Five to dine-in

The last 18 months have been challenging for everyone. It has been difficult to meet up with family members, even more so with friends. When the rules finally relaxed enough for 5 fully vaccinated to dine-in, we seized the chance to dine-in at the earliest opportunity, afraid that the rules may change again.

As it was raining heavily, we decided to cancel our earlier reservation at another restaurant and go somewhere nearer. It was the first time for me as the place was out of my usual hood.

Ho Ho Korean Restaurant is situated at Sunset Way (Clementi). It’s a small family restaurant. Reviews seems to be mixed on the internet but the food we had that day was very good.

They served one set of banchan (반찬) to the five of us but it was refillable. Worthy of special mention are the beansprouts (crunchy), kimchi (freshly made without the sour taste) and the anchovies.

It was cold and we craved for soup. Ginseng chicken soup (삼계탕) was calling out to us. I have to admit Ginseng chicken soup is not my ‘must-eat’ dish. But the chicken was cooked just right and tender and the soup tasty. So it’s a thumbs-up.

We ordered Pork belly (삼겹살) and sliced pork collar (목살) because well, BBQ meat seems almost a must if you are eating out at a Korean restaurant. We were getting ready to get all smelly doing the BBQ when much to our surprise, the meat appeared at our table, barbequed and neatly cut, ready to be eaten 15 minutes later. To be frank, I am more than happy to have the meat cooked in the kitchen for me. The smoky smell that lingers on my clothes and bag after a round of BBQ at the table is something I am not keen on. So I was glad we were spared the task. Meat was tasty and yummy. No complaints. Enough for five ladies.

Saving the best for last. Potato pancake (감자전). This dish is not easily available as not all Korean restaurant serves it. The pancake was out-of-this world. Crispy and soft at the same time. Taste was subtle but aromatic, unlike Kimchi pajeon, which can be a little overwhelming sometimes because of the strong kimchi taste.

We were trying to decide between Army Stew (부대찌개) and Seafood Tofu Stew (해물 순두부) but decided on the latter as we wanted to save some stomach space.

OMG, there was so much ingredient in it. There were 2-3 big prawns, clams, mussels and lots of vegetables swimming in the thick and tasty broth. Yumz. I’m still thinking about it.

There is outdoor dining as well and the atmosphere has a laid-back, warm feel.

Hoho Korean Restaurant– Blk 106 Clementi Street 12, #01-58/60, Singapore 120106
Tel: +65 6250 3908
Daily: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm

I mentioned that we wanted to save some stomach space for dessert. Well, at least I did. Although one of my GF in the group declared that it occupies a different space in her stomach. ^^

Our dessert was just round the corner- durians! There wasn’t much of a queue. We chose two Mao Shan Wang.

Heaven is a box of creamy durian. Absolutely worth the calories.

Hao Chi Durian– 109, CLEMENTI STREET 11, #01-02, S (120109) Main Branch Contact. Ah Hua 96996106

The cluster of eateries at Sunset Way. Pretty with the twinkling lights. Hopefully cases will be under control and further restrictions will be eased. The F&B industry has suffered. Be nice and abide by the laws set down by the authorities. Don’t make it difficult for these eateries. They are just trying to stay afloat amid the pandemic.