Thursday 27 December 2012

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)


Tuesday 25 December 2012

{Fishy Dinner} Chinese Baked Fish Fillet And Baked Cheesy Salmon With Wasabi

Festive season is a great time to feast together with family and friends plus a bit of catch up and updates on each others progress. This Christmas season other than festive bakes I also have some quick dishes which you might be interested with.

In this post I am sharing two different "fish" dishes which you could cater for everyone in the family such as Chinese Baked Fish Fillet with oyster sauce and Baked Cheesy Salmon using Japanese mayonnaise and wasabi.


CHINESE BAKED FISH FILLET


For something more Asian taste, this Chinese Baked Fish Fillet would be something easy that you could prepare and get ready in less than 30 minutes for an evening dinner to impress your guests. For the fillet you can use any firm white fish such as cod, haddock, or grouper which work well on this recipe.


(Serves: 1 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1 Piece Grouper Fish Fillet (200g), skin intact
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 2 Slices Ginger, thinly sliced
  • 1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
  • 1 Red Chilli(optional), sliced
  • Served with Steamed Rice and Asian Greens

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (degree Celsius). Arrange spring onion and some julienne ginger on a disposal baking tray and top with fish fillet.

2. Combine oyster sauce, cooking wine, sugar and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well.

3. Spoon sauce mixture over fish fillet, top with remaining ginger and chilli, cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until fish is just cooked through.

4. Sprinkle some extra chopped spring onion and serve hot with steamed rice and Asian green.

Note:
~ Stir-fry baby bok choy and fresh shiitake mushrooms with some garlic and ginger then lightly season it with salt.



BAKED CHEESY SALMON WITH WASABI


Whereas for a western treat, you might wish to consider this Baked Cheesy Salmon with Wasabi. For me, I am a salmon lover and I love to eat it either raw, grilled or baked. And my favourite way of cooking salmon is to top it with lots of shredded cheese and Japanese mayonnaise because after baking it would have a tasty cheesy crust on top plus a moist and juicy fillet below.


(Serves: 1  | Preparation: 5 minutes   | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1 Salmon Fillet (200g), bones removed
  • 2 Tablespoons Japanese Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Wasabi Paste
  • Rind of 1 Lemon
  • 1/4 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • Serve with French Beans and Cherry Tomato

Method:-
1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (degree Celsius). Arrange salmon on a disposal baking tray, top with generous amount of mayonnaise mixture (combine Japanese mayonnaise, wasabi and lemon rind till well-mixed).

2. Evenly top it with shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on it.

3. Bake prepared salmon in an preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or till salmon is cooked to your preference.

4. Serve hot with some french bean, cherry tomato and steamed rice.


With dishes like this you can play around with the ingredients and side dishes to cater for everyone's preference and the best thing is you can bake these two dishes together in the oven but just keep an easy on the salmon as you don't wish to over baked it. And as for the sides, you could add in some Cream Soup (recipes) or Salad (recipes) to make it a complete meal too.

Christmas Tree Tuna Sandwich

Good Morning! Merry Christmas to all my friends, readers and supporters out there.  Thank you so much for all your kind comments, supports and frequent visits to Cuisine Paradise website and Facebook page. I am so blessed to know some of you in person as well as those silent readers/supporters who are always there.

In coming 2013 I would continue to share more recipes ideas, review new products and etc which I hope it would inspired you to cook or bake more for your family or loved ones.


CHRISTMAS TREE TUNA SANDWICH


As today is Christmas, I would like to share with you this 10 minutes breakfast ideas which you could easily find the ingredients in your kitchen pantry. I am sure this Christmas Tree alike tuna sandwich would be a hit for your kid(s) or party guests today. It's so easy to prepare and yet too adorable to be consumed.


(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes )

Ingredients:
  • 4 Slices of Thick Toast
  • 1 Can of Tuna Chunk/Flake in Olive Oil
  • 4 Slices of Sandwich Cheese
  • 1 Japanese Cucumber, thinly sliced and havled
  • 1 Medium Tomato, sliced
  • 2 Shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon of Japanese Mayonnaise
  • Some freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Christmas Tree Shaped Pancake Ring Mould

Method:-
1. Drain the tuna chunk, place it in a bowl together with shallot, mayonnaise and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

2. Next using a Christmas Tree shaped cutter, cutout the shape from the bread and repeat the same procedure using sandwich cheese.

3. Put a slice of the cutout sandwich cheese on top of each Christmas Tree cutout before spreading a layer of tuna mixture on it.

4. Arrange the halved cucumber slices to resemble tree leaves and you can add on extra "Stars" cheese and tomato slices to decorate the trees.


Furthermore, other than the Christmas Tree alike sandwiches I also include this Rocky Road Granola with Milk for our breakfast. This is a super yummy treat made by Sherie from Maameemoomoo. I really loves this great combination and I am always craving for it even before bedtime.

Here you go, these are the lovely granola packaging from Maameemoomoo's Christmas collection which is known as Rocky Road Granola (RRG). Each packet has generous amount of chocolate coated rolled oats, roasted almond, cranberries, 46% milk chocolate sticks and fluffy marshmallows. You can find out more about Sherie's homemade Granola at this link HERE which connected to her Granola posts. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! Have a blessed and fruitful festive season.............

Monday 24 December 2012

Christmas Lunch At Parkroyal Beach Road, Plaza Brasserie

Last week of the year is always full of feasting, gathering and exchanging of gifts due to Christmas and New Year seasons.This year our family Christmas lunch is at Plaza Brasserie which is located at Beach Road near Golden Mile Food Centre and Golden Mile Complex.

We decided to have festive lunch instead of dinner so that we could take the time to enjoy the food and family bonding/chatting plus after which we could still go for last minute Christmas shopping or enjoy the beautiful Christmas lighting.

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