Pocha! Korean Street Dining (JEM)

 After passing by Pocha! Korean Street Dining at JEM countless times, we finally decided it was time to step in and see what the buzz was about. The vibrant storefront, neon lights and lively Korean street vibes had always caught our attention, and curiosity eventually got the better of us. It was time to find out if the experience matched the hype.

Pocha! Korean Street Dining 

The vibe inside felt distinctly different from a typical restaurant setting. Beyond the neon lights and bold colours, the space carried a casual, street-style energy. Instead of regular chairs, we were seated on oil drum containers fitted with seat cushions, adding to the quirky and industrial Korean street dining experience.

Dining Environment

We decided to go for the Golden Abundance Feast, which came with a complimentary Orange Slushy. The set included Fish Tangsuyuk, Samgyetang served with two bowls of steamed rice, and Rose Noodle Tteok paired with Tteokgalbi, a hearty spread that seemed perfect for sharing.

Golden Abundance Feast

Golden Abundance Feast

We were also served a selection of pickles, including kimchi, which added a refreshing and tangy contrast to the richer dishes in the feast.

Pickles

The complimentary Orange Slushy was served beautifully in a glass jug, topped with a slice of orange for that extra visual appeal. It looked refreshing and vibrant, making it a perfect start to the meal.

Orange Slushy

The Fish Tangsuyuk arrived coated in a glossy sweet and tangy sauce, topped with sesame seeds and paired with colourful vegetables like onions, capsicum and cucumber. The battered fish pieces were lightly crisp on the outside while remaining tender within. 

Fish Tangsuyuk

The sauce leaned towards a balanced sweetness with a gentle tang, making it approachable and easy to enjoy without being overly heavy.

Pick a Slice & Enjoy!

The Rose Noodle Tteok paired with Tteokgalbi was something I was initially unsure about, as I’m generally not a big fan of tteok. However, this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The creamy rose sauce was rich, slightly tangy and comforting, oddly reminding me of Haiwannian Pizza’s style of sauce. The thick noodles absorbed the flavours well, while the tteokgalbi added a savoury, meaty bite that balanced the dish nicely.

Rose Noodle Tteok paired with Tteokgalbi

Samgyetang has always been one of my favourite dishes in Korean cuisine, so I was naturally looking forward to this. It arrived bubbling hot in a stone pot, filled with tender chicken, enoki mushrooms and ginseng, and finished with a sprinkle of fresh spring onions. The comforting aroma rising from the pot made it especially inviting, perfect for those who enjoy a nourishing and hearty soup.

Samgyetang 

We also tried the Noodle Tteokbokki Series, Truffle Jjajang Tteok with Fried Ebi. Once again, I’m generally not a big fan of tteokbokki, but the way this was prepared really won me over. The rich, fragrant jjajang sauce paired surprisingly well with the chewy tteok, while the hint of truffle added an extra layer of aroma. Topped with crispy fried ebi for texture, the dish felt both indulgent yet refreshing at the same time.

Truffle Jjajang Tteok with Fried Ebi

Overall, Pocha! Korean Street Dining offers a lively atmosphere paired with a generous variety of dishes that cater well to sharing. While not every dish was something I would usually gravitate towards, there were pleasant surprises along the way that made the experience enjoyable. The Golden Abundance Feast, in particular, is a convenient option for those who want to sample a mix of flavours without over-ordering. With its vibrant setting and hearty portions, it makes for a casual spot to gather with friends, especially if you’re in the JEM area craving Korean comfort food.

Pocha! Korean Street Dining
Location: 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #03-05/06 Jem, Singapore 608549

Casa Vostra (JEM)

Casa Vostra, the newly opened spot in JEM, has clearly captured everyone’s attention. I had assumed the crowds would ease after a few months, but reality proved otherwise. Even on a weekday before 6pm, the wait time was close to an hour. Thankfully, we managed to secure counter seats, which had a much shorter queue and saved us from the long wait.

Queue of Casa Vostra

Sitting at the counter turned out to be perfect for a curious diner like me. I had a front-row view of their open kitchen, watching the chefs stretch the dough, assemble each pizza, and slide it straight into the massive electric oven right before my eyes. It added a whole new layer of appreciation to the meal.

My View 

The dining area exudes the charm of a classic Italian restaurant, elegant, simple, and effortlessly inviting.

Dining Area 

Not every place serves Pappardelle, and even fewer get it right, it’s always a 50/50 chance. Thankfully, this Beef Cheek Pappardelle hit all the right notes. The wide, silky ribbons of pasta clung beautifully to the rich San Marzano DOP tomato sauce, while the slow-braised beef cheek ragu added an indulgent depth and tenderness in every bite. 

Beef Cheek Pappardelle - $25

Smoked pancetta and sofritto brought layers of savoury aroma, and the finishing touch of Parmigiano Reggiano elevated the dish with a nutty, salty fragrance. A hearty, well-executed pasta that truly comforts the soul.

Yummy

The 5 Formaggi e Pear pizza was a true standout. The crust had that perfect leopard-spotted char, lightly crisp on the outside, airy and chewy within, showing the skill of the kitchen and the power of that massive oven. Each bite was a luxurious blend of rich, molten cheeses: the creaminess of mascarpone, the mellow tang of Taleggio, the sharpness of Parmigiano, the stretchy fiordilatte, and the unmistakable boldness of gorgonzola.

5 Formaggi e Pear - $26

What elevated it further was the pear compote. Its gentle sweetness cut through the richness, creating a beautiful balance that kept the flavours from becoming overwhelming. The drizzle of olive oil and crack of black pepper added fragrance and depth, making this pizza both indulgent and incredibly harmonious. A comforting yet sophisticated choice that lingers deliciously on the palate.

Yummy

They say the length of the queue reflects the food quality and it definitely does! This round, we only managed to order two items, and they already kept us full. We will be back for more when the queue isn’t so long, hopefully.

Rating: 4 / 5

Casa Vostra (JEM)
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #01-03, Singapore 608549
Nearest Station: Jurong East (EW24 / NS1)
Website

Dian Xiao Er (JEM)

Dian Xiao Er is no stranger to anyone who enjoys quality and yummy herbal ducks. It's also considered The Must Eat In Singapore. 

It's been a while ever since we last enjoyed a good meal from Dian Xiao Er and with visitors around we welcome them with one of the popular To Eats. We ordered their Signature Set (人气套餐) for 4 pax with 7 dishes from their menu. We can choose to have plain white rice or brown rice at a top-up rate.

Kicking start the meal with these crunchy Baby Kai Lan accompanied by a dash of citrusy lime juice with a zesty touch.

Baby Kai Lan with Salted Fish & Lime 清柠咸鱼小芥兰

The starring dish is none other than their Herbal Roast Duck. It was marinated with a blend of spices and Chinese Herbs for hours and roasted under a precise temperature which maintains the succulency while being in the oven. Crispy and roast to golden brown in appearance. Their roast duck was soaked and complemented with Angelica Herb Sauce which made everyone on the table sing with praises.

Angelica Herbal Roast Duck 当归药材烤鸭.

A special homemade dish infused with freshly squeezed wheatgrass extract and this block of silky homemade tofu was served with seafood bits, broccoli, and edamame.

Signature Wheatgrass Tofu with Seafood 自制小麦草豆腐

The fish maw soup with seafood was thick and densely nutritious. Tasty morsels of crab meat, prawns, mock abalone as well as fish maw made it so yummy.

Fish Maw Thick Soup with Seafood 海鲜鱼鳔羹 

Each piece of boneless chicken thigh was uniformly coated and flavoured in marmite, then sprinkled with roasted sesame. The taste was great and our guests enjoyed it.

Marmite Chicken Thigh 妈蜜鸡腿快

The nutritious Hong Kong-style steamed fish slices were drenched with a special soy sauce and the taste was elevated by the use of shallot oil. Fish Slices were perfectly prepared to the ideal texture.

Steamed Fish Slices with Soy Sauce 港蒸鱼片

 
While some of us is craving for something spicy, we decided to order the Sambal Kang Kong. These vegetables were tossed in the right amounts of Sambal chilli and good to go along with our bowls of rice

Sambal Kang Kong

Every dish was so palatable that our stomachs literally screamed in joy. Dian Xiao Er lives up to its name as the award-winning Chinese Casual  Restaurant. 

Rating: 4 / 5

Dian Xiao Er (JEM)
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #03-08 Singapore 608549

iSteaks (JEM)

 We were back here at iSteaks JEM once again for affordable Steak. Making a repeat order on their Nitro Nanyang Brew & House Lemon Tea suits us most.

Kopi O & House Lemon Tea - $4 Each

We had the 350g Ribeye Steak in Medium Doneness with mashed potato and Onion rings as sides. No question about the quality and that's why they are always packed with patrons during the peak hours. The cut was thick and beautifully done with charred crispy parts as well as its juiciness flesh.

New Zealand Ribeye 350g Steakhouse Char -$43.50

Yes, it is a little weird entering the steakhouse ordering Tilapia Fillet with 2 dies, Country Baked Beans and Coleslaw Salad. 

Meuniere Tilapia Fillet - $18.50

On a separate occasion, Its Christmas time and we were recommended with their Communal Feast. The Communal Feast is good for sharing among a group, party-sized or family. We opted for the oven-prepared (OP) Rib. requested for Medium Doneness, pasture fed and served with choices of 3 sides. 

Steakhouse Char 1000g - $98

While waiting for the oven to prepare our order, we were served with our selected sides, Onion Rings, Sauteed Brussels & Garlic Buttered eggplant.

Onion Rings

We munched on these sides and chatted throughout. We even finished our sides before the Main Course Came. The Sauteed Brussels were nicely done up with some bacon pairing up the dish.

Sauteed Brussels

The Garlic Buttered Eggplant was spongy and addictive among us.

Garlic Buttered Eggplant

The Cut was impressively thick but tender oven-prepared (OP) New Zealand Silver Fern Ribeye grilled with its fatty cap that gently melts and flavours the steak. Look at the charred and succulent Steak!

Elevate the taste by dipping them into black pepper or mushroom sauce. Yummy!

Dipping Sauce

Washing down our food with the tall glasses of beverages. The colleagues seemed very contented with the amount of Fresh Brew and sang with praises that money was well paid for this.

Iced Kopi Fresh Brew & Iced Teh Fresh Brew - $4 Each

The Lemonade Soda with Lychee was cool and refreshing. 

Lemonade Soda with Lychee - $6

Rating: 3.25 / 5

iSteaks
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #01-08/09, Singapore 608549

Aburi-EN (JEM)

While we have been missing Wagyu Beef since the last visit to Aburi-En, its time to make a revisit. We had ordered the Wagyu Suji Don which comprised of A4-A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Stew with seasonable vegetables topped with Onsen Egg on the rice. 

Wagyu Suji Don - $18.90

On top of the Don, we also added Asari Miso Soup like the previous visit. Our repeat orders showed that we were simply hooked to such soup.

Asari Miso Soup - $2.80

Another repeated order will be their Premium Wagyu Jyu but this time round we had included the Onsen Tamago at an additional $1.50. I'm simply enjoying my dinner!

Premium Wagyu Jyu add Onsen Tamago - $35 + $1.50

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Posted on 1st January 2023

Aburi-EN is strategically located in JEM, entrance at level 1 linking from the footpath leading to Westgate mall. Through their business name, its obvious that they are specialized in Aburi. They also offers high quality donburi (rice bowls) with premium ingredients imported from Japan.

Aburi En (JEM)

The place has indoor seating as well as outdoor seating. While the next door neighbour may be offering some live band performances, we get to enjoy our food as well as listen to the band at the same time.

Grilled premium Miyazaki Wagyu on rice was addictive. I was drawn by the slices of Wagyu that literally melts in our mouth. It was my perfection. Not only that the combination of mushrooms and the sauce was moreish too.

Premium Wagyu Jyu - $35

I'm drooling over this even by looking at the picture.

Drooling Goodness

Completing the meal, with an add on of $2.80, I got a bowl of Asari Miso Soup. Soup was tasty and was not salty. I had enjoyed the fresh clams (Asari) and the Kombu slices.

Asari Miso Soup - $2.80

I could not stop singing praises to their Wagyu. The A4-A5 Wagyu Roast Steak was served on hotplate 

together with mushrooms, greens and eggplant. The presentation was enhanced with a dollop of wasabi and sprinkles of golden brown fried garlic and chopped green spring onions. 

Wagyu Roast Steak - $35

The quality of food impressed me. The service rendered was polite and pleasant. It's less likely to give Aburi-EN a miss if we are craving Wagyu Beef like this and that means we will be making a return trip too.

Rating: 4 / 5

Aburi-EM (JEM)
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #01-04 Jem, Singapore 608549
Website

Rumah Sayang

Rumah Sayang is known for its delicious Nasi Padang and wok dishes. It's a brainchild of the team behind Red Ginger. Every time, without fail, the place is packed with patrons during peak hours.

Rumah Sayang

The interior was laid with checkered tiles and was bright. The environment was spacious and the settings were comfortable.

Interior

A good old school taste we found from a bowl of Mee Rebus and what more, they offered Mee Rebus with Satay. What a perfect match.

Satay Mee Rebus with Additional Begedil - $6.70 + $1.30

Begedeil Lontong was not bad. The warm and aromatic dish was filling the stomach. What a delightful meal.

Begedil Lontong - $6.70

Hope to be back again for other dishes.

Rating: 3.25/ 5 

Rumah Sayang
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #B1-41/42, Singapore 608549

Tai Er 太二酸菜鱼

The craze for Chinese grilled fish and Sauerkraut fish has gained popularity over the years. Ever since Tai Er's opening, it was seen that the restaurant is always swarmed with patrons. Tai Er 太二酸菜鱼 is famous for its preserved vegetables and Fish and has a few outlets in Singapore.

On the Table

What's on the wall?

Starting off with the meal, there is a free-flow tea station where we can make our own proportion of Roselle Orange Peel Tea which is good to cleanse the palette.

Free Flow Tea

The OX Tongue was recommended by my friend who knew that it was my first try on such a dish. Loaded with sesame seed and chilli sauce, the sliced beef as well as the ox tongue dish was not too bad.

Sliced Beef and OX Tongue in Chilli Sauce 一见钟情夫妇肺片 - $12

With a spacious environment, it gives diners comfortable dining settings. 

Interior

We had Suan Cai and Fish which is good for 1-2 pax. We also added ingredients such as $3 for glass noodles and $3 for Bamboo Shoots. Slices of thick tilapia were spotted with dried chillies, peppercorns and chrysanthemum. If you sink the ladle deeper into the bottom bowl, you will notice that the bowl was loaded with preserved vegetables. The fish was soft, tender, fresh and addictive.

I love the fact that the dish was appetizing and not filled with overpowering chilli and peppercorns as compared to Mala. 

Suan Cai and Fish for 1-2 Pax 老坛子酸菜鱼 - $49

Apart from the main dish, we had the Seaweed Roll with Salted Egg Yolk. The seaweed was deep-fried and crispy with a good salted egg yolk flavour. 

Seaweed Roll with Salted Egg Yolk 蛋黄海苔脆脆 - $6

A packet of tissue paper is provided and the wrapper was designed with illustrations and writeups of how "Tai Er" comes about.

Tissue

While there are a few outlets now and the crowd in Tai Er is getting manageable. For those who enjoy Suan Cai and Fish, do try out this popular place and rate it yourself.

Tissue Wrapper

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Tai Er 太二酸菜鱼
Location: JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #B1-04, Singapore 608549