Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ

I came here once with some friends and we were seated in the private room. Over there, we did our own BBQ, pretty much Chang’s style and the food as I recall it, wasn’t as good as Chang’s, but still pretty decent.

After returning from Korea, I was craving for some decent Korean food after having been sorely disappointed during my stay in Korea. The food we had, was nothing like the Korean food availed to us in Singapore. Typically, Koreans do not really cook. They can’t quite cook according to my tour guide. So their cuisine consists mainly of steamboats and bbqs. Now both of which are fine by me, as I love both; however, the food I had in Korea was way off what I had been expecting. The steamboats were blend and pretty sucky, but I guess this was made worse as we had to eat this everyday throughout the 10 days of our stay. The bbqs were slightly better but definitely not as delicious as the ones in Singapore. The best I had there, was probably of equivalent quality of the Korean food we have at food courts.

Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng & BBQ is perpetually crowded. Even at 9ish on Saturday night, we were made to wait for about 15 minutes before they got us a seat. We opted to have our food bbq-ed for us inside as I didn’t want the smoke to get into my nicely washed hair. I definitely did not expect the food that was to follow.

I ordered the bbq beef thinking I would be getting beef slabs like what I get in Changs, but  NO. Instead, what I got was hot plate beef which pretty much looked and tasted like the hot plate beef you get in the foodcourts. I was stumped. I checked with the waitress and she claims this was what I had ordered. Seriously now, how does hot plate beef strips qualify as BBQ Beef!!!??? I was appalled and sorely disappointed. S had ordered the bibimbak which was just passable. The only remotely decent dish was the Short Rib Beef Soup with tung hoon. That tasted somewhat like what we have at Chang’s though in no way better.

I think when it comes to Korean BBQ, Chang’s is still my No.1, especially if I am gonna be paying that kind of money for it. And NOPE, I don’t think you will be seeing me at Crystal Jade Ginseng again. Not at free will anyways.

Note: I previously gave an entirely contrasting review on yum.sg for this restaurant. Back then I guess I was impressed as the BBQ food I had with my friends in that private room really wasn’t bad. But unfortunately this experience has changed my mind entirely.

Ming Jia Korean Restaurant

Tucked within the unassuming old walls of Bukit Timah Plaza, lies this unpretentious korean restaurant. It’s more like a single stall in a single shop space. The owner seems to be Korean and is assisted by an endearing old aunty. The stall seems family run with minimal furniture. There are only a few seats in this space and so when S and I decided to check this joint out, we actually had to wait for a table. But it was a quick one as most customers come here for a quick meal before heading off. There seemed to be many regulars who were familiar with the place and the 2 ladies. S and I couldn’t really decide what to order despite the limited choices. (There were only about 6 choices to choose from.)

In the end, S settled for the BiBimBak whilst I opted for the Ramen soup which really looked more like instant noodles.

S’s BiBimBak turned out really well. Although I have not tried BiBimBak before, his tasted pretty good and from how quickly he gobbled it up, I know he enjoyed it.

My Ramen whilst striking an uncanny resemblance to instant noodles, was definitely a fantastic version of it. It wasn’t too soggy, done just right, with a good amount of egg and spice. Loved the soup.

I ordered a small plate of beef separately and that was good too. It tasted very simple and makes one feel like you were eating a nice, warm, home cooked meal. That’s it. I think the restaurant had a very personal touch to it, there was a certain family, old school feel to it.

All in all it was a satisfying meal and more so because of the very affordable prices. I would recommend this for a regular dinner after a long day’s work!

Ming Jia Korean Restaurant

Bukit Timah Plaza

B1-07