Kimchi Dining @ Orchard Central - Aesthetic Korean Restaurant Offering Modern Korean Dining Concept

Kimchi Dining is a modern Korean dining concept located on the 6th floor of Orchard Central. The menu offers ala carte dishes as well as set menu for 2-pax and 4-pax. We tried the 2-pax set menu ($60/pax) that comes with appetisers and mains, 2 desserts and 2 makgeolli cocktails (tea options are also available).

Makgeolli Bread 4/5

Our meal started with warm and comforting Makgeolli Bread, served with a generous portion of White Bean butter. The bread was mildly sweet and fluffy with a slight chewy texture.

Kimchi Platter 3.5/5

Next came the Kimchi Platter, showcasing 6 types of house-fermented kimchi. While the portion of some of the kimchi was rather sad-looking with a couple of vegetable strands, I enjoyed the experience of being able to try their different taste profiles.

Gaji Ganjeong 3.8/5

Then came Gaji Ganjeong. This charcoal tempura eggplant had an airy batter and was delectable with an umami-sweet honey soy dressing.

Gamjajeon 5/5

The set includes the much highly-raved Gamjajeon. These potato pancakes are shaped into mini rosti with moreish crispy edges. Topped with sharp Parmesan cheese, radish, and tangy onion jangaiji, the various flavour nuances woven into these otherwise simple potato pancakes make them even more irresistible. The creamy Siberian onion truffle mayo gives it a satisfying, mouth-filling texture.

Arongsatae & Dogani 4/5

Jeju Pork Noodle 3/5

For Mains, we chose Arongsatae & Dogani and Jeju Pork Noodle. Arongsatae & Dogani is a beef heel muscle and tendon braised for over six hours. The beef itself impressed with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. As for the tendons, I appreciated their clean taste, but some were less tender than expected. The Jeju Pork Noodle, on the other hand, while it had a light and tasty Jeju-style pork broth, paled in comparison due to a rather tough pork belly.

Black Sesame Injeolmi Sundae 3/5

Chocolate Injeolmi Tart 3.8/5

For desserts, we had Chocolate Injeolmi Tart and Black Sesame Injeolmi Sundae. Both desserts incorporated chewy rice balls, adding a contrasting texture. I prefer the bitter-sweet notes of the chocolate tart. The sundae was a tad too sweet due to the drizzling of jujube syrup.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Kimchi Dining
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#06-10
Singapore 238896
Tel:+65 9113 7090
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1130am - 3pm, 6pm 0 930pm
Sat-Sun, PH: 1130am - 930pm
(Closed on Tue)

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

EatAlley @ Orchard Gateway - A Malaysian Food Court Featuring Popular KL Street Food Brands

EatAlley, located in basement 2 of Orchard Gateway, is Orchard's latest Malaysian food theme foodcourt. This 150-seater houses 8 top KL street food brands- Koon Kee Wanton Mee, Hong Lai Hokkien Mee, Siong Huat Bah Kut Teh, Kam Heong Braised Duck, Soong Kee Beef Noodle, Fatty Nasi Lemak, and Restoran Chuan Huat.

Kampung Nasi Lemak (adapted for EatAlley) - Founded a decade ago, the Malaysian founder, nicknamed Fatty, has been making nasi lemak kukus the old-fashioned way using wooden steamers. So here we have the signature dish - Nasi Lemak with Ayam Rempah, complete with fried ikan bilis, peanuts, sunny side up egg and sambal ($8.80), finished with a ladle of curry sauce doused over. The rice was incredibly fragrant and fluffy, making it a perfect match with the robust sauce and sambal. The fried chicken leg had a good crunch on the outside, with the meat tender and juicy. We also had a serving of Beef Rendang that was pleasingly tender.

Kam Heong Braised Duck - Established in 1976 by Tan Boon Seong, the Teochew-style Braised Duck is cooked with eight herbs. The duck meat carried a light herbal fragrance and was at its right tenderness, and the sauce left a delectable lingering herbaceous aftertaste.

Koon Kee Wanton Mee (adapted for EatAlley) - Established in the 1940s on Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, their thin egg noodles, minced pork wanton and roasted char siew are prepared and cooked in-house. We had the Signature Duo Combo of Char Siew, "Flower" Mushrooms, and Braised Chicken Feet with KL-style dark sauce noodles ($10.80). The noodles coated in a flavourful dark sauce had a good bite to it. The pork shoulder char siew was succulent with pronounced layers of fats that stood out against the glossy, blackish caramelized exterior.

Soong Kee Beef Noodle - was founded by Siew Wei Hann's father, who started the business right after the second world war in 1945. What's interesting about their beef noodle is that the dish is made with two components - housemade noodles coated with dark soy sauce and decadent with a scoop of umami-rich minced pork and beef mixture and served alongside a bowl of clear beef soup containing beef tripe, juicy beef balls and tender beef slices from Australia. The latter acquires its light depth of flavour from the brewing of only beef balls without the bones, and its cleaner taste makes it the perfect accompaniment to the noodles.

Uncle Beh Pork Noodle - was started by Beh Chin Kiang's late father in 1963 at a rented stall in Pudu Raya (Pudu market). The Signature Pork Noodle Combo with Kway Teow in Soup ($10.80) features minced and sliced pork and pigs' intestines, liver and kidney. The much-anticipated soup was savoury sweet with a good depth of flavour, and I relished it till the very last drop.

If I were to pick three dishes to eat again, I would go for the Pork Kway Teow Soup, Wanton Mee and the Nasi Lemak. They are my favourites among the 8 stalls.

Words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


EatAlley
Orchard Gateway
277 Orchard Road
#B2-12
Singapore 238858
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am – 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 2 minutes. [Map]

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle @ Crawford Lane - Best Bak Chor Mee In Singapore

It is finally official that Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle is the best Bak Chor Mee in Singapore when it was awarded one star in the inaugural Michelin Guide Singapore in July 2016. The stall started back in 1932 at Hill Street, moving to Marina Square in 1986 before settling down at Crawford Lane since 2005.

Bak Chor Mee Soup 4.2/5

The stall offers both the dry and soup version. A bowl of noodle at Tai Hwa costs $6, $8 and $10. I would recommend going for the $8 which comes brimming with ingredients. In the bowl of Bak Chor Mee Soup ($8), you can find ingredients such as meatballs, wanton, minced pork, lean pork, pork liver etc. The flavourful soup is being perfumed by the tee poh and pork lard.

Bak Chor Mee Dry 5/5

The highlight at the Michelin-starred hawker is their Bak Chor Mee Dry ($8). The al dente mee kia is firm and has an enjoyment bite. It does not have the alkaline taste at all. This is complemented by the awesome chilli and vinegar sauce which is the primary reason why there is always a snaking queue at the stall. Price may be a bit steep but with the generous serving, I think it is still quite worth it.

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle 
Tai Hwa Eating House
Blk 466 Crawford Lane
#01-02
Singapore 190465
Website
Nearest MRT: Lavender (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 930am - 9pm
(Closed on 1st and 3rd Mon of the Month)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Lavender MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk towards the canal. Cross the canal and walk to block 466. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Da Shan Jiao (大山脚) @ Timbre+ - A Piece Of Malaysia Flavour At The Gastro-Park

I have been to Timbre+ numerous time and somehow I seem to miss this little humble stall at the gastro-park. After knowing about Da Shan Jiao (大山脚), I made a special trip down just to try their Pork Noodle. The reason is simple, not many places in Singapore sells this dish and I hope I can discover a new gem.

Pork Noodle 3.8/5

I ordered a bowl of their Pork Noodles ($4) to try. For a mere four dollars, I have a generous bowl of noodles that comes with many ingredients such as lean pork slices, pork offal, meatball and fishcake. The soup was really sweet and hearty, which goes well with the kway teow. It will be better if the texture of the rice noodle can be thinner and softer.

Besides the pork noodle, the stall also sells a upgrade version with pork ribs in the Signature Pork Noodle ($5) as well as Lor Mee ($3.50/$4.50). If you think noodles is a bit heavy for you. The stall also sells some nyonya kueh and homemade chive kueh that will be just right for breakfast or tea break.

The stall is run by a couple who probably around 40 to 50 years old. It is understand the lady owner comes from Malaysia and hence the couple decided to offer the dish at the stall.


Da Shan Jiao (大山脚)
Timbre+
JTC LaunchPad @ One North
73A Ayer Rajah Crescent
Singapore 139957
Website
Nearest MRT: One North (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 6am - 5pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
1) Alight at One North MRT station. Take Exit A or C. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]