Was scrolling around social media and got to learn about the Seoul Deli Bar concept by Hankang Pocha situated within the The Food Place by Food Junction food court in Raffles City Shopping Centre — this would also be the very same food court that houses other notable concepts such as SMASH by Burgerlabo, Mon Kee Cafe and Ju Xing Fish as well. Hankang Pocha is not new to the local F&B scene; the brand actually runs several concepts including those that are individually operated within shophouse units and also shop units within shopping malls. With that being said, the Seoul Deli Bar concept does seem like a fresh concept that the brand is undertaking — the Hankang Pocha Seoul Deli Bar does emulate the workings of establishments such as that of OmmaKase at AMK Hub and also that of Bibim Deli at Suntec City; the primary offering here would be that of their Mix & Match Value Set where patrons can pick and choose their desired dishes to opt for similar to the likes of local Chinese-style mixed economic rice stalls, with the available sets allowing patrons to chose between the (3) to five (5) items per order.

For the 3 Dishes Mix & Match Value Set, patrons do get to pick and choose between 2 dishes within the ordinary tier and 1 dish within the Premium category. White rice is offered as a default with the Mix & Match Value Sets, though Brown Rice is also offered but priced at an additional dollar. Complimentary would be the serving of Kimchi, and patrons do get a helping of seaweed flakes, sesame seeds and Bibimbap sauce (spicy and non-spicy versions both available) to add to their Mix & Match Value Sets. For our order, we went with the White Rice, accompanied by the Fried Chicken (Boneless) and Seasoned Cucumbers for the dishes in the normal tier, while we went for the Pork Belly BBQ for the dish from the Premium category. Whilst the various items that we had opted for at Hankang Pocha wouldn’t be what one would describe as gastronomical, they do most certainly fix those cravings for Korean cuisine and Bibimbap in general — the Fried Chicken (Boneless) does come with a Honey Soy glaze that gives a savoury-sweet note, though the deep fried batter does seemed to have absorbed a fair bit of moisture from the glaze while the flesh of the chicken was reasonably tender; the Pork Belly BBQ was void of any strong porky stench, though the meat does require a little bit of bite on both the leaner and fattier parts considering the chew that it carried. The seasoned cucumbers do add a refreshing crunch, while the kimchi does add complement the texture of the seasoned cucumbers with an extra tang; the addition of Bibimbap sauce does add an earthy and sweet note with a lightly spicy punch that tickles the tastebuds for those whom can tolerate lower than moderate level of spiciness, while the shreds of seaweed provides a hint of umami-ness to the mix of ingredients in our bowl of the 3 Dishes Mix & Match Value Set.