Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ – Centrepoint

The restaurant is not in Centre point, but in the basement of Takashimaya Shopping Center. That out of the way, let’s review this place.
I remember eating at this restaurant many years ago when it was still on the fifth floor. Since then, there has been many more new Korean restaurants in Singapore. It’s not exactly a Korean chain and I was hesitant to dine here, but I was pretty sure that the food was decent based on memory. So we decided to try it out.
We ordered the gomtang, bossam, and gool jeon (oyster). We also got a bowl of the radish soup thinking it was kimchi radish soup (that’s what the picture looked like), but it was some Chinese style radish soup. It was only $ 1.50 but still disappointing. The gomtang was flavorful but too salty, and tasted more Chinese style. The bossam meat was seasoned during cooking, I’m guessing five spice powder or some such, which also gave it a Chinese taste to it. It was delicious since I haven’t been able to find bossam at all. The gool jeon was excellent.
So the food is okay, just a little Chinese tasting, which is to me better than the Singaporean styled Korean food. I’ll keep shopping for a bossam place, but I would come back here in a pinch.

My first experience at Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ really impressed me. Since then, I have been recommending this Korean restaurant to my friends and they return with positive reviews too.
The cold side dishes were enjoyable, the best being the kimchi because it was crunchy and simply delightful. There was about 6 items altogether, all in tasting portions.
If you are opting for the Korean BBQ, I will recommend the Pig Collar. It is marinated in the same seasoning as the other meats, but has a pleasant crunchy texture that the other meats lack. The scallops are fresh, sweet and juicy, so it will be a wise choice too.
Prefer something healthier? Then go for the Ginseng Chicken Soup instead. The ginseng flavor is very distinct in the soup, but it is pleasantly sweet instead of bitter. The chicken is tender and the glutinous rice in the soup is an interesting addition to the dish.
The floor was really greasy and slippery though, so be sure to watch your step when you go there!