It’s time for another session of ‘Complain Queen*’. This time, I want to complain about the service and hygiene of Seoul Garden at North Point Shopping Centre.

First, we were greeted with the foulest face of a 40+ woman, who was incidentally the duty manager. But I was willing to forgive that, as she might be menopausing. We paid for two students’ lunch and then we went to sit at our table. The hotplate was set, and soup served in a hotpot. The moment I sat down, I asked Hammy to go change two forks as there was still oil stains and stubborn food bits stuck on them. Yucks.

Then I started noticing some black/greyish grime bubbling at the side of the  hotplate, which we haven’t touched yet. There was A LOT all over the plate that I started to freak out cuz it was just plain gross!

We used the thongs to scrape some of the grime out and wipe it on a piece of tissue. Look at it.

I was super grossed out already and requested the service staff to change a hotplate for us. We showed them the bubbling diesel-looking oil on our hotplate, and asked them to change. The service crew was polite, but he just said that the grime was (LISTEN CAREFULLY) “old oil”. We were stunned. He then beckoned for the manager, the previous cranky old woman, and she came, giving us a very displeased look. She also said it’s “old oil”, and said, “It is normal after using the hotplate for a very long time. If you want you can ask the staff to change”.

Firstly, WTF is OLD OIL? That old oil that you guys let customers eat is BLACK.I am sorry I am so grossed out that I cannot help but curse. So does that mean that the hotplate is not washed properly after each use, that’s why the oil accumulates and becomes old oil? Omg even as I’m typing, I’m super disgusted. Don’t come and bullshit us that it’s old oil and it’s something normal and natural. We never had this problem with the outlet in Bugis. In fact, their utensils are clean, hotplate clean, smooth and well-oiled.

Secondly, what kind of attitude is that? Duty manager of Seoul Garden Northpoint outlet on duty on Wednesday 25th April 2012 at 2pm? You’re lucky that you were hiding in the kitchen when we left. I wanted to get your name to lodge a complaint. How can you allow the standard to be like that, and your service really sucks, Madam.

Seoul garden serves good marinated meats and we go there to satisfy our meat cravings, but looking at the disgusting state of utensils makes me want to puke instead. I cannot stand unclean utensils!!! Imagine putting a spoon/fork that was half-washed, still had tiny food bits into your mouth. I had half a mind to demand a refund and leave. It’d even be better if we were to drive down to NEX for Crystal Jade’s Korean BBQ. It’s cheaper, and there’s free authentic ginseng soup.

But I really didn’t want to make a fuss and come head to head with that menopausing woman. Plus we don’t know if they allow refunds cuz I paid by Visa. It’d be so unfair if they didn’t allow a refund and we just left without eating. So after changing the hotplate, which also had some black grime, we cooked and ate… Trying our very best not to think of all the grime and what we do not know that goes on in a dirty kitchen.

Everyone reading this, please patronize that outlet at your own risk. We know that we will NEVER EVER step in there again.

*Singlish for a woman who complains a lot*