Another very Korean dish on their menu. Braised pork belly, spicy radish, white yucha kimchi. A symphony of flavours - sour, spicy, savoury. But the meat wasn't worth the price.
Best dish here out of an already strong outing. Rapokki is ramyeon and tteokbokki. The mozzarella layer and the broth were superb. Comes with mussels, tiger prawns, shrimps clams, squid, fishcake.
Quite pricey, but oh well, it's beef short rib what. The meat was nice lah, just kinda little. Comes with shiitake hidden below.
Interesting Korean fusion place. This is a Korean pancake done like pizza. Cheese and bacon are obviously strong, but so is kimchi. Although the result wasn't superb, it's definitely fascinating.
Wah the chips damn shiok. A bit like biscuit. The guac and the salsa tasted exactly like expectations haha.
This comes with deep-fried tteokbokki. Quite shiok. Not the tteokbokki lol.
Quite interesting. Dried pollack as beer grub. It seemed dumb at first, like dried cuttlefish, but it's elevated when dipped in the spicy soy mayo.
Back to Joo Bar but this time without burpplebeyond - of course the tofu chips was the first thing I ordered (as usual). I was questioned by dining companion, visiting Joo Bar for the first time, if the chips were really made with tofu. I agreed that it’s hard to imagine how the soft protein could be transformed into these crispy deep fried chips but all I know was the lighter chips with kimchi and avocado salsas was an item I’d order again.
On this visit I tried the honey butter chicken which were fried chicken chunk drenched in a buttery honey sauce; all I was reminded of was Chir Chir fried honey butter chicken without so much sauce but of much better value if I remembered right.
Joo bossam was easily the winner for us. Soft tender pork belly yet retaining its structural integrity in your mouth, topped with pickled cabbage and radishes.
My friends and I were lamenting the lack of good Korean restaurants here but this is definitely one of my go to Korean restaurants now. They have a mix of traditional and modern dishes that are moderately priced for the environment (modern and a bit fun).
Two great dishes:
- calamari - great spices and fried well
- Kalbi - well seasoned and so juicy
We were lucky to reserve a table for 4 at this cosy joint on a Fri night, the place was packed! It serves up yummy bar bites that pair amazing with their refreshing makgeolli. Star of the night was this L.A. Style Black Angus Kalbi that was beef short ribs marinated in a smoky sweet korean soy sauce 😍 the Yucha makgeolli was supposedly the least sweet but it was still pretty on the sweet side, altho VERY refreshing!!! Prices are a bit steep so would suggest to come with a larger group of friends
Joo Bar is a sleek and inviting venue inside a heritage three-storey shophouse along the historic Quee Lan Street. Although it's technically a bar, their modern Korean bites are top notch with things like tender Grilled Pork Belly ($26) and the Seafood Rapokki ($22), a rich spicy stew of ramyeon, rice cake, shrimp, mussels, and Korean fishcake blanketed in melted mozarella. Burppler C A had his first makgeolli experience here, "great ambience, food and of course makgeolli!"
Photo by Burppler Sg Nomster
Pity Burpple 1-1 ended for this amazing Korean bar! Still visit often though as I cannot get enough of their amazing alcoholic drinks and side dishes! Ambience is amazing with loud Korean tunes and jolly conversation filling the small but cozy place! 💕🤟🏻
Note this one down for dinner and drinks with your mates. To go with your jug of Makgeolli ($28), order their tender Grilled Pork Belly ($26) that comes with kimchi and a side salad drenched in a creamy anchovy-filled dressing. Another crowd favourite is the Seafood Rapokki ($22) that sees a rich and slightly spicy stew of ramyeon, topokki, shrimp mussels, squid and Korean fishcake blanketed in melted mozzarella.
Photo by Burppler Dex Neo
Snag my last chance to enjoy 1 for 1 at Joo Bar and no other person to enjoy it with than my mum 😬
It is not difficult to understand why this place is so popular, the slightly pricey Korean small and big bites somehow works with the generous (for light drinkers) low alcoholic content Makgeolli. The above dish feels good till you stop at the salad concoction that surprises you with bites of small anchovies, an excellent well thought side.
Warning: this is really not for the faint-hearted nor diners with low heat tolerance.
Served in a hot plate and lit with a flame torch right in front of your eyes, this flaming chick jumeokbap‘s spiciness is not one to be underestimated. Spicy chicken thighs in chunks, pickled radish, shiitake mushroom, king oyster mushrooms and a ball of seaweed rice. Just as the dish was lit with fire, my tongue was too, with the dish. Thought the combination of the side ingredients especially the rice ball was a little out of place in the dish, but overall still decent taste. Perhaps they might want to consider lowering the spiciness.
But IT IS SO VERY WORTH IT. The bone-in short rib is steeped in some special soy marinade which makes it really nice and sweet and idk just amazing??? Fun Fact: The internet tells us that the “LA Kalbi / Galbi” cut (which means thinly sliced across the bone) originated from Korean immigrants living in Los Angeles. And the LA stands for lateral and not Los Angeles!
Great ambience, food and of course makgeolli! Try the yucha flavour if you’re afraid to try (like me), it is a really nice sweet sour flavour.
Can’t go wrong with tender grilled pork and kimchi, and Joo Bar’s rendition went great with a giant jug of their slushy makgeolli! That side salad was really interesting too, with a light, creamy dressing and umami from little chewy anchovies.
