Comforting Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup @ Nolboo Hangari Galbi

It was one of those work days when I was alone for lunch. My usual lunch companions were either away from office or too busy with work to go out for a proper meal. But I need to get out of the office to get a breather, so out alone I went. 

A little snippet about PinkyPiggu ~ I seldom dine alone outside while in Singapore. Somehow I just don't feel comfortable dining alone in local foodcourts or coffeeshops. Cafes or restaurants fare a little bit better, but I'd rather buy something to eat on-the-go or go home to cook something simple if I feel hungry. Are you huh-ing or shaking your head in disbelief right now? Haha but, yes that's true! It's a different story when I'm alone overseas on business travels though. I feel totally comfortable being in cities like Tokyo and Sydney, exploring their local food scene, enjoying a meal or coffee alone. Why the difference? Weird huh? I also don't understand myself :p

So, it was quite out of my norm when I walked alone into Nolboo Hangari Galbi at Orchard Central that afternoon. I needed something soupy, warm and comforting. Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup is gonna be it.

I placed the order quickly after being shown to my table as I already had in mind what I want to eat. My lunch set meal order of Ban-Gye Tang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Stew Half) is served with congee, side dish, rice and dessert at S$15.90++, which I feel is a reasonably good deal. There are also other set meal options like Bibimbap (hot stone mixed rice), Kimchi Jji-gea (kimchi stew with pork) and Gal-bi Tang (beef short ribs stew with cabbage) amongst many others, with prices starting from S$14.90++. Lunch time service runs from Mondays to Fridays, 11am to 5pm.

My lunch set meal started off with a small serving of Pumpkin Congee with red beans, which is warm sweetness in a bowl. Being a fan of pumpkin, I enjoyed this thoroughly and finished it off within minutes!

Kimchi, one of the essential banchan (appetizier) in every Korean meal. This side dish of cold, fermented cabbage is crunchy with a hint of spiciness.

A simple Salad in light sesame dressing is always welcomed for its crisp and refreshing taste.

This is what I came for ~ Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup! The clear broth is nicely flavored with a strong ginseng aroma. I've tasted some ginseng chicken soup elsewhere which is really bland and was glad that it's not the case here. It was mouthful after mouthful of satisfying soupy comfort, with the softest glutinous rice and wonderfully tender chicken meat which fell off the bones easily. Simple soup like this makes me happy. I'm a happy PinkyPiggu :)

Dessert came in form of Chilled Black Glutinous Rice with coconut milk. Err, or should I simply describe this as pulut hitam? I was somewhat surprised to be served this Malay dessert in a Korean eatery.

If I were to have any complaints about the place, it would be the service. I was in midst of taking a photo of the kimchi when the waitress rudely moved it away from me to make space for the soup. The dessert was served when I was only halfway through my meal. I took it as a sign of "hurry finish up your food and go!" *shakes head*

Thumbs up for the food.

Thumbs down for the service.

Nolboo Hangari Galbi
Address: 181 Orchard Road, #08-04/05 Orchard Central, Singapore 623889 

Contact: +65 6884 9151
Opening Hours: 12pm to 10pm Daily

The above photos are taken by my Samsung S2 and Instagram-filtered.

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