Hansang Korean Charcoal BBQ @ Holland Village, Singapore

Nestled in one of Singapore's most happening night-spots, the multi-level Hansang's layout was a fusion of Western and native Korean, equipped with a sleek series of wooden furnitures and inviting ambience lights, with the real barbeque actions cooking up at the second storey.

 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pork belly meat, despite all the high fats content and health risks and what's not, I mean, come on, life's too short not to enjoy. By that, self-control is definitely recommended when in Hansang, with all the high-grade wagyu beefs and pork slices, one would find it hard, but salivate constantly.

 

Well, it's not wrong to pamper your taste buds with some Samgyupsal (S$25.00) once a while. These lightly seasoned pork belly slices sizzle at the touch of the grill. There are probably a hundred and one ways to savour the meat, but my prefered way of eating is none other than wrapping one or two slices with some garlic in the crispy lettuce, dipped it into chilli sauce and pop them into the mouth!

 

If you are looking for something more fulfilling, why not try their classic Bibimbab (S$18.00), which consists of generous portions of meat slices, mushrooms and assorted vegetables, not forgetting the glorious egg. Jumble them up with your prefered sauce and you're good to go. Nothing special though.

 

A good bowl of beef stew is set to warm one's body during the cold season. Although not usually the case in all-year-summer Singapore, beef stew with savoury broth and heaps of japchae (glass noodle) is still one of my favourite dishes when it comes to Korean cuisine.

 

Smoke might be difficult to avoid as Hansang is not equipped with retractable pipes that suck in the barbeque smoke, prices are quite steep (spent about $50 per pax), other than that, Hansang is a good place to go if you're craving quality korean barbeque in a relaxing environment.

Hansang Korean Charcoal BBQ

Tel: 66816632

Opening Hours
Mon - Sun: 11:30 - 14:30
Mon - Sun: 17:30 - 22:00

20 Lorong Mambong

Holland Village

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao @ Holland Village, Singapore

I remembered the first time I had Xiao Long Bao, it was in this particular Crystal Jade restaurant and till today, the vivid memory of my awkward fumbling of these delicate art pieces still haunts me. Due to my virgin experience and ignorance, I didn't knew the existence of a small pouch of soup wrapped beneath the thin, delicate dumpling skin. At that time, I sucked at using chopsticks and the way I picked things up - it's to poke them. Things happened and my lovely Xiao Long Bao was ruined.

Recently, dear Peiyi and I had the chance to visit this famous Shanghai-nese restaurant during the weekdays. And oh my, customers were already queueing up, but again, lucky us for we were seated within 15 minutes. Those with bigger groups had to wait up to almost an hour (and again I stressed - it was a weekday!)

Xiao Long Bao (S$4.80 for 4) was glorious. The dumpling skin was just right and the broth complemented the juicy minced pork meat. Mother Kook called me stupid for not eating it with vinegar (which I don't, I detest the smell), but let me tell you that this beauties go well without vinegar and shredded ginger too. Just do not make the same mistake as me.

Pan Fried Pork Bun (S$4.00 for 3) does not lose out. Sink your teeth into these soft fragrant bun and savour the succulent fillings. I thought this yummy buns look like the classic Meat Pao, but just pan fried and upgraded like four levels up.

Ohh-la-la. 

Salted Nanjing Duck (S$8.50) was a tad hard for my liking. Nevertheless, these beautiful duck slices were luscious with a thin layer of fat. Just look at the soft pinkish-red meat! However, I always preferred eating duck drenched in Chinese braised sauce, so this does not appeal to me much.

Lastly, we had Crystal Jade speciality La Mian with Braised Beef (S$8.50). The beef was so tender and juicy, especially the tendons, which I totally love them. (while girlfriend finds them fross. Weird.) Their speciality noodles were definitely one of the best in Singapore, with the spot-on chewiness. But what I wanted to praise most is what holds this entire dish together - the broth. Thick brown soup made of long-simmered ingredients, it brings forth a subtle sweet and herbal  aroma that makes you want to devour this dish.

Besides ala-carte, Crystal Jade (Holland Village) also presents a South-Northern buffet experience which includes steamboat and a huge variety of appetizers, meat, drinks and dim-sum. The best part is that you get all the Xiao Long Bao you can eat!

A very useful tip - do your reservations! Walking in for the buffet guarantees near 0% you can get a table at dinner hours.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

Tel: 64630968

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri: 11:00 - 22:30
Sat - Sun: 10:30 - 22:30

241/241A Holland Avenue
Holland Village

2AM Dessert Bar @ Holland Village, Singapore

Nestled in one of Singapore's most popular hang-out spot, look no furthur than 2AM Dessert Bar, if you want a romantic late-night dessert with your significant other, or just somewhere to hang-out with your friends.

"This Friday night is still young", I thought. It was after a fulfilling dinner at White Dog's Cafe, and we decided that we still have stomach space for desserts. So we head all the way down to Holland Village to this modern-chic dessert bar.  2AM Dessert Bar was easy-to-miss, sitting at the second level in one of the corner, we definitely had a hard time locating it. Upon entering the dessert bar, we were seated on one of the plush sofa seats. At half past 11, this place is still buzzing with people!

I ordered their White Basil Chocolate (S$17.00), a burst of textures and flavours - it consists of passionfruit  fluff, coconut sorbet, pastilles and sea-grapes (a unique sea-weed, which looks and tastes like tiny fish roes). Although this creative dish is not on the sweeter side, but the combination of all the food elements make it interesting.

Peiyi had their Red Miso Caramel Bavarois (S$15.00), it comes with mustard crumbles and chocolate ice-cream which has an interesting texture. This dish packs a punch on the taste buds - a good mixture of sweet and sour.

For every single dessert, they would suggest a pairing of either a red or white wine. So we decided to have the Manawa Pinot Noir Marlborough (S$19.00) from New Zealand, the recommended pairing for Peiyi's dish. It has a strong sweet fragrance, tasted tangy with a tinge of sourness and leave a persistent flavour that lingers in your mouth. (I am not a wine connoisseur, but that is the best description I can come out with).

The price was startling initially, as I usually pay no more than ten bucks for desserts. But I'd say it was definitely worth the experience, and why not splurge occasionally on desserts?

2AM Dessert Bar

Tel: +65 6291 9727

Opening Hours

Mon–Sat: 6pm – 2am
(Closed on Sun)

21A Lorong Liput

Holland Village