It's another day of lockdown, and another day to try out great food at Upper Thomson! Today we were craving Korean food, so my boyfriend's family went to dabao food from Parker Korean Restaurant. We used to eat there quite often, but recently stopped going because of the virus. Parker's business hasn't been doing well recently, so we wanted to support them during this tough time too. Also, their Korean food is authentic!

We ordered the regulars - Jap Chae [잡채] Stir-fried Glass Noodles with Vegetables and Beef ($18), Doezi Bulgogi [돼지불고기] Pork and Special Korean Sauce ($16), Pa Jeon [파전] Seafood Pancake with Spring Onions ($15), and Kimchi Stew (not sure how much this was, ps).

The auntie and uncle were really nice and even gave us 2 free drinks - a can of rice punch and crushed pear juice. We also got appetisers, with the usual kimchi, spinach, and tofu. Sadly, they left out my favourite egg rolls and potato salad.

So now let's talk about the food!

First was the pork bulgogi, which was overall a very sweet dish with lots of gravy. The pork came in small bites, and had minimal fat which I appreciated because I really hate fatty meat. Would have loved the enoki mushrooms to be more though, but the overall dish was good.

I also loved the Stir-fried Glass Noodles, and it has always been my all-time favourite. The dish is really, really appetising, and it's mixed with a lot of ingredients. Parker's Stir-fried Glass Noodles are indeed authentic, and has this addictive flavour that keeps you wanting more. Everything was just soft and easy to eat, and it was flavourful even though there wasn't a lot of sauce. It's quite expensive at $18, but the portion is big.

My second favourite was their seafood pancakes. The pancakes are actually really, really filling, and the prawns on it are so fresh. Some people don't like the pancakes because it lacks the wok hei, but I'm fine with that. The pancakes are a bit plain, but they go damn well with Parker's pancake sauce. Just dip the pancakes in, and it goes from a 5/10 to a 10/10.

I don't really like kimchi stew or just stew in general, but Parker's Kimchi Stew grew on me. Kimchi stew can be quite spicy, but theirs isn't that spicy and is very easy to consume. There isn't a very strong sour taste as well, and it's overall just more savoury than it is sour. Their kimchi stew can be a little oily sometimes, but all you need to do is scoop out the oil and all is well.

Korean food has a strong taste,  so the drinks help to cleanse the palette. I really love the rice punch and order it every time I visit Parker. Like the name says, it is literally just a drink with little soft rice bits in it. It's also great for those of you who love sweet drinks.

Oh and I left out the appetisers!!! Usually they have the egg rolls and potato salad which I love, but since those weren't included in the appetisers today, I had to make do with my third favourite side dish - the soft spinach! I know it's weird that I reviewed the side dishes last, but it's because I always eat them last.

It's really a shame that Parker Restaurant doesn't have many many customers, because their food is jjang! The restaurant itself is a bit old school and can look a bit run down, but just overlook that and go straight for the food - it's really worth it. If you're looking for Korean food near Upper Thomson, do drop by and give them your support!

Rating

Food: 8/10

Price: 7/10

Delivery: N/A

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Parker Korean Restaurant

Address: 209 Upper Thomson Road, 574347 Singapore

Telephone: +65 6251 2606

Website