Blue Garden

Blue Garden
50 Tiong Bahru Road
#01-07 Link Hotel

https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Garden-Korean-BBQ-Buffet-Restaurant-114555778628153/

Barbecued Beef Ribeye

Value For Money Korean Barbecue Buffet & Ala-Carte

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 8
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $30 per person.


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Established in March 2011 by its Korean owners, Blue Garden Korean BBQ & Seafood Restaurant, known simply as Blue Garden, is a quaint, casual restaurant within Link Hotel in the Tiong Bahru area of Singapore. Blue Garden is known for their decently tasty and affordable Korean barbecue and authentic Korean ala-carte dishes, and regularly attracts groups of Korean tourists, or Koreans living in Singapore who are hungry for a taste of home.

Ambience at Blue Garden is clean, functional, and casual. The spacious seating area is brightly lit, and comfortably laid out with sturdy modern wooden furniture, which feature a grill built into the center of the tables. The buffet line is neatly displayed and kept clean, with items being topped up regularly. The central layout allows for easy, comfortable access, without any jostling. However, there is a light smell of cooking which hangs in the air, and sticks to your clothing.

Service at Blue Garden is friendly and efficient. Guests are quickly greeted and seated upon entry, and staff assist in setting up your table grill. They're also quick at responding to requests for a change of gas canisters or replacement of used grills. I like that staff are happy, courteous, and try to make diners comfortable. I note that staff proactively move around to observe diners to see if they need assistance. However, clearing up empty / dirty plates and tables after diners leave take longer than elsewhere.

Food at Blue Garden is primarily focused on Korean barbecue buffet, with options for Korean ala-carte dishes. With over 30 different items on free-flow, the buffet is incredibly good value for money at only SGD $30 per person. Dishes are decent in taste, not the most outstanding, but not bad either. The ala-carte menu features classic, authentic Korean favourites, all decently tasty and affordably priced. Portions are sized for communal dining. If going for ala-carte, budget about SGD $27 per person for a meal.


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Blue Garden Signage

Blue Garden Exterior

Blue Garden Interior

Buffet Prices

Seating

Seating

Table Grill

The Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage is refreshing with a mildly spicy hit, and a nice juicy crunch to texture. Good!

Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage

The Kimchi Oi Sobaegi / Kimchi Pickled Cucumber bursts with juicy flavour, having a light sweet flavour with an undertone of mild spice. Cleansing and refreshing.

Kimchi Oi Sobaegi / Kimchi Pickled Cucumber

The Kongnamul / Cold Soy Bean Sprouts is satisfiyingly crunchy, with its chilled texture being rather refreshing. Not as clean-tasting as other versions though, as this has a mild spice coat.

Kongnamul / Cold Soy Bean Sprouts

The Tteokbokki / Ddukbokki / Rice Cakes has a lovely, thick sweet savoury gravy. I find the rice cakes here to be more dense and chewy in texture than elsewhere. The soft savoury slices of Korean fish cake, and crunch of fresh spring onions, complete this appetizer.

Tteokbokki / Ddukbokki / Rice Cakes

The Deep-Fried Chicken Wings are so addictive. Crispy and piping hot outside, juicy and tender inside, with savoury sweet, clean-tasting chicken meat that comes easily off the bone. Bold in flavour, but also oily and decadent.

Deep-Fried Chicken Wings

Felt the Kimchi Jeon / Kimchi Pancake was rather weak, being limp in texture and light on flavour. Not that good.

Kimchi Jeon / Kimchi Pancake

Loved the Gimgaru Jumeokbap / Seaweed Rice Balls, with its moist, sticky texture, and robust vegetal sweet flavour. So good I went back for more!

Gimgaru Jumeokbap / Seaweed Rice Balls

The Sangchu / Lettuce is crisp and fresh, providing a nice foil to wrap the barbecued meats.

Sangchu / Lettuce

The marinated meats are a stand-out here, and the main reason for visiting. Of these, the best for me was the Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Beef, and the Dweji Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Pork. The Dak Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Chicken and Maeun Dak Bulgogi / Spicy Char-Grilled Marinated Chicken are decent at best.

Dweji Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Pork

Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Beef

Dak Bulgogi / Char-Grilled Marinated Chicken

Maeun Dak Bulgogi / Spicy Char-Grilled Marinated Chicken

Grilling

Barbecued Meat

The barbecued seafood provides a nice change from the heavier meats. Both the Doli Saengseon Pilles / Dory Fish Fillet and the Ojingeo / Squid were fresh, and clean-tasting. However, when grilling the fish, it tends to stick to the pan.

Doli Saengseon Pilles / Dory Fish Fillet

Ojingeo / Squid

Grilling

Barbecued Seafood & Sausage

The Kkot Deungsim / Beef Ribeye Steak is very good. Despite being thinly sliced, the meat still retains a nice chew to texture, and the lovely meat juices coat the palate delightfully with a oily savoury flavour.

Kkot Deungsim / Beef Ribeye Steak

Grilling

Barbecued Beef Ribeye

The Beikeon / Pork Bacon has a savoury salty flavour with a smoky aroma, and pairs well with the fresh vegetables.

Beikeon / Pork Bacon

Grilling

Barbecued Bacon

While the Hobak / Pumpkin isn't as tender as I'd hoped, it still has a nice sweet floral flavour. Paired with the savoury salty taste and oily textures of the Samgyeopsal / Pork Belly or the Soegogi Alaesbae / Beef Belly, causes a nice blending of flavour profiles.

Hobak / Pumpkin

Soegogi Alaesbae / Beef Belly

Samgyeopsal / Pork Belly

Grilling

Wrapped

The Coconut Ice Cream has a lovely creamy smooth texture, and an earthy floral sweet flavour. I like that there isn't any ice crystals within the ice cream.

Coconut Ice Cream

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