Kim’s Family Restaurant – Biggest Banchan | GourmetEstorie

I have been wanting to try out Kim’s family restaurant for a very long time. Ever since Kenny told me about the cheap Korean food there that his family loves, and after reading so many articles about it from the various food blogs, I felt that I must make a visit before the year’s end.

Jawdropping Banchan (side dishes)

The restaurant has lunch specials and I had the Beef Hotplate plus Mini pot of Bean Paste Tofu Stew for $10. But what amazed me was that not two minutes later, a huge array of side dishes started arriving. 10 in total! And refillable.

Now let me see if I can name all of them.

Furthest (1st row) : Kimchi
2nd Row : Seasoned sweet potato leaves, Boiled Sweet Potatoes
3rd Row : Seasoned seaweed, pickled vegetables, korean kimchi pancake
4th Row : Dried seasoned anchovies, Boiled Eggplants, Seasoned Threadfin Bream
5th Row : Pickled vegetables in kimchi sauce, leafy vegetables in kimchi sauce.

Perhaps the most unique for me would be the threadfin bream glazed in a slightly salty sauce. Its not that this is anything fantastic in taste, but would you expect fish to be part of a side dish? Heh, we still finished it all.

Beef Bolgogi (BBQ Beef)

The Beef Bolgogi arrives sizzling on the hot plate and the aroma of slightly salty spices struck me immediately. The meat was smooth and tender, and it does not require too much of a chew. Goes very well with rice.

Korean Kimchi Pancake

For $10, a huge serving of Korean Kimchi Pancake is giving. While I had kimchi pancakes bordering on the line of crispiness, the one at Kim’s Family Restaurant is more fluffy and thicker in nature. There is also more ingredients thrown in together with the batter and fried to a nice colourful circular pancake. Good.

Pork Bulgogi

I didn’t try Kenny’s Pork Bulgogi that day but the dish looks good enough to make my mouth water.

The serving of Toenjang-Tchigae (Soybean Paste Stew) was a new one to me. A little salty with a mild concoction spices, it was rich in both umami and seafood. The portions of seafood in it were also generous and just right to warm the tummy.

The last dish that I had was the Spicy Rice Cakes ($6). They say its spicy, but I didn’t find it spicy. It just looks very red that will induce that sense of spiciness. Still, I enjoyed the chewy rice cakes that absorbed in the flavours of the sauce simmered in.

For a family restaurant, Kim’s certainly meets the mark with its warm, homely and cozy environment. Doodles and artistic graffiti adorn the wall and the decor is clear cut dining for warmth. There is a certain relaxed and laidback atmosphere about the place that left me desiring to go back for another visit.