Health Freak Mommy: Sunday Eats ~ Lunch at Saemaeul BBQ Korean Restaurant and Desserts at Bu Tian

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Sunday Eats ~ Lunch at Saemaeul BBQ Korean Restaurant and Desserts at Bu Tian

Seoul Korea, our favorite Korean restaurant was still closed, so we went to Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, a place with a legion of eateries to hunt for a Korean BBQ restaurant. We chose Saemaeul as someone in the car commented that the food is good but another sister commented otherwise. We went to this restaurant anyway as it was already late and everyone was hungry.

We ordered a BBQ set consisting of beef, pork, and octopus, a seafood pancake, Jajangmyeon, Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles), a Korean bento rice box, seaweed rice balls (Jumeokbap), and kimchi soup.

The BBQ pork and beef had too many veins, which made it difficult for us to swallow and enjoy them. The octopus tasted strange (which must be from the marinade sauces) and had an overpowering chemical smell to it, which was unpleasant. The Jajangmyeon was also disappointing and it was left almost untouched.

After waiting forever for the handmade seaweed rice balls to be grilled, they finally came at the end of the meal. And again, we were disappointed with how insipid they tasted.

The Banchan (appetizers) were satisfactory, but not as good as those from Seoul Korea restaurant.

I must say that Sherilyn can cook a much better Korean meal than what we had today.

All of us left feeling disappointed despite paying over RM300 for the meal.

In spite of the underwhelming lunch, we ended our meal on a high note by visiting Bu Tian, a cafe that specializes in matcha desserts and beverages. The scrumptious desserts at Bu Tian are made using high-quality matcha from Niko Neko, which gives them a unique and delicious flavor.

The matcha drinks at Bu Tian were also exceptional and everyone thoroughly enjoyed them. The matcha green tea and Chinese tea were sui generis. It was the first time that I drank tea served in this manner. Both the matcha and Chinese tea were served to us in a medium size transparent glass cup. Each set of tea was accompanied by a smaller transparent flower-shaped cup, along with a metal glass holder and a leaf-shaped sieve with bits of tea on top.

And the correct way of drinking the tea to enjoy the flavor and aroma of the tea to its max is by pouring the tea from the medium-sized cup into the smaller flower-shaped cup through the leaf-shaped sieve with bits of tea on the sieve. This presentation was not only unique but also Instagram-worthy. The aroma of both the tea, especially the matcha green tea is superb.

While the lunch at Saemaeul was mediocre and did not meet our expectations, the desserts and matcha beverages at Bu Tian more than made up for it. We left the cafe with a sense of satisfaction and contentment, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for quality matcha desserts and beverages.

BBQ pork and beef, seafood pancake and Korean bento rice box (served in a metal lunch box).

BBQ octopus and garlic. This was left almost untouched.

Banchan.

BBQ Seaweed rice balls (Jumeokbap)

Our exquisite and delectable desserts at Bu Tian.

Japanese Tea Sandwich Cookie Box - this is SO SO good. One bite and I was in a dessert coma 😁

Tripe Matcha sliced cake. SO SO good too, and I was in a triple dessert coma!

Tiramisu tart - oh so yummy but I felt a tad giddy after just two bites, coz of the alcohol in the cake. I am that hopeless when it comes to imbibing.