Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant

 

 

Went to Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant for a family dinner on Saturday. This was not the first time we patronized Ju Shin Jung, but it has been a while since the last time, maybe 2 or 3 years back. Simply because hubby is not a fan of Korean cuisine. However, due to Korean pop influence and drama series which I have been watching everyday, I urged hubby to dine here. So, he made a reservation 1 day in advance.

When we reached here, the place was full. The Korean owner of the restaurant explained to us that floor seating was the only available table for us. To hubby's horror, he hated sitting on floor when dining. However, I agreed to have floor seating table, though hubby said he rather wait for a little bit more. At the end, he succumbed to my suggestion. He regretted. Instead of enjoying his food, he kept grousing about his aching legs!

There are photos of Korean pop stars and wannabes on the wall and the glass panel at the entrance. Singapore actress like Zoe Tay was seen in the photo too.

The extensive menu...

Free malt tea and plain water were served on each table.

Headache? Care to have Aspirin tablets? Neh...this were actually dehydrated hand towel in a tablet size.

Kids enjoyed experimenting with interesting stuff....just add in some water...and

voila! The expanded hand towel which were ready to use.

We got a complimentry greens platter, consisting of lettuces, cabbages, green chillies, and raw garlic, as we ordered some BBQ meats and mushroom to go along with the meal.

Before our orders were served, the waitress brought in many side dishes in a trolley. There were so many of them, and the best part is they are refillable. But I guess no one will request for refill, because by then I believe you will be stuffed!

The waitress introduced us the new Korean rice wine, Neurin Makgeolli, $25 per bottle of 750ml. It is made of 100% rice wine with only a mere 6% alcohol content. It was cool refreshing drink, with a tint of sweetness, not too overpowering for ladies. And I wouldn't get drunk after gulping down the entire bottle, not if I drink soju and sake.

Very cute illustrations on how rice wine was processed.

 

I love Korean rice wine or soju when I have Korean, as much as I love sake when I have Japanese, and red wine when I have steak!

 

This is pumpkin mousse or cream, sweet an creamy...a good starter before any BBQ dishes/meat.

A few of my favourite...side dishes of spicy kim chi, spicy salty octopus, and seasoned anchovies (ikan bilis). Their in-house made kim chi is superb!

And I always love their seaweed soup...served chilled, with hints of spiciness (due to sliced green chilli) and sourness..which whets my appetite.

Here were the orders which were served quite immediately. First, the Samgetong (Korean Ginseng chicken soup)...$20. A tad too bland for my taste. But I remember vividly, my first taste of the soup in Korea also tasted very bland, but we had ginseng wine and salt to add into the soup before serving.

Next, Pajun (spring onion seafood pancake)...$20 for share. You can give this a miss. The batter was too thick for my liking. I had better Korean pancake before somewhere else with crispier outer pieces.

Gaerantang (steamed egg)...$10 in a hot pot....very hot! Be careful not to burn your tongue! Nice...but nothing impressive coz I can make my own steamed egg.

OK...here's my favourite charcoal grill range. Wang Galbi (Fresh Australian Black Angus Beef rib-boneless)...$35 for 450g serving.

Black Samgyupsal (black pork belly)...$35 for 2 strips. I had black pork in Jeju before. They said black pork is healthier as they contain less fat and the meat is more solid and firm. However, we can get fresh black pork from supermarkets in Singapore too.

My favourite fatty marbled Gotshal (Wagyu sliced beef)...$59 for 160g.

The waitress would help us with the grilling, cutting and serving. They will change the grilling metal base each time before grilling the next meat dish. Request the waitress to stop grilling in between each meat dish, if you want to savour your meat or meal slowly. That was a Saturday, we felt like they were rushing us to finish up our dinner.

Dakbulgogi (Marinated chicken)...$20 for 200g serving.

Wagyu grilling on hot charcoal...

 

Almost done...we love the beef medium well...where the middle part of the cut still retains its juiciness with observed pinkish red meat.

Sauces to go with the grilled meat.

It was a real hearty meaty meal that we had, with 4 dishes of meat ordered....to be honest, we did not manage to finish up all the food.

Kids enjoyed their Korean meal....fooling around with kakak.

Poor hubby, couldn't enjoy his meal properly as he's complaining of leg cramp the whole night! Wondering how he's gonna enjoy our kaiseki haute Japanese meal in upcoming Japan ryokan stay??

That's how I eat my pork belly with some cabbage, garlic and chilli sauce. Munching on raw garlic made me tear. It left the spicy aftertaste sensation.

Enjoying the Korean rice wine in between meal to the last drop!

Thanks hubby for never fail to feed me FAT!

Our floor-seating table.

Left our shoes below the wooden-floored platform where we were seated.

There's a playground for kids after meal. So while I was still having my dinner, kids rushed off to the playground with kakak.

 

While waiting for our bill, fruit was served as dessert. Look at the kids, sweat profusely after all the running and jumping in the playground.

The verdict: Ju Shin Jung serves authentic Korean dishes, and rice wines. They have a wide array of ala cartes and charcoal grill meat and seafood to choose from. However do your booking earlier to avoid disappointment, or completely do come and dine on weekdays when there's less crowd, so that you can enjoy your meal in a slower pace and peaceful manner. (Weekends can be quite chaotic and noisy, it might not be suitable for a romantic dining.)

*Our total bill comes to $295.45 after 10% service charge and 7% GST.*

For reservation, contact:

Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant
27 West Coast Highway, #01-18/19, Singapore 117867

Tel: +65 6464 0872

My Last Day in Tokyo: Day 8 (20th Apr 2012)

 

 

At last, I have managed to complete my blogs on Tokyo trip in Spring, before my next coming Japan trip in November, autumn holiday, for the burst of fiery red, orange and yellow hues. *Sigh in relief* For those who are curious, hubby and me will embark on a 14 days (11th to 24th November) wondrous Japan Autumn holiday, covering Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Tokyo, Hakone, Nagano and Nikko, using 14 days JR Pass. Our accomodation will include 5 nights in ancient Kyoto, 8 nights in modern Tokyo, 1 night in a luxury ryokan up on a hilltop around Hakone, and another night in a ryokan around Japan Alps lived by many Japanese macaques, snow monkey, in Nagano. I bet it would be a hectic and fully planned journey, but it sure be an adventurous trip for both of us.

 

Ok, back to my last day in Tokyo....my flight was in late evening. We checked out in the morning, acquired the number tags for our luggage, which were then placed at the lobby area. In order to save all the trouble from lugging our heavy luggage to Shinjuku station to board the NEX to Narita Airport, I bought 2 airport limousine tickets from the hotel front desk.

 

Then, off we went for a morning visit, again at Asakusa Senso-ji. Our first visit to Asakusa on the second day was a disappointment, it drizzled through the whole day.

 

So, here we were standing at the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), posed under the giant red lantern, the symbol of ancient Asakusa, before walking towards Senso-ji.

 

Nakamise, a 200 metres shopping street, leading from first gate Kaminarimon to second gate, Hozomon. Along the street, alot of Japanese souvenirs and snacks are on sale...from Japanese rice cracker senbei, deep-fried dough with savoury and sweet filling, fridge magnets, yukata, Japanese folding fans and many more.

Very tempting looking sushi fridge magnets.

Assorted hand-made senbei...can be purchased as souvenirs.

Sakura in bloom along Nakamise.

Savouring my fried dough of sakura and green tea fillings. Crunchy on the outside, and sweet hot filling inside the dough. Please try the senbei and the fried dough when you are in Asakusa.

A clear picture of the fried dough with different fillings which you can choose from.

 

 

 

The Senso-ji

After which, we walked back to Asakusa station, where we found a fugu specialized restaurant. That was the first time I had first encounter with real fugus. They sure looked ugly but I contemplate to have fugu feast with hubby in Osaka, on upcoming November holiday. 

A table full of fugu delicacies.

A picture guide showing many parts of fugu which are edible. 

Bought hand-made senbei from a shop near Asakusa.

If you are lazy to move your bum around venturing the area, get yourself a trishaw.

With 2 major Tokyo landmarks at the background, from left: 634 metres tall Tokyo Skytree (the highest tower in the world, which is said reservation to the observation decks takes months after its opening on 22nd May 2012), and the Asahi Building, the one looks like golden peanut.

 

 

 

When we got back to Shinjuku, we headed for sushi lunch. Love the Japanese menu, which usually comes with calorie counter, for those who are weight conscious.

Here's our sushi lunch, with chawan mushi, miso soup and refillable green tea.

Mum said it's a shame that it was the end of the Tokyo trip, where we had stayed in Shinjuku for 7 nights, and navigating around Tokyo was not a chore anymore. To me, my first 2 days finding my way out in Shinjuku station, was a mind-boggling experience.

Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku provides airport limousine bus services, which conveniently transport passengers from the hotel to both Haneda or Narita International Airport and vice-versa.

The Limousine Bus departing to Narita International Airport.

 

Love Japanese magazines which come with kawaii freebies. I bought a few from Lawson.

Unused reserved NEX (Narita Express) tickets, in green, as we preferred to take limousine bus directly from our hotel lobby. One-way limousine bus fare is 3000 yen (S$47) per person from our hotel. A tip to share, if you are not in a hurry to reach Narita, you can take 2 hours limousine bus ride. Otherwise NEX is still faster without all the unforeseen traffic jam.

Walked around Narita Airport and did some last minute shopping for souvenirs and Japanese snacks.

From all the snacks which I'd bought from Japan, I love Tokyo Banana the best. I will buy more next time. :)

This Tokyo Banana Pie is crispy and has buttery vanilla flavouring, just like butter cookies, but not so heavy compared to the cookies. Must buy if you are in Japan. You can easily get this in Narita Airport.

 

OK, that's all for the Japan trip. More to come after my 2 weeks November Japan Autumn holiday with hubby. Can't wait for the moment!