Ko Ryo Jeong Restaurant

Came here with a Japanese friend who wanted a taste of authentic Korean food.

The place with the best authentic Korean food in Singapore is my mom's place...other than that, this place is okay...won't say it's good but at least it tasted like Korean food (too many Korean restaurants here tweaked their menu to suit local palates).

We were ushered into a private room although there were seats in the main dining area (which was where I wanted to sit) but I was too lazy to request a change and also because it was so hard to talk to the waiter.

Because I was still feeling hot after golf that day, I started to crave for dongchimi (a type of kimchi which is like cold soup).

Korean restaurants won't have this on the menu (because it's a side dish) but you can easily request for it.

So I told the waiter I wanted dongchimi but he looked at me as if I'm speaking Greek and after several attempts (along with gesticulations), I gave up.

Food was forgettable and I cannot remember exactly what we had except for dwenjang jigae (bean paste soup) and buchimgae (pancake).

The clientele that day was mainly Korean and I think my friend is the only non-Korean in the whole restaurant.

The owner is Korean too along with the cooks but somehow I don't feel that the place felt "Korean".

Later in the evening, my friend and I were in a karaoke (Bi) when we bumped into the cook from Ko Ryo Jeong (I don't know him but my friend did) and he looked just the way his food tasted...Korean but forgettable.

The Spicy Rice Cake and Seafood Pancake are worth trying. The ramen is so-so, can give it a miss.

Ginseng Chicken is said to be very nice but it wasn't available on the day I visited. Will definitely return to try it. XD

The restaurant offers set lunches and BBQ.

This Korean restaurant might be a hidden gem of Singapore.

One dish / stew you have to get - Boo-dae Chi jae - Its a spicy medley of ramen noodles, choice meats, veggies and more - Super hearty and tastay! Had it in Korea for the first time early this year and fell in love with it.

Everything else is also well prepared. Even the ban-chan (side dishes) The side dishes are served as if the cooks thought it was the main course -

Also had the kalbi which was top notch -

The lady that run the place is super friendly, very unlike Korean restaurants. They do need to hire more staff especially during peak hours. Quite often you have get a while to even make a request.

This place is like a hidden treasure that I've been going to since the beginning of last year - It's totally in my weekly rotation of must eats. Just went again last night and I HAD to promote it.

Boo-tay chigae, some soju, and some beef, all you need you satisfy your stomach.

Let me think... my closest experience with a Korean had to be with Yui. If you remember Yui on Survival, who was duped the godfather as he strategically made alliances and used his immunity at the critical moment to emerge from being among underdogs to ultimately winning the title. So, when I was feeling more adventurous this weekend I decided to tried out this restaurant as I read that it is opened by a Korean and the food is pretty authentic.

Verdict:

- Average service but the overall experience made me feel that I was not welcome in the restaurant. Plus, the customers patronizing the restaurant left me wondering if the restaurant provided call girls services.

- However, food-wise Die die must try the BBQ beef it was tender, sweet and well cooked on the spot. Just right for my palate.

- Being a mild spicy eater, I still recommend the Kim Chi soup, it definitely was thick and delicious. Well-worth the stomach pain I got after eating as I have a weak stomach.

- The sauce to the mixed rice (ban fan), or whatever you call it, is so similar to the zhu1 chang2 fen3 sauce I like so yup I like it a lot. Plus the stone bowl really kept the heat in to made sure that you were not be eating cold rice.

- All the dishes also comes with small side dishes which made the meal even more appetizing. My only regrets was not having to try the pan cake but I also felt relieved that I didn't order it as there were really too much food for 2 persons.

Nonetheless I will not recommend you to patronize the restaurant now as International Building is currently undergoing renovation works and it is quite a turn off to visit the restaurant now. Plus you will get lost trying to find the toilet as the toilet signs seem to be a prank by someone bent on making sure you don't find the toilet.

Looking for reasonable and real Korean cuisine, look no further. Tucked in a corner on the second level of International Plaza, Ko Ryo Jeong serves traditional Korean cuisine along with a good variety of side dishes which they will refill.

On their menu you have a good selection of set meals such as kim chi soup, spicy beef soup, deep fried bass, bibimbap, bulgogi, korean BBQ and many others, in Korean and English.

The korean friend who was with us gave the food a thumbs up. While the kimchi they served did not have her mother's taste, it was good kim chi.

The service staff are trilingual in Mandarin, Korean and English, so you can also practice your Korean too.

The many Koreans dining at the restaurant can also confirm the authencity of the food.