Our JB Korean BBQ hunt took us to Jeju Korea Restaurant in Bukit Indah (near the AEON Mall).
The sight inside of a traditional Korean BBQ joint - "elephant trunk" exhaust ducts, table top charcoal grills and sunken pits - always excites me. Jeju has it all.
Two of us, we went for Pork Set A. I was excited by the mention of Pork Neck in the menu.
Once we placed our order with the waiter, complimentary barley tea was quickly served.
Moments later, the set of banchan (small plates) arrived. There were 15, yes fifteen, small dishes 😮 It's the most number of small plates that I have seen so far, in any Korean restaurant that I've tried so far.
There's bean sprout, black beans, spinach, kimchi, spicy long beans, spicy broccoli, mashed sweet potato, spicy fish cake, braised egg, mushroom, wiener, spicy cucumber, fried tofu, fried anchovies, and spicy radish. (But, none left any deep impression taste wise.)
On the A course platter, there were Samgyeopsal (unmarinaded pork belly), Moksal (unmarinaded pork neck) and Dwaeji Galbi (marinaded pork spare rib). At RM80++, the 2-person BBQ meat platter at Jeju costs slightly more than average but it comes with 3 different cuts of pork, all with nice marbling which is great for grilling.
For grilling, I have an irrational bias in favour of hot stones, coal or charcoal. Don't like electric or gas burners 😝
The staff grills the pork and cuts them into bite size pieces once the meat turns golden brown outside.
Initially, I was a little worried that we might be required to do our own cooking as Jeju was full house (I wanted to keep my hands free for taking photos 😄). It turned out, I needn't worry as the staff handled everything in their stride efficiently and smoothly. The staff all know their drills well and handled the grill expertly.
Ssam or lettuce wrap. The pieces of grilled pork belly, neck or spare rib were folded into a fresh lettuce leaf together with garlic, cut chili and spicy bean paste.
The combination of savoury, spicy, and sweet flavours was delicious. The mix of tender and crunchy textures was interesting too.
I like it that raw garlic and green chili are served in cans, so we can have these to our heart's content in our ssam 😄
Pay RM5++ more to get this big bowl of savoury spicy kimchi soup with tofu cubes, glass noodles and pork belly slices inside. Perfect with plain sweet boiled rice.
Our bill came to RM102.80 (SGD33.83). It's a slight premium compared to other Korean BBQ places in JB.
It's no fluke that Jeju is very clean and comfortable. Once a batch of customers leaves, the whole crew springs on deck to clean the floor and tables with disinfectant before receiving the next group of customers. Very impressive.. quite touched actually by their dedication.
4-Star (out of 5). We like the traditional Korean BBQ setup and ambiance at Jeju. The service was friendly and efficient even though Jeju was full house when we were there. The 2-person set comes with three well marbled cuts of pork, including pork neck. Fifteen small plates is the most that we have ever seen for banchan.
Restaurant name: Jeju Korea Restaurant
Address: 22, Jalan Indah 15/3, Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru
GPS: 1°28'49.1"N 103°39'27.2"E | 1.480303, 103.657542
Tel: 07 350 0704
Hours: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 3 Dec 2017
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My favourite Korean restaurant in Johor!
ReplyDeleteLike you, we're impressed with the number of side dishes! yummy!