Singaporeans’ Favourite Foreign Cuisine(s)

Authentic Korean Cuisine

With the blooming of food industries over the years, Singapore has also become a food paradise that brings in international cuisines from countries like America, France, Italy, Japanese, Korean and etc. So beside our local food such as Chicken Rice, Char Kway Teow, Bak Chor Mee (minced meat noodles) and etc (read more here) we can also enjoy many other international food from high end to family oriented restaurants.

For us we prefer Korean, Japanese and Thai foods which are more towards Asian family preference. But sometime for a change or special occasions we also go for comfort western dishes such as pasta, paella, stew and etc. In this write-up we would like to share some of our family favourite international cuisines which your might have even frequent these places before.

KOREAN CUISINE

Korean BBQ

Korean food which is one of the healthiest cuisine which often cooked simply and seasoned with spices and sauces like sesame seeds/oil, chili pepper/soybean paste, garlic and ginger. Korean dishes are often made up with rice, vegetables and meats whereby the Traditional Korean meals are usually served together with number of Banchan (side dishes) and Kimchi. Although in Singapore the popularity of Korean food is not in high demand when compared to Japanese food but yet there are still numbers of restaurants available which served authentic Korean cuisine.

[Ju Shin Jung] Korean BBQ

As a K-drama fans, I am always looking forward to Korean BBQ and Ju Shin Jung is one of our favourite place to visit whenever we are craving for some Korean food fix. And beside the choices of BBQ meat available, their wide range of refillable banchan is also one of the reasons why we love the place too. Furthermore their attentive and friendly staffs also help up with the cooking of the meat which enables customers to enjoy the food at ease without being worried if the meat were over cooked.

[Ju Shin Jung] Menu

Our usual choice would be their Unlimited BBQ which comes with 5 types of meat (seasoned slice beef, fresh pork collar, fresh pork belly, marinade pork, marinade chicken) and relatively huge the tiger prawns. Beside meats we could also select "1 Ala Carte" main for each person from the 6 choices  (Clear beef-rib soup, Soya bean Paste Soup, Spicy Tofu Soup, Kimchi with Pork, Mixed Vegetables Rice and Hot Beef Soup Noodles) available on the menu. 

[Ju Shin Jung] Accompany sides for the BBQ Buffet

Love those crisp and crunchy greens which go well with BBQ meat where you could wrap them together with extra sides like kimchi, garlic and dipping sauce.

[Ju Shin Jung] Part of the BBQ meat items

[Ju Shin Jung] Korean BBQ

For a SG$29++ Buffet Lunch, you are entitled for unlimited refillable meat of your choices which I am sure it would definitely satisfy your craving for Korean BBQ meat. On a bonus point their special design griller also enable cooked meats to be placed on the side platform which has heat underneath to constantly keep the food warm too.

[Ju Shin Jung] Complimentary Dish - Soya Bean Paste Soup & Spicy Soft Tofu Soup

[Ju Shin Jung] Complimentary Dish - Korean Mixed Veggie Rice (Bibimbap)

Above were the one time a la carte dish (choice one of out the 6 items per person) such as Spicy Soft Tofu Soup, Soya Bean Paste Soup and Bibimbap that we had selected from the buffet menu. Love their bean paste soup which was flavoursome and loaded with ingredients such as potato, zucchini, tofu, mushroom and etc.

[Ju Shin Jung] Complimentary Dessert - Heart shaped watermelon and icy vinegar fruit tea

Overall Ju Shin Jung is considered one of the family oriented Korean restaurants with variety of refillable side dishes that changes daily. Even though the price might be slightly on the stiff side but the quality of the food, environment (they even have an in-door playgroup for kids below 1.2M) and prompt services are good enough to cover it all.

Ju Shin Jung Korean BBQ Buffet (주신정)
Guillemard Village
102 Guillemard Road
#01-01
Singapore 399719
Telephone: (65) 6440 7707

Opening Hours:
11:30pm - 14:30pm; 18:00pm - 23:00pm (daily)

Outlet(s):
1018 East Coast Parkway
Leisure Court
#02-01
Singapore 117867
Reservation: (65)6447 9279

27 West Coast Highway
YESS Centre
#01-18/19
Singapore 117867
Reservation: (65)6464 0872

Kim's Family Restaurant

[Kim's Family] Banchan (side dishes)

Kim's Family Korean Restaurant is a heart-warming Korean restaurant that makes you feel at home with their friendly serving staffs, interior decor and homely dishes. Beside those they also offers a wide spread (more than 10 sides) of complimentary refillable authentic Korean Banchan such as kimchi, pickled cucumber, beansprout, spicy anchovies, louts roots and etc that we all loved.

[Kim's Family] BBQ Meat Set

[Kim's Family] BBQ Meat Set

Our usual pick up is their BBQ Meat Set (SG$40++) which consists of Beef Short Ribs, Pork Belly and Marinated Pork Collar. And out of these three choices, my favourite is always pork belly which I love to wrap with crisp lettuce together with some kimchi or bean paste chill before sending it into my mouth.

[Kim's Family] Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

Samgetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) is one of my favourite order other than Spicy Beanpaste Soup. Although I often prepared this soup at home (recipe) but somehow due to the differences in ingredients used, the taste was rather different when compared to those served in the Korean restaurants. Between the Samgetang at Kim's Family has a light and fragrant broth that goes well with the rice and chicken in it.

Kim's Family Korean Restaurant

On a side note, if you are looking for value lunch set you could check out their Bulgogi (beef, pork or chicken @ SG$12) or Zazang Noodles (SG$13) which all served with plates of refillable banchan (side dishes) that definitely filled up your hungry tummy.

KIM'S FAMILY KOREAN RESTAURANT
17 Lorong Kilat
#01-06, Kilat Court
Singapore 598139
Reservation: (65) 6465 0535

Opening Hours:
12:00pm - 03:00pm (Last Order: 2:30pm)
05:30pm - 10:00pm (Last Order: 9:30pm)
* Closed on every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.

Outlet(s):
106 Clementi Street 12
#01-44
Singapore 120106
Reservation: (65) 6774 4643

Togi Korean Restaurant 

[Togi] Banchan (side dishes)

Togi has two outlets in Singapore which located at Mosque Street and TripleOne Somerset serving authentic Korean cuisine and BBQ meat. Similar to most Korean restaurant, Togi also offers refillable banchan (6 side dishes with rotating items daily) together with a small portion of complimentary abalone porridge. Love the fragrant and savory taste of the porridge which reminds us on those that we had during our trip to Korea years back.

[Togi] Seafood Pancake and Grilled Saba Fish

Instead of BBQ meat we decided to order some dishes like Seafood Pancake (SG$18) which was about the size of a medium pizza that able to feed 2 - 3 person. And for easy serving, the pancake was cut into smaller pieces which you could dipped it with the accompany soya sauce.

[Togi] Spicy Seafood Bean Paste Soup

Spicy Bean Paste Soup (SG$12) was rather dilute in taste and flavour when compared to the one we had over at Ju Shin Jung. But for the ingredients wise, it was generously packed with seafood (prawns, squid and calm), mushrooms, zucchini and etc to make a bowl of hearty soup to go with rice.

[Togi] Dolsot Bibimbap

The Dolsot Bibimbap (SG$13) was awesome with fresh vegetables like shredded carrot, cucumber, radish, spinach, mushroom with choice of meat like beef, pork or chicken serve in a sizzling stone bowl. Before mixing the rice, just add in a spoon or two of the accompany bean paste chilli according to your preference of spiciness. For me I love to toss in extra kimchi and enjoy it hot with a glass of ice-cold Coke.

Togi Korean Restaurant

Overall the serving portion was quite reasonable base on the price stated and the quality of the dishes are mostly above average.

TOGI KOREAN RESTAURANT
111 Somerset road
#02-16
Singapore 238164
Reservation: (65) 6737 7397
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogiBBQ

Opening Hours:
11:30 am - 3:00 pm; 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm (daily)

Outlet(s):
11 Mosque St
Singapore 059491
Reservation: (65) 6221 0830

JAPANESE CUISINE

Japanese Cuisine

Japanese food is a popular choice among Singaporean of all ages from young kids to even elderly. And with its beautiful and unique presentation, Japanese cuisine also forms an art piece that offer sight and taste within a meal. In Singapore, you can easily find Japanese restaurants that serve various kinds of sushi dishes, noodles, nabes, teppanyaki and etc which I am sure there bound to be something that suits your preference.

Restaurant Hoshigaoka

[Restaurant Hoshigaoka] Pork Collar Shabu Shabu

Having Pork Collar Shabu Shabu (SG$14.50) was indeed a blessing especially during cold weather. I love this dish because of the combination of vegetables, mushroom and my favourite pork collar in one pot. To start with, you have to wait for the soup to boil then take a slice of meat and dip it into the boiling soup for a few seconds (10 – 15 seconds) until fully cooked. Love to have this together with plain rice and a glass of chilled Coke for a satisfy meal.

Restaurant Hoshigaoka] Gyudon Set

Gyudon (SG$10.30) is a Japanese dish cooked with beef and onion simmering in mildly sweet sauce flavoured with dashi, soy sauce and mirin then severed over a bed of rice and some pickled ginger. Overall the dish was quite pleasant in taste without being too salty or sweet and the beef was also skilful cooked and not too tough to bite.

Restaurant Hoshigaoka] Kids Meal - Katsudon Setu

Like most Japanese Restaurant, Hoshigaoka also offers cute bento meals for kids under the age of 10 with choices like noodles, sushi, rice and etc together with accompany sides, snack, cultured milk and jelly for less than SG$10 a set. Likewise their katsudon set is one of my boy's favourite orders.

Restaurant Hoshigaoka

Hoshigaoka is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants with more than 30 years of history in serving authentic Japanese cuisine. With good food, friendly staffs and cosy environment, Hoshigaoka which serves various Japanese styles of cuisine is bond to have their own group of loyalty customers.

RESTAURANT HOSHIGAOKA (星冈茶寮)
900 South Woodland Drive
#02-06 Woodland Civic Centre
Singapore 730900
Reservation: (65) 6363 2315
Website: http://hoshigaoka.com.sg/

Opening Hours:
11.00am - 10:00pm (daily)

Outlet(s):
Shaw House
350 Orchard Road
#04-00, Isetan Scotts
Reservation: (65) 6734 9725

SAFRA Toa Payoh
293 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
#01-04
Reservation: (65) 6258 9050

The Grandstand
#01-31 The Grandstand
200 Turf Club Road
Tel: 6466 3716

Tampopo Japanese Restaurant

[Tampopo] BP Loin Tonkatsu Set

The boy and I always love this Black Pig (BP) Tonkatsu Set (SG$26++) from Tampopo because their pork cutlet is always tender and juicy even after deep-fried. On top of that the Japanese Panko (breadcrumbs) used also gives it a nice and crisp golden crust which makes it so addictive. Between this value set also comes with miso soup and fresh cut fruits to form a complete meal.

[Tempopo] Super Delux Set

If you are looking for sharing portion, Super Deluxe Box (SG$24++) would be a great choice because it consists of both noodle (cold soba noodles) and rice (chirashi) together with sides like ebi tempura, chawanmushi, miso soup and fresh cut fruit for a fuller meal.

[Tempopo] Deluxe Hakodate Raman

Tampopo is well-known for its signature Black Pig Ramen that serve with flavoursome soup broth which required long hours of simmering time using pork bone. But instead of that we ordered the Deluxe Hakodate Ramen (SG$16++) which served with a little slice of butter to enhance the richness of the broth. Noodle wise the texture was springy and the Japanese Braised Egg was cooked till prefect with runny yolk within too.

[Tempopo] Kids Meal - Pork Cutlet, Fried Ebi and Rice Ball

Beside their signature ramen and main dishes, they also offer a few choices of Kids Meal which one of those was this Katsu Set A (SG$8++). It consists quite a number of items like Japanese mashed potato salad, fried ebi, tonkatsu, halve hard-boiled egg, 2 rice balls and cultured milk drink.

TAMPOPO JAPANESE RESTAURANT
Takashimaya Shopping Centre
391B Orchard Road
#B2-33
Singapore 238872
Reservation: (65) 6235 2318

Website: http://tampopo.cfc.com.sg

Opening Hours:
11:00am - 10:00pm (daily)

Outlet(s):
Liang Court Shopping Centre
177 River Valley Road
#01-23/24
Singapore 179030
Reservation: (65) 6338 3186

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House

Omurice from Coco Ichibanya is one of our comfort food whenever we feel like having some Japanese Curry. Besides that, their customise ordering menu also allow customers to have a choice on the amount of rice, spiciness of curry (5 level to choice from) and selections of add-on from any of their 30 toppings.

[CoCo Ichibanya] Creamed Mushroom Omelette

Our usual orders are often Pork Cutlet Omelette and Creamed Mushroom Omelette curry with level 3 or 4 spiciness of curry sauce. Love their mouth-watering omelette rice which top with fragrant sautéed creamed mushroom that surrounded by generous amount of flavoured curry.

[CoCo Ichibanya] Happy Berry Pancake

This is the first cafe-style concept for CoCo Ichibanya in Singapore which located at the ground level of Westgate Mall. On top of that it is also the first and only outlet in the world that offers pancake with four variations such as Caramel Nutty Pancake (SG$7.90), Rainbow Fruity Pancake, Banana Choco Pancake and Happy Berry Pancake (all three @ SG$8.90 each). Although their pancake might not be the best in town but if you are craving for some sweet after meal dessert I guess it is still worth getting a plate for sharing.

Coco Ichibanya Curry House - Westgate

COCO ICHIBANYA CURRY HOUSE
3 Gateway Drive
#01-02. Westgate
Singapore 608532
Reservation: (65)6710 7062
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoCoICHIBANYAsingapore 

Opening Hours:
10:00am (daily)

Outlet(s):
Bugis+
201 Victoria St
#01-10
Singapore 188067
Reservation: (65) 6636 7280

The Star Vista
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-06
Singapore 138617
Reservation: (65) 6579 2457

313@Somerset
313 Orchard Road
#B3-25/27
Singapore 238895
Reservation: (65) 6636 7280

THAI CUISINE

Thai Cuisine

Thai food is considered as one of the favourite cuisine of Singaporean due to its variety of flavours and strong aroma. With its sweet, sour and spicy characteristics that make up with distinguish spices such as basil, lime leaves, lemongrass, cilantro, galangal and etc; Thai dishes definitely stand up with their unique flavour and character.

Soi Thai Kitchen

Soi Thai Kitchen - Tampines

Soi Thai Kitchen is located in the heartlands of east at Block 824 Tampines Street 81. This eatery offers two dining slots separately on lunch and dinner with a 3 hours break after lunch for preparations. Since the shop space is rather constraint, you might have to be early in order to get a table or be prepared to wait for at least 20 minutes or more especially on weekends.

[Soi Thai Kitchen] Menu

[Soi Thai Kitchen] Pineapple Rice and Olive Fried Rice

Prefer the Pineapple Rice (SG$6) rather than the Olive Fried Rice (SG$6) as we find it slightly too salty for our preference to go with the dishes.

[Soi Thai Kitchen] Pandan Chicken, Tom Yum Soup, Spicy Tofu and Sea Bass with Thai Chilli Sauce

Their Thick Tom Yum Soup (SG$7) was surprisingly fragrant with coconut milk taste and it goes well especially with steamed white rice which balance the spiciness of the soup. On the other hand the Pandan Chicken (SG$8) was also tender with slight charred that gave it a nice flavour on its own even without the dipping sweet sauce.

Between we love their Sea Bass With Thai Chilli Sauce (SG$22) that was deep-fried till crispy on the outer skin and yet the meat was still tender within. Furthermore the Thai chilli sauce on the side definitely add-on bonus points to this dish too.

[Soi Thai Kitchen] Mango Sticky Rice

For dessert we had Mango Sticky Rice (SG$5) which I felt it was better than the one we had over at some other Thai restaurants such as Thai Express. The sticky rice was soft and fragrant with drizzle of coconut cream and sweet mango at the side.

SOI THAI KITCHEN
824 Tampines Street 81
#01-28
Singapore 520824
Reservation: (65) 6784 2421
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoiThaiKitchen

Opening Hours:
11:00am - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm (daily)


Nakhon Kitchen

[Nakhon Kitchen] Thai Dishes

Similar to Soi Thai, Nakhon Kitchen also serves local Thai street food such as Tom Yum Soup, Thai Mango Salad, Minced Pork with Basil Leaves and etc. With its popularity among patrons, be prepared to queue at least 30 - 45 minutes even though they have 3 outlets located separately in Bedok, Hougang and Ang Mo Kio. Besides the usual Thai Ice Tea and Lemongrass drink, they also have chilled Coke (SG$2) in those old school glass bottle shown above which you could grab one to cool down the heat.

[Nakhon Kitchen] Menu

[Nakhon Kitchen] Menu

(Note: Takeaway service if available at Nakhon Kitchen if you prefer to dine at home)

[Nakhon Kitchen] Appetite - Mango Salad and Pandan Chicken

The Thai Mango Salad (SG$5) was well-balance with the mixture of dressing and spices making it an appetizing dish to start with. Although the Pandan Chicken (SG$6) had no pandan fragrant but the meat was still tender and juicy after deep-fried. Between it goes well with the Thai sweet chilli sauce.

[Nakhon Kitchen] Main Dish

Clear Seafood Tom Yum Soup (SG$6)
- Don't under estimate this clear soup as it would set you on fire with it's unbearable spicy and sour taste if your spicy intake level is low. But this would be a great choice on cold raining day or when you are having flu and blocked nose.

Pineapple Rice (SG$6)
- The pineapple rice has a slight sweet taste with ingredients such as prawn, raisin and pineapple chunks together with generous scoop of pork floss.

Minced Beef With Hot Basil Leaves (SG$8)
- A great dish to go with steamed white rice as it was packed with spicy and fiery flavour that you can't stop helping for more.

Deep-fried Squid with Thai Chilli Sauce (SG$10)
- First time trying this dish, although the taste was good but we felt it could be better if the chilli sauce was served separately to retain the crispness of the deep-fried squid.

[Nakhon Kitchen] Mango Sticky Rice

Overall the homely Thai food served at Nakhon has a good standard that able to capture most patrons heart from the non-stop queue during our visits to their outlets. Plus their attentive attitudes on serving the food and pre-taking orders while queuing also enable the food to be served almost immediately upon seating too.

NAKHON KITCHEN (ANG MO KIO)
Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
#01-2371
Singapore 560529

Opening Hours:
12:00pm - 3:00pm; 5.30pm - 10:00pm (daily)

Outlet(s):
Block 136 Bedok North Avenue 3
#01-166
Singapore 460136
Telephone: (65) 6245 5548

Block 212 Hougang Street 21
#01-341
Singapore 530212
Telephone: (65) 6286 8785

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