[Review] Kimchi Dining @ Orchard Central: Modern Korean Comfort Food in A Cosy, Family-friendly Environment

alvinology

Oct 15

The newly opened Kimchi Dining at Orchard Central is a delightful culinary gem that my son, Asher and I discovered recently. Located on the 6th floor, the restaurant has an interesting layout that snakes down a stairway into a garden-like environment, within a shopping mall:

Upper deck of Kimchi Dining

You can opt for a more standard cafe seating on the upper deck or proceed downwards for a more laid-back, garden-themed seating. The latter offers a spacious seating area on the Orchard rooftop, providing a captivating view for families looking to dine privately while savoring their meals together.

Asher and I enjoyed a lazy Saturday afternoon at Kimchi Dining, slowly savouring our food and drinks while catching up with some quiet reading. We love the ambient there and will definitely be back again next time.

Kimchi Dining serves traditional Korean comfort dishes presented in a modern, Instagrammable fashion to elevate the overall dining experience. One of the restaurant's standout features is its commitment to authenticity. The restaurant uses traditional Korean tableware and boasts a Korean main chef who oversees menu development and cooking.

Asher and I sampled their 2 pax set menu (priced at S$60 per pax) which consists of the following:

Welcome drink in traditional Korean tableware

Makgeoli Bread ($6): Korean wet market style bread, white bean butter
Hobak: Pumpkin talak juk, maesengee, walnut oil

Flavours of Fermentation ($10): 6 types of house fermented Kimchi

Gaji Ganjeong ($17): eggplant, honey soy, roasted peanut

Gamjajeon ($19): radish 7 onion jangaiji, bacon, Siberian onion truffle mayo

Arongsatae & Dogani ($42): over 6 hours braised beef heel muscle and tendon, Yuja chive salad, Collagen broth

Jeju Pork Noodle ($19): Jeju style pork broth, Charred pork belly, smoked chili powder

2 x Desserts

Chocolate Injeolmi Tart ($9): velvety milk chocolate ganache, seasonal fruit, Korean injeolmi, dark chocolate dust

Black Sesame Sundae ($9): Injeolmi, black rice puff, jujube syrup, Chantilly cream

For drinks, Kimchi Dining offers a diverse selection of traditional Korean alcoholic beverages, including Makgeolli cocktails, as well as a wide range of Korean herbal tea and other beverages.

Jeju Tangerine Peel ($8)
Roasted Bellflower Root ($8)

Asher and I opted for their cold herbal teas and were satisfied with our choice. Presented in a perfume-like bottle, the tea can be ordered to be served hot or cold. Asher opted for the tangerine peel tea, said to be able to boost the immune system while I chose the bellflower root tea, said to be able to help alleviate coughs and colds.

Plating and presentation aside (which we would score Kimchi Dining top marks for), the food was actually pretty good as well. I particularly enjoyed the beef tendon and collagen dish, prepared the traditional way. Paired with the chives salad, it was a clean eat, leaving me very satisfied after the meal, without any greasy feeling as would from most meat dishes.

Asher enjoyed the strong-flavoured fried radish and onion Korean pancake dish, served with truffle mayo. He is a slow and small eater, often unable to finish everything on his plate, but he finished up the whole pancake, as well as the whole bowl of the jeju pork noodle. The latter is an example of a Korean traditional comfort food at its best - light, yet flavourful at the same time.

We will be back again to try out their other dishes. If you are dining there in a group, there is the 2 pax set menu which Asher and I tried at $60 per pax, as well as a 4 pax set menu priced at $55 per pax. The latter would be perfect for a family of four.

We would recommend dining at Kimchi Dining if you are looking for a cosy, family-friendly restaurant in the Orchard area where you can enjoy a little peace and quiet while consuming your food and drinks.