Kimchi Dining Review
My bf and I went to Kimchi Dining yesterday! I’d been here before with a friend last year (or maybe even further back?) and I found the food here to be very different from the usual KBBQ so I wanted to share the experience with him.
This time, however, I’m a bit more conflicted on the experience, I think mainly because we got the set (again) but this time I calculated the prices and it’s not that much cheaper than buying everything individually (and they have some restrictions, like you cannot pick the desserts, though we told them we don’t like sesame so they agreed to let us have two chocolate tarts again)! So idk if I would do that again.
Food was good though! I remain convinced that Kimchi Dining serves food that’s a nice twist on the usual Korean dishes we eat, though my BF feels the food is not really Korean. His example was the Gamjajeon pancake - it was delicious but the addition of the onions, cheese, and truffle mayo and the look made it seem very different from the gamjajeon we had at other places (personally, it reminds me of rosti but it’s so tasty I don’t care).
The Makgeolli Flight was pretty cool - we got four flavours and we each had our favourite so I think the experimentation there was successful.
As for the rest of the food, I think we enjoyed the bibimbap the most and it wasn’t on the set menu (we agreed that if we didn’t order the bibimbap, we would have been slightly hungry at the end, as it was we were really full). The prawns and scallops were great; we received 3 prawns and 6 scallops, all marinated really well. We agreed that the taste is similar to Ganjang Gejang and it made the seafood more unique. It was quite hard to balance the seafood on the rice, though, much less each everything while handling the prawn head and tail so this was a little bit of a messy affair.
The pork noodles and the beef were good too and they came quite quickly (the gamjajeong came last). I also enjoyed the chocolate tart, which had jam and mochi pieces inside so it had a nice variety of flavours.
Would I come here again? Maybe but next time I’ll just order the ala carte menu! That said, the Korean place that I really, really want to have again (but cannot because the opening hours & available bookings keep clashing with our schedule) is sodeng because I’m still dreaming of that melted mozzarella with condensed milk snack and the duck bbq.
If you're a fan of Korean cuisine but looking for something a little different from the usual KBBQ, Kimchi Dining might just be the spot to try. One thing I noticed is the thoughtful fusion element in their dishes—like the gamjajeon pancake that blends traditional flavors with cheese and truffle mayo. It reminded me of a rosti but with a Korean flair, which was a delightful surprise. For those curious about drinks, I really enjoyed the Makgeolli Flight. Sampling the four different flavors added a fun element to the meal and showcased the variety possible with this traditional rice wine. It's a great way to experiment and discover your favorite. The bibimbap here is a must-try, especially since it’s not included in the set menu. We found that without it, we might have felt a bit hungry afterward. The seafood options—prawns and scallops marinated similarly to Ganjang Gejang—offered a unique, rich flavor, though eating them does get a bit messy with the heads and tails! Still, the taste made it worthwhile. Since the set menu has some restrictions and isn't much cheaper than ordering items individually, I’d recommend choosing à la carte next time to get exactly what you want, especially if you prefer picking your desserts or have dietary preferences. All in all, Kimchi Dining provides a fresh take on Korean dining in Singapore, blending traditional and modern tastes. If you’re after Korean royal cuisine with a twist, it’s worth a visit. Just keep in mind this isn’t your typical KBBQ experience, but rather a creative culinary journey that might just surprise you!
