Takeaway (+$0.50)
Established in 2020, Bab Sarang is located on the basement level of Orchard Towers, selling affordable Korean fare close to the heart of the famous shopping haven. Bab Sarang is run by Koreans, allowing them to market their food as authentic Korean flavours. Apart from selling cooked food such as ramyeon, samyetang, and even fried korean mandu, they double up as a grocery store where people can buy their handmade kimchi and marinated meat that is great for BBQ. Situated near M73 foodcourt, chopstix & rice and Isle foodcourt of Orchard Towers, Bab Sarang is not difficult to find. A humble shop with extremely polite and friendly owners, I was excited to have affordable korean cuisine in a relative expensive area.
This kimchi fried rice packs both a spicy kick and sour upon first taste. However, I’d find bits of rice that were plainer than other parts of the bowl - a sign that perhaps it wasn’t mixed well during frying. The egg wasn’t flowy - but I’d close one eye with that. Having options of beef/chicken/pork to choose from, I chose beef. The beef had an amazing marinade - also available to buy, raw. It was well charred and slightly sweet. Unfortunately, the portion of meat was extremely small - even for a dish that costs $5.90.
A quintessential in Korean restaurants are their often free flow sides. In this takeaway season, it’s nice to still have kimchi and anchovies on the side.
I’m glad that Bab Sarang opened a restaurant near to the Orchard-Tanglin region, providing people with an alternative other than Kim Dae Mun, which is towards the Dhoby Ghaut premises of Orchard Road already. I thought this kimchi fried rice was decent; Albeit authentic, I have tasted much better and enjoyed more generous portions elsewhere. Nonetheless, Korean cuisine in Singapore is relatively pricey, and it is difficult to deny the affordability and accessibility at Bab Sarang. That said, I look forward to the opportunities I have to try their other dishes, and can only hope that they are equally decent or better.
Rate:🌟🌟🌟