Grantral Mall / Grantral Complex @ Macpherson is one of those buildings that had seemingly given the neighbourhood a breath of fresh air in recent times — whilst Tai Seng has been better known to be an industrial estate, the closure of Golden Mile Complex had created a boom of activity around the area itself especially after the long-distance coach operators previously situated at Golden Mile Complex have moved into the building. Since then, there is a rising of F&B establishments that have moved into the building — Eomma Jipbap being one of the latest additions to the growing list of F&B tenants that had moved into the building in recent times. Situated at the ground level of the complex where other notable F&B tenants such as Tai Feng Wei Fusion, KAO GE YU 烤个鱼, and The Viet Roti are also located at, Eomma Jipbap should be a fairly easy find within the complex itself. Considering the area of which the F&B establishment is located within the mall, this also means that the layout of Eomma Jipbap features an extended shop space where external seating are located outside of the stall’s “indoor” area — the “indoor” area within the boundaries consisting only of a limited number of dine-in seats just like how most of the other F&B establishments in the same area in the mall are being laid out in. This also means that the interior decor of the space at Eomma Jipbap can be described as mostly functional — there seems to be a choice in fitting out the interior with wooden furniture and fittings however. As the namesake of the eatery clearly suggests, Eomma Jipbap is an establishment that serves up Korean cuisine — it it’s noted that the establishment does seem to have a stronger emphasis on cooked dishes, especially since there are no barbecue items being listed on the menu. Instead, the menu features items that are spread across categories such as Set Lunch (available only from 11am to 2pm for a flat price of $9.90), Appetiser / Starter, Snacks, Rice, Noodles, Stew & Hotpot, Kids Meal and Couple Set. For drinks, there are a selection of cold and hot non-alcoholic beverages, as well as Soju and beer.

It does seem that Eomma Jipbap does attempt to serve up some rather interesting items on the menu that would even appeal to individual diners especially in their Rice and Noodle section of the menu. We were a little spoilt for choice whilst skimming through the mehh since we had the option to stick to choices that are a little more pedestrian and commonly found across other establishments all around such as the Bibim Guksu, Jjampong and the Jjajangmyeon — we eventually found ourselves opting for the Jogae Kalguksu considering how we had not really seen this dish around whilst visiting other Korean establishments across the island. The menu describes the Jogae Kalguksu as a “Seaweed Noodle with Clam” — the item also comes pretty much as what we had expected it to be based on the given description on the menu as well, though we do note that Banchan (comprising of a three side dishes included pickled radish, kimchi and anchovies) are served together with the Jogae Kalguksu. An item that is likely able to appeal to those who prefer lighter flavours in general, one thing we note about the Jogae Kalguksu was how the broth just tastes pretty clean — very easy to finish without having doused with unnecessary ingredients for the purposes of flavouring it up. The noodles that are served up with the broth were pretty close to what we would call rice vermicelli; these were soft and does not require much effort to bite — quite a wise choice of noodles since it basically elevates the clean notes of the dish further unlike some other noodle types. There was a generous portion of kelp added to give a soft bite and an umami note, while the clams used were fresh — briny without carrying an undesirable fishy note; we were also surprised with how they had cleaned out much of the sand considering how we had not encountered any grittiness in the soup. Overall, a dish that opens the palate without clouding the taste bud with a complexity of different flavours.

Apart from the Jogae Kalguksu, other dishes that we had tried during our visit made to Eomma Jipbap includes the Sobulgogi Curly Fries from the Appetisers / Starters section of the menu, as well as the Donkatseu Deopbap from the Rice section of the menu — both of which being items which we found to be rather interesting and not commonly offered in Korean establishments around the island. For the Sobulgogi Curly Fries, the item does seem like a good snack to be accompanied with some beer at the side — think of it as the Korean rendition of chili beef fries though without the spiciness; this sees the crowd favourite curly fries being served with stir-fried Bulgogi beef above it as well as a Yuzu-infused mayonnaise on the side. The curly fries does come crisp with a familiar savoury note that we know them to be; all that whilst being slightly savoury and sweet considering how it had absorbed the flavours of the beef and caramalised onions that comes over it. The Yuzu mayonnaise was surprisingly refreshing — the yuzu component being especially prominent with its distinct zingy note. It is noted that the Donkatseu Deopbap doesn’t come with that trendy large-sized pork cutlet that some Korean establishments would serve their variant in — that being said, the breaded pork cutlet here is still of a sizeable portion whilst coming with a good portion of rice underneath. Interestingly, the Donkatseu Deopbap doesn’t come with that usual sauce that contains a mix of tomato paste and Worcester sauce that comes close to that of our Hainanese-style western cuisine — Eomma Jipbap went for a Lemon-Mustard sauce that is creamy and tangy where it not only went well with the cutlet, but also the rice and shredded cabbage that integrated the whole dish as one with the umami laver that further adds on to it. Overall, Eomma Jipbap seems to be an establishment that serves up pretty good Korean fare; maybe at times with their own twist or with a fusion element; that being said, independently-run Korean establishments that has an emphasis on cooked food are still considered a rarity in a scene where self-service barbecues are more commonplace. Needless to say, a spot that we would probably revisit to give other items like the Jjajangmyeon a go some other time!