[CLOSED] Ajumma's (The Cathay)

Fav to-go place to get army stew! Sadly they're closing this outlet and moving!

Portion was substantial with generous amount of bulgogi. Service was good, side dishes were also refillable.

Caught wind that the Ajumma’s at The Cathay is ending its operations on 12 December 2020; hadn’t actually been there ever since I started working in the area, and so it became a lunch plan considering how long ago my only visit to Ajumma’s was.

Did not really want to go for the usual rice and noodle dishes that I tend to opt for at other Korean establishments; and that was how I ended up getting the Kimchi Pork Belly Stew — a relatively adventurous option for me considering I rarely order stews at Korean establishments. The Kimchi Pork Belly Stew here came with elements such as Kimchi, Pork Belly Slices, Tofu, Enoki, Chili etc. swimming in a pork broth. While the pork broth is rather thin, I appreciated how the Kimchi provided a rather light, yet apt sourness to the entire stew — the element which very much powered the dish itself. The cabbage still carries a soft crunch for some variance of texture, while the tofu gives a very soft bite; the Enoki mushrooms giving a good bouncy bite. That being said, the Pork Belly cuts are a tad too thick and a little dry for my liking; would appreciate some nice Bulgogi-esque pork slices that are often served at Korean-Japanese stalls at food courts or coffee shops which would suffice — those are often more tender and juicy being on a hotplate than they seem, and much so when compared against the pork belly here.

I have heard of other dishes which people enjoy being here for; can totally see the reason why some folks would be sad knowing about their exit out of The Cathay given how its a pretty decent establishment to dine at for Korean food at a respectable quality. There is still one at Funan for those who are looking to fix their cravings at Ajumma’s, but north-western residents would be stoked to know of an outlet that is opening soon at Bukit Panjang Plaza — definitely a decent option to have in the heartlands!

Price: $15.90
Quite delicious with various ingredients: toppoki, spam, sausage, enoki mushrooms and CHEESE! Taste was generally good. However, the amount of ingredients was a bit little with only very thin slices of toppoki and spam. Would have prefer thicker ingredients. A hearty soup for the meal! Overall: 7/10

Price: $10.90
Fried chicken was nicely fried, crispy with the sauce over it even after a while. Toppoki was crispy too. Amount was perfect for the price.
However, there was only a few pieces of toppoki and more chicken. It was also not spicy but mainly only sweet. Overall: 8/10

Was craving something sour and spicy - and this always leads me back to kimchi and all it’s stews. This bowl was really filling, with a generous amount of ramyeon. The chicken bulgogi has a nice marinade, which added a nice carnivorous touch to a usually vegetarian dish. However, I did feel like the soup could do with more spiciness, especially because they declared that it was going to be spicy; and it really wasn’t. So that was a bit disappointing. It came with free sides, which was a pleasant surprise :) it’s a decent meal that did not make me go ‘wow’, but it does serve some comfort eating it.
Rate:🌟🌟🌟