Chicken Up @ Jurong East - Voted The Best Korean Fried Chicken

I actually did not know that Chicken Up has been around since 2010. What surprises me more is that there is a Chicken Up outlet at Jurong East MRT station itself. It is actually located on the ground floor of the station.

Watermelon Soju 4.5/5

Something that I have always wanted to try at Chicken Up after seeing numerous photo of it on social media platforms is their Watermelon Soju. The cocktail blend of soju and watermelon juice makes it a very easy and happy drink to enjoy with friends and families.

Ganjang (Soya) Chicken Wings 4.5/5

One of Chicken Up's bestseller is their Ganjang Chicken Wings ($12). It was even declared as the best korean fried chicken conducted in a blind taste with 8 different brands. This is my first time having it and I can understand why. The freshly deep fried chicken wings which are dipped in Chicken Up's special soya sauce blend, is very crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside.

Bulgogi Fries 3.5/5

I was told that the Bulgogi Fries ($18) is very popular with the diners. The shoestring fries is topped with thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce and drizzled over with white garlic sauce and garnished with springs of coriander.

UFO Toppoki 4.2/5

New on the menu is the UFO Toppoki ($35.10) which comprises of rice cake, fish cake and deep fried breaded squid in a spicy chilli paste sauce (gochujang). I have tried many gochujang before but this version is really spicy, it sets my tongue burning. The dish got its name because it is served in an UFO pan. On the side includes other stuff such as caramelized kimchi, cheese, corn cheese, kimchi fried rice, steamed egg and some grinded padano cheese as garnish.

For those that has a big appetite, Chicken Up has a All Day Ala Carte Buffet for both lunch and dinner. It comes with unlimited serving of mega half chicken (spicy, crispy, yangnyum, spicy yangnyum, ganjang), wings/popcorn (ganjang, yangnyum, spicy yangnyum) and side dishes such as fries (kimchi, bulgogi, truffle), topoki, jabchae and fried dumpling.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Chicken Up
Jurong East MRT Station
10 Jurong East Street 12
#01-01
Singaopore 609690
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Website
Nearest MRT: Jurong East (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am - 10pm
Fri-Sun: 11am - 1030pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Jurong East MRT station. Take Exit A. Take the escalator to level 1. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

K-Tower @ Amoy Street - 9-Tier Of Fresh Seafood Straight From The Tank

K-Tower is a new seafood tower restaurant has opened at Amoy Street offering 3, 5, 7 and 9 tier tower using fresh seafood directly from the tank. While the restaurant's name may seems familiar to another similar concept at Prinsep Street, there is no association between the two restaurants.

9-Tier Seafood Tower 4.2/5

We tried the 9-Tier Seafood Tower ($298) which consists of Prawn, Scallop, Oyster, Shellfish, Fish, Sea Cucumber, Crab, Lobster, Abalone (addition of $90) with kimchi soup base (addition of $10). Other soup base available are seafood, army stew and ginseng chicken. Among the different tiers of seafood, I like the prawn, crab, clam, abalone and sea cucumber.

After finishing all 9 tier of seafood, you can choose to add on a la carte ingredients to enjoy the pot of gold at the bottom of the seafood tower which has collected all the seafood essences that have dripped down from above. For ease, we opted for the K-Tower Platter ($9.90).

The K-Tower Platter consists of Sea Urchin Ball, Fish Tofu with Cheese, Salmon Ball with Cheese, Squid Ink Ball, Fish Ball with Roe, Beancurd Skin, Golden Mushrooms, Maggie Mee. After all the seafood, it is a good chance for something spicy, soupy and comforting.

K-Tower Fried Chicken Wings 4/5

Besides the seafood tower, K-Tower has an eclectic menu offering popular Korean dishes. While waiting for the seafood tower to be served why not ordered the K-Tower Fried Chicken Wings ($7.90) to start with to layer the stomach first. The crispy chicken wings with the coat of sweet and spicy sauce is pretty enjoyable.

Seafood Pancake 3/5

Good for sharing is the Seafood Pancake ($14.90). I personally do not like the version at K-Tower. It is not the authentic type which has too much flour for my liking. It reminded me of the texture of prawn fritter or oyster fritter.

Ginseng Chicken Soup 3/5

Not into the seafood tower or you just want to grab simple meal, there is the Ginseng Chicken Soup ($17.90). While I could taste the bittersweet flavour of the ginseng in the soup, it was unfortunately on the salty side. The chicken was perfect cooked to a moist texture but I was disappointed that it was not stuffed with glutinous rice.

Shake Shake Rice Box 4/5

Served in a rectangular tin is the Shake Shake Rice Box ($9.90) which is a twist to the Korean bibimbap. Give the nostalgic childhood lunch box in South Korea a good shake to mix all the ingredients up for consumption. I thought the sauce was a bit on the sweet side but this is really enjoyable. The only let down for me is its missing the crispy burnt rice, unlike bibimbap served in hot stone.

Trilogy Rice Cake with Honey 4.2/5

For a sweet ending, a must try is the Trilogy Rice Cake with Honey ($5.90 per stick). The different colours are cheese, pumpkin and sweet potato. The chewy texture with a slight coat of crispiness on the exterior, glazed with honey for a sweet finishing.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


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K-Tower
74 Amoy Street
Singapore 069893
Tel: +65 62219928
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Website
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line), Telok Ayer (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 230pm, 530pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Follow the covered walkway to the junction of Mccallum Street, Telok Ayer and Amoy Street. Turn left at the junction onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Cross Street towards Amoy Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

ICG Chicken & Burger @ Balestier Food Centre - Korean Fried Chicken In Hawker Centre

Newly opened at Balestier Food Centre is ICG Chicken & Burger selling Korean fried chicken. It is quite interesting to note the new trend of international cuisine moving into our hawker scene. The stall sells a variety of fried chicken in different sauces as well as chicken burgers. Its all about chicken here.

Creamy Yangpa Onion Chicken 3.8/5

Marinated for 12 hours and deep fried to crispy, the Creamy Yangpa Onion Chicken ($10/$16) is further topped with fresh onions and a sweet creamy onion sauce. The creamy sauce complements the succulent chicken excellent. This is indeed quite delectable.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken 3/5

The other Korean fried chicken we tried is the Sweet and Spicy Chicken ($8.90/$14). The sauce is on the sweet side instead. I could not really taste the spiciness. Unlike the creamy yangpa onion chicken, the sauce did not go as well with the fried chicken.

Super Tongsal Chicken Burger 3.5/5

Besides the boneless fried chicken, we also tried its Super Tongsal Chicken Burger ($5.50). We all agreed that it tasted quite like MacDonald's chicken burger. It even look similar isn't it? The chicken patty is actually quite good, crispy and juicy.

ICG Chicken & Burger
Balestier Food Centre
Stall 16
411 Balestier Road
Singapore 329930
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Nearest MRT: Toa Payoh (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Fri: 11am - 930pm
Sat-Sun: 11am - 10pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Toa Payoh MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Toa Payoh Bus Interchange (Stop ID 52009). Take bus number 145. Alight 4 stops later. Cross the road and walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes [Map]

CATO @ South Bridge Road - Modern Asian Cuisine with a Holistic Range of Craft Beers and Spirits

CATO is the newest restaurant and bar that has recently become the new resident of the historical building where the first OCBC Bank was located. CATO offers modern Asian cuisine, with a holistic range of over 60 small batched craft beers and spirits from around the world.

Crispy Squid 4/5

Our dinner at Cato started with some small plates. We started with the popular Crispy Squid ($12) which comes in a sweet and salty Thai style glaze. The delectable nip is very addictive, goes well with the beers and spirits.

Prawn and Spinach Wanton 3/5

The Prawn and Spinach Wanton ($10) looks like blooming flower on the plate. The golden baked wanton parcels are stuffed with prawns, spinach and mushrooms. While the crackling wanton skin is outstanding, the stuffing did not manage to excite my taste buds. In addition, the wanton parcel is quite hard to handle and eat.

KFC Korean Fried Chicken 4/5

With the number of Korean restaurants opening around Singapore selling the popular fried chicken, the rendition of the KFC Korean Fried Chicken ($16) at Cato is as good or even better than a few places. It also comes with a sweet and mildly spicy gochujang dipping.

Mentaiko Mac & Cheese 3.5/5

My high expectation of the Mentaiko Mac & Cheese ($15) turned disappointment as I could not traced any mentaiko in the multi layers of flavours. Saying so the Southern comfort is quite enjoyable with the creamy cheese, aburi salmon cubes and tteok (korean rice cake).

Mini Braised Beef Sandwiches 3/5

The flavoursome beef is braised in black bean sauce and served in between bread. The Mini Braised Beef Sandwiches ($16) will comfort the hungry stomach, for a substantial bite.

Sizzling Hotplate Octopus 4.2/5

One of my favourite small plates is the Sizzling Hotplate Octopus ($18). The flavour is straight forward and robust amid the sun dried tomatoes and roasted new potatoes. The grilled octopus was also cooked to a nice tender texture.

Twice Cooked Iberico Pork Cheek 4/5

Moving on the big plates, the Twice Cooked Iberico Pork Cheek ($30) surprised me with the tender pork cheek slices which have been grilled and steamed, this is hold together by the rice wine mustard sauce.

Bangkok Lobster Risotto 4/5

The Bangkok Lobster Risotto ($32) comes with sous vide lobster, tom yum flavoured risotto, seasoned vegetables and lobster butter. It is a very beautiful dish with rich robust and cheesy flavour. The risotto was also cooked al dente with an enjoyable bite to it. However I probably got myself lost in Bangkok as I was not able to taste any tom yum.

Tea Smoked Chicken with Spicy Japanese Noodles 3.8/5

The Tea Smoked Chicken with Spicy Japanese Noodles ($20) comes with Chinese tea smoked chicken, soba, ghost chilli dressing, pearl tomatoes, garden greens and sweet potato chips. The tender chicken was the highlight, well infused with the tea fragrant. However the soba was kind of bland and all I can taste is the spiciness from the ghost chilli dressing.

Pineapple Pork Curry with Baked Rice 4/5

The Pineapple Pork Curry with Baked Rice ($26) is from the recipe book of Grandma Maureen. The traditional Eurasian pineapple curry comes with slow cooked pork belly and baked rice, served in a pineapple and topped with a melted cheese. The curry was some what new and unique to my taste buds. Initially I thought I tasted salted fish or anchovy in the curry gravy but it is actually belacan after checking with the kitchen.

Seared Barramundi Fillet with Homemade Curry 4.5/5

What blow the house down has to be the Seared Barramundi Fillet with Homemade Curry ($28). The pan seared barramundi is served in a traditional Indian fish curry, grilled okra and eggplants. It even comes with sliced bread to soak up the delicious Indian fish curry. This is like a deconstructed modernise fish head curry. A must try!

Valrhona Chocolate and Pistachio Cake 3/5

There is only one dessert item on the menu and that is the Valrhona Chocolate and Pistachio Cake ($12). The decadent chocolate fondant cake served with a scoop of ice cream and fresh pomegranate. A decent chocolate cake with moist interior but the missing pistachio puzzled me. It also need to consider changing their ice cream supplier.

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PROMOTION - COMPLIMENTARY TAPAS OF THE DAY

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For one month period, 18 April 2016 to 18 May 2016. When you walk in to CATO, let the person at the entrance know and quote "CATO Online" to receive a complimentary Tapas of the Day. The promotion is brought to you by the kind folks at CATO.


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CATO
237 South Bridge Road
Singapore 058786
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Fri: 5pm - 12midnight
Sat: 6pm - 1am
(Closed on Sun and Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk straight down Pagoda Street to South Bridge Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]