My friends and I decided to re-visit Nolboo Hangari Galbi (Orchard Central) after our previous pleasant experience with its Korean Steamboat-styled Stew. This time round, we are back to sample their grill meat offerings.

We were greeted with an inviting red bean with pumpkin congee as our appetitiser. There wasn’t much of red beans and I could not taste much of the familiar pumpkin either. The congee had a general sweet flavor & reminded me of Tau suan – a sweet Chinese dessert made of split mung beans.

After we are done with the congee, an array of complimentary sides including kimchi, beansprouts, lettuce soon followed. The side dishes were pretty refreshing and rather strong on the senses.

The waiter showed us the uncooked pork belly & marinated chicken before taking it away. I was really puzzled with this odd gesture. Why take the meat again? Just cut it in front and we can start grilling.

While waiting for our meat, we cleaned out a few of the complimentary sides. We got a rude shock when we requested for a replenishment of the sides. Each side replenishment is chargeable! This is so unheard of…..

I was really disappointed when our pork belly was served cooked! For me the fun part of the meal happen during the BBQ process. Argghhh… so disappointed. But apparently, I was the only guy on the table who thinks that way. I have to admit the pork belly was handled really well. Given our amateurish BBQ skills, we would never be able to produce such juicy, titillating morsels.

The marinated chicken was grilled to perfection. We get to experience both the crisp & tenderness of the chicken with every bite. The marination gave the meat a sweet flavor.

Only 3 pieces of Korean lettuce wraps were provided and replenishment is chargeable. I can’t believe this….

I was pretty relectant to order the Ginseng Chicken Soup. If the restaurant serve the genuine Korean Ginseng Chicken, it is going to taste bland. That is how Ginseng Chicken Soup taste in Seoul.

Fortunately for us, the soup served here has made relevant adaptions to cater to Singaporeans. It has strong ginseng aroma and commands the sweetness of traditional Chinese double boiled chicken soup. Yes, we Singaporeans like it strong.

The meal ended with a sweet Black Glutinous Rice with Coconut Milk Dessert.

Overall a decent experience. The pork belly and marinated meat sets were delicious but I still prefer to do the BBQ myself. Given the price paid for the meat sets, I expected to have my complimentary sides replenished free of charge. I will think twice about coming back to this restaurant again. Here are the details of the restaurant:

Nolboo Hangari Galbi (Orchard Central)

181 Orchard Road, Orchard Central #08-04/05 S(238896)

Tel: 6884 9151

Opening Hours: 12pm to 10pm Daily

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