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The k-pop phenomenon and Korean dramas have totally no impact on my life which probably explains why I seldom eat Korean cuisine unless suggested by a friend or loved one. Last week, my friends suggested meeting at Pujim Korean restaurant which is located at Amoy Street, a street with a fair number of Korean restaurants. Thankfully we made a reservation as the restaurant was full when I got there. The restaurant has a hip décor that would certainly appeal to the younger generation but more importantly, it was organised and clean unlike some other Korean restaurants. 

Our grill with loaded with binchotan-tan

Medium to medium well is a much 

After placing my orders, the Korean waitress who I later found out was the owner of the restaurant promptly loaded our grill with binchotan-tan. This is always better than gas as the charcoal adds smokiness to the grilled meat and seafood. The first to arrive was the Japanese wagyu sirloin. I ordered 100g so that I could enjoy small amounts of the meat without feeling too greased out. I totally enjoyed the 2 slices I had. With just a dash of salt, the wagyu was melt in your mouth and had a strong umami flavour for Japanese beef. The waiter who cooked the meat for us asked how I liked it done and I responded “medium to medium well”. This is a much better way to enjoy Japanese wagyu then medium rare where the fat marbling is still kind of raw. Next we had the US prime grade short rib bone-less (aka kalbi). It was a very tender piece of beef that was bursting with sweetness. I had one slice with the usual lettuce and onions but I felt the lettuce and onions didn’t do the meat justice. I promptly switched back to eating the meat au natural with some salt. I forgot to point out that the meat is rested on a piece of bread at the side of the grill so that some of the fat/oil is absorbed. What a brilliant idea as the meat had a whiff of toasted bread, mmmmm. 

The kimchi stew is spicer and more robust

Korean seafood pancake

We took a break from meat to have a couple of stews. First was the soft tofu seafood stew (Haemul Sundubu Jjigae). This is probably my favourite Korean stew as I like how the sweetness of the seafood blends with the Korean chilli powder (Gochugaru) and the umami from the dried kelp and anchovy stock. It is a lighter stew compared to the Kimchi Stew with pork which we had as well. The kimchi stew is spicer and more robust. Typically this is not my favourite stew but I really like Pujim’s version of this. Our final non-meat dish was the Korean seafood pancake (Haemul Pajeon). The pancake was full of seafood and lovely spring onions and it goes well with the sweet and spicy Korean dipping sauce. There was a good amount of doughy bits with the browned crispy edges. 

Three cuts of Iberico pork: the jowl, secreto and rib finger

Back to the meat, we continued with three cuts of Iberico pork: The jowl, secreto and rib finger. All three had their own textures and juiciness. The jowl was very tender and full of moisture from the marbling and the thin layer of accompanying fat. It was definitely my favourite cut of the three. In second for me was the rib finger. Cut into cubes, the rib finger is not your most tender piece but because you are forced to chew a little, you get rewarded with all the flavour from the Iberico de bellota quality of pork. Yes, Pujim uses only 100% iberico meat that is fed on acorns which explains the stronger flavour, The secreto was my least favourite, probably because it was the leanest but still nevertheless, a good piece of meat. 

Of course, we washed all the food down with Lite beer and soju! It is good to mix the beer with soju as the Korean lite beer is light in flavour and so the soju adds more strength to it. I was surprised when the bill came to less than $100 per person for the food and drinks. We had a good amount of premium meats and left very stuffed. Pujim certainly ranks as one of the best Korean restaurants I have eaten in Singapore and providing such value and service is an added bonus. Looks like I am starting to fall in love with Korean cuisine!