Korean Eumsik

Didn't realise that Paik's Noodle have already been in Singapore for a year and that they already have 4 outlets! But from my first meal experience here, think I can understand why it's so popular - the food here is delicious and really value for money! Although I only had the Jjamppong Bap to share between my partner and myself, I could tell that they really care for the quality of their dishes. The seafood soup was really bursting with flavour, rich and infused with the flavour of shellfish. Our eyes literally lit up on our first sip! Even better, the bowl was chock full of mussels and squid and pork strips; I counted more than 10 mussels in total. The cabbages and carrots and onions were also a welcome addition to make the broth even heartier, and I thought having a mix of noodles and rice was perfect for those who can't decide which to get - though we preferred the noodles in the end! The only thing lacking was it was somewhat lacking in the spice department. Perhaps a selection to pick our spiciness level?

On a Saturday night, there were only 3 staff working the entire area and they were extremely busy - maybe that's why service was a little slow. i had to go over to the desk to request for bowls and the side dishes, and the bowl she gave was also stained at the side. But small matter! Would I return? definitely!

Got the Spicy Chicken Cheolpan ($8.50) and Spicy Chicken Japchae ($9.50), adding on Curly Fries + Drink for a grand total of $22.80. We liked the Pepper Lunch-esque cheolpan, especially the marinated chicken and the pops of sweetness from the corn. On the other hand, the japchae was just decent, just sweet potato noodles in gochujang-based broth with spicy chicken topping. Overall, nothing outstanding and I didn't think it was worth the price.

Personally did not enjoy the meal I had here. The Chicken Cutlet Bibimbap ($6.80) had dry and almost-tasteless chicken chunks besides bland boiled cabbages. Adding the bibimbap sauce on the side did little to add to the enjoyment of the meal. The Hotplate BBQ Pork ($10.80) was marginally better, but while the pork came in a big portion, they were slick in oil which made it pretty bleh to eat after awhile. The free flow portions of rice, kimchi, and soup did little to appease our mouths. Don't think we'll return.

They were having a promo where the egg fried rice is $5.90 if you buy another item that is at least $8. We got the soondubu jigae ($16 for no meat option). Soondubu was slightly watery and pretty bland overall. Decent amount of tofu and mushrooms but couldn't save the lacklustre soup. Egg fried rice was decent though.

Shared Set 30 (4 pax) between the 6 of us and we were all surprisingly satisfied with the portion. The set ($169) includes Beef Tripe Hotpot, Dough pieces for the hotpot, Webfoot Octopus Bossam, Steamed egg, a half-half Seafood and Kimchi pancake, as well as 4 bowls of rice.

Starting off with the refillable banchan, the offerings on the day were kimchi, beansprouts, cucumber, and cuttledish (i think...?). All of them were delicious, no need to say any further. There were also the non-refillable banchan which was japchae, some fried fish, and some tofu with kimchi-something. Didn't know what I was eating, but still delicious nonetheless.

For the mains, hotpot was soooo good and actually a very large portion. the server kindly offered to change the beef tripe to pork and octopus when we said we couldn't take beef, kudos to them for not just rejecting us! The hotpot was chockful of meat and veges and turns out we really loved the fresh octopus. The dough pieces also soaked in the flavours of the broth well. Our love for the octopus also carried over to the webfoot octopus bossam - we couldn't wow-ing over the tender octopus in the sweet-spicy sauce. Damn good! Finally, the steamed egg was just average but nicely complemented the other heavier dishes. Had a good time here and would return to try the other sets.

Went with a friend who doesn't eat beef so couldn't try the famed cold noodles. Settled for the Soft Tofu Seafood Soup ($16.80) and Rice Cakes ($12). Sundubu was...bad. Watery and bland, with just one mussel, two prawns, and a handful of clams. Think even the Korean store in the nearby foodcourt sold better Sundubu. As for the Tteokbokki, can't say much about it as I don't eat it much, but thought it was alright. The banchan given were just kimchi, beansprouts, pickled radish, and a sauce that I assume is for the mandu or pancake. Kimchi wasn't sour and spicy enough to my liking.

Overall, glad I came early - about 6.30pm - and only waited about 5min for a table. Perhaps if i return I'll try the cold noodles and mandus.

EDIT:
Returned again to try the noodles this time. Got the Mul Naengmyeon ($16.80) and the Jjajangmyeon ($13.80). Noodles were sooo chewy and pretty nice. I especially loved the jjajangmyeon sauce which was delicious and had chunky bits of meat and vegetables within. The cold noodles was interesting, a little citrusy but really refreshing.

Ordered the Beef Omma Set which came with 180g each of Ribs, Brisket, and Striploin. For the set we chose the Kimchi Pork Soup, and also came with steamed egg and free flow of side dishes including fresh lettuce. Overall, sufficient to share between three of us but I thought the meal as a whole was pretty meh. I liked the selection of salt at the table though. They also gave a complimentary coconut jelly complete with the coconut flesh which was very much appreciated!

Came by on the eve of Labour Day and there was a long waitlist at about 7.30pm. Left out contact details and took a walk, and surprisingly we got the call to return about 25min later, quicker than expected. Ordered the Half Yang Nyeom Chicken Mixture ($23) which came in a huge portion and drenched in a sweet-spicy sauce. Spicier than expected for Mild, but thought the chicken could be crispier. For carbs, we just went with the simple Ramen ($10) which was actually decent and the noodles were perfectly firm. Washed it all down with a pint of Stella ($12 for full pint during HH), great with the complimentary crackers.

Went with a friend who doesn't eat beef so couldn't try the famed cold noodles. Settled for the Soft Tofu Seafood Soup ($16.80) and Rice Cakes ($12). Sundubu was...bad. Watery and bland, with just one mussel, two prawns, and a handful of clams. Think even the Korean store in the nearby foodcourt sold better Sundubu. As for the Tteokbokki, can't say much about it as I don't eat it much, but thought it was alright. The banchan given were just kimchi, beansprouts, pickled radish, and a sauce that I assume is for the mandu or pancake. Kimchi wasn't sour and spicy enough to my liking.

Overall, glad I came early - about 6.30pm - and only waited about 5min for a table. Perhaps if i return I'll try the cold noodles and mandus.

Chose this restaurant to celebrate my cousin's birthday. Really homely and friendly atmosphere. Wanted to get the BBQ grills but they were abit too pricey so we settled for the Tteok-Galbi sets, both Beef ($44.90) and Pork ($38.90). These were 2 patties atop a bed of onions and sweet potatoes, served with a side of Mini Beef Doenjang Jigae and Mini Pork Kimchi Jigae respectively. The patties were thick and juicy and nicely-seasoned, but do dip it in the gochujang sauce for some variety of flavour. The Seafood Kimchi Pancake ($28) came in a huge portion and we really loved the crispiness. Decent portions of squid and prawns within too! Finally, finished off with the Makgeolli ($25) which came in a metal tub and a ladle which I think is how it is traditionally served, enough for maybe 7 or 8 servings. Overall, had a good time here and would return to splurge on their BBQ meat sets.

Lovely and aesthetic vibes at this new Korean dining spot in town. There was a $55/pax set menu and Festive Specials, but we opted to go with the a la carte menu to hone in on the recommended dishes for this first trip.

Started things off with the Makgeolli Bread ($6), whose texture was not unlike the colourful steamed rice cakes I had in my childhood (the one where you ate it with grated coconut). The taste of the bread was also similar, but we loved it with the white bean butter which was sweet, creamy and oh-so-buttery. Almost licked the entire butter dish clean.

Served at almost the same time was the GamjaJeon ($19), which I swear was just slabs of rosti, but flatter and crispier. The rosti was topped with parmesan shreds, radishes, onions, and bacon bits, and served alongside and addictive truffle mayo sauce. Seriously, it's addictive. Pricey, but worth the hype.

For mains, we had the Jeju Pork Noodle ($19), which was light in taste but with a smokey aroma from the charred pork belly. Would have preferred a dish with stronger flavours and the pork belly was a little too tough for my liking.

To wash the meal down, we tried their Makgeolli Cocktail ($18 for 200ml) in their classic Jeju flavour. This was sweet, milky, and slightly tangy, but overall the makgeolli taste was underwhelming and I thought the price was a little too steep for the volume.

Final thoughts: Decent meal, price-worthiness was so-so. Service was good, the staff will patiently explain to you the menu and go into details when asked. They also allowed us to change seats to one that was beside the windows. One thing though, their seats are a little uncomfortable to sit on.

Back at my fave Korean joint, tried the pork combo this time round. Surprisingly good with equal ratio of meat to fattiness and the greens provided a satisfying crunch. Huge portion too. Combos are always good for sharing between 2 pax especially with the free-flow banchan, and don't forget to make a reservation else it'll be around a 30min wait at dinner time.