We are still in the annual Singapore / Malaysia haze survival mode, having our meals in shopping malls (hopefully the air is really cleaner inside but at least it is cooler). Buddy Clarence suggested that I could do a series on Korean style fried chicken using 4 Fingers as the benchmark. So, here we are - thanks to Clarence.
Looking for lunch on a hot, hazy afternoon, we cruised around Mount Austin area to look for an indoor place to eat (and hide a while from the haze).
We met for lunch at Restoran Teumsae, a Korean owned family restaurant at Citrine Hub in Sunway Iskandar, Nusajaya Johor. I like the dishes we tried, especially the ginseng chicken soup, deep fried gimbap (rice roll) and jajangmyeon (noodles).
Last night, buddy Phoebe invited me to join her family for dinner at Kim Chi & BBQ Korean restaurant in Taman Pelangi. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to join them due to a prior commitment - my apologies 🙏 As I was craving for Korean BBQ, we checked in at Kim Chi & BBQ the very next morning 😄
We bumped into Phoebe and family in Taman Mount Austin, and they suggested to us to try Myeong Dong BBQ Buffet. Phoebe and family are veteran food hunters in JB and they know a lot of good family friendly places to eat.
Exploring the area around Taman Mount Austin which is now one of Johor Bahru's hottest F & B and entertainment hubs. There are at least a hundred restaurants, cafes and bars here. Some buddies suggested that I try Roi Spoon for their Korean Western cuisine.
We were back at Gogirou BBQ Meat Street, a Korean BBQ joint 10 minutes walk from the nearby JB CIQ (immigration) in Johor Bahru. The menu has been expanded, the favourites have been retained and some recipes were tweaked. If you have not been to Gogirou BBQ recently, your next visit will give you a different experience.
Dinner this evening at Gogirou BBQ Meat Street, Johor Bahru's newest Korean BBQ hangout. JB already has many Korean BBQ places but Gogirou is one of the most accessible for visitors from Singapore as it is located in Zenith Mall which is right across Jalan Wong Ah Fook from JBCC and City Square mall. It's about 10 minutes walking distance after clearing JB immigration.
Our JB Korean BBQ hunt took us to Jeju Korea Restaurant in Bukit Indah (near the AEON Mall).
Ask Johoreans to recommend Korean restaurants and Jang Won is sure to be one of those mentioned. Jang Won is one of the oldest Korean restaurants in JB still in business and still popular among locals. It is well liked by Singaporeans too because it is located at Stulang Laut which is near the JB CIQ (less than 5km).
Starting my exploration of Korean restaurants in JB with Korean Home Cook & BBQ in Permas Jaya which is recommended by several makan buddies.
Gangnam BBQ is a Korean theme restaurant in Kulai near to Senai Airport. The owner Mdm Kim is a Korean expatriate. I was enjoying dinner here with family friends, the Tans.
Visited Chicken Up Johor Bahru, the hugely popular Korean themed food joint from Singapore (where it has 7 outlets). The first Chicken Up outlet in JB was very well received, where it saw long queues since it opened a couple of months ago.
I wasn't expecting much from trendy fads and franchise food but the Korean style baked chicken at Thank U Mom just blew my mind. It's one of the best baked chicken that I've tried so far.
Thank U Mom 的多汁，鲜嫩，美味的韩式烤鸡肉真的让我兴奋。新山 Bukit Indah 是世界上, 韩国以外唯一的地方, 可以试试这个韩国著名品牌。比一般稍貴，但好吃, 应该有长龙。Jalan Bukit Indah 15/2 AEON Jusco 对面 。一定要试试 。
I was invited to try the newly opened WaWa Korean Fried Chicken stall in Johor Bahru's City Square Mall. I was happy to try it as I have never tasted Korean fried chicken before even though it had been the rage for a while now in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Nam Moon Korean BBQ restaurant was the first post on Korean food in Johor Kaki blog. It was way back in 2012 when this blog was not yet ½ year old. Back then, I tried only their kimchi soup set lunch. This time, we tried their BBQ set. It was good, though pricing was marginally higher than average.
