The interior is simple, bright, very clean and comfortable. This is the Westgate outlet.
The Chinatown Point outlet is along the same neat lines. Yeah...., we went to two different outlets on two consecutive days.
You might wonder, like me, how is Gochi-So Shokudo able to serve Iberico pork at affordable prices?
Gochi-So Shokudo's parent company Eurasia Global Food is the largest importer and supplier of Iberico pork in Singapore. More likely than not, the Iberico you ate at your favourite ramen shop, Spanish restaurant etc, got their Iberico pork from Eurasia Global Food. With secured source in Spain, expertise in Iberico, and direct supply to the outlets, Gochi-So Shokudo is able to serve Iberico pork at attractive prices.
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| Four legged olives |
Iberico pork come from a species of black pig indigenous to Spain. It takes two years to raise an Iberian black pig to market size (while in comparison, it takes just six months for Indonesian white pigs).
In particular, Bellota Iberico pigs are raised free range and fed only acorn for six months before they are sent to the market. Iberico pigs fattened with acorn have thick layers of fat which are rich in heart healthy omega 3 oils. Hence, Bellota Iberico black pigs have been described as walking, four legged olives. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
I was eager to try Gochi-So's premium Pluma Iberico steak with sesame mushroom sauce and mesclun salad now on promotion for $21.80+.
Pluma Iberico is a special cut from the neck end of pork loin from free range Iberian black pig. Each pig yields less than 1kg of pluma, so it is a prized cut. It is called "pluma" which means "feather" in Spanish because it is shaped like a bird or angel's wing.
I had Pluma Iberico twice on two days in a row because I am fascinated by this unique cut of pork. The meat is lean with a bit of visceral fat.
At Gochi-So, the Pluma Iberico is simply sprinkled with salt and lightly grilled over binchotan white charcoal from Japan which is known for its long burn and intense heat.
The pluma is tender (not soft) and slightly chewy. It has a bit of toasty taste from the browned outside. Inside, the meat is moist, sweet, savoury from salt. There is no off porky taste or smell that we sometimes get from Indonesian or Australian white pig.
The sweet savoury mushroom sauce complements the pluma well (though I didn't use it much, preferring Iberico's natural sweetness).
I like Gochi-So's Iberico Pork Jowl a lot ($13.80+ for six pieces).
Like the pluma, the pork jowl is simply sprinkled with salt and char grilled. Yes, for quality ingredients, the simpler the cooking the better to retain as much of the natural flavours as possible.
The pork jowl came slathered with a sweet savoury sauce but all I cared about was the Iberico pork. The meat was tender and less chewy than the pluma. The pork jowl had a bit of juicy crunch which released a sweet flavour together with the toasty taste of the seared outside.
The pork jowl is so good, why not eat it with Japanese pearl rice right? And, for good measure, throw in a runny soft boiled onsen egg which makes everything tastes better. This Iberico Pork Jowl Don costs $13.80+. One of my favourites.
Teriyaki Iberico Pork with Assorted Mushroom & Miso Soup $10.90+. Tastes typically teriyaki sauce seasoned pork but the Iberico was softer, sweeter, of course.
Bellota Loin Katsu $17.80+. The thick, tender, juicy sweet Iberico loin was wrapped in a crisp savoury-salty batter. The seasoning in the batter was slightly too salty for my liking.
Bellota Loin Katsu & Cheddar Cheese Roll with rice, salad, miso soup and special sesame sauce $21.80+.
The meaty spare ribs were marinated in a sweet savoury BBQ sauce and sous vide cooked for hours. The spare ribs were finished over the binchotan charcoal grill on order.
The sweet meaty flesh is fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy, overlaid with the sweet savoury sauce plus a bit of smokey taste.
We went to the Gochi-So outlet at Chinatown Point the next day because it is their only outlet serving Iberico Pork Shabu Shabu $14.90+. (We went also for another round of Pluma Iberico which was on limited time promotion.)
The soup is made with pork, vegetables and assorted mushrooms. It is the perfect gently, naturally sweet savoury soup to bring out the best from Iberico pork.
There's pork belly and some other cuts (I am not sure what it was), but they were all fresh. Dipped in the boiling pork and vegetable soup, the tissue thin slices of Iberico cooked almost instantly. The tender Iberico tastes sweet as Iberico should (in my mind).
At $14.90+ with rice and mushroom-sesame sauce, Iberico Gochi-So shabu shabu set is a steal.
Oil globules floating in the sweet savoury soup. Don't worry, go ahead to enjoy it - they are heart healthy omega 3 oils from walking olives, remember?
Nice dining environment, premium ingredients, convenient locations, affordable prices. Worth checking out for your next meal.
Written by Tony Boey on 27 Mar 2021
Gochi-So Shokudo outlets:
๐One Raffles Place #B1-30
๐Westgate #01-01
๐The Seletar Mall #01-34
๐Jewel Changi #B1-288
๐Chinatown Point #02-41
๐Millenia Walk #02-16
๐Bedok Mall #01-75
๐Tampines 1 #03-K1
๐Hougang One #01-23
Just ate there last week. Not worth the value.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteI like to know why did you say it it not worth the money. I ate at the Gochi-so Shokudo Westgate outlet for the first time last week and I tried the limited edition Iberico Pluma Steak because I know it is a rare slice of the Iberico pork loin. It did not disappoint me as the price point is aimed at allowing the general public to try such a unique slice of Iberico pork. I truly enjoyed eating my Pluma slices dipped in the mushroom sauce. Will definitely recommend this limited time specialty to one and all to try.
DeleteI shall try it! looks and sounds great!
ReplyDelete