What do you do when a pregnant friend has a Korean food craving that needs to be satisfied? We go for Korean!
After our favourite Korean place on Telok Ayer closed down/ changed management (basically became really bad), we have been trying to find a new place where we could enjoy good Korean cuisine at an affordable price. We had initially wanted to try one of the restaurants along Tanjong Pagar's infamous Korean food street but as the dark and heavy clouds loomed overhead, we wanted to go somewhere where parking wasn't an issue.
We decided on Chang @Dempsey as she had visited before. She had warned me that it may be a little bit more pricey than our regular joint but we were women on a mission for Korean soup on a rainy day so I was willing to give it a shot. I have a policy about food- I'd rather pay a bit more and be sure it tastes good rather than skimp and end up being disappointed.
As soon as we reached the entrance of the restaurant, I realized I was grossly under dressed in a paid of shorts and singlet. I should have known better, after all it was Dempsey. Sucking it in, we were promptly seated and handed menus.
I really appreciate that the waiter we had was patient enough to be address before he came for our orders. I think ladies catch up was a common sight in the restaurant as there was another larger group of just ladies who were also dining that night. As usual, we over ordered, but with no husbands to put the breaks on the ordering...we just ordered ALL our favorites. I'm really proud that we managed to hold off on ordering the Jap Chae. However, I would love to come back and try it sometime soon.
Five minutes after the orders were taken, a trolley gets pushed out beside our table and we are promptly served a selection of Korean banchan. WAHHH...I have never been served so many dishes at any restaurant before. 8 yummy side dishes among which was the kimchi, seasoned seaweed, grated carrot, seasoned squid, pickled cucumber, beansprouts with sesame oil, Korean potato salad and cold tofu.
We were also served the bean dipping sauce, sesame oil and basket of lettuce to accompany the charcoal BBQ meat. Finally, a bowl of rice for each of us.
OMG...what have we done!
Soon after, they set up the charcoal and first to go on was the pork belly. Three generous slices of Pork Belly cost us $12.50 which is actually reasonable compared to what I was expecting. You should note though that a minimum order of 2 BBQ dishes is required for the charcoal BBQ. We had a lovely waiter which cooked everything to perfection for us and plated it, all ready for eating!
 |
| Pork Belly on the grill ($12.50) |
We were served the Seafood and Spring Onion Pancake to our plates. I liked that there was a generous amount of seafood and spring onion on each slice. Most places I had tried before was more pancake-y than filling, so this was quite a nice surprise for me. Even though the pancake was served with a sauce, I felt that the dish was nice enough to eat on its own. The portion would have been nice enough for 4 people to have a slice each.
 |
| Seafood and Spring Onion Pancake ($10) |
Next, came the Short Rib Soup and the Spicy Beef Soup. It has always been our thing where Mary would order the Spicy Beef Stew and I always prefer the Short Rib...I love meat attached to bones and she prefers meat without the bones. So it all works out.
 |
| Short Rib Soup ($11) |
My short ribs were falling off the bone and super duper tender. In some places, the ribs tend to have too much fat or tendon on the meat but my dish was mostly meat and easy (tender) to eat. I also liked that they were generous with the Konjac noodles. The dish was nicely garnished with a shredded egg which added flavor and color to the dish.
 |
| Spicy Beef Soup ($10) |
The flavors for the Spicy Beef Soup were good but a mild. We usually prefer the soup to be more flavorful and a little more spicier. Their version was neither and could do with a bit more punch. Also, the soup that we normally have is traditionally made with shredded beef and not beef strips so the meat in this version was slightly more chewy than what we are used to.
I really appreciate that the waiter was kind enough to allow us to eat some of the food on the table before putting our Marinated Pork Rib on the charcoal grill. Despite being nearly full at that time, we managed to put away half of the marinated ribs. This was a sweet marinade that was quite a contrast to the pork belly. Again, everything was done for us and plated.
 |
| Marinated Pork Rib ($13.50) |
Once they were done with the charcoal BBQ, they would quickly and efficiently clear the BBQ area, providing you with more place to put your dishes on. And in our case, we really needed the space. I feel the need to elaborate and say that we did end up taking away some of the food.
Our attentive waiter came around once he noticed we had slowed down on eating and were doing more talking, to ask if he could clear the table for dessert. Dessert came with the meal and was a slice of watermelon each and sweet pumpkin soup (chilled). I liked the pumpkin dessert but Mary said it was too sweet for her. Ooops :)
In the end, we called for the bill and waited for the damage. The meal cost us $145.95 for 2 persons, each of us paid about $73. While this wasn't the kind of meal we had set out to have, I feel that the price was justified and the service that came along with the meal was worth it.
Having being on the receiving end of bad service recently, it was such a refreshing change that our waiter was just the right amount of attentive and pleasant. He wasn't intrusive in anyway at all and I liked that he was perceptive enough to notice when we were done eating. He was also nice enough to help us with taking some pictures with our FULL table!
Overall, I would definitely come here again whether as a couple or with friends. While the price tag on the meal is traditionally something saved for special outings and not "on a whim" dinners, it's definitely worth every cent. The menu is more extensive than the few dishes that us two ladies were able to order and you will definitely be spoiled for choice. For those who love Korean food, give this place a shot- you won't be disappointed. I would love to link the website here but unfortunately it isn't very informative.
Jal Mug Get Sum Ni Da!
Chang Korean Charcoal BBQ Restaurant
18C Dempsey Road
Singapore 249677
Tel:
No comments:
Post a Comment