ManNa Korean Restaurant (SingPost Centre)

Mushroom pancake ($15.80)
Fried using enoki mushroom, this was really good and was something different from the usual kimchi pancake. It was so crispy on the outside and just right on the inside.
Recommend this!

Mulnaeng myeon ($15.80)
Mismatched portioning - Amount of buckwheat noodles was enough for 2 but they only gave one slice of beef??? Broth was good though

Kimchi is nice and all, but what if we, oh I dunno, upgraded it? Say we put beaten eggs, a batter mix of rice & wheat flour, and kimchi together and panfried it all? That’s right, kimchi pancakes are a terrific thing, and they’re the only acceptable form of carbs to have at a Korean BBQ.⠀
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@mannakoreasg Kimchi Jeon ($17.80++) is every bit as fantastic as any other Korean restaurant worth their kimchi. The thickness of the batter is perfectly balanced as all things should be, providing just enough sponginess to satisfy your jaw while being thin enough to avoid becoming a grease sponge. ⠀
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The starchy bits are regularly interspersed with bits of kimchi, delivering zaps of crunchy sourness that cuts right through the greasy, meaty haze of your meal. The edges are crisped up real good too for some delightful textural variation, an important but often overlooked factor for any food item.⠀
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When you go for a spot of Korean BBQ at Manna, you can have your pancake and eat it too.

I’m kind of miffed that the Samgyeopsal ($26.80++) at @mannakoreasg was served to us still somewhat frozen. C’mon man, we’re already doing all the cooking, at least defrost the pork belly all the way through before serving it.⠀
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However, the Jumulug, which is marinated beef sirloin ($40.80++), fared a whole lot better. Firstly, it’s properly thawed, so that’s nice, and secondly, the beef is remarkably well marbled, with stunning streaks of fat meandering through the sirloin. These sirloin slices are marinated in a soy sauce based marinade that’s simple yet sapid. The marinade adds salinity to the beef, accentuating the beefy, meaty flavours that everyone loves beef for. The sirloin, as you might’ve guessed, is sublimely tender after a stint on the grill and will melt in your mouth ever so slowly.⠀
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I’d definitely recommend getting all the beef at Manna, and skipping the un-marinated pork belly. They may not treat the porcine right, but they do right by the bovine because they don’t want any beef.

Beef is always a must at any Korean barbecue, and @mannakoreasg Wang Saeng Kalbi ($42.80++ for a whole slab) is no exception to that rule. It’s a whole slab of marinated beef short ribs that certainly wasn’t short on flavour.⠀
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As you can see, this beef is decent quality bovine with a respectable amount of fat marbling running through the ribs. Fat is flavour, and when coupled with the ample soy based marinade, this felicitously fatty & tremendously tender beef was such a decadent delight to devour. As you’re the grillmaster, you control the doneness of the Kalbi, but I’d definitely recommend getting it to a medium doneness to get the most flavour out of the fat while keeping the beef juicy.⠀
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Pop it onto a lettuce leaf with some rice, some kimchi and beansprouts from the banchan smorgasbord served to your table, and season the beef even more with a dab of gochujang, then roll it all up. I love rolling up that good good, and you will too.

problem #1: service was poor. staff were not friendly and had to be waved at for several minutes before they responded

problem #2: meat was mediocre, no, subpar. we were going to order one particular type of beef but the waitress suggested the sirloin beef stating that it was nicer but while i was eating it, i momentarily got confused whether i was eating beef or chewing gum. the samgyeopsal was gamey too.

problem #3: they put paper on top of their grill which fair, would definitely help minimise their washing but the meat cannot char properly and if you eat samgyeopsal you would know that the best pork belly in korean bbq is always charred and crispy.

problem #4: the vege (which btw u have to pay extra for???? i've never seen this before...) that you normally use to make ssams was SMELLY. it smelled super off and we called the waitress to smell it and she made a face before bringing it back to the kitchen. $3.80 for smelly vegetable?? no thanks. (tmi but i'm having stomachaches and am in pain right now)

problem #5: the total bill for one beef + one pork + one yukaejang (which was underwhelming but no major complaints) came up to $100... for that small portion and low quality meat. what a ripoff. if you want to eat good korean bbq, go anywhere else but here. never coming back here again, it's really worth neither the calories, the money or the stomachache.

This features a base of silky slippery sweet potato glass noodles and crunchy bean sprouts, topped with tender bulgogi / marinated beef and bouncy squid, in a pleasant spicy savoury salty sweet gravy.
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The ingredients pick up the taste profile of the gravy so well, with the bulgogi / marinated beef in particular complementing it with smoky meaty sweet savoury flavour. Yum.
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ManNa Korean Restaurant
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