Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken and BBQ

The Fiance has been wanting to try the Korean specialty restaurant owned by the Crystal Jade group of restaurants, Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken and BBQ, so we popped by here one evening after work. The dining experience didn't turn out fantastic. We walked out of the small restaurant smelling of bulgogi and oil.

The overall verdict is that the Korean cuisine here is not great, and too pricey for the lack in quality and authenticity. Also, I found the floor a little slippery, probably due to the poor ventilation and misty droplets of oil from the Korean bbq. They really need to wipe the grease off the floor.


We started off with the side dishes. The Kimchi was actually not too bad, it was fresh enough and sufficiently spicy.


The blanched Beansprouts were not as clear-tasting as it should be.


The Chives Pancake fared better, with a clean, plain taste to it.


The Seasoned Spinach, which should have been the easiest thing to get right, was disappointingly bland and metallic tasting.


The Pickled Radish was also a disappointment, not enough piquancy and spice.


The Spicy Fishcake wasn't too bad, it had a nice chewy texture and a sweet spicy edge to it.


The Assorted Rice in Stone Cattle with Beef ($18), or Bibimbap, a classic Korean staple, wasn't great. It was lacking in the clean fresh crunch usually found in the dish.


Even the Sweet Bean Sauce accompaniment couldn't save the bibimbap.


I had the Spicy Crab Soup ($20), which was too saturated and overpoweringly sweet. The scent and flavour of the flower crab was overwhelmingly pungent.


There were Complimentary fruits to cleanse the palate.



Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken and BBQ
Ngee Ann City #04-20
Tel: 6733 3229
Monday to Friday from 11am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 11pm
Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 11pm
Website: www.crystaljade.com/

Comments

yz said…
Try crystal jade ginseng chicken and BBQ at Centrepoint. I think the ginseng chicken soup there is great.
6.1.11
yz said…
Oh I just realized you DID eat at ginseng chicken and BBQ. Lol why didn't you guys try the ginseng chicken out man?
6.1.11
Bern said…
Don't like ginseng chicken soup. Usually prefer the tofu and seafood stew, more robust and spicy.
7.1.11
Anonymous said…
This is turning into a Korean food blog. Tsk!
7.1.11
Bern said…
For the benefit of my readers, the foregoing remark was made by The Professor, who knows that Buns is half-Korean. And for that reason alone, he's making this unsubstantiated and biased comment. And btw, we seldom eat Korean food (mostly because I'm really not a fan of it).
11.1.11
jstele said…
What made you say the food was inauthentic? You said that you don't eat much Korean, so I'm naturally skeptical.
23.9.11
Bern said…
Dear jstele,

My fiance is half-Korean, and he's grown up eating Korean food. He calls the shots when it comes to Korean food. :)
23.9.11
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