Korean Cravings

Can’t go wrong with tender grilled pork and kimchi, and Joo Bar’s rendition went great with a giant jug of their slushy makgeolli! That side salad was really interesting too, with a light, creamy dressing and umami from little chewy anchovies.

Another Korean spot along Tanjong Pagar Road to add to the list! Red Holic specialities include their comforting tteokbokki hot pots and a variety of dumplings like their giant mandus. Looking for a supper spot or some food after drinks? They’re also open until 2am from Mon to Sat, making them a great place for some late night bites.

I’m not a huge fan of army stew, so I was pleasantly surprised when their Red Holic Beef Brisket Tteokbokki hot pot came packed with ingredients I liked in a spicy, sweet sauce (though it was a tad salty). The thinly sliced beef brisket was tender and was tasty glazed up with the sauce. The tteokbokki is also one of the better ones I’ve had, delightfully chewy and stretchy. Other ingredients in this sizable pot (good for 2-3~) includes quail eggs, lettuce, fishcake, fried dumplings, spring onions, glass noodles and ramyeon. If you feel like you can do without the meat, there’s a meatless option for just $22 too.

Hwans’ favourite hideaway for good Korean cuisine, Gaia Korean Grill + Bar has great banchan (loved the baby potatoes and fresh kimchi) and crazy portions! Collective gasp from the table when this massive plate of bossam was plonked on our table. Boiled pork that was pretty tender surrounded a ridiculous mountain of kimchi (cucumber, onions and I think baby bok choy). Somehow, we cleaned the entire plate off. It was that satisfying. 👅💦💦

Chir Chir has a buncha new items on their menu and it’s hard to pick favorites. This dakgalbi seems to put together all the things I like – cheesey, spicy (it seriously packs a kick) and topokki with tender chicken! Would definitely recommend having this with an ice cold beer for a #treatyoself day. 😛

A new Korean beauty collagen hotpot place has opened that's great for you CBD peeps! Right beside Waa Cow! at Raffles Xchange, it's perfect for one of those days where you want a long, relaxing lunch. 😛

We tried a few combinations but the yuzu salt collagen base with seafood was the tastiest for me. Turn on the cooker and wait as the collagen hiding below the generous ingredients melts down to a delicious broth. It had that savoury, sticky mouthfeel that a good collagen soup usually has which went pefectly with the refreshing yuzu. Put that with the fresh flavours of the sea and we have a winner! I'm not a jjigae expert, but apparently it's one of the cheaper ones around too. 🤑