Halmae Jjigae

It does seem that Korean soft tofu stew might still be an uprising trend — while SBCD Korean Tofu House has popularised the Sundubu Jjigae locally, it is interesting to see how Buk Chang Dong Soo Tofu; essentially the “express” variant that has multiple outlets being set up in a standalone setting and also operating as a stall within coffeeshops — have popularised the Korean dish even in the heartlands. Halmae Jjigae is one such stall that had recently opened its doors in the Food Republic food court at Causeway Point serving up Korean soft tofu stew — the stall being a relatively easy find having taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Fu Xiang Signatures; this also makes them neighbours with Washoku Goen and King Grouper Fish Soup where the latter is also a relatively new addition to the food court. Specialising in Korean stews, the menu features the usual suspects ranging from the Pork Sundubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew with Pork), Beef Ttug Bulgogi (Grilled Marinated Pork Stew), Kimcbj Jjigae (Spicy Kimchi Soup), Mini Army Stew and Seafood Doenjiang Jjigae (Seafood Doenjjang Jjigae) just to name a few. Apart from Korean stews, Halmae Jjigae also serves up sharing plates such as the Tteokbokki and King Dumplings / Kimchi King Dumplings as well as the usual side dishes such as Kimchi, Cucumber Kimchi, Myeolchi Bokkeum (Stir-fried Dried Anchovies), and Potato Salad.

Opting for the Seafood Sundubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood), all the stews on the menu at Halmae Jjigae are available either as an ala-carte order or in the form of a set — opting for a set would add two (2) pieces of the King Dumpling and three (3) side dishes to the Seafood Sundubu Jjigae; this would mainly be the Kimchi, Potato Salad and the Myeolchi Bokkeum (Stir-fried Dried Anchovies). The ala-carte rendition of the item will come only with the bowl of rice on the side, as well as seaweed laver. Digging into the stew itself, the stew does come chock full with ingredients; one can find a good portion of soft tofu, an egg, clams, prawns and some form of meat all within the stew itself. Here, the stew itself is especially flavourful; we liked how the stew itself carried a hint of sweetness and a bit of that tang alongside the umami notes that comes through at the end — a little bit close to that of Kimchi, all that whilst not tasting like as though it has been watered down and is a great accompaniment to the bowl of rice on the side. The ingredients are also very well-executed and are of quality here; the prawns are fresh and comes with a good bite, while we liked how the clams are free from any sandy bits — the flesh also providing a chewy bite. The soft tofu is done well here; the soft tofu is indeed soft and is also pretty jiggly — absolutely smooth and silken and requires no effort to chew, while the egg does carry a molten yolk as well which is a crowd-pleaser on its own. The bowl of white rice was also well-executed; sufficiently sticky and moist — perfect to drenched with the stew while the side dishes were pretty competent as well. Considering the portion sizes of the set option, the set is definitely something worth considering for those with larger appetites.

Considering how Halmae Jjigae is a fairly new set-up, we must say that we were pretty impressed with how their food turned out to be — we really enjoyed the Seafood Sundubu Jjigae that we have went for considering how rich and flavoursome the stew was. No doubt the sets are a little pricey considering how they are priced from $11 to $13.50; something that we would think is more than the price of an average eat at a food court, but we would think that the ala-carte prices ranging from $8.50 to $12.50 would be something sufficient for those who aren’t into looking to stuff themselves silly, yet craving for a good Korean stew without emptying their pockets whilst at a food court. They were running an opening promotion during our visit, which entitles each diner a portion of Tteokbokki with every signature stew set being purchased — the Tteokbokki was also pretty enjoyable given the thick sauce that it came with along with the chewy rice cakes as well. Some may find making the trip all the way up to Woodlands for Halmae Jjigae to be out of the way, though these days Woodlands seem to be far more accessible with the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line — a spot that Woodlands residents would be glad having in their neighbourhood considering how difficult a find good Korean stews are in the island!