbohydrates. Looking at the pictures would be a good reference on what else we should order.

Sambal Cockles -  I wouldn't be a fair assessor for this as I don't take cockles at all. My mom and sister would be a more suitable reviewer and given that this would be something they order every time they are at Ocean Curry Fish Head, I presume they like the cockles here! 

Sambal French Beans - one word, delicious! The beans were crunchy and there's this addictive spiciness matched with the healthy sweetness from the vegetables. 

Pork Ribs - supposed to be sweet and sour pork but they were sold off. Replaced with the boneless pork ribs which tasted not bad although not impressive enough to warrant a re-order in the future.

Curry Fish Head - served in a claypot, it was so boiling hot I couldn't take a decent photo! Even Jovyn was taken aback once the lid was removed! p.s. her intended meal wasn't curry fish head though; she had kim keat hokkien mee.

Just to show you how boiling hot the gravy was! 

S$40 was said to be expensive, according to some of the reviewers on Google but my mom, a curry fish head lover, reasoned that it's a full fish head and not the usual half fish head that many other stalls offer. To her, it's a reasonable price.

Curry fish head had a few variances depending on which stall you go to and this one was in the assam style that had an interesting combination of being spicy and zesty, yet giving your mental state an explosive satisfaction that locals would term as shiok! Fish meat was fresh and chunky; my mom, a fish meat lover, gave it a thumbs-up! 

For me, it's a need to have the curry fish head with rice! I do not even need the fish as the curry would be the most important companion! Usually exercising self-control by limiting myself to just one bowl of rice; I had almost two full bowls as the curry was just too addictive with a light, sweet aftertaste; turned out the sweetness came from the pieces of pineapple I found in the curry.

Satisfaction max; almost ordered a third bowl of rice to clean up the remaining gravy! 

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Address 

92 Lor 4 Toa Payoh, #01-264, 

Singapore 310092

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Mondays to Fridays - 11.00 am to 3.00 pm

Mondays to Fridays - 4.30 pm to 9.00 pm

Saturdays to Sundays - 11.00 am to 9.00 pm

Alternate Tuesdays - Off

Order Sheet (in Chinese)

As above.

Pricing

Sambal Cockles - S$10.00

Sambal French Beans - S$4.00

Pork Ribs - S$6.00

Curry Fish Head - S$40.00

Rice - S$0.70 a bowl

(Subject to GST)