Diner disgusted by Korean stew that has '99% fat meat', looks nothing like pic at Woodlands restaurant
A woman was looking forward to digging into her kimchi stew at a Korean restaurant in Woodlands, only to end up sorely disappointed.
Stomper Hangry visited Hankki restaurant at Woods Square Mall on the evening of Aug 7. She ordered kimchi jjigae, a Korean stew with pork, rice and side dishes.
Hangry said: "The menu photo shows that it came with pork slices, tofu, mushroom and leek. However, the actual dish was nothing like that. It had no mushrooms and all the pork was very fatty pork belly.
"While I understand that kimchi jjigae traditionally uses pork belly, I thought it would resemble what was pictured or at least come with a mix of lean meat, but no."
According to the Stomper, her meal was "99 per cent fat meat."
"I did not take a picture before the meal since I was not expecting this, but it was all pork belly," she added. "And there were hardly any lean parts on the pork belly. I picked the fat out and did not eat them.
"When I went to the cashier to make the payment, I was surprised to see the restaurant offering $2 off the total bill in exchange for a Google review. No wonder they have such a high Google rating - but makes you question how legit it is."
According to Google's guidelines, business owners should not offer incentives to customers to leave reviews.
In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for the restaurant said: "Regarding the diner's feedback on the pork kimchi stew, we truly value all customer comments.
"Our pork kimchi stew is prepared using a variety of pork cuts, including some fatty portions, to bring out its authentic flavour. However, if customers prefer less fatty meat, we are happy to accommodate their request whenever possible.
"That said, we will also review the preparation and portioning to ensure greater consistency with the menu photo."
"On the matter of the $2 discount, this is offered to any customer who leaves a review, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. We have even had instances where customers left a one-star review and still received the discount.
"The intention is to encourage genuine feedback so that we can continue improving, not to influence review ratings.
"Nonetheless, we will review the practice to ensure full alignment with Google's guidelines.
"We remain committed to providing all guests with a transparent and high-quality dining experience."
