Bar-B-Q Plaza @ Central World in Bangkok [Thailand]

Anyone recognizes this dinosaur mascot? 

Ever since I first visited Bangkok, I noted Bar B Gon's (as the dinosaur is called) existence outside a barbecue restaurant and increasingly noticed over the years there were quite a number of branches in the capital city! A check on the web revealed that Bar-B-Q Plaza has over 156 branches in the land of smiles.

Business always seems good and I can't help but to make it my first meal in Bangkok for my recent visit. p.s. Our closest neighbor, Malaysia, actually has 21 branches, with one at Mid Valley South Key!

Although I could have eaten at Bar-B-Q Plaza in Malaysia, I was keener to try at its country of origin. Only problem; menu was 95% in Thai! At least I managed to guess that the pipe on our table was a smoke extractor.

Despite the communication barrier, we managed to choose a set and the table was quickly prepped for our food. With no instructions, we literally had to second guess what the items were for.

Some were straightforward; this pack, likely properly sanitized given the pandemic, would contain our plates, bowls, saucers, spoons and chopsticks.   

This was a bit tricky; there was a large bottle of dipping sauce, a small bottle of lime juice, a container of minced garlic and another container of cut green chilli. Would they be used separately or mixed together to form a combined sauce? I chose the latter. 

Displayed nicely, in anticipation of our food. 

Butterfly Pea and Lime Juice - at 55 baht, this was refillable and I had like more than three glasses! It tasted familiar and within long; I excitedly told Alex it was like less-sweet Ribena with a touch of lime. 

Oolong Tea (Hot) - I didn't expect a pot! Same as my beverage, it cost 55 baht (about S$2.20) and was fillable too. Alex didn't complain so I figure the flavor was acceptable.

Beef Family Set - frankly, it's a mix and match of a few types of ingredients like vegetables (baby corn, enoki mushrooms, abalone mushroom, seaweed, carrot, pumpkin), seafood (squid, salmon, prawns), chicken, beef, luncheon meat etc. 

I have no idea if I identified the meats correctly.

If it turns out otherwise, too bad then.

Grill and grill and grill. As the grill pan appeared to be the same for mookata, I presume it was Thai barbecue. Turned out it was "Mongolian and Japanese style barbeque". 

Ingredients didn't disappoint although they didn't wow us too. However, the dipping sauce was irresistible. Made from over 50 ingredients, this legendary sauce is the "opium" that makes customers return! 

I used it for every grilled item; and sometimes, even for those that were boiled. Personally, I would add in the garlic and chilli for enhanced palatability; lime can be removed as the sour aftertaste didn't quite agree with my taste buds.

Beef tasted best, when grilled.

So darn good, with the sauce! I am wondering and should check with my Thai friend; does Bar-B-Q Plaza sell its legendary sauce separately? I would love to get a few bottles and bring them back to Singapore! 

While my tummy was happy with the first meal in Bangkok, there were a few things that I found pretty frustrating. One, the smoke extractor didn't work well and I left the place smelling real bad. But I can let it go as it would usually be expected for most BBQ eateries. 

What I couldn't accept was that the soup rail was too narrow! I could only scoop up less than half a spoonful each time and I was irritated enough to even contemplate lifting up the entire pan so that I can pour the flavorful soup into my bowl! 

Apparently, I am not the only one complaining; view here for more information. Whatever the case, I am missing the legendary sauce; I should pop by its Malaysian branches to satisfy my craving soon.

Ending the meal with free mints! 

=====

Address

4, 4 / 1-2, Central World, 6th Floor, 

Rajdamri Road, Pathumwan, Khet Pathumwan, 

Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

Map

As above.

Website

http://barbqplaza.com/

Pricing

Butterfly Pea and Lime Juice - 55 baht 

Oolong Tea (Hot) - 55 baht

Beef Family Set - 585 baht

(Inclusive of Tax)

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok

Taste of Korea 찐 (JJIN) @ Amoy Street [Singapore]

Amoy Street has a long history in Singapore but among young Singaporeans, it's more well-known as THE place for good quality Korean barbecue.

Taste of Korea 찐 (JJIN) shared the top rank with Go! K-JJAJANG for the highest google review score of 4.7 although the former had four times the number of reviewers. Anyway, it's only a guiding principle and the main reason for my visit was its strong endorsement from a friend who frequents Korean BBQ outlets!  

The interior with the ubiquitous UFO exhaust systems; it was disturbing to see almost empty restaurant at 6.40 pm on a Friday night but our worries were unfounded as it was already full house in less than an hour's time.

Preparing the charcoal for our BBQ! 

Chopsticks and spoons by the side of the table, where you get a pack of tissue too! Compared this to Chinese restaurants, where I can spend a lot more but I would still be charged for one piece of wet tissue. 

Don't we just love a nice, complimentary cup of cold tea on a hot day? Sadly, I did realize that it's getting increasingly common for Korean eateries in Singapore to charge for tea; a phenomenon I hope would not gain traction.

Another thing I hope would remain unchanged; the provision of complimentary side dishes, which in this case, consisted of some kimchi, beansprouts, fishcakes, ikan bilis and mashed potatoes. All I like! p.s. side dishes and fresh vegetables are only given with a minimum of 2 portion ala carte orders at Taste of Korea.

Tuna and Kimchi Riceball - frankly, I thought this was served in the bibimbap style and all I need to do would be to mix them up thoroughly using a spoon. Turned out the plastic gloves were there for a reason.

Let me do the mixing then! 

Honestly, I don't like to "prep" my own food when I am eating in a restaurant. I am okay for things like spreading butter on my toast but even for barbecuing, I have the tendency to overcook the meat and this is often a waste of good meat. 

Taste was surprisingly nice for this hand-mixed rice ball; spicy, tuna was tasty and not fishy, with the addictive crunch coming from the kimchi and radish. My friend did comment it was overmixed; nevertheless, I am happy with the outcome! 

Jjamppong - I watched enough Running Man to know this dish as it was always a contest between it and Jajangmyeon, although this would be my first time having Jjamppong.

Not knowing much about it allowed me a free rein to describe my experience; it was like Korean instant noodles but the broth was thicker and more flavorful, infused with more quality ingredients (prawns, mussels etc).  And it was so shiok slurping in the handmade noodles! 

Original Tangsuyuk - another dish that I got to know from Running Man; its name actually means sweet and sour meat which would have been under the same category of the sweet and sour pork (咕嚕肉) that is commonly found in Singapore's economy rice stalls. 

While there were similarities with our local version, the sauce was served separately and it was sweeter. The batter surrounding the meat was thick, chewy, not crispy, and you would definitely need to dip it in the sauce for palatability. Not too bad when combined yet, I am missing the sweet and sour pork from Por Kee.

Pork Set 1 - good for 3 persons, this came with pork belly, marinated pork skirt, jowl meat and marinated pork ribs; all of which was about 160 grams each. 

Always beneficial to have someone barbecuing for us; and it was a friendly Korean lady who came to our rescue! Frankly, I am less confident when barbecuing pork as you need to ensure it is 100% cooked.

You can DIY if you wish. 

Not for me, obviously! 

By the way, the lady did a great job; the pork were fully cooked with just a bit of char on them, and continued to taste so juicy! Of course, it's nice (and healthy) to have when wrapped with a piece of fresh lettuce and some onions! 

Soft tofu soup came with the set! Even though it wasn't as big a portion as the one from Palsaik Korean BBQ in Malaysia and with tofu not as smooth as SBCD, it was still one of the better ones around, delivering a delicious, spicy kick! 

U-Samgyub Short Plate - forgot to take a photo of this before we were more than halfway through the 180-gram, ala carte order. If you love beef, short plate should always be the one you go for; its taste was impeccably good and full of juiciness (provided you don't overcook and eat it fresh from the grill). 

=====

 

Can't wait to be back! 

Address

109 Amoy Street, 

Singapore 069929

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Lunch - 11.30 am to 2.30 pm (LO: 2.00 pm)

Dinner - 5.00 pm to 10.20 pm (LO: 9.20 pm)

Closed on Tuesdays

*LO is last order

Pricing

Tuna and Kimchi Riceball -  S$8.00

Jjamppong - S$16.00

Original Tangsuyuk (S) - S$28.00  

Pork Set 1 - S$88.00

U-Samgyub Short Plate - S$30.00

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)