Korean

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:)!

This is the 2nd time I’m back at The Book Cafe for mains, and I can’t help ordering what I had the last time again, simply because it’s very hard to resist a hearty plate of wok hei-infused Kimchi Fried Rice ($16) with chicken, shiitake mushroom and a sunny side up🙆🏻‍♀️ Love that there is an option of brown rice or Japanese rice too:)! P.S. This is non food related, but The Book Cafe has the comfiest couch ever!

The DIY lunch set from Hyang Yeon is one of the most value-for-money Korean lunch options around the CBD:)! For just $12 ($13 if you opt for brown rice), you get to select 2 main dishes, as well as your choice of kimchi, rice, sides platter and drink! Trust me, it’s super filling and I always feel like bursting after lunching there, in a good way😬 The chicken bulgogi and kimchi stew are pretty good, and I love the option of brown rice:)! Definitely a good choice if you are feeling hungry!