OBBA Jjajang Express (One Punggol Hawker Centre)

O.BBa Jjajang shouldn’t be an unfamiliar name to locals at this current juncture; the establishment is perhaps most noted for their offerings of the Korean Jajangmyeon. Originally establishing themselves as O.BBa BBQ, the folks behind a O.BBa had further expended their brand over the past number of years with O.BBa Jjajang being the brand that focuses on Korean Jajangmyeon, Tangsuyuk and Jjampong amongst other communal dishes. O.BBa Jjajang had further expanded its operations into O.BBa Jjajang Express; a concept that features a much more limited menu of O.BBa Jjajang’s offerings so that it allows for the concept to be run from a food court / hawker centre stall. The first O.BBa Jjajang Express concept is located within the Koufu HQ at Woodlands Heights; with the success of that very first location, O.BBa Jjajang Express had recently opened a second outlet — this time round within One Punggol Hawker Centre. O.BBa Jjajang Express’s outlet at One Punggol Hawker Centre replaces the now-defunct Phat Jack; a hawker stall that used to serve Korean-inspired burgers. There isn’t too much of a difference between the items available at O.BBa Jjajang Express Koufu HQ against the items available at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre — those whom are looking for their Jjampong and Jajangmyeon items would be able to find both at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre. That being said, the menu at O.BBa Jjajang Express Koufu HQ is still more extensive, since items like the OBBA Corn Dog, Fried Rice, Ramen are all unavailable at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre.

We have had O.BBa Jjajang’s Jajangmyeon quite a number of times at this current juncture — our very first taste of it was actually at their very first O.BBa Jjajang concept at Tanjong Pagar when they had just opened their doors back then. One thing we did notice about their Jajangmyeon over the years was that the flavour profile of the Jajangmyeon was slightly more profound when we had first given them a try — there is a rather slight but noticeable difference in how the black bean sauce tastes especially after O.BBa Jjajang had started to retail their sauce packs. Irregardless, the presentation of the dish at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre does differ from that of the same from O.BBa Jjajang Express Koufu HQ — the most distinctive being how O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre does not use the same metallic bowls that other O.BBa locations uses; instead, it comes with the same yellow bowls that is communally shared for used amongst the tenants of One Punggol Hawker Centre. Giving the noodles a good mix with the caramalised black bean sauce, the Jajangmyeon from O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre is exactly what remembered about the same that we have had at O.BBa Jjajang Express Koufu HQ. The noodles here are of that familiar QQ texture that creates a good bite and chew. When coated with the caramalised black bean sauce, it comes with a slight tinge of sweetness, while there were a good serving of sliced onions and minced meat that also accompanied the bowl of Jajangmyeon. The sliced onions helped to create a soft crunch that added texture to the bowl of Jajangmyeon, while the minced meat helps to add a bit of a meatiness and a good bite — the addition of the minced pork giving the entire bowl of Jajangmyeon a more wholesome feel. The quality of the Jajangmyeon at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre is pretty consistent with our experiences at other O.BBa Jjajang / O.BBa Jjajang Express locations; also one of the better Jajangmyeons around the island.

O.BBa Jjajang had been one of those establishments which we had been visiting on and off over the years — sure, there might be a few other establishments that serves out Jajangmyeon from a coffeeshop setting such as that of Jeong’s Jjajang which we absolutely enjoyed, though the location of O.BBa Jjajang / O.BBa Jjajang Express has always been something that just seemed way more convenient for us. Having visited O.BBa Jjajang very early in the day, we had never thought that the establishment would become the concept that it has become — not only do they have quite a loyal following, but they had also made Jajangmyeon more accessible to the masses here. To put it simply, the vast number of Jajangmyeon-centric establishments which we have these days was pretty much in part due to O.BBa Jjajang’s success in the early days — they were pretty much the first establishment to have popularised the dish to the masses around the island. It really was quite unthinkable if one would say that O.BBa Jjajang would expand their operations to not only serve up the dish from hawker centres / food courts at a rather reasonable price, let alone producing their own sauce packs for customers to enjoy Jajangmyeon in the comfort of their own home — it is indeed quite a journey for them since back then. Having only tried both the Jajangmyeon and the Fried Pork Dumpling during our visit to O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre, we found their standards being pretty consistent to what we have experienced from their establishments in recent times. Prices of the dishes at O.BBa Jjajang Express One Punggol Hawker Centre does seem lower than that of O.BBa Jjajang Express Koufu HQ; the Jajangmyeon costing $6.80 while the Jjampong is priced at $8.80 — not quite “hawker centre pricing”, but fair enough for a rendition of Jajangmyeon that would be priced even higher in a Korean restaurant. For those staying in Punggol and have yet to give O.BBa Jjajang — the time has pretty much come!