I’m suffering from Monday blues (yes, even people without day jobs get Monday blues if they party too hard over the weekend) and I’m feeling hungry, so I’ve decided to talk about food today.
The Goonfather and I discovered a Korean eatery in Suntec City (at the Fountain of Wealth food area) which we normally would have passed by without a second thought, especially since the signboard proclaims it as a fake Korean cafe.
![[Lousy way to name your cafe]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330yazhoucafe.jpg)
See, it says Ya Zhou Cafe, which translates to “Asia Cafe”. And then, on the side, you see “Korean Cuisine”.
I mean, like, if you’re about authentic Korean cuisine, then drop the word “Asia”. If you’re a fusion cafe, then drop the “Korean” or add a few more adjectives. The way it is now, it confuses people and reduces your appeal.
(I’m not an expert on branding or signboarding, so don’t take my word for it. It’s probably just my own pickiness.)
Anyway, we chose this place because we were between events yesterday and in a hurry, and the pictures actually attracted the Goonfaher’s attention. He loves Korean food and he’s not as picky as me over signboards.
![[Mediocre-looking Korean eatery]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330koreanfood.jpg)
Yes, the place has nice photographs but we are usually wary of nice photographs. All the food courts in Singapore have nice photographs but the food is almost always horrible. (For cheap food, hawker centres are the way to go.)
We really only stopped here because we wanted something cheap and quick and this looked like the most appealing cheap and quick in that immediate area.
I only ordered fried guo tie (pan fried dumplings) beacuse we were going to have a picnic right after this (ballet under the stars).
![[Yummy guo tie]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330guotie1.jpg)
The moment my order arrived and I bit into it, I wish I had ordered more items.
That was arguably the best guo tie I’ve tasted. Very crispy on the outside, juicy and flavourful on the inside.
It comes with the usual vinegar with ginger complement but you can grab some wasabi mayonnaise (or normal mayonnaise) because it tastes great with that, too.
![[Yummy guo tie]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330guotie2.jpg)
My favourite sauce, though, is the Korean chilli sauce, which is kinda sweet and tangy and not really spicy.
The chilli sauce came with the Goonfather’s noodles.
![[Cold noodles]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330coldnoodles.jpg)
Interesting looking, huh?
That big white chunk is a boiled pear. I didn’t try it but the Goonfather liked it. The little ice chips you’ll find in the noodles are not your regular ice chips. They’re soup-flavoured ice chips!
This dish is really very good for hot days because it’s super thirst quenching.
The taste is a little weird and I’m not even sure I know how to describe it. It’s mainly sour, but also salty and sweet and bitter. Haha.
I liked it on the first taste. But after a few more spoonfuls, I started not liking it very much anymore because of a strange taste in the soup I can’t identify right now. The Goonfather slurped it all down while I was enjoying my guo tie.
I stole all his chilli sauce (which was meant for the beef slices in his noodles) but I really love the chilli!
The cold noodles also comes with kimchi and anchovies. The kimchi is also one of the best I’ve tasted because the distribution of taste is just nice. I mean, like, a lot of kimchi is either too bitter or too spicy or something like that.
![[Kimchi and anchovies]](http://www.sheylara.com/images08/0330sides.jpg)
Our meal cost us about $15, including two sodas, which is more than reasonable, considering the quality of food.
I’m definitely going back for seconds!
And now, I have to scoot because the Goonfather is on leave today and I have to follow him around to do errands. Maybe I can talk him into taking me back to Ya Zhou Cafe again! Heh.
That big white chunk is a boiled pear.
I thought it was ice on my first glance. (Noodles with ice) Lol.
Agreed about the nice food at that place – i was in the exact same situation when i went there- hurrying off to another event (and didnt want to end up eating at the food court) – and the food is good!
OMG!!!!!
well that’s informative, usually i just go grab subway, fastfood or the ramen at the foodcourt, now got 1 more place to try.
Haha I ate at that place before! I was ALSO rushing and didn’t want to spend so much so I ended up there.
I had the hotplate beef which wasn’t fantastic…beef was too dry and not very tasty. There weren’t a lot of beef slices too. Didn’t really enjoy eating there or maybe I ordered the wrong thing…
I also felt that the atmosphere was quite weird..the place felt like it didn’t fit in the rest of suntec. haha..but one gd thing was that the food came rather fast!
OMG. It looks so yummmmm D: I WANT TO TRY SOUP FLAVORED ICE!! XD
But, I have a question…doesn’t anybody, like…look at you…strangely when you bring in a camera and start snsapping photos? LOL!
modchip: Well, the Japanese and Korean are really fond of eating noodles with ice, so it’s pretty common. But soup-flavoured ice isn’t that common, I think. Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen it, anyway. :P
Rykarx: Haha… that’s so funny. So that’s how the cafe gets its business. From cheapo people in a hurry! I guess there aren’t many of us… since it looks pretty empty most of the time.
Mike M: Hmm?
Ashtar83: I hope the other food items are nice, too. Haha. I really have to go try it again soon!
mer: HAHAHA. What are the odds of so many of us just happening to try that place because we were in a hurry??? Totally weird!
Okay, so maybe not all the food there is nice. And I do agree with the atmosphere. The shop counter is too big and covers like 3/4 of the cafe opening, which really makes it psychologically a turnoff, I think.
plushiehamsta: Haha. I wonder if you can get soup-flavoured ice in the USA? I suppose you could make it yourself!
About snapping photos, I suppose once in a while, people will stare. But bloggers armed with cameras (especially taking photos of food) are starting to get very common in Singapore, so I think most people already understand what’s up! It’s said that you can recognise a blogger in Singapore by how he takes photos of his food before he eats it!
Nice pix! :) – good to have met you.
Ehehehe, soup-flavoured ice sounds really weird, I hope I get a chance to taste it in my lifetime. LOL.
Hisham: Thanks! Good meeting you too and thanks for dropping by my blog! ;)
modchip: You can try it yourself at home lah. Make some soup and chill it. lol.
hi
i love your blog. i am a frequent visitor & i am an indian.
i have a question , i watch lot of korean dramas their they
serve lot of side dishes do they make it everyday or make
ahead & keep in the fridge. if that is the case how they
could reheat it or eat it cold. i know lot of questions but
i don’t have any korean friend to ask. i’m a working mom &
i want to feed my family well like korean do. pl help me
thanks a lot in advance.
suji
Hi suzan,
I’m not Korean so I don’t know if my answers would be correct, but I think many of the sides dishes are made in bulk and kept (especially kimchi) and they eat it cold.
I’m sure you can find all this info as well as how to make them online. :)