SOTPOT - Savour Korean Healthy Flavour @ Suntec City in Singapore

When a former colleague selected Sotpot for an upcoming gathering, I didn't read too much about it, assuming it's one of the many Korean eateries in Singapore! 

What I didn't realize as well was its location as it was the former premise for Unagiya Ichinoji (it has since moved to Robertson Quay), where I patronized a few times before the pandemic. As shown in the above photograph, it faces the Fountain of Wealth.

Anyway, coming back to Sotpot - it wasn't your typical Korean BBQ food. Instead, it prides on serving you food suitable for your body, said to be inspired by Korean Sasang Medicine. 

See that QR code? Scan it and fill up a short survey to know what your body needs! Did I scan the QR? Of course not as our eyes were fixated on the dishes, and wondering what to order for sharing! 

While waiting for another friend, let me kickstart the weekend with a pint of Stella Artois draft beer at S$12.90! Smooth and not as bitter; definitely something I would order again in the future!   

Noting that our friend had arrived at Promenade MRT station (nearest to Suntec City Mall), we quickly ordered our meal as our tummies were already gunning for dinner!  And a block of wood was removed from the middle of the table, revealing an induction plate underneath.

Shortly after, this box made of cypress wood was placed on it. 

p.s. we shall reveal the secret in the next photo! 

Introducing our Gathering Set, which was said to be good for three persons, and shall include appetiser, one sotpot (rice dish), one samgyetang (chicken soup), one phyunbaek jjim (steamed meat), and three special teas (which weren't that special, comprising of your usual korean barley tea served in hot or cold. 

Appetiser - a pathetic serving of cherry tomatoes soaked in a vinegar-based sauce that was palatable yet I thought it should have been served as one of many complimentary banchans. 

Duroc Belly Sotpot - the signature rice dish came with a serving of steamed egg that was pretty good (like there was soy sauce added), tiny serving of side dishes, and a kimchi soup that was okay tasting.

Mixing up the rice with the pork belly, sesame seeds, chopped scallions and fried kimchi! Took a scoop and I couldn't understand why sotpot was a big deal (to the extent that the restaurant was named after it). I would literally say that it's like plain rice with a bit of sauce; bland and the pork belly didn't impress. 

Black Garlic Samgyetang - would this fare better than the restaurant's namesake? Visually, it looked promising, and it was mentioned on the menu that this would be a "whole fresh, never frozen chicken"! 

Turned to out to be one of the best samgyetang I have had in a long time! While I can't catch a whiff of any ginseng, the soup itself was hearty and flavourful, the chicken featured meat that was tender without the taste of frozen chicken, and the clove of black garlic was nice (thought it would be pungent)! 

Phyunbaek Jjim - for the steamed meat, you can opt for either duroc collar or beef shortplate! Obviously choosing the beef since we were ordering a set, and the price differential between the two was wide; beef was 90% more expensive! 

There was supposed to be a timer for six minutes to steam the meat, but it appeared to be faulty as we didn't hear any alarm and the serving staff also didn't come to check, By the time we realized, almost 20 minutes have passed.

Served with two types of sauces (one sweet, another spicy)), which were served only when we asked, the meat didn't feel over-steamed and tough (typical when you boil them) but you had to dip them in the sauces for a better flavour. The sweet sauce had this feel of bonito flakes in liquid form and spicy one seemed like a watery form of tteokbokki sauce. 

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In all, I was most happy with the samgyetang and guess my mom would likely love it! Food aside, I think it's necessary to talk about the serving staff. No, don't get me wrong; they were polite but the process was problematic; like forgetting to pass us cutleries, giving us one soup bowl when there were three of us,forgetting about our steamed meat etc. Maybe understaffed? Do note as well that you have to make payment right after ordering. 

Address

3 Temasek Boulevard #03-304/305, 

Sky Garden Suntec City, 038983

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

The Gathering Set - S$66.90

Draft Beer (1 pint) - S$12.90

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Thai Hoa Palace @ Hue Historical Citadel [Vietnam]

While searching for information on Hue Historical Citadel, I came across numerous photographs and videos of a massive hoarded up space with its facade imprinted with graphic showing the look of the ancient building undergoing renovation.

Thankfully, it was no longer hoarded up when I finally paid it a visit! Known as Thai Hoa Palace, it was the first iconic building that greeted us when we stepped into the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hue Historical Citadel. 

While sharing the same name as the one at China's Forbidden City, this wasn't as large although still bringing with it an imposing poise signifying its importance during the Nguyen Dynasty. It helped as well that there weren't too many tourists when we were there.

Measuring about 45 meters across, the building was built in 1805, re-located about 40 meters south in 1832. From old photographs gleaned from the internet; it appeared that the original building was less maintained.  

Nevertheless, it was still a beautiful sight. Correct me if I am wrong - is it common to see panels with Chinese characters installed near the roofs? Although Vietnamese architecture borrows heavily from China in the ancient times, I don't recall seeing them in China. 

Interior was impressive; with red lacquered wooden pillars (said to be a total of 80), that had golden drawings of dragons on clouds, resulting in a wow moment when we first stepped in.

Sparsely furnished, yet insanely breathtaking.

Only significant area would be right in the middle, where a three-tiered platform drew the attention of visitors with its excessive use of gold. For one from the Chinese ethnicity, we can never avoid the allure of gold.

And the throne, where the power of one man rules the entire country back in the imperial times during the Nguyen Dynasty. No doubt a location for important occasions for the imperial family then, this palace also "witnessed a total of 13 coronation ceremonies". 

Recognized as Vietnam's national treasure in 2024, this pair of bronze dragon statues was made in 1842 and was originally placed outside another palace. Bringing them indoor would definitely help to ensure their longevity I presume.

The palace had two sections; what we saw so far was the front hall. Beyond that would be narrower passages and exhibition spaces for visitors to understand more about the palace, its renovation and also some information about the dynasty.

For example, antiques like the edict holder, and the investiture books used to confer titles on concubines and royalties, including a bronze one used when the budget was under stress, and the palace had to cut its cost by not using the originally silver one which cost more.

Explanations in Vietnamese and English, which made it so much easier for visitors like us to understand! While Vietnam used to adopt the Chinese writing, even I found it hard to understand the characters used! p.s. traditional Chinese can be harder to decipher, and complication was added given individual writing style too.

Remember the panels I mentioned earlier that were near the roof with Chinese characters? My question was answered with the above! Turned out to be a unique decorative style of Hue's royal architecture! 

Back of Thai Hoa Palace. While I understand the English translation, my mom doesn't but she was still pretty impressed with the beauty of the architecture. As we were on a day trip, it's actually quite hard for us to stay for hours to slowly soak in the content, and for me to translate. 

Photographs for viewing pleasure, including the original wooden ornamental piece from the palace, paintings of the traditional ceremonial costumes worn by officials in the past, and original pillars that were already badly damaged before the renovation.

Facing Kiến Trung Palace; which was an architectural marvel with mixes of East and West. As you can see from the above, restoration work was based on iconic structures first, although not exactly a bad thing since restoration might actually lessen some of the historical charm of the place.

Unlike the wooden pillars within the palace, the ones outside were made of stone with intricate carvings; guess stone can withstand the weather elements better.

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Address

Within Hue Historical Citadel,

Hue City, Vietnam

Map

As above.

Click HERE for My Day Trip to Hue City: The Former Imperial Capital, with Chinese Speaking Guide