PUBLISHED February 15th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:31 pm
‘Don’t worry, we don’t play K-pop,’ – that’s the first thing our host tells us when we were seated in the second level of the shophouse that Joo Bar is housed in. In Singapore, where Korean cuisine seems to equal to BBQ, fried chicken, and bibimbap, this makgeolli bar is like a breath of much needed fresh air.
For the uninitiated, makgeolli is Korean rice wine. Light bodied, cloudy, and relatively mild drink is best served cold. Compared to the bottled products you find in the Korean supermarts, the House Brew Organic Makgeolli ($7 for 150ml, $15 for 500ml, and $28 for 800ml) at Joo is not carbonated and less sweet – perfect if you’re not in the mood for spirit driven drinks. We had the Makgeolli Sampler ($35 for 5), which features the home brew and four fruit-infused makgeolli – yucha (Korean citron), peach, strawberry, and lychee. The flavoured options were all light and fruity, but the lychee and strawberry were a tad too sweet for us.
If you’re looking for something else to drink besides makgeolli, they have a range of soju (distilled Korean rice wine from $20 per bottle), or try the yummy Yucha Sojurita ($28, serves 2-4) – a glass of frozen yucha, soju, Cointreau, and lemon juice, with an overturned 330ml bottle of Hite beer.
We started with the Baby Eel Paper ($14); think thin and crispy sheets of baby eel flavoured with chilli salt and lime zest. This umami dish is the perfect drinking snack, especially for the ikan-bilis and anchovy fans. The health conscious crowd would undoubtedly prefer the similarly addictive Tofu Chips with Guacamole and Kimchi Salsa ($14). Here’s a little bit of trivia on how the tofu chips are made: tofu is mashed and mixed thoroughly with flour. The resulting dough is then flattened and cut before deep-frying.
There are some interesting ways of eating at Joo, such as the Warm Kimchi with Tofu & Spam ($16). You have to sandwich the stir-fried kimchi with pork belly between a slice of tofu and a slice of Spam. Together, the tofu balances out the spicy, fermented cabbage and the spam adds a touch of savoury goodness. Strangely, we found that the soup of the Army Stew ($24) overpowered the same luncheon meat. Frankly, it’s quite pricy for the portion as well.
Those hankering after pork dishes the Koreans are renown for won’t be disappointed. The Slow Roasted Mangalitsa Belly ($32) was tender enough and delicious with the side of shredded chives seasoned with chili flakes and soy sauce. I can’t say the same for the slightly dry Joo Bossam ($28), but it might be because it’s boiled with doenjang (fermented bean paste), which I’m not a fan of.
The only bovine dish we tried was the Hand-Chopped Korean Minced Rib Steak ($20). Lightly marinated with garlic, soy, honey, and yucha, this hand-shaped and flame-grilled steak practically melted in my mouth…and I melted right along with it. It’s my one must-order item when I come back.
After that, the Kimchi Chicken Potpie ($14) – a kimchi béchamel stew with chicken, celery, carrot, mushrooms and corn – didn’t stand out very much while I did enjoy it. It’ll probably sell like hotcakes if Joo were ever to open for lunch though.
We didn’t have room for dessert so we can’t tell you much about that section of the menu. But whether you like makegeolli or not, Joo is worth a try. Plus, you get complimentary Homemade Chips with any drink order and complimentary banchan (as expected of any self-respecting Korean joint) with any food order.
Oh, and yes, you won’t find blaring tunes by K-Pop groups here – the music is Korean R&B.
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