I'm Kim Korean BBQ @ School of the Arts [Near Singapore's Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station] #imkimkoreanbbq

The first time i patronised I'm Kim Korean BBQ, my friends noticed i bear an uncanny resemblance to the cartoonised life-sized cutout of the boss and insisted taking a picture of me beside it so that they can ask for discount!

Of course it didn't work although the buffet was memorable enough for me to return a few weeks later; bringing along my younger sister and mum.

Before you step in to the premise, do keep in mind that there is a specific duration given for diners; according to the facebook page, it's 90 minutes for a group of 3 or less. Hence, if you are a slow eater, give this a miss! 

As usual, please don't take more than what you can eat as it will just exacerbate the food wastage problem in Singapore. If you don't care, wastage charge shall be at a fair S$20 per 100 grams. 

What's Available?! 

The most important question for any buffet veterans, secondary to maybe the taste test - a lousy spread would have reduced the allure although my pet peeve when it comes to buffet is that i have to pay extra for drink other than plain water. 

At I'm Kim, i was given free flow korean barley tea, lime juice, mango juice and water chestnut! Warm water is available on a per-request basis. 

Small side dish / condiment / sauce counter - there were salad, sliced tomatoes, corn cobs but i don't pay money to be a vegetarian in a bbq buffet restaurant. Nevertheless, i enjoyed the sweetness of the watermelon for dessert. The seasoned baby octopuses were quite popular on our table too.

Section that i generally ignored except for the relatively fresh and good-sized prawns, onions and garlic! Health conscious individuals (like those who will go for salad) can go for the golden mushrooms, radish, pumpkin, kimchi and fresh lettuce.

The long stretch of food as seen above is divided into three categories (soup, cooked food and raw food) and i shall go through them shortly. 

I am going to start with my least favourite - soup and there were four kinds to choose from; Korean ginseng chicken (the brain booster), seaweed (the oceanic treasure), collagen (youth elixir) and mushroom (little health giant). 

Aside from the fanciful name that gives some hints on the respective soup's nutritional benefits, more information can actually be found on the mini signs.

Both mom and sister took quite a few bowls - actions of which i deduced they must be happy with the soups. I took a sip of the ginseng chicken; it was flavourful and didn't taste watered down. 

Raw food with ten kinds - short beef ribs, marinated rib-eyes, beef rolls, chuck tender beef, garlic chicken, volcano chicken, pork collar, spicy pork collar, bacon and pork belly. 

Mum doesn't take beef although i was happy with the signature volcano chicken and spicy pork collar! Just to add as well that in my first visit, i had already attacked the marinated beef options and were fully satisfied with them!  

Cooked food section was left for the last as i was utterly impressed with what i had. If i didn't count wrongly, i think there were eight pots and they were worth a try! You don't have to take a lot; just one piece / portion just to check out the taste and come back for more if you like it. 

The food was replenished frequently even though in event of a huge meal crowd, hungry diners had the tendency to grab as much as they could. However, please keep in mind the wastage charges. 

Sushi is a no-no as the carbohydrates would fill up your tummy fast! Well, this didn't apply to my two family members to grab a few as they just have to eat rice. Typical Chinese! By the way, the sushi was decent. 

Japanese sweet potatoes were pretty good with sprinklers of white and black sesame seed; i prefer the potatoes to have a mushier texture though.

Kimchi pancake was restaurant standard (so much kimchi) and i couldn't imagine i had to pay S$12 for a portion that could hardly feed me when i could get free flow at I'm Kim! 

Tapioca delight is a must-try! Leave them to the last as a dessert since tapioca is also carbohydrate! Aim for the more expensive meat first.

The aptly-named irresistible wings were just too addictive! In my opinion, the chicken wings are the hottest in the buffet restaurant and it's common to find the tray empty as they get snapped up real quickly! 

On The Table  

Free tissue paper dispenser! This is one nifty thing from Korea that all Singapore's restaurants should have on every table!

Well, in case you don't know how to eat BBQ the Korean way. I am not stranger to the Korean style but i would do that only in a non-buffet Korean BBQ restaurant.

What we took from the counters / sections - these comprised of just a fraction of what we had that day. I think the above shows maybe about 10-15%? Despite the crowd, the service staff were attentive and would clear the plates so long as they were empty. 

The grill - no other comment as it serves its purpose in barbecuing my food. Please be prepared for the bbq 'aroma' to be stuck on your clothes; bring extra set of top if you need to go somewhere else after the makan session.

Even though we had to adhere to the 90-minute duration given to us and was more than halfway through, this didn't stop the service staff from suggesting a change in the grill when he noticed it was getting charred. That, to me, is good service.

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Location

1 Zubir Said Drive, School of The Arts,

01-04/05/06/07, Singapore 227968

(Near Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station)

Opening Hours

Lunch - 11.30am to 3.30pm

Dinner - 5.30pm to 10.30pm

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/imkim.asia/

For Reservations

Call 6238-7218.

Buffet Pricing

As above. 

Instructions on How to Use the Urinal (For Men Only) @ Bandung [Indonesia]

There are many advantages to overseas travel and my personal favourite is to experience the cultural differences between the host and home country; how things we take for granted in Singapore is not necessarily processed in the same way in the country we travel to. 

A usual pee session at a urinal in the male toilet (@ Bandung Airport) would not have me noticing the sticker but it was placed right in front me, at my eye level and i thought i might as well make use of the "time" to read the content; half suspecting the words would be in Bahasa Indonesian which i don't understand. 

English translation was in yellow and the subject was "how to use the urinoir". By urinoir, i gathered it's the urinal but why the hell would a man need to be taught on how to use it?! Furthermore, there's nothing on the instruction telling us to, well, unzip, take out the necessary organic tool and aim "it" correctly! 

p.s. i think the key takeaway is to ask the users to flush the urinals. In this case, the first step asking them to face the urinals can be removed. Men may not be as smart as the ladies but i am sure we are aware that we have to face the urinal when we pee. 

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For the itinerary of my five days, four nights inaugural trip to Bandung, please click here.

Christmas 2016 - Unwrapping the Presents!

Happy Boxing Day! 

I was all prepared to cover the annual Christmas lighting at Orchard Road but laziness had set in together with an insatiable appetite for sleep after my trip to Bandung earlier this month.

It feels weird not to have any posting on the day of gifting and even though it might appear to be cheating, i am showing the expression of Jovyn and Jerald as they unwrapped the presents i got for them!

Even when i was a kid, i couldn't resist unveiling the item(s) covered with boxes and papers; that curious sense of anticipation as the little fingers picked through the scotch tape / double-sided tape holding the paper.

Frustration kicked in after a while and it was quicker to just poke a hole in the wrapping paper and tearing it apart! 

That look of joy was the ultimate present for the giver, especially one who dislikes buying presents as there are often too many thought process; what they like, what's the current trend, are the things i bought too cheap etc? 

They weren't even expensive to begin with; two packs of kinder bueno eggs featuring Jovyn's favourite Frozen characters! Okay, i think that movie is a bit passe now but she still likes Elsa, Anna and Olaf! 

The older brother looked on as the younger sister expressed her surprise at his gift; a pack of kinder bueno eggs with elements from Zootopia!   

Since the kinder bueno eggs don't cost much, i actually prepared another present for each of them. In the past, i used to ask the kids what they wanted but this supposedly kind gesture turned into a "i want this, i want that" behavior which i thought isn't right. 

Well, they seemed pleased with what was given although Jerald was happier with his Poke ball that my sister bought for him earlier. 

We have discussed on the gifts that i prepared for the kids; now's my turn to unwrap the presents given by friends and colleagues! I don't know about you but i have reached the age where presents are secondary to company and this year, i have had a few special arrangements where friends met up for a get-together meal with no gift exchange! 

Presents unwrapped - many thanks to all of you for the thoughtful gifts! If you are reading this, remember that i always treasure a good meetup where we bond and laugh over meals! :) 

By the way, try not to tear away the wrappers as i did; one friend wrote messages in the inside of the paper and i almost threw it away! The one who wrote friendship as friend followed by the logo of a boat. Thankfully i am smart enough to get the meaning! Haha. 

Branded Factory Outlet Shopping - Rumah Mode, Secret, For Men, Heritage & Others @ Bandung [Indonesia]

Factory outlet shopping is a big thing at Bandung in Indonesia and for those who thought the experience is similar to the polo ralph outlets at Batam / Bintan; let me tell you that it's not even on the same level!

There were the standalone branded outlets which i didn't quite like as the deals were similar to Singapore (at IMM, Changi City Point etc) and my affection lies with the bigger scale outlet stores which can span over a few floors with a wide range of brands.

I didn't go to ALL of them in my recent trip as the number was just mind boggling although i did manage to check out the more famous ones like Rumah Mode, Heritage, Secret and a few others. Listed below are the outlets i went to and a short review from the angle of a man who doesn't really shop much.

The Secret Factory Outlet

My very first factory outlet shopping in Bandung which means my excitement will translate into a secret (pun unintended) mission to take number of pictures for the purpose of this blog.

As you probably deduce, the interior design doesn't deviate much from a typical department store, albeit less the opulence and more the need to stack as much stock as possible to accommodate the different sizes for the attire.

Walk further in to a sheltered courtyard where uninterested family members and friends could sit to wait for their shopaholics mates to finish their shopping. I could identify one such person from my family; my dad who literally doesn't shop for his clothes.

Fret not if you feel bad for those waiting for you to try out the gazillion pieces of clothes; there's a kiosk where desserts and snacks can be purchased.

To free up more time to reduce your guilt for letting them wait, opt for the massage services! You may choose from 30 minutes to 60 minutes and a reflexology for 60 minutes cost just 75,000 rupiah (less than S$10)!

At the back of Secret was the kids' section; i couldn't quite grasp the size of the Jovyn and Jerald as they have grown quite a bit over the years and i had to leave the shopping to the good hands of their mother.

Not being brand conscious and fashionable; i am quite boring in my selection and focused only on tee shirts and maybe polo t-shirt. Unlike the ladies, i browsed really quickly although i spent a lot more time trying the clothes.

My haul at Secret and according to my credit card statement, my bill (including two pieces for my mom not in the above picture) was 1.219 million baht (S$132.19).

Map of Secret

As above.

The Oasis Clothing Outlet

Just a short distance away from Secret was The Oasis Clothing Outlet! The two words were missing but according to google, it is the same one.

Scale was much smaller the Secret and nothing attracted my attention except for a wide range of hard rock cafe tees. My mum and sisters were inside quite long though so i figured there must be quite a bit of design and styles.

You can even get Louis Vuitton baggage from The Oasis Clothing Outlet! Now, people have asked me whether branded factory outlets equate to fake goods; answer is they came from legitimate factories contracted by the brands to manufacture the products and the ones sold in factory outlets are the rejected goods. By rejected, it could mean the factory has either manufactured too many pieces (production overruns) or that the products didn't pass the quality control checks.

Map of The Oasis

As above

Heritage Factory Outlet

You would not miss the neoclassical facade of Heritage factory outlet and compared to Secret, it was more crowded. Maybe it also helped that there was a food court right beside the outlet.

A two-floor building, i was utterly bored on the ground floor as it was more ladies / kids stuff and i told my family that i would loiter on my own. As both Joyce and i have mobile roaming, our plan was to give each other two missed calls once either party was done and then to meet at the entrance.

Surprise, surprise; Joyce was the one who missed called me as i was too overwhelmed with what i found on the second floor which was decked out in menswear! There was this "third day" brand of tee shirts that i really like and i kept trying all the available designs.

Following my sentence on rejected goods under "the oasis clothing outlet", our aim as a shopper in Bandung was to pray hard that our purchases were as a result of production overruns. However, you may wish to double check on your products before payment in case it falls under the category of not meeting quality checks.

My damage at Heritage, paid out in cash.

Connected to Heritage factory outlet is Cascade; whatever you want to buy at Heritage should be paid before you venture to Cascade and vice versa. At Cascade, i immersed myself in the brands like Svperbia and Reclays with an eventual damage of 315,000 rupiah mainly because the size i needed wasn't available in the patterns i liked.

Map of Heritage

As above. Cascade is right next door, connected to Heritage.

Merdeka Arcade Factory Outlet

Located within a few minutes' walk from Best Western Premier La Grande hotel, this particular factory outlet was well visited by my mom for its convenience!

Tell you a secret - she was ever the last customer in the building and there were over twenty staff waiting for her to make payment so that they can finally close shop! Mum would have happily taken her time, if not for the ceiling lights that were progressively switched off.

Anyway, designs appeared to from a lower end as seen on the ground floor even though i could be wrong as i didn't venture to the upper floors.

I was amused by the branded paper bags on sale and recollected a period of time in Singapore when brand conscious individuals would carry such bags out when they go to upmarket places like Orchard road.

Map of Merdeka Arcade Factory Outlet

As above.

ForMen Factory Outlet

Most factory outlets catered to the fairer sex (for good reasons) and this was one of a few exclusively for the gentlemen; i think i could spend hours inside but we didn't have much time.

Aside from your typical shirts, tees and jeans, there were also branded suits for sale and for those who couldn't stomach the price of a Bally bag sold for more than S$500 apiece at the main Bally store, it's priced at about S$200 at For Men.

Map of ForMen Factory Outlet

As above.

Episode Fashion House

Chanced upon this place as we walked from Amanda Brownies to Kartikasari and decided to venture in despite our lack of time as it was the last day of our journey and we had to clear the hotel room by 1pm! Time then was 10.30am.

I stayed outside to look after our belongings while the ladies explored the factory outlet. Thinking they would be out in no time, i was wrong in my assumption and immediately took the opportunity to ask my mom to look over the belongings when she just happened to be in my sight!

The place was huge; hence explaining why my siblings were not out yet! As usual, the men section was on level two and i happily spent some time at the underwear section which was rather extensive. Top-wise, i think i had bought way too many!

Map of Episode Fashion House

As above.

Rumah Mode Factory Outlet

Translated as Fashion House in Bahasa Indonesia, Rumah Mode (mode is pronounced mo-dei), this was the crème de la crème for Bandung's factory outlets with Jakarta residents making a beeline for it on weekends!

Architecture was Balinese i guess and there's a relaxed atmosphere in the outdoors. It did help that the weather then was pretty cloudy and there was a gentle breeze; no sweat!

Signage navigating clueless visitors like us.

I regretted having pepper lunch at Paris Van Java as there was a big food court at Rumah Mode with ample selections to meet the entire family's taste buds!

Knowing my mom was literally tired out by the endless shopping, i suggested signing her up for a foot massage at Tao Reflexology right above the food court.

Price list as above; do keep in mind to add three zeros at the back of each price. For example, a one-hour foot massage cost 68,000 rupiah, not 68 rupiah.

I didn't partake in that relaxing activity as i was keener with therapeutic shopping! Customer service was top-notch at Rumah Mode; they would eagerly help me rummaged through the stack of clothes for the size i preferred instead of brushing me off. Only problem was that i visited on a Sunday and it was packed with people!

Showing this for the second or third time as i was so happy with my purchases of 1.544 million rupiah consisting of tees, boxers, bermuda shorts, beach shorts and sweaters! My biggest haul in the entire trip!

Map of Rumah Mode

As above.

Standalone Branded Outlet

As mentioned in the beginning of this post, there were differences to factory outlets and standalone factory outlets. I stepped into a few notable ones as they happened to be along the way near Episode Fashion House when we walked from Amanda Brownies to Kartikasari.

Polo Ralph Lauren - unlike their Bintan / Batam counterparts, i could feel the superior quality of the shirts' material and was tempted to increase my already excessive expenditure for this trip.

Marc & Stuart - selling shoes and sandals, i am unaware of this brand and went in purely out of curiosity; eventually got a pair of nice sandals for about SS$10.

Nike Factory Store - entered because i can recognise the brand although it's been a while since i last had any Nike products in my house.

I didn't find the items cheaper than Singapore but it may be fairer for Nike fans to make a better judgment call. See that turquoise top? Original price was 599,000 rupiah and it was discounted to 340,000 rupiah.

Shoes were generally over S$100.

Adidas Outlet - i prefer casual shoes over sports shoes and thought i can finally replace the ones i have at home; assuming at that point that pricing would be substantially cheaper than Singapore!

Original price; 1.599 million rupiah and discounted to almost 1.19 million. Converted to more than S$120, it's way beyond my budget of less than S$100 since i wear out my shoes rather fast.

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18 tops, 5 bottoms, 2 underwear with 3 pairs of slippers / sandals not show in the above picture. While i had a healthy haul from the Bandung trip and was looking forward to my next visit, my siblings and mom were restrained in their purchases as they didn't quite like the fashion style and pattern of what's available.

For the itinerary of my five days, four nights inaugural trip to Bandung, please click here.