logo
New in town: Free-flow banchan buffet at cinema-themed Korea Culture

New in town: Free-flow banchan buffet at cinema-themed Korea Culture

Yahoo18-04-2025
Korea Culture at Terminal 3 opened its doors to the public on 15 Apr, serving Korean classics, fusion dishes and over 50 options of free-flow .
Started by the same people behind Taiwan Culture and Penang Culture, Korea Culture's concept is the first of its kind, with its cinema-themed decor and 'semi-buffet' approach.
With the purchase of any main, the all-you-can-eat Buffet is complimentary. Otherwise, it is also available on its own at S$21.90.
The moment I walked into the restaurant, I was greeted with vibrant lights, movie posters and decor inspired by the popular Netflix series Squid Game. Even the waiters were decked out in pink and green tracksuits, reminiscent of the characters in the show.
I started with the classic Korean banchan selection, which encompassed a wider variety of dishes than I expected. Aside from your usual cabbage kimchi, they also have it in cucumber, chives and bean sprout form. Some other banchan that I tried were the quail eggs, lotus root and inari skin.
Down the line, there is a whole other selection of fried goodies and even more side dishes that are also included in the buffet. Look out for the Kimchi Fried Rice, Tteokbokki and Korean Fish Cake Soup that'll transport you right to a cold night by a street stall in Korea.
The tteokbokki was chewy and generously coated in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. On the contrary, the fish cake soup was lightly savoury, with fish cakes oozing with broth when I bit into them.
For a palate cleanser, check out their DIY salad bar that has over 10 veggies and 3 sauces to pick from. There is also a soup section just around the corner, serving Kimchi Soup, Mushroom Soup and Korean Porridge.
Moving on to the mains, some of Korea Culture's signatures include their Fried Chicken with Korean Soy Sauce (S$24.50), Salmon Bibimbap (S$25.80) and Korean Ginseng Chicken (S$48.80), which is best suited for 2 pax.
I had the Army Stew (S$46.80) recommended for 2 pax, which came with an abundance of ingredients—instant noodles, tteokbokki, tteokguk (flat tteok), tofu, sausage, luncheon meat, baby octopus, enoki mushroom and of course, a whole lot of kimchi.
Topped with cheese and spring onions, this dish was warm and comforting. I mean, it's noodles in a savoury broth, what's not to love?
That's not where it ends. Have I mentioned that they offer free-flow Häagen-Dazs ice cream too? Take your pick between Vanilla, Mango sorbet, Strawberry and Coffee.
Oh, and a free-flow self-service drinks station.
From now till 30 Apr, take part in Korea Culture's special promotion: Play a Korean mini game with one of the staff to win up to 50% off your final bill (10% off per person, max 5 persons).
Who says you need to travel to get a taste of Korea? Stews, bibimbap, fried chicken, they've got it all here at Korea Culture.
Expected damage: S$20 – S$30 per pax
Korean cai fan with unlimited sides & rice from $9.90
The post New in town: Free-flow banchan buffet at cinema-themed Korea Culture appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Butterfly' Star Piper Perabo on Why Playing the Villain Was ‘Relaxing' and Hoping for a Second Season: ‘I Want Even More Guns'
‘Butterfly' Star Piper Perabo on Why Playing the Villain Was ‘Relaxing' and Hoping for a Second Season: ‘I Want Even More Guns'

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

‘Butterfly' Star Piper Perabo on Why Playing the Villain Was ‘Relaxing' and Hoping for a Second Season: ‘I Want Even More Guns'

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from 'Butterfly' Season 1, now streaming on Prime Video. Piper Perabo can get used to playing villains. More from Variety 'Smoke' Star Jurnee Smollett on Killing [SPOILER] and Filming That Harrowing Car Scene With Taron Egerton 'Surrounded by Fire': 'Your Adrenaline Is Rushing' Daniel Dae Kim on 'Butterfly,' the One Stunt He Wasn't Allowed to Do and the Success of 'KPop Demon Hunters': It Wouldn't Have Been 'Made Even 10 Years Ago' 'Drive My Car' Star Nishijima Hidetoshi Leads Prime Video Japanese Mystery 'Human Specimens' In the new Prime Video action-packed spy series 'Butterfly,' Perabo is Juno, the evil head of a private intelligence corporation in South Korea. 'Playing the villain is so much fun,' Perabo tells me. 'I think the villains in Hollywood keep that secret to themselves so that they don't have to give up the great parts. I think it's so relaxing. The getaway car pulls up to you, there's no running. You have an endless supply of weapons. It's very relaxing.' 'Butterfly,' based on the graphic novel series of the same name, follows David (Daniel Dae Kim), Juno's former partner, who comes out of hiding to save his daughter, Rebecca (Reina Hardesty). David had left Rebecca in Juno's care nine years earlier when he faked his death after one of his missions went terribly wrong. Juno not only raised Rebecca, but she trained her to be a blood thirsty assassin. 'I like how clear Juno's sense of purpose is,' Perabo says. 'I always think of her like when you were a kid and you're on the athletic fields and there's this parent on the sidelines who's screaming at their kid and just humiliating them and pushing them. That's who I think Juno is.' In 'Butterfly's' 6-episode premiere season, Juno tries to win Rebecca back when David, with his new wife and young daughter in tow, convinces Rebecca to escape to Vietnam for a new life. Both. I'm usually the one who's assassinating people [Perabo starred on USA Network's 'Covert Affairs' as a CIA agent for five seasons], so it's weird to just point and tell others to kill people, but I thought I'd give it a try. Maybe I'll come back to the assassinations if I am given a chance. Right? And he even took the time to have another wife and another daughter. I know David thought he was protecting Rebecca, but I think she was better off with me. I think it's better over at Juno's house. Why? I have a lot more money. You can work for me and make your own money. It's very healthy over at Juno's house compared David's. It's not safe. There are a lot of secrets. Juno's is much more nine-to-five. I was shocked, but also I was excited, because I feel like it leaves us in a really yummy place. I think this series has a lot of tentacles that can spread out and move in a lot of different directions. One of the things that was fun about being at Comic-Con with 'Butterfly' was that Marvel and DC are amazing and have legacies and a depth of all these myths, but it's so much fun to be in a new universe. When I read the last episode, I was excited because I thought this leaves a lot of open windows. Juno doesn't trust anybody, even her own son Oliver [Louis Landau], and she figures out a way to kind of live with you anyway. Juno's not gonna burn the bridge just because you screwed her over. There's a lot more juice in that orange, so let's not just throw everything away. Like I said, Juno has this clear sense of purpose. It would be foolish to get rid of Rebecca. Juno doesn't eat very much. Juno doesn't like to consume very much. Everything has to be so controlled. And then [showrunner Ken Woodruff] said, 'When you finally get Rebecca, you are going to be able to just relax and have a burger.' And I was like, 'Oh, really? OK, we're gonna need a lot of burgers.' A lot. No, I ate them all. I think she probably showers in them. It's very out of the armored car and into the private jet. Very cab to curb. A lot, a lot, a lot. Even in the opening of the first episode of Rebecca in the hotel. I remember the costume fittings for that when Reina, who plays Rebecca, was like, 'The strap of the purse needs to be this long if I need to strangle him, but I also have to have my entire [getaway] hotel outfit in the purse.' I was like, 'This is my kind of fitting.' A little bit. In my case, we talked a little bit about Juno's hopes and dreams. I want to put her in the worst situation possible and watch her dig her way out. I want even more guns. [Laughs]. There's no update. A couple of days ago, somebody did call me and told me to stop talking about it. I probably shouldn't say that either, but it's all really fun. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: 'The Studio' Poised to Tie Comedy Win Record — and Why Drama is a Two-Horse Race for 'Severance' and 'The Pitt' What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 Solve the daily Crossword

‘My Daughter Is A Zombie' Has Fun With The Scary Side Of Parenting
‘My Daughter Is A Zombie' Has Fun With The Scary Side Of Parenting

Forbes

time7 hours ago

  • Forbes

‘My Daughter Is A Zombie' Has Fun With The Scary Side Of Parenting

Zombies can be scary. Or funny. Or in need of some discipline. My Daughter Is A Zombie is a sweet webtoon-inspired comedy about one devoted dad set on saving his undead daughter. Adapted from Lee Yoon Chang's webtoon of the same name, the film is also one of 2025's biggest hits at the Korean box office. 'In Korea, My Daughter is a Zombie opened with the highest first-day box office for any film this year—setting an all-time opening record for Korean comedies—and went on to become the country's top-grossing film of the year, breaking multiple fastest and highest records,' said Michelle Kwon, CEO of Studio N, which produced the film. The story is set during an epidemic that turns people into mindless brain munchers and the only solution is to kill everyone that's infected. Cho Jung-seok plays Jeung-hwan, a dad who worries that his daughter is behaving in unexpected ways. The 15-year-old is surly and hostile. The problem is that Soo-ah (Choi Yoo-ri) is a zombie. She was bitten while they were trying to escape zombies. With the government killing zombies on sight, Jeung-hwan decides to take his daughter out of the city. She may be a zombie, but she's still his daughter and he wants to keep her alive long enough for someone to develop a cure. This may sound like a dire scenario, but it's the set-up for a life-affirming comedy that plays with the notion of what it means to be a parent. As a zookeeper, fond of dancing in front of dangerous animals, Jeung-hwan thinks he can train his daughter not to bite. So, he sets out to tame her. He drives to his picturesque childhood village and enlists the help of his mother, Bam Soon, played endearingly by Lee Jung-eun (Light Shop, Daily Dose of Sunshine and Heavenly Ever After). Bam Soon is one of those no-nonsense grandmas, both adorable and terrifying. Zombie or not, if you're rude to this grandma, you will pay. It might be just the training a young zombie needs. Efforts to tame Soo-Ah may be helped and/or hindered by Jeung-won's childhood friends, Dongbae, played by Yoon Kyung-ho (The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, The Worst of Evil and Sound of Magic) and Yeon-hwa, played by Cho Yeo-Jeong (Parasite, Woman of 9.9 Billion and Behind Every Star). Choo Yo-ri (Mother, Itaewon Class) does an admirable job of playing a zombiefied version of her character and Cho Jung-seok who appeared in (Weak Hero 2, When The Stars Gossip and Resident Playbook), might play the most patient dad you'll ever meet. Kids do go through rough patches and raising a zombie requires some special parenting skills. My Daughter Is A Zombie is certainly not the first webtoon adapted into a film. Concrete Utopia (South Korea's official entry for the 96th Academy Awards) started a webtoon and the mega hit Along With The Gods was also adapted froma webtoon. However, it is the first time Korea's Studio N, a subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment, Inc., chose to adapt a webtoon into a film. The decision paid off. The film did well in Korea and is also doing well in North America. 'In North America, after its August 8 release, it surpassed titles like Omniscient Reader and Dark Nuns to become the highest-grossing Korean live-action film released in 2025, marking a strong milestone for Webtoon Entertainment as well,' said Kwon. Studio N has produced a variety of webtoon-inspired TV dramas, starting with the Netflix creature thriller Sweet Home, the social satire and suspense series The 8 Show, the medical drama The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, the action noir Mercy for None, and the Disney+ period drama Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, set in Korea's 1950s all-female opera troupe scene. The 8 Show, The Trauma Code, and Mercy for None each reached #1 on Netflix's Global Non-English Series. If the studio produced so many successful webtoon-inspired k-dramas, why make this one into a film? 'When I first read the original webcomic on Webtoon, I was immediately drawn to how entertaining it was and how clear its narrative arc felt,' said Kwon. 'The story had a well-defined beginning, middle, and end that perfectly fit a two-hour feature film format. While many webcomics lend themselves to serialized adaptations, this one's emotional trajectory and pacing felt tailor-made for the big screen. I believed that sharing the laughs and emotional beats in a theater would make them resonate even more deeply with audiences.' Adapting a webtoon that ran from 2018 to 2020 did require some changes. 'We introduced some unique elements for the film,' said Kwon. 'The father, Jeong-hwan, is now a zookeeper, and dance became a key motif. The zookeeper role worked well for showing his efforts to help his zombie daughter Soo-ah adapt to the world. Dance, as a universal language across generations and cultures, became a symbolic way to express their bond—and to suggest that Soo-ah's memories remained intact despite becoming a zombie. One standout moment is when the father and daughter dance together to 'No.1' by BoA, one of Korea's first-generation k-pop idols—a scene that connects the beginning and end of the film.' Their household also includes a cat, Meowmeow (original Korean name Aeyong-i) and finding just the right cat required holding cat auditions. 'Meowmeow isn't just a cute pet—it's a true member of the family,' said Kwon.' Instead of relying entirely on CGI, we auditioned real cats and filmed 60% of the scenes live, using CGI for the remaining 40% to capture expressions and details. Both the director and I are cat owners, so we could ensure Meowmeow was well cared for on set, which helped keep the character's warmth and authenticity.' The film's storyline may start with a zombie epidemic but Kwon sees it as a story about family and acceptance. 'Using the zombie genre as a narrative device, it invites viewers to see differences not as something to fear, but as something to understand and embrace,' said Kwon. 'This message is delivered through emotions that feel natural—never forced. The film lets audiences laugh freely in the beginning, then gradually builds emotional depth so that, by the climax, viewers feel a genuine release and a renewed appreciation for the people close to them.' My Daughter Is A Zombie is directed by Pil Gam-seong, who directed the series A Bloody Lucky Day and the film Hostage: Missing Celebrity.

Could you do nothing for 90 minutes? In South Korea, it's a sport.
Could you do nothing for 90 minutes? In South Korea, it's a sport.

National Geographic

time8 hours ago

  • National Geographic

Could you do nothing for 90 minutes? In South Korea, it's a sport.

Byung-jin Park, a 36-year-old punk musician and entrepreneur, remains still during Seoul's 2025 Space-Out Competition. Scientists say this kind of deliberate idleness engages the brain's default mode network—an area tied to creativity, problem-solving, and emotional balance. Photograph by Kim Jung-yeop A Korean champion of stillness reveals why giving your brain blank space can spark creativity, clarity, and calm. Byung-jin Park, a 36-year-old entrepreneur and indie punk musician from Seoul, understands the power of doing nothing. In May, he and his bandmates outlasted 100 competitors to win South Korea's 2025 Space-Out Competition, an annual event where participants are judged on their ability to remain calm and motionless for 90 minutes. No phones. No conversation. No nodding off. Just existing. Launched in 2014 by visual artist Woopsyang as a public art project critiquing modern burnout, the competition has evolved into a cultural ritual along Seoul's Han River, blending performance art, mindfulness, and a quiet challenge to the pervasive belief that silence equals stagnation. Participants wear heart rate monitors, and winners are determined through a combination of biometric calmness and audience votes. 'As time passed, I started to forget where I was,' says Park. 'It felt like my body had disappeared.' Jung-yeop Kim sits in silence at Seoul's 2025 Space-Out Competition, where contestants are judged on calmness. Neuroscientists say such stillness activates the brain's 'default mode network,' linked to creativity, memory, and emotional regulation. Photograph by Ahn Young-joon, AP Photo Park's win is more than just a quirky viral story–it reflects a deeper hunger for rest in a society overwhelmed by noise. A 2014 University of Virginia study found that many people preferred mild electric shocks over being alone with their thoughts for even 15 minutes. But science suggests that stillness has value. 'Spacing out' activates what neuroscientists call the brain's default mode network–linked to creativity, emotional processing, and problem-solving. 'In an over-stimulated modern society, taking the time to reflect about one's inner self and emotions can allow people to control their thoughts and actions,' says Hanson Park, a psychiatrist and an associate professor at Seoul National University's Department of Anthropology. 'This process can reduce stress-related hormones, and in the long-term can also be effective in relieving anxiety or depression.' (At 102, he's the world's oldest practicing doctor. These are his longevity tips.) Byung-jin's winning strategy—slow abdominal breathing, focusing on a single point, and letting other thoughts disappear—shows how a skill as simple as 'spacing out' can be surprisingly transformative. 'Spacing out won't solve all your problems,' he says, 'but you will feel your thoughts transform. It's super refreshing.' Here's what Korea's champion of doing nothing can teach you about slowing down. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: What exactly does 'spacing out' mean to you? Is it emptying your mind or letting it wander? BYUNG-JIN PARK: For me, it's about organizing my thoughts and emotions. Last weekend, while frantically working at my office, I thought, 'Man, I really need to space out.' I got a lot of calls and met so many different people. Constantly working made me crave stillness. Everyone should find moments to space out–over coffee, music, or just looking at nature. It genuinely helps clear the mind. Did you have a strategy going into the event? I didn't expect to win initially, but I definitely wanted to. I'm very competitive. Participants' heart rates were publicly displayed, though we couldn't see them. They were also checked manually every 15 minutes. I practiced abdominal breathing throughout the competition, deliberately calming myself whenever they measured my heart rate. (How changing the way you breathe can improve your brain and body.) We wore our punk outfits–pointy hair and spiky jackets–not just for fun, but to stand out and maybe distract other competitors. People are often surprised that, despite our loud music and appearance, we're actually calm people too. During the competition, what occupied your thoughts? About ten percent of my mind was thinking about winning. Initially, I planned to use the time to ponder business decisions. But once seated, the loud host and large audience made it hard to focus on any single thought. Ironically, that made it easier to empty my mind. The hardest part was letting go of the idea that I should be doing something. Simply sitting still, doing absolutely nothing, is surprisingly challenging. Why do you think people today struggle so much with doing nothing? Smartphones play a huge role. I constantly fidget with mine, especially on the subway. It's amusing to put your phone down occasionally in the metro and observe everyone around you–all glued to their screens. When I was younger, waiting naturally created opportunities to space out or daydream. Today, people are addicted to quick dopamine hits from platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. We've forgotten how to do nothing. South Korea is known for its hyper-competitive culture. How does this affect perceptions of doing nothing? Our society moves incredibly fast, especially when interacting with international clients. This efficiency is beneficial but can also feel exhausting. No one sits in parks just to think anymore–there simply isn't time. Spacing out is viewed as strange or unproductive. Even outside of work, doing nothing draws criticism. (What working long hours does to your body.) It starts early. I have two children: aged 10 and six. Growing up, I didn't attend many after-school institutes, but now my children are enrolled in several. My wife and I sometimes argue about this. Parents don't always have the same vision about education. I feel sad seeing them so consumed by homework when they should be creative and playful. It reflects society's broader discomfort with idleness. What advice do you have for those struggling to slow down? I need this advice too: force yourself to space out for at least 10 minutes each week. Even five minutes can help. You'll find your thoughts spiraling initially, worries surfacing, and uncompleted tasks popping up in your head. But eventually, they'll settle. You might find clarity or realize some issues aren't as significant as they seem. What was your biggest takeaway from the experience? Personally, it broke my relentless daily routine: wake up, work, family, sleep. I have no time to feel bored or even recognize monotony. But this competition gave me an opportunity to break from that cycle. (Does meditation actually work? Here's what the science says.) Future plans? Will you continue spacing out? Absolutely. I'd like to meditate with my family and participate again next year if allowed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store