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, 

#01-16, Fook Hai Building

Singapore 058727

Map

As above.

Website

https://lejomo.com/

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

Melon Coconut Smoothie - S$6.50

Himalayan Pink Salt Coffee - S$6.90

Teriyaki Chicken Bento - S$8.90

Korean Seafood Pancake - S$12.00

Korean Street Toast - S$7.90

(No GST, No Service Charge)

Caterpillar on Corn Cob!

After the maggot incident at home, I have been extremely careful with the housekeeping! 

However, things happen when you least expect it; for example, when you find a caterpillar while removing the husk of a fresh corn cob that was wrapped with cling wrap and purchased from the supermarket just the day before. 

As the ugly youngling of a beautiful object, I am inherently not scared of caterpillars; unless they appear menacing, like with fur or spikes which could mean they are poisonous. 

Frankly, it was quite cute and I did contemplate keeping it at home so that I can monitor the progress before its elevation to a butterfly, or a moth. Problem is, I only have a money plant at home, which I am trying my best to keep alive, and having a caterpillar eating the leaves hardly improves its survival. 

Hence, it was concluded that we should bring it downstairs and place it among the many shrubs surrounding our estate. By the way, there's a website where you can identify the caterpillar and check what they would turn out to be! 

So what happened to the corn? My simple understanding is that since the caterpillar was residing in it; that means there's no pesticide and we should continue to cook it, with removal of the slightly rotting parts of course. 

东方美食饭店 (Oriental Chinese Restaurant) - So Popular; It Has a Few Branches Within Chinatown @ Singapore

Ever since I started covering the lunar new year bazaar at Chinatown, an eatery, serving North-eastern Chinese cuisine and located beside Lim Chee Guan bak kwa never failed to amaze me; there were always a lot of customers and I did wonder then that if its prime location helped. 

Turns out 东方美食饭店 (Oriental Chinese Restaurant) is a darn popular restaurant and a few of my friends gave pretty good reviews on the food. Since I am having my birthday staycation at Parkroyal Collection Pickering; I guess I might as well take the opportunity to check out the food.

I went before the lunch peak at noon but the place, which started operations since 2005, was already packed. We were instead brought over to another branch that was just a few minutes' walk away, along the adjacent Mosque Street.

It's the one right in the middle; red windows with white frame.

Air-conditioned seating area on level two. Well, it's good to have on a hot and sunny day as I did note that the original shop was more exposed to the weather elements, despite the existence of fans and what appeared to be air curtains, conditioners etc.

Nothing much about the decoration even though I was scratching my head on the fake birds and flowers dangling from the ceiling. For a lazy person like me who likes practical stuff, they were just perfect hosts for dust.

Even though I already had a few signature North-eastern Chinese dishes to order, the menu displaying the exhaustive list of grilled skewers was so tempting! I caved in; it's my birthday and I honestly shouldn't stop myself. A decision I would live to regret shortly.

What's the best beverage for a hot day? Master Kang's snow pear drink! Introduced by the Great Kon, it's a drink I would always order whenever I am at an establishment serving North-eastern Chinese cuisine; this specific cuisine has gained quite a strong foothold in Singapore over the past ten years.

Sautéed Potato Green Pepper - the direct Chinese translation is the three freshness from the ground and refers to potato, brinjal and capsicums. This wasn't the best 地三鲜 but won over Alex's heart for tasting like it was home-cooked, without being overly savoury. For me, I prefer the one from in Pin Xiang Yan (品香筵餐馆) at Jurong East MRT Station.

Fried Egg with Shrimp Meat - from its pale appearance, I was thinking this would likely be another letdown. I was proven wrong upon taking a bite; it tasted great with a light wok hei aroma and insides that remained moist.  

Crispy Boneless Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce - it's weird that I would order a fish since I am not a huge fan, unlike my mom. But my purpose of this visit was also to check out a suitable dining area for future family meals, and I was craving for fried fish. 

Perfect balance of both sweetness and sourness; meaty yet with enveloped with a light, crispy batter that was an absolute addiction! A pity there were just two of us and Alex is not known to be a big eater. p.s. he did eat a lot though and that was already a surprise. 

My grilled stuff arrived around 10 to 15 minutes later! 

Grilled Brinjal - Ma Ma Spin Pot had a darn mean one and I was expecting nothing less from the above. Sadly, this was overly salty with too much garlic. I think this would be better if accompanied with a bowl of plain, white rice.

Grilled Bread - minimum order was two pieces yet I barely wanted to give it a try after the superb one from BBQ Box. Not as superb but still one of the better ones with the sprinkling of sugar for the sweetness that complemented well with the charred toast, butter and the Chinese spices. 

To be frank, the Chinese spices used for the grilled food are usually the same and what matters most to me would be the freshness, the doneness as they affect both the texture and the taste. 

In short, the quail eggs were nothing impressive, the prawns were not bad but I prefer them without the spices. Lamb was a bit of a disappointment as it was spicier and the meat wasn't as tender. Prefer the pork belly with enoki mushrooms even though the mushrooms were the most enjoyable; they were grilled just right and still managed to secrete earthy juice when I bit through. 

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As expected, I over-ordered and the quantity would be better suited for a family of four adults instead. Pricing was pretty reasonable at about S$77.90. While most of the skewers didn't impress me, I would likely bring my parents for a meal there; the fish would be a must-order! 

Address

7 Mosque St, Singapore 059487

Map

As above.

Other Branches

As above. If I am not wrong, the branches were all side by side along New Bridge Road, except for this one at Mosque Street I was brought to. 

Order List

As above. 

Pricing

Sautéed Potato Green Pepper - S$8.00

Fried Egg with Shrimp Meat - S$8.00

Crispy Boneless Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce - S$25.80

Grilled Brinjal - S$5.00 

Grilled Bread - S$1.00 per slice 

Grilled Lamb - S$1.20 a skewer

Grilled Pork Belly with Enoki Mushrooms - S$2.50 a skewer

Grilled Mushrooms - S$1.00 a skewer

Grilled Quail Eggs - S$2.00 a skewer

Grilled Prawns - S$1.00 a skewer

(Total: S$77.90; forgot to take receipt so I am unsure if GST or service charge were included)