Different Tastes

Met up with my gf and her family one lazy day for a meal at a restaurant in Pasir Ris Downtown East. Having passed by this place many times but have never gotten the urge or the reason to actually pop in to try it. Apparently, there are 4 branches for this brand already but it seems a rather muted popularity which has to date not gathered much attention.

Location: No1 Pasir Ris Close #01-32/33 NTUC Downtown East

Contact: 65845320

Price Range: $15 per head

Signboard

The interior is the usual with round tables, a narrow walkway and a barely functioning air con. The good thing is that there weren't many people there when we were there which was a great plus for me. Service was those rendered by nice chinese nationals which more or less sets the tone for the meal.

6 Chicken Wings ($9)

The food was served shortly after ordering and the first to appear is this half a dozen of chicken wings and they were pretty good. It was well marinated for a slightly sweet taste throughout while the skin was thoroughly crispy and well done. It wasn't overfried as well which meant it stayed juicy and tender for a quick bite.

Pork Sparerib ($12)

The sweet and sour pork ribs were equally well done with the pork rib being crispy and fragrant while maintaining a wonderfully sweet taste with its outer covering.

Sambal Kang Kong ($10)

The sambal kangkong had an interesting sweet taste which i can't differentiate if it came from the msg or due to their prowess in cooking the greens. It wasn't too spicy which made it easy for me to stomach as well.

Seafood Hot Pot With Mixed Vegetables ($13)

The Seafood hot pot turned out rather well also being nicely starchy with a generous amount of seafood thrown in and some beacurd to go along. Its standard chinese fare though.

Steamed Fish ($16)

The steamed fish would be the item to bring the day down it seems. It was oily, less then fresh and simply tasted muddy. Not something anyone in their right mind would order again it seems.

Bill

Total bill for this meal came up to $76.80 for 6 people. The most unworthy item of the bill is the charge of $10.80 for ice lemon tea which is simply ridiculous.

Overall score: 6/10

Last Word:
Finally, i'd say it really wasn't as bad as i thought. The place was decent, service fast and the food is served piping hot. Some were actually rather pleasing although most that were good was fried. Still, its quite a decent place for a zhi ca meal. Not that i'll be returning however.

Fresh Bulgogi

Fresh Bulgogi belongs in the same vein as Seoul Garden, Breeks and is part of a larger group of restaurants under Zingrill holdings. As ever, their commitment to bring a large array of food to the masses has given birth to yet another chain which specializes in Korean Food. And yet again, it was my colleague's birthday which brought us to gather round for a meal.

Location: #036-059 Changi Airport Terminal 2 Viewing Mall South

Contact: 62221339

Website: http://www.zingrill.com.sg/

Price per head: $20 per head

Chicken Bulgogi ($8.99)

Beef Bulgogi ($9.99)

Going by its namesake, the bulgogi should be first rate and thankfully, it wasn't too bad. I had the beef bulgogi which consisted of pan fried beef, bean sprouts, greens, kimchi and an egg atop rice which were reminiscent of japanese rice in that it was more moist and had much texture and bite. From my limited knowledge of the food, the only way i know to enjoy this was to mix the ingredients till it was colorful and mashy. The mixture in the end tasted slightly spicy and sweet which bodes well for me.

Marinated Chicken ($5.99)

Do not let this extreme close up shot fool you, the chicken portion was so small it was laughable that they dared priced it as it is. The meat itself was the usual korean marinated, which meant it was sweet and tasted like honey coated barbeque meat. It was rather tender too but the price and portion screams "RIP OFF" so loud its difficult to ignore.

Marinated Beef Short ($15.99)

8 pieces of beef for $15.99. Shock has more or less abated since its becoming abundantly clear on how these little items cost so much. The sweet beef is strangely elastic as its almost impossible to chew and break.

Seafood Hot Pot ($26.99)

Just when i was about to give up on the restaurant, in came its saving grace. The hotpot was huge and all the seafood within it was served uncooked thus the view was one where you see the food slowly simmer to a boil. Mussells, clams, prawns, mushrooms and scallops in kimchi broth. The broth itself isn't as spicy as the color makes it out to be and had a rather pleasing chunky texture to it. The seafood itself was thankfully fresh. Now, this, i can recommend an order.

Fried Chicken ($5.99)

Crispy, hot and moderately spicy, this reminded me a little about Mcdonald's spicy drumlets but bigger. Nothing much else to say though.

Bill

The bill for this meal came up to $118.19 after a 10% discount.

Overall Score: 6/10

Last Word:

For a korean food place, i'd say its not too bad although the price needs tweaking to ensure customers don't feel ripped off from some of its small serving items. Still, i'm not returning to this place for a second meal though.