Korean

We tried the Gogi Mandu ($9.80) today. The steamed pork dumplings resemble an oversized xiao long bao but the filling is meatier with less meat soup in each dumpling. As usual, I love their house-made kimchi and it goes well with everything! P.S. There is a 15% discount if you order a set meal comprising a main, side and drink:)

The Yuk Kalguksu ($14.80) from Noodle Star K comes with a bowl of spicy beef soup containing beef that has been cooked till soft and tender and assorted vegetables such as onion and carrots that add sweetness to the soup. The flavourful broth has just the right amount of spiciness and goes well with the Korean knife-cut noodles, which still have a firm bite. P.S. There is a 15% discount if you order a set meal comprising a main, side and drink:)

The 8-Colour Set ($98) from 8 Korean BBQ comes with pork belly in 8 different flavours (i.e. original, wine, ginseng, garlic, herb, curry, miso, red pepper), a stew of your choice and side dishes. The different flavours are not that distinct but nonetheless, the pork belly is quite delicious! The ratio of fat and meat is balanced, and the pork belly is slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The tangy grilled kimchi helps keep the greasiness of the pork belly at bay. The Seafood Soft Tofu Stew (top up $6) is slightly spicy and pretty flavourful as well. Even without rice, this set is super filling for 3 pax!

PSA: There is 10% - 30% discount if your purchase a cash voucher on Chope:)

This is my 2nd visit to Noodle Star K and I decided to try the Jjajangmyeon ($12) this time. The black bean paste sauce is filled with onion and potato chunks and it goes well with the delicious house-made kimchi - I like that the kimchi is well-seasoned and has a garlicky tone to it. The robust beef broth that is served on the side is surprisingly rich and flavourful. We also ordered beef short plate ($12) and boiled pork dumplings ($6.80) to share. The thinly sliced grilled beef is tender and juicy. The boiled pork dumplings are the size of wanton and the skin is very Q - I find myself popping one dumpling after another:) The portion is generous and we are super full by the end of the meal. PSA: There is a 15% discount if you order a set meal comprising a main, side and drink!

I need to confess: I have been binge-watching Korean dramas during Circuit Breaker and I finally satisfied my tteokbokki (Korean rice cake) craving at Red Holic! The Pork Cutlet Tteokbokki ($25.80 for 2-3 pax) came with pork cutlet, fish cake, egg, cabbage, fried dumpling and a variety of carbs such as tteokbokki, glass noodles, ramyeon and something that resembles chee cheong fun. The sweet and spicy sauce is really addictive - do note that the original spicy level is already quite potent. The tteokbokki is soft and chewy, and the sweet potato and cheese tteokbokki are very good as well. The fried pork cutlet and dumpling get soft quite quickly, so do eat them first. We also ordered a few side dishes. The chicken feet ($15) is tasty and even spicier than the tteokbokki. It is a little tough though - would be nice if it is softer! We cleaned the whole pan of tteokbokki by the end of the meal - super full and satisfied:) 잘먹었습니다!

Given the blazing weather lately, we decided to treat ourselves to a refreshing bowl of Naengmyeon (Korean cold noodles) at the newly opened Noodle Star K at 58 Tanjong Pagar Road:) The Bibim Naengmyeon (Korean potato starch cold noodles in spicy sauce) and Mul Naengmyeon (Korean potato starch noodles) are $15.80 each and the taste and portion did not disappoint. Each bowl comes with a generous portion of chewy potato starch noodles, slices of pear, cucumber, pork and a hard boiled egg. Initially, I was a little worried that the Bibim sauce might be too sweet for my liking but it turned out to have just the right amount of spiciness with a hint of sesame oil fragrance - yummy! We also ordered Daepae Samgyeop ($18.80), which is grilled thinly sliced pork belly. The pork is well marinated and tender. Overall, I’m pretty impressed with their Naengmyeon and surprisingly there are a lot more noodle dishes on the menu. Can definitely see myself revisiting this place for lunch when I’m back at office - would love to try the other noodle dishes then:)!

There are days when you just want to feast like a king for lunch. The lunch set at Wang Dae Bak fits the bill - for $15, I had Kimchi Stew and Pork Bulgogi, accompanied by 5 side dishes and multi-grain rice. The sweet undertone of the kimchi stew complements the tangy kimchi and goes well with the tofu, pork belly and chewy glass noodle. There is a slight porky aftertaste though, thought it could be toned down a bit. The pork bulgogi is flavourful and the meat is very soft. The side dishes are quite special too - apart from the usual anchovies and kimchi, there are also braised egg, eggplant and potato salad. Overall, the portion is very generous and I’m quite satisfied with the food and service:)!

I’m back at @ and since I have tried their signature spicy soft tofu stew previously, I decided to go with LA Galbi Combo ($39.90) which comprises of BBQ short rib and a tofu stew of your choice. The portion is great for sharing and the short rib is smokey, sweet and appetising. A pretty good match with the spicy tofu stew and rice I must say! We also ordered Japchae ($19.90) to share and it’s hard for the stir fried glass noodles with vegetables and beef to go wrong - love the chewy noodles and sesame oil fragrance. Pretty happy with everything I tried here so far!

The sundubu-jjigae from SBCD Korean Tofu House is perfect for days when I crave a hearty pot of soft tofu stew. The Dumpling Sundubu ($21.90) comes with pork, dumplings, curdled tofu, egg and kimchi. The spicy and flavourful stew goes really well with rice. The dumpling skin is thin and the pork filling is generous. Apart from the typical side dishes, the set also comes with a fried fish that is super soft and tasty🤤 Although it’s a little pricey, the sundubu-jjigae is packed with ingredients and the taste is on point. Craving satisfied!

Kickstarting 2020 with something warm and fuzzy! The Bu Dae Jji Gae ($48, inclusive of extra ramyeon noodles) from Kko Kko Na Ra comes with ramyeon, spam, sausage, vegetables, mushrooms, baked beans and rice cake. Quite a decent rendition of Army Stew with a nice balance of spicy and tangy flavours - comfort food checked!

It’s carbs attack at Nipong Naepong! Although this place is famous for their jjamppong (Korean-Chinese noodles), the dish that blew me off is the Sweet Potato Ni Pizza ($17.90), which comes with a thin layer of sweet potato purée baked on a crisp tortilla base and topped with cheese. The taste is on point and it is not jelak at all - didn’t expect this combi to work so well:D! The noodles are not bad too - it has a nice chewy texture. Jjajangmyeon ($13.90) is topped with minced pork, onion and quail eggs in a delicious black bean sauce. The stir-fried noodles with seafood, Tae Ppong ($16.90), is infused with wok hei. Cha Ppong ($16.90) is the classic jjamppong in a robust spicy seafood soup. Lastly, we also had the Soi Chicken Risotto ($12.90) which reminded me of fried rice with a good dose of wok hei. Totally overloaded on carbs for the night, but this is perfect for hungry days😎

Had a hearty Korean-Chinese feast at O.bba Jjajang last week! We ordered jjajangmyeon (black soybean sauce noodles), jjamppong (spicy seafood noodles soup), sweet and sour pork, deep fried chicken in hot pepper sauce and kimchi pancake, and there was more than enough food to go around for 5 pax🤤 Although it was a little pricey ($27.80 per pax), the jjajangmyeon was quite tasty and satisfying. While the sweet and sour pork could have been crunchier, the deep fried chicken in hot pepper sauce was spot on yummy and addictive - it goes really well with the jjajangmyeon👍🏻 Bonus points for the wooden cubicles that are pretty comfortable and quiet:)!