Bibigo @ Serangoon NEX

A new bold interpretation of Korean culinary tradition, Bibigo which combines the Korean word "bi-bi-da" (to mix) and English word "to go" aims to serve modern Korean cuisine with a fresh and healthy concept. Under the renowned Korean corporation, CJ  Foodville with over 2000 restaurants and 14 brands established worldwide, they have opened 3 outlets in Singapore at Raffles City, Serangoon NEX Shopping Mall and Marina Bay Financial Centre.

Ginseng Orange Salad 3.5/5

The Ginseng Orange Salad ($12) showcased the interpretation of Korean tradition cuisine with a modern twist. Freshly cut ginseng shreds mixed with orange, yam, jujube and chestnut were topped with beet leaves and yuzu dressing. A healthy, crunchy and refreshing salad. For those that does not like  ginseng may find the taste acquire.

Sweet and Spicy Rice Cake 4.2/5

The Sweet and Spicy Rice Cake ($10) at Bibigo has a little twist to the norm. The chewy rice cake texture came with an exterior crisp which was pan fried and tossed in a sweet and spicy kohot sauce before serving. Accordingly to our host, this is supposed to be the royal way of eating while the normal version cooked in a stew is the peasant way.

Pajeon Seafood Pancake 4.5/5

This is probably the best Pajeon ($14) I have tried. The scallion pancake wit calamari and shrimp was extremely delectable and crispy held together with just the right amount of batter.

Japchae Silver Noodle 3/5

The Japchae ($11) was beautifully flavoured and stir fried in sesame oil with bell pepper, shitake mushroom, garlic, chives and onion. The silky vermicelli noodles also comes with a choice of char grilled bulgogi, chicken teriyaki, chicken breast and grilled spicy pork or tofu.

Salad Noodle 4/5

The Salad Noodle ($12) was tantalizing starter to whet the appetite with the cold buckwheat noodles, fresh greens, namul and chicken breast tossed in soy mustard sauce.

Hot Stone Galbi 4.5/5

The Hot Stone Galbi ($25) was one of the favourite among the group. The char grilled beef short ribs marinated in Bibigo BBQ sauce was tender and succulent, marinated to perfection.

Boiled Pork Slices 4.8/5

The Boiled Pork Slices ($24) with dried slices of daikon pickled myungyi leaves, garlic slices and chilli pepper was so good that we ordered another plate. Dipped with the spicy bean paste sauce, this delicacy simply made one forgot the sinfulness of the pork belly.

Squid and Pork Bulgogi 4/5

The Squild and Pork Bulgogi ($24) was marinated in spicy chilli pepper sauce and oakwood char grilled. We even ordered some raw rice wine to go with the delectable squuld and pork bulgogi.

Bibimbap 3.5/5

The signature item at Bibigo has to be their Bibimbap which means mixed rice in Korean. Basically the  menu offers 3 types of bibimbap set which comes with a choice of rice (white rice, black rice, brown  white, barley & white), topping (char grilled bulgogi, chicken teriyaki, chicken breast, grilled spicy pork, tofu) and sauce (kohot, citron soy, green sesame, ssam). One can mix and match to their own preference.

The Bibimbap set ($15) comes with traditional mixed rice with assorted vegetables and toppings served in a bowl. The bibimbap here is improved to suit the busy yet health conscious diners.

Bibigo Rice 3/5

Bibigo Rice 3/5

The Bibigo Rice set ($15) is a salad type mixed rice with assorted vegetables and toppings. The portion of the vegetables were more than the rice serving. Definitely a healthier option and for those that wants to control their carbo intake.

Hot Stone Bibimbap 4/5

The Hot Stone Bibimbap ($16) is similar to the bibimbap set except that it is served in a hot stone bowl. I preferred the hot stone bibimbap to normal bibimbap and bibigo rice because the rice came with a nice burnt crisp texture. Among all the combination we tried, the black rice is very memorable. It reminds me of wild rice used in western cuisine.

Hoddeok 4/5

This is a dessert that we seldom get to eat in Singapore. The Hoddeok ($6) is a Korean sweet pancake served with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream. The warm pancake had a nice sweet and chewy texture that was very enjoyable.

Bibigo Ice Cream 4/5

Made from the black rice, the Bibigo Ice Cream ($4.50) was served with crispy rice crust which is an interesting combination. It added a nice dimension of enjoying ice cream.

Unlike most Korean restaurants that serves a variety of complimentary side dishes, Bibigo does not. Nevertheless most meals at Bibigo comes with side servings of authentic kimichi, succulent tofu skins and fresh juicy asparagus to complete the experience of Korean culture.


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Bibigo
Serangoon NEX
23 Serangoon Central
#03-08
Singapore 556083
Tel: +65 65098272
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bibigo.Singapore
Website: http://sg.bibigo.com/index
Nearest MRT: Serangoon (CC Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1130am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Serangoon MRT station. Take Exit B, E, H or G. Walk to Nex Shopping Mall Level 3 same level as NTUC. Journey time about 3 minutes.

Beanstro by The Coffe Bean & Tea Leaf @ Ngee Ann City

Beanstro (simply Bean + Bistro = Beanstro) is a new casual dining with a full fledge table service concept restaurant by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. With the success of the first Beanstro at Marina Bay Sands, a 2nd outlet is opened at Takashimaya. boasting an American style menu and hand crafted beverages. In addition, Beanstro is also halal certified.

Seafood Velvet 4/5

Started the dinner with Seafood Velvet Soup ($9.50) that is garnished with cheese toast and peach compote. Delectable scallops can also be found in the light creamy textured soup.

Tuna Nicoise 3/5

The Tuna Nicoise ($19) comes with yellow fin tuna loin coated with sesame and the greens were dressed with tangy lemon lime vinaigrette. I am not a big fan of onion and I felt it was a bit too many as I could smell it from a distance. The raw taste of onion was a bit too overpowering.

Classic Eggs Benedict 4.2/5

Relish in Beanstro's All Day Breakfast. One of their popular items is the Classic Eggs Benedict ($17). A hearty breakfast that comes with 2 softly poached eggs resting on toasted Vienna with chicken ham, lime vinaigrette mesclun and hollandise sauce. It was so good that we took the toast from the other dishes to soak up the runny egg yolks.

Beanstro's Steak Sandwich 4/5

The open faced Steak Sandwich ($19.50) comes with shaved Australian grass fed sirloin with mesclun and gherkins topped with caramelized onion, roasted pepper and horseradish mayonnaise. This is a good sandwich with a rich medley of flavours but the beef was slightly on the tough side.

Sirloin Steak 3.8/5

A relative good steak that is tender and succulent. The Australian grass fed Sirloin Steak (200gm $24) is served with baby potato, sauteed greens in garlic rosemary sauce. Unfortunately the sauce was a tad salty.

Seafood Wrapped in Cartoccio 4/5

The Seafood Wrapped in Cartoccio ($26) baked in parchment paper revealed a luxurious serving of fettuccine with spiny lobster, scallops and blue mussel in spicy tomato sauce.

Cherry Clafouti 3.5/5

Bread & Butter Pudding 3.5/5

The plating for the Cherry Clafouti ($10) and Bread & Butter Pudding ($9) looked rather similar isn't it? Individually the pastry was pretty tantalizing and I did go back for more. As a whole, it lacked that exciting in the plate that is memorable.

Classic Affogato 4/5

The Classic Affogato ($5.40) was just what I needed for my daily caffeine dose. It just got better with a second dose of ice cream to boast up the dosage.

Yogurt Parfait 4.2/5

I usually have granola with milk for my breakfast but the Yogurt Parfait ($7) inspired me to try other ways of enjoying it. Love the combination of yogurt, peach, banana and granola. Dessert can be healthy and simple.

To be frank, Beanstro is just like Coffee Club or The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC). Food wise it is  pretty decent and affordable. The fact that there are not many halal certified casual dining restaurants in Singapore, I applaud the option made available for the diners.

Beanstro
Takashimaya
Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
#B1-37
Singapore 238872
Tel: +65 62351610
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coffeebean.sg
Website: http://www.coffeebean.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 8am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit D. Follow the walkway through Wisma Atria to Takashimaya. Continue walking straight at Ngee Ann City until destination. Journey about 8 minutes.

2)  Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B to Orchard Road. Head west or turn left onto Orchard Road against the flow of traffic. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes.