Kimchi Korean Restaurant – Authentic Posh Affordable

We are really loving this new Kimchi Korean Restaurant in Suntec City Convention Mall. Opened just a month ago, Kimchi is probably the most authentic, posh and inexpensive Korean BBQ restaurant where you can have private VIP dining sessions without burning a big whole in your pocket. Quite a handful of items on the ala carte menu are below $10. Side dishes are chargeable per order (not free flow), but this is what sets Kimchi apart from other Korean restaurants – its initiative to reduce food wastage and maximise dining experience. You only pay for what you consume. Besides, how much side dishes can you eat, really?

If we had to choose one item we could eat over and over again, it would have to be Dduk Bok Gi ($7). Homemade by professionally trained Korean and local chefs, it is no wonder that the rice cakes had the most perfect firmness and chewy texture that were delightful. They were also evenly seasoned with light but intense Korean spicy sauce and served with thick fish cake slices at its base.

Kimchi also serves some fine quality Wagyu Beef, with the option for you to barbecue on your own, or have the staff barbecue for you. Alternatively, you can have the kitchen prepare you a completely smokeless barbecue by ordering the Kalbigui 230g ($28). Kalbigui is ideal for ladies who want to avoid the smell of smoke in their hair. The dish is a wagyu beef short rib steak marinated in Korean kalbi sauce, served with grilled onion, fresh leafy and root vegetables, and deliciously sweet Chef’s special Black Raspberry Soy Bean Sauce on the side. It beautifully amalgamates sweet sauce with savoury meat, bringing out a stronger natural taste.

Seafood Kalguksu ($11) is a simple but sensational noodle dish. The thin Korean noodle was extremely silky soft, light on the stomach, and completely covered in rich tasty clam broth that left a clean aftertaste. For the price, this dish is every bit worth it given its fresh seafood ingredients of prawns, mussels, squid rings and oysters. You can also pair your order of rice with spicy Kimchi Soup ($9.50). The fiery hot pot of kimchi broth, pork, vegetables, mushroom and tofu bore a well-rounded flavour that was evenly distributed across our palates.

Other Chef’s recommendations and alternative rice dishes are the Dolsots, or stone pots. They are commonly ordered at lunch as Dolsots are cooked to order, quick to serve, very tasty and satiating. Similar to Bibimbap, Dolsots use a combination of ingredients atop a bed of rice, served with Chef’s special Soy Bean Sauce or chilli paste on the side, and must be stirred well to eat.

For a healthy option, try the Vegetables Dolsot Bap ($9) which includes seasoned Korean rice, vegetables, egg yolk in hot stone served with Korean chili paste sauce. For a completely satisfying seafood experience, try the Oyster Seafood Dolsot Bap ($16) which includes seasoned Korean rice, bean sprout, mushroom, mussel, prawn, scallop, oyster, poached egg in hot stone served with Korean soybean sauce. Embellished with roe, we were able to imbibe tiny bursts of fresh fish flavour that was enchanting.

Fill any remaining stomach space with popular, must try side dishes. The Soft Tofu Salad ($6) was pleasantly infused with sweet Korean soybean sauce, delivering bright tanginess and soft silkiness that soothed our otherwise heavy meal. We also highly recommend you to try the Crispy Pumpkin Jeon ($9.50) which is rice cracker with Grana padano cheese, sweet pumpkin and caramelised walnut served with argula. As odd as the combination of polarising tastes and textures might sound, the dish was truly out of the ordinary and impressed us with its fusion of Western and Korean ingredients and preparation method.

Our meal ended with dense, creamy, citrusy and refreshing homemade Yuzu Ice Cream. Despite its richness, it made a great palate cleanser.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Kimchi Korean Restaurant and cannot emphasise how much you have to pay the posh place a visit. In fact, we have already revisted the restaurant twice with friends and family, since our private review session with Mr Park last week. We were impressed with the great food, warm service attitude, relaxing ambience and affordable prices, and are sure you would be too!

Kimchi Korean Restaurant
3 Temasek Boulevard #02-387
Suntec City Convention Tower
Singapore 038983
T: 6337 7811
Operating Hours: 10am – 10pm (Daily)

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