Attended a Burpple Tastemaker Eatup yesterday at both Jjigae Jjigae and Waa Cow Sushi Bar that are conveniently located at Raffles Place MRT Xchange. Hadn't been to Jjigae Jjigae before as Budae Jjigae is usually seen as a communal dish meant to be shared across the table — Jjigae Jjigae's approach of serving them at slightly lower prices and small portions good for 1 to 2 pax is definitely a refreshing take that would suit the busy office folks at CBD during lunch hours.
We tried a couple of the Collagen Jjigae listed on their menu — yes, instead of using a regular stock, the Budae Jjigae comes with Collagen base which is said to enhance beauty but also makes the Budae Jjigae a little richer as well. There are three types of Collagen bases to choose from — Yuzu Salt, Doenjang and Kimchi Gochujang; the Doenjang being a soy base that would work well for those who do not take spiciness, while the Kimchi Gochujang comes with that slight tinge of spiciness amidst a tangy yet sweet base (a flavour that I find that is associated to Budae Jjigae very well). The Yuzu Salt is the most interesting of the three — light and refreshing with a hint of zestiness coming from the yuzu, it is something that is different from the usual Budae Jjigae out there. Depending on preference, one can order pork, beef, a mix of pork and beef or the seafood variants — all of them come with a generous load of ingredients such as the meats/seafood, tofu, cheese, baked beans, glass noodles, sausages, cheese tofu, greens, mushrooms etc.
Apart from Budae Jjigae, Jjigae Jjigae also carries Rice Balls in their menu — a fun eat that involves wearing some gloves and getting a little messy to shape the mix of ingredients into rice balls. Of all the variants we got to try, the Anchovy Rice Balls was my favourite — the mix of ingredients, crunchiness from the anchovies, the chew from the rice and the short hint of spiciness from the chili padi; it's all something that is completely up my alley.
Pretty much enjoyed myself here on a weekend where Raffles Place wasn't as packed as it usually would be during lunch hour on the weekday, though it seems to be a particularly good place with well-sized Budae Jjigae for office folks in the area. Thanks to Jjigae Jjigae for hosting and Burpple for the invite!
