The most memorable segment of my travel to South Korea was the visit to Jeju Island. Hence, when the Jeju Kitchen opened for business at Northpoint City with the above eye-catching sculpture, i was drawn and it didn't take us long to arrange for a family meal there, without the picky kids!
Located on basement two near Kopitiam food court, Jeju Kitchen took over the premises from a bakery shop and claimed to serve iconic dishes from Jeju like the Volcano Fried Rice.
To be truthful, i don't even know there's a volcano fried rice when i was in Jeju! From memory, the few renowned dishes i found online then were the black pig (had it at Hwaro Hyang Restaurant) and abalone porridge!
Interested to get your hands on another icon of Jeju Island; the dol hareubang (grandfather stone statue)? The keychain form was available for sale (S$10 each) at the cashier counter of Jeju Kitchen.
Anyway, let's get started on food!
Stir Fried Bulgogi Beef - with options of either spicy or non-spicy, we went with the spicy version which was a delight to have for their juiciness! However, it's better to order a bowl of rice to balance the sweetness.
Grilled Pork Jowl - i actually searched for the definition of jowl a few moments ago as i was typing out this review since i didn't know its meaning. The texture and taste were familiar to my senses and i thought they were similar to the pork cheeks i had at Ramen Santouka!
Turned out jowl is "the cheek of a pig used as meat"! Rather impressed with myself for being able to recall something that i had over 8 years ago! Whatever the case, the meat at Jeju Kitchen were more tender and tastier (thanks to the teriyaki-like sauce) with charred bits that gave the meat a slight oomph as you chew it further.
Grilled Squid - this was S$14.80 and i only knew it cost so much now as i was looking through the receipt for the purpose of this review. Cut me some slack as i was late for the dinner and my family had already ordered.
Okay tasting with a failed rubbery texture for its body; the grilled squid performed slightly better when i got to the crunchier legs. Wouldn't likely to have this in the future; more worth my money to spend it on Squid Boy at KSL Mall in JB.
Seafood Army Stew - I am not a big fan of army stew and thought it was priced way too high in Singapore when there are so many other delicious (and cheaper) Korean dishes for us to check out.
Aside from loving fish, mom loves soupy stuff and since there were six of us; my sister figured it would be good for sharing. I didn't raise any objection but my eyes blinked when it was placed on our table. That's quite a lot of seafood; clams, baby octopuses, scallops and the strange looking Korea sweet prawns!
I actually enjoyed the food and broth; latter of which wasn't as spicy as i expected. It was more tomato like (could be due to the baked beans) and there's a subtle cheesiness to the flavour. Having said that, i bet some of you might find the broth a tad too bland.
Joyce attempting to finish up the last morsel on the pan!
Volcano Fried Rice - i tried not to have any rice dishes at night but when you see a serving of volcano fried rice on almost every table; it's hard to resist the temptation! Therefore, let me present to you the volcano fried rice that came with pork, kimchi rice (you can opt for bulgogi rice) and without the cheese (as mom isn't a big fan).
Glad i ordered this as it was utterly good! The kimchi fried rice was moist and so appetising while the pork was yummy and complemented the rice perfectly with the smooth egg surrounding them. I would in fact go back to Jeju Kitchen just for the volcano fried rice!
=====
Location
930 Yishun Ave 2,
#B2-09/11 Northpoint City,
Singapore 769098
Facebook Page
Order List
As above.
Pricing
Stir Fried Bulgogi Beef - S$10.80
Grilled Pork Jowl - S$8.80
Grilled Squid - S$14.80
Seafood Army Stew - S$35.80
Volcano Fried Rice - S$10.80
(Subject to GST and Service Charge)