BORNGA (본가 - 本家) At Star Vista

For Korean BBQ lovers who stay around West side of Singapore, BORNGA (본가 - 本家) is a Korea’s leading chain of authentic BBQ restaurants which newly open at The Star Vista (beside Buona Vista MRT Station, EW21/CC22). And the grand launch of BORNGA also marks renowned celebrity Chef Jong Won Paik first chain restaurant in Singapore and the 13th in addition to its worldwide outlets out of Korea.

Overall BORNGA offers an authentic Korean dining experience with taste of home which makes it a nice place for a cozy meal together with family and friends. Moreover their servings are big enough to share among 3 - 4 person ranging from S$18.00(pork belly) to their most expensive item (beef ribs for barbecuing) at S$45.00. (just a note, you have to order at least a minimum of two portion from their BBQ meat range; example:- Samgyupsal (S$18) + WooSamGyup (S$22))

While settling down, I was quite shock when the serving staff place the Ssamcheban (assorted vegetables platter) on our table as I have not seen such a varieties of greens being served from other Korean BBQ restaurants in Singapore. Their Ssamcheban consists very fresh and generous amount of  greens such as assorted lettuces, cabbages, spinach, carrot sticks and a few large green chilies which comes in handy to wrap with the BBQ meat.

On top of the Ssamcheban, we also tried some of their Banchan (Korean side dishes) such as Cucumber with Mushroom, Korean Spicy Beansprouts, Lettuce Salad, Shredded Leeks, Cabbage Kimchi, Water Kimichi and Radish Kimchi. Personally my pick from the banchan would be their Radish Kimchi which was a cross between sweet, sour and spicy making it so addicting as compared to the Cabbage Kimichi as it was a bit too spicy for my liking.

From the 3 types of Kimchi that we tried, my least favourite would be the Water Kimchi which I find it a bit too bland and also not as tasty as compared to the other two which has a stronger taste and flavour.

To pair with their BBQ meat, there are three types of dipping sauces which you might like to try. The special WooSamGyup Sauce goes well with the WooSamGyup meat where you dip on it and wrap with some lettuce and shredded leeks or kimchi for better crunch and taste. Whereas for the rest like Garlic Slices, Korean Bean Pasta Sauce an Sesame Oil flavored with salt and pepper would goes well with other meat choices like pork belly and beef too.

Ggotsal (S$38.00) a thicker cut of unmarinated beef for guests who loves beef and to enjoy its deep beef flavour. The cut is also evenly marbled and goes well with dip like sesame oil flavoured with salt and pepper.

For myself, I would prefer WooSamGyup that this Ggotsal perhaps due to its cuts.

{MUST TRY} WooSamGyup (S$22.00) is their signature BBQ choice which is a thinly sliced beef brisket with beautiful marbling that makes it often mistaken as pork belly at a glance. This meat is marinated in a unique BORNGA dressing that retains its natural colour while enhancing the traditional "bulgogi" taste.

There are many ways you could enjoy this beautiful meat such as eating it on it's own, dip it with the special WooSamGyup sauce or wrap it with some shredded leeks together with lettuces to enhance the flavour. I am sure there is a way which you enjoy but for me I would prefer to have it with some lettuce wrap and radish kimchi.

{MUST TRY} Tteokgalbi (S$20.00) is made with ground rib meat together with soy sauce and seasonings into a thin meat patties before grilling. The outlook and taste of the Tteokgalbi is quite similar to our Chinese New Year BBQ Pork (bak kwa) with a very flavousome fragrance and taste which makes you go for second and third helpings.

{MUST TRY} The Chadol Duenjang Jigae (S$16.00) is a Korean beef stew which made with rich soybean paste, sliced beef and vegetables. The stew is being reduced over the table top stove before pouring into the rice mixture which served like a bibimbap.

As you can see, when the stew is reduced and slightly thicken the serving staff would spoon it over to the rice and vegetable mixture and mix everything like a bibimbap. Also for extra flavoure, you could add in some radish kimchi while mixing the rice like what our host, LeRoy does to enhance the taste of this dish.

After the rice stew, we tried BORNGA Naeng Myun (S$15.00) which was their handmade buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth with shredded vegetables, pear, hard-boiled egg and sliced meat. It has a very refreshing taste and it is definitely a good choice for hot summer meal. You can eat it on it's own or follow the Korean, squeeze in some mustard sauce, splash of white vinegar mix well and enjoy. Personally I prefer eating it on it's own because I am not a fan of vinegar stuffs.

At the end of the meal, all guests were served with a complimentary drink known as Omija (오미자) or  五味茶 (five flavour tea) which reminds us of drinks made with Roselle (洛神果) and it has a similar sourish sweet taste like hawthorn (山楂) too. We all agreed that despite of it's sourish after taste, it is indeed a very refreshing and addicting drink to clean the palate after all the BBQ meats and dishes. Moreover Omija is also a popular drinks among women in Korean for it's beauty purpose too.

Thanks to BORNGA and LeRoy from Foodnews for the invite tasting.

BORNGA (본가 - 本家)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-24 The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Reservation: (65) 6694 4696
Website: www.bornga.co.kr

Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm (Daily)

The Perfect Interfusion At Sushi Tei

From November till 09 January 2013, all the 15 Sushi Tei outlets (here) island-wide will be having a new promotional menu know as "The Perfect Interfusion" which centred around warm and hearty rustic far with a contemporary twist.

Furthermore, all Sashimi fans will be thrilled by their new selection of premium sashimi-based dons at irresistible prices such as the Otoro, Kanpachi, Ika and Salmon Don for S$22.00 each. Below are some of the dishes from we had tried from their The Perfect Interfusion menu.

For appetizer we have Mentai Potato Salad (S$6.80) which is the one of my favourite starter whenever we visit Japanese restaurant. The fluffy mashed potato balls (with lovely bits of carrot and cucumber) is topped with generous portion of cod roe to enhance the flavour when compared to the usual Japanese potato salad.

{Must Try} Spicy Ban Ban Ji Ramen (S$10.00) is a very refreshing cold noodle dishes created by Sushi Tei, 112 Katong which is listed in their top six "Supreme Chef Challenge Creations" in The Perfect Interfusion Menu beside from those cold soba varieties in their usual menu.

The springy ramen taste great with the accompany spicy sesame sauce which gives it a nutty flavour and it pairs well with the crunchy cucumber and tender poached chicken too.

Yakiniku Cheese Roll (S$12.00) is created by Sushi Tei, Holland Village which is a whimsical re-interpretation of the cheeseburger. The sushi roll is wrapped with a layer of beef and cheese together with some sweet sauce which makes it resemble hamburger rice patty.

{Must Try} Instead of Chicken Katsu, we tried the Tori Nanban (S$10.00) that is created by Sushi Tei, 112 Katong. The deep-fried chicken is served together with the homemade Taru Taru sauce which is made of mayonnaise, shallots and parsley. I am sure this pipping hot crispy chicken cutlet will be a great choice in your ordering list.

Mango Avocado Roll (S$12.00) created by Sushi Tei, Thomson Plaza make use of both Mango and Avocado for this dish together with wafu dressing. For me who always love their Dragon Roll and Golden Roll, this new Mango Avocado Roll is sure a good catch to satisfy my fruity sushi craving.

Ikameshi (S$12.00) is a char-grilled squid stuffed with flavoured squid rice. Although it might look like a simple dish but the savory rice add extra touch to Hokkaido squid which brings out it's natural sweetness. Alternatively you could also try their Ika Sugata Shio/Teriyaki (S$9.00) which is grilled squid with salt or teriyaki sauce.

Ikameshi (S$12.00), Grilled squid stuffed with flavoured squid rice

Ikasumi Pasta (S$13.00) is one of the reason for my visit because I was tempted to this dish from one of the photos that I spotted on instagram a few weeks back .

The al dente spaghetti is tossed in a luscious squid ink sauce and topped with tender slices of squid and crispy fried garlic which you must eat together with the spaghetti to bring out it's flavour. But overall only the paste itself  is lightly flavored with the squid ink which makes it a bit plain and flat on the taste.

Matsutake Sukiyaki (Beef - S$26.00; Chicken - S$22.00) featured the seasonal Matsutake pine mushrooms which comes with a choice of either Beef or Chicken. This pot consists of glass noodles, tofu, leeks, carrots and enoki mushrooms in sukiyaki soup which is Refillable.

U.S.D.A Beef Tenderloin for the Matsutake Sukiyaki

After the main dishes, we decided to go for some desserts and since there are four of us in the group we could actually order different varieties to share among ourselves. Above are  Yuzu Sherbet (S$3.40), Nama Chocolate Ice Cream (S$4.80) and Matcha Nama Ice Cream (S$4.80)

Shiratama Azuki with Matcha Ice Cream (S$6.00) served in a pretty clam shell waffle which filled with Glutinous rice dumplings, Azuki beans and Matcha ice cream. Love the combination texture of chewy rice dumplings with crispy waffle shell together with the matcha ice cream.

Out of the four desserts that we had, my most favourite is still the Matcha Nama Ice Cream. I just simply love the intends flavour of the matcha ice cream flooding in my mouth which makes it so irresistible to stop at one. But if you are a chocolate lover, go for the Nama Chocolate Ice Cream instead!

Thanks to Sushi Tei and Veronica from Sixth Sense Communications for the invite tasting.

Sushi Tei @ Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road #05-30/31
Podium Block Ngee Ann City
Singapore 238873
Reservation: (65) 6737 8878
Website: http://www.sushitei.com/index.php

NeNe Chicken At The Star Vista

NeNe Chicken is one of Korea's most popular lifestyle fast food eateries which known for it's "sauce-coated chicken". And if you wonder what "Ne Ne" means, it is actually Yes! Yes! which is a common expression often used by Koreans with enthusiasm when indicating understanding and willingness.

And as the "sauce-coated chicken specialist", NeNe has several delectable flavours that range from fiery like Freaking Hot sauce to milder taste such as Green Onion and Black Sesame. On top of the sauces, NeNe's special batter also produces perfectly crispy chicken skin when deep-fried as well as prevents the oil from permeating the chicken meat leaving the meat juicy and succulent.

Swicy Chicken comes in either 9 pieces whole chicken (S$22.50) inclusive one serving each of pickled radish and coleslaw or the Swicy Wings And Sticks Meal (S$7.90) that includes 2 wings and 2 sticks, regular buffalo sticks, pickled radish and regular drink.

This is a milder and sweeter version of their Freaking Hot Chicken where each piece of the fried chicken is coated with their special sweet sauce that made with ketchup, garlic, onion, soy sauce and hint of chilli.  

Snowing Cheese Tender Boneless (S$23.50; approximately 35 pieces) comes with one serving each of pickled radish and coleslaw or you could order the Snowing Cheese Wings And Sticks Meal (S$7.90) where you get to enjoy 2 wings and 2 sticks, regular buffalo sticks, pickled radish and regular drink.

For cheese lovers this combination of both sweet and salty flavours Snowing Cheese Tender would be a great choice as each piece of chicken tender is coated with generous sprinkling of powdered cheese which makes it an irresistible finger snack.   

At NeNe Chicken, there also offer two different types of chilled vegetables side dishes such as Pickled Radish (S$1.90) and NeNe Coleslaw (S$1.90) shown above. My favourite is their Pickled Radish which consists small cubed radish that is steeped in vinegar, sugar and salt for a few hours as it taste absolutely addicting especially when pairing it with the Freaking Hot or Bulgogi Chicken.

But if you prefer something with more crunch and veggies then NeNe Coleslaw would be great with its varieties of chopped cabbage, sweetcorn, pepper and diced crabstick mixed together in their secret dressing.

NeNePOP (S$4.30) is my kid's favourite as it contain both food and drink in one cup which is handy for quick snack and kids to handle too. There is a special container that fits neatly on top of the drink's cup to hold mini hash browns and NeNe popcorn chicken so that you could enjoy refreshing drink while eating the snack.

Black Sesame Tender Boneless (S$23.50; approximately 35 pieces) comes with one serving each of pickled radish and coleslaw or for a quick meal Black Sesame Tender Meal (S$9.90;  approximately 11 - 13 pieces) which includes regular buffalo sticks, pickled radish and regular drink would be great.

If you love black sesame paste, you would definitely love this. Each piece of crispy boneless tender is coated with a layer of sauce consisting of black sesame paste, lemon juice and syrup. With each bite bursting with nutty flavour and fragrance sesame aroma I am sure you won't even wanted to share your set with others.

Green Onion Chicken Tender Boneless (S$23.50; approximately 35 pieces) comes with one serving each of pickled radish and coleslaw or go for a smaller serving on Green Onion Tender Meal (S$9.90;  approximately 11 - 13 pieces) which includes regular buffalo sticks, pickled radish and regular drink too.

The crispy fried chicken sits on top of some tasty sauce which is made by combining soy sauce, mustard and sugar together with some accompany freshly shredded green onion from Korea. The piping hot chicken is so juicy and it taste great with the refreshing spring onion.

Bulgogi Wings And Sticks (S$19.50) comes in 16 pieces wings and stick inclusive one each of pickled radish and coleslaw. I love bulgogi sauce which I often used to cook either chicken or beef at home. But at NeNe Chicken they used bulgogi sauced to create one of their most popular Bulgogi Wing and Sticks which the chicken is firstly lightly coated with batter and deep-fried.  Then upon receiving customer's order, they would stir-fried the chicken with bulgogi sauce before serving to prevent the fried chicken from being soggy if they cooked in large batch.

CLASSIC Freaking Hot Chicken (S$22.50; 9 pieces whole chicken) comes with one serving each of pickled radish and coleslaw, Wings and Sticks 16 pieces Freaking Hot (S$19.50) inclusive 2 side salads or go for Super Meal like Freaking Hot Wings And Sticks (S$7.90) which includes 2 wings and 2 sticks, regular buffalo sticks, pickled radish and regular drink.

{BE CAUTION} This Freaking Hot Chicken sure live with it name as it's distinct fiery sauce is made with hot chilli peppers, ketchup, garlic, onion and sugar. And the most freaking part is you could even smells the "chilli" aroma when the chicken is served.

At first bite, you might not find anything usual as the coating sauce taste with a hint of sweetness but when you go for 2nd and 3rd bites that is when your lips and lounge begins to feel the fiery effect. Personally I would recommend this if you love buffalo wings and the spicy level is of match to perhaps level 4-5 of the taste. And out of all the NeNe Chicken that we tried, I personally love the Black Sesame and Bulgogi sauce-coated chicken which I am still craving for some now.

For your information this 17 seater outlet mainly focus on take-away and delivery services and customers could simply call 6222 6363 for deliveries to selected areas in Singapore. Furthermore there is also a S$3.50 surcharge for all deliveries and orders must include one Classic, Wings And Sticks or Boneless Tender meal set.

NeNe Chicken
1 Vista Green Exchange
#01-24 Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Telephone: (65) 6694 5489
Website: http://english.nenechicken.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nenechickensingapore


Operating Hours: 11.00am - 10.00pm (daily)

Delivery HOTLINE: (65) 6222 6363


Thanks to NeNe Chicken and Veronica from Sixth Sense Communications for the invite tasting.

Christmas Menu At Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant

Christmas is about 2 weeks from now and if you have not decided on where to go for your Christmas lunch/dinner perhaps you could take a look at this wallet-friendly Christmas menu from Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant.

For this Christmas season, Kiseki present a lovely white Christmas feast(lunch and dinner) starting from 21st - 25th December 2012 where diner could enjoy a hearty spread with less than S$50.00 per person.

During the festive lunch special, on top of the usual Japanese buffet favourite you could also enjoy Roasted Honey Gammon Ham with Yuzu Cranberry Sauce, Miso Glazed Roasted Char Siew as well as Japanese Style Buffalo Wings. I love the Yuzu Cranberry Sauce which is a bit sweet with a hint of refreshing yuzu taste which goes well with the roasted meat.

Example of the Christmas Roast that we have tried.

Whereas for the special White Christmas dinner spread add-ons, it includes the Roasted turkey, Roasted Striploin Beeef, Lamb Leg and Baked Salmon with Sake which I am sure everyone would be overwhelmed by these hearty spread.

For salad they have this Smoked Duck with Orange and Beef Root drizzle with Yuzu Balsamic which gives it a very refreshing citrus taste from the Yuzu. I am sure ladies or salad lover would love this as it really gives you a few bursting flavour in one bite.

This Christmas you could have another new pick for your favourite sushi because it had being transformed into these cute little Temarizushi (sushi ball) wrap. Each rice ball contains different type of filling and it is being wrapped using cute design food wrapper which makes them resemble candy. And I am sure this would be a "hot snatching" items among the kids too.

Other than Temarizushi Wrap, there are also many different assorted festive feel Sushi and Sashimi such as Egg Roll with Turkey Breast / Smoked Duck shown above.

Cucumber Gunkan Maki filled with diced Ham and Tomato

Colourful Chikuwa Maki served with radish and yuzu mixture dipping sauce.

Assorted Seasonal Sashimi Sushi that would whet your appetite as well as sight.

Cucumber Sushi Maki wrapped with poached Chicken Beast.

Japanese Curry Pizza with Seaweed Crust is one of my favourite because it consists 3 of my favourite choice in one dish. It has cheese, Japanese curry and sushi so this 3-in-1 combination dish definitely had caught my attention and to my surprised it does taste great just like their crispy crust pizza at Kiseki.

As you can see from the above photo, they are different layer of texture from seaweed, sushi rice, curry, cheese and etc. Love the combination and I recommend this to be the {must try} while they are out on the buffet line.

If you love skewers of food that are grilled over low charcoal heat, I am sure you won't want to miss any items from the Robatayaki Platter. Just grab a few skewers each and slowly enjoy them with your friends or family over at the dining table while chatting. For me the meat or mushroom skewers are always my favourite choice.

On top of the usual buffet items plus festive add-ons, if you still have room for dessert you could also try out their Christmas Festive Platter which consists some mini cakes like mixed fruit cake, black sesame cake, peach cake, ginger pudding, peanut butter pudding, blueberry mousse and etc.

Assorted Puddings and Mousse. I love their peanut butter pudding (3rd item from the front row)

Assorted cream cake, I prefer the Matcha flavour as compared to the peach and chocolate.

This year other than all hearty spread, Kiseki also geared with new attraction of a Two-Piece Band which will be taking in song dedications and performing carols for diners too. So if you are still looking for Christmas feast this season, do take a look on Kiseki Christmas Menu.


KISEKI JAPANESE BUFFET RESTAURANT
181 Orchard Road
Orchard Central
#08-01/02/03
Reservation: (65) 6736 1216
Website: www.kisekirestaurant.com.sg

Operating Hours And Pricing
21 December 2012
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$24.80++; Child S$15.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++

22 - 25 December 2012 (Sat, Sun, Eve PH and PH)
Lunch (11.30am - 3.00pm): Adult S$32.80++; Child S$20.80++
Dinner (6.00pm - 10.30pm): Adult S$39.80++; Child S$21.80++