Daebak Korean Restaurant (Tai Seng)

Daebak
⭐️ 4/5 ⭐️
🍴Unassuming spot for affordable and hearty Korean food.

𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐩 ($13.70) - Comforting soup that was light on the palette with depth of beef flavour. Enjoyed the sweet juicy radish and slurpworthy glass noodles. Only gripe was the hot temperature that made the beef was on the tougher side.

𝐁𝐁𝐐 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 ($12.70) - Rich and well-marinated succulent meat with mix of crunchy vegetables and sweet onions.

One can get a special promotional drink at only 90c during lunch hours;

📍@daebak.singapore, 3 outlets at Margaret Drive, Tai Seng, and Wilkie Road

Went to Daebak Korean Restaurant about 3 weeks ago and ordered their Gochujang Pork ($11.90), Kimchi Pork Soup ($11.90) and Chive Pancake ($11.90)!😇 Overall ratings 7/10! Felt that the food was quite authentic but gochujang pork was sweet when I expected it to be abit towards the spicy side😅 Food was okay and staff were welcoming tho!

Daebak Korean Restaurant might not be a name that would ring a bell for most, but it should be an establishment that one would find familiar for those whom are often around the Rochor / Selegie area — with their very first location having been in operations for quite a while in Wilkie Edge, we have definitely seen them around since our days when the office is still in that neighbourhood. It did come as a surprise to us when we had heard about these guys expanding — their second location being at 7 Harvey Road that is a short distance away from Tai Seng MRT Station by foot. Their space at 7 Harvey Road comes larger than their Wilkie Edge location; one can definitely expect a more spacious set-up for its dine-in area here than at Wilkie Edge; one can also say that much more emphasis is being placed in this outlet as well, considering how there is a use of black and white elements matched against tables with wooden accents and cushioned seatings — not quite Korean, but definitely a clean look that makes for a pleasant dining atmosphere. The menu at their Tai Seng outlet remains rather similar to that of their Wilkie Edge one, featuring sections such as Soup, Hot Plate, Ramyeon, Rice and Special (which includes some sharing plates like the Rappoki, Japchae, and noodle dishes like the Udong and Jajangmyeon. Beverages available at Daebak Korean Restaurant’s location at Tai Seng includes canned / bottled Korean beverages, as well as a selection of Korean tea. Like most other Korean establishments, Banchan (i.e. small dishes) will be served up when one makes an order — Daebak Korean Restaurant serves up a platter of three small dishes which included potatoes, kimchi and creamed corn.

Whilst we had been to Daebak Korean Restaurant quite a number of times in the past, we had found ourselves mainly going for their Sizzling Bibimbap — we saw the visit to their Tai Seng outlet being an opportunity to check out their other items. We found ourselves settling for the Jajangmyeon, considering their version of the Jajangmyeon was something that we had long wanted to try. What makes the Jajangmyeon all the more interesting at Daebak Korean Restaurant here is how it comes with a black bean sauce that is said to be of their “very own secret Daebak recipe”. Patrons can also opt for their Jajangmyeon to come with a fried egg — something which we went for. On first look, the Jajangmyeon served up at Daebak Korean Restaurant is not too far from what is expected when compared to the Jajangmyeon that is served at other establishments; that being said, giving it a good mix and one could find that the Jajangmyeon somehow comes with chunks of chicken and potatoes apart from the caramalised onions — the chicken chunks replacing the usual inclusion of minced pork in most other Jajangmyeons that we had come across here. Digging into the bowl after giving it a good mix, we liked how the Jajangmyeon sauce here didn’t come across as too heavy-handed; there is an earthy note with a really mild sweetness that went on just fine, though we did find the sauce being a little more runny than what we had expected it to be. Noodles were pretty chewy here, and the inclusion of strips of cucumber helped to give an extra crunch in between for a contrast — all that whilst the chunks of chicken were tender and easy to chew to say the least. The fried egg was decent; rid of any undesirable note of overused oil, though it does seem that the egg yolk of the fried egg comes fully-cooked — and consistently so here too amongst the different items that we have had.

Apart from the Jajangmyeon, we also had given other dishes such as the Sizzling Bibimbap a go. The Sizzling Bibimbap differs from the Bibimbap here in the way that the former is being served in a stone pot, while the other comes in a normal bowl — despite its similarities, the Sizzling Bibimbap is priced $2 more; it is also noted that the basic price tag sees the Sizzling Bibimbap coming with tofu, and opting for beef or pork will incur an additional cost of $1 irregardless of the type of meat opted for. Considering how the Sizzling Bibimbap comes served in a stone pot, this would be the one to go for for those whom prefer to have their Bibimbaps with the bite of burnt rice from the heat from the stone pot. There is enough sauce to go around everything, though not too much so as to not overwhelm the taste buds with Gochujang; one can also get quite a fair bit of burnt rice bits as well. When it came to the beef, the bulgogi beef was easy to chew and did not feel particularly gamey as well. It is also worth noting that the Sizzling Bibimbap (and very likely the Bibimbap as well) at Daebak Korean Restaurant comes with a sunny side-up by default rather than the usual runny egg yolk that would have came with the Bibimbap from most other Korean establishments around.

When it came to the Kimchi Pancake, we did like the tang that the pancake batter carried; that being said, the Kimchi Pancake felt really oily, and lacked the crispness around the edges and on the surface — in fact, it was so oily that we found it difficult to pick a slice up with the chopstick without breaking the piece entirely. When it came to the Honey Ginger Tea, this was reasonably sweet but comes with quite a “spicy” kick from the ginger; quite something to have to remedy against the heavy meal. Having been to Daebak Korean Restaurant at Wilkie Edge in the past, these folks do seem to be really consistent with the quality of their food — there are many other establishments that serve up more flavourful and impactful Korean fare that we had tried over the years; Daebak Korean Restaurant had always felt more conventional with their limited variety of items and less pretentious — some can also say “balanced” than the bigger names in the industry serving the same fare as them. Base prices of the rice, soup and noodle dishes food for an individual diner ranges from $9.90 to $11.90 — maybe a little upmarket for the neighbourhood that they are in, though fairly reasonable when compared to the prices of food in the Central Business Disrtrict. Needless to say, Daebak Korean Restaurant is probably the establishment that one would look to for safe and comforting (perhaps even homey) Korean fare with a restaurant-style environment at Tai Seng!