Cafe Light House

Had managed to find out about the existence of Cafe Lighthouse whilst scrolling through social media — these folks are not to be confused with Lighthouse Bistro which has been in operation for quite some time at Jellicoe Road. Cafe Lighthouse is situated at the foot of Blk 77 Indus Road taking up a shop space within the void deck — these folks should be rather easy to spot considering how they have occupied a shop space with a facade that faces out to the main road. Cafe Lighthouse takes up the space that is around the size of two (2) standard shop units there; the facade of the shop painted in a bright red colour that helps to attract attention from passers by. Inside, one will be able to find the same shade of red being matched with wooden fittings and a wall featuring tiles in shades of blue and brick-like walls featuring a shade of grey — all that alongside a mural on a feature wall showcasing a scene of an ancient Korean home; all the elements coming together to form quite a unique look that still goes pretty well. The dine-in seating of the establishment comprises of a small outdoor area as well as an indoor space; the indoor dining hall features a mix of high tables and chairs that seats two (2) pax each, as well as having proper dining tables and chairs that seats groups of twos (2) and fours (4). Cafe Lighthouse describes themselves as an establishment started by a Korean family, and they have went with naming the space as Cafe Lighthouse as they have wanted the establishment to “spread light and joy to those around” the same way that they fill their household with “light and brightness”. Considering so, Cafe Lighthouse’s food menu is one that features Korean fare that shouldn’t be unfamiliar to most — the menu is being split into categories such as Breakfast, Kimbap, Beef Hot Stone Meals, Pork Hot Stone Meals, Soup, Noodles, Bibimbap, Tteokbokki, Korean Fried Chicken and Dessert. Beverages available at Cafe Lighthouse will include coffee, tea, drinking chocolate and canned drinks.

There was a few items that caught our attention whilst we were skimming through the menu during our visit to Cafe Lighthouse, but we eventually found ourselves narrowing down to the Pork Gochujang with Kimchi Fried Rice which is an item that can be found in their Pork Hot Stone Meals — this was especially after we had observed the dish being served to other tables whilst we were busy narrowing down the items in which we had wanted to try. The Pork Gochujang with Kimchi Fried Rice also does make for a good item to go for especially for those whom intend to give more items a try in one seating — this especially since the Pork Gochujang with Kimchi Fried Rice features both its Pork Gochujang Jeyuk and Kimchi Fried Rice being served together as a single item. The Pork Gochujang does come serve on its own hotplate; the slices of barbecued pork being marinated with Gochujang (i.e. fermented Korean red pepper) and also comes with spring onions, onions, and Enoki Mushrooms. We did feel that the Pork Gochujang here does come a little greasy as compared to most, but we liked how the Gochujang does come with quite that sweetness and earthiness with a suitably spicy kick that those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness should be able to manage — the slices of pork does come tender with some slices being a little more lean whilst others coming with a bit of fat to provide a variance of textures. The accompanying Kimchi Fried Rice was especially tasty; coming in a hot stone bowl just like how one would expect a hot stone Bibimbap would be served in, the Kimchi Fried Rice comes lacquered with enough oil so that it sizzles as it reaches the table but doesn’t burn even if it is left at the table for a while. Digging into the Kimchi Fried Rice, the short-grain rice is pearly and sticky; yet, it comes well-fried with a consistent note of tanginess from the kimchi that subtly runs through at the back of the tongue. The Kimchi Fried Rice also comes with a sunny side-up, though the yolk comes fully-cooked here.

Spotting how Cafe Lighthouse also serves up Kimbaps, we knew that we weren’t going to leave Cafe Lighthouse without having one. We found ourselves going for the Light House Kimbap which seems to be their signature Kimbap offering that comes with elements such as premium white rice, Korean seaweed paper, carrot, egg, fishcake, spinach, ham, pickled radish, crab meat and pure sesame oil. Coming in a roll that is sliced into eight (8) pieces, the Kimbap is well-packed with ingredients and felt especially wholesome given how it comes well-portioned with meat and vegetables — some giving the Kimbap a bouncy bite, whilst some providing a crunch with the pure sesame oil helping to bind all of the elements together and the egg adding a bit of a fluffiness to the Kimbap as well. Quite a good Kimbap even when compared against the others that we had tried from other establishments as well. We also managed to try the Kimmari during the same visit to Cafe Lighthouse; interestingly the Kimmari is being listed under the “Tteokbokki” section of the menu. For those whom hadn’t heard of Kimmari, the dish can be described as a Fried Seaweed Roll — this also usually contains glass noodles within. The Kimmari at Cafe Lighthouse is served crisp being fried and featuring a light, golden-brown batter that encases the seaweed that in turn contains the glass noodles within; all that whilst being non too greasy as well. That being said, what sealed the deal for us was how chewy and springy the glass noodles within were, and how there are also shreds of carrots within that helped to add a bit of a crunch factor to the dish.

The Banchan served at Cafe Lighthouse also really deserves a mention; we were being served with four (4) different types of Banchan — three (3) of them being some form of Kimchi and the remaining being Japchae. We really liked how the Kimchi felt especially fresh and fermented really well; there was a complexity of flavours and textures in some of the Kimchi variants that were being served to us. We came to Cafe Lighthouse without much of an expectation considering the type of establishment it is and how most Korean restaurants don’t exactly differ that much between one another in terms of the quality of food that they serve up; nonetheless, we are actually very impressed with Cafe Lighthouse after giving what they have to offer a go — these folks do serve up pretty much home-style Korean cuisine that were not just comforting, but also full of flavour. No doubt that the Pork Gochujang with Kimchi Fried Rice did turn out to be greasier than we would like it to be, but we did feel that this was a rendition better than what one would expect from some food court / coffeeshop / hawker centred and even some other casual eateries elsewhere. It does certainly feel that the folks behind Cafe Lighthouse do put in quite a bit of heart and soul into the preparation of the food; all to allow patrons to have a taste of their sincerity in the family-style fare that they themselves enjoy at home at its very best. Cafe Lighthouse is a spot that we would certainly see ourselves revisiting when we are craving for a hearty Korean meal — a spot worthy of making a trip to just to see what they are all about; also would like to wish these folks all the best in whatever that has to come!