Wooga Jjajang (Old Airport Road)

I was surprised to see a jajangmyeon-focused hawker stall. It also gave the dish a twist by offering various toppings. I love pig trotter and I love jajangmyeon so it's a no-brainer. I was surprised again by how good it was. The noodles and the sauce were restaurant standard, I dare say. I like how the pork had a balance of lean and fat.

My favourite Wooga variant of jjajangmyeon turned out to be their humbler yooni jjajangmyeon.

Instead of bulgogi or pork belly, this came topped with minced meat. I preferred this variant because the minced meat retained its juices and made the black bean sauce more savoury and flavourful.

At this price point, I think Wooga presents a really good bowl of jjajangmyeon. In terms of 1the proteins, I certainly prefer the Jeong Jjajang which comes with seafood. As for the sauces, it boils down to a matter of personal preference - do you prefer a sweeter and glossier sauce (ie Wooga) or a more savoury version (Jeong). Both are great but I personally prefer the later.

P.s. Jeong has since shifted a shop space and naturally increased its prices. Other than Wooga, I can't think of any other hawker stalls which serve a bowl of JJM at these prices!

Wooga Jjajang uses a thicker and chewy form of wheat noodles. I initially thought that they were using the common yellow noodles but there was none of the alkaline taste commonly associated with the yellow noodles.

I personally prefer the bulgogi over the bulgogi pork belly as it was more tender. However, it was a little dry and I wished that they cut it a little thicker so that the meat retained its juices better.

Miss K and I used to drop by Dong Bang Hong Korean-Chinese restaurant in Telok Ayer to satisfy our Jjajangmyeon craving until it shut down in 2020.

I was therefore execited to learn that the chef has set up shop in Old Airport Road FC, serving what else but jjajangmyeon with a 60 year old award winning recipe handed down from his father. I mean jjajangmyeon at hawker centre prices? Sign me up!

Wooga's JJM sauce is thick yet glossy and super smooth, making it easy to slurp up. The sauce is on the sweet side with a nice hint of wokhei from the caramelised onions and black bean paste. I personally prefer Jeong Jjajang's savoury and less oily sauce but this ultimately boils down to a matter of personal preference.

I was however not a big fan of their bulgogi pork belly which was a little tough and rubbery. It was either overcooked or left in the open for too long.

P.s. This is a review of Wooga Jjajang's new outlet in October 2023. However, it seems to closed down according to Google!

Korean Style Jjangmyeon from Old Airport Road Hawker Centre Wooga Jjajang 01-84 !

Rarely do I see korean jjajang myeon sold in hawker centre/coffeeshop, and this was done right!

Slurpy chewy yellow noodles, with flavourful black sauce! I liked that they used minced meat here, good for ppl like me who do not like super fatty pork meat!

#jjajangmyeon #zhajiangmian #koreanjjajangmyeon #oldaiportroadhawkercentre #oldairportroad #hawkercentre #food #foodhawker

It has been a long time since we last step foot at Old Airport Road Food Centre — whilst we seemed to have visited the spot a little lesser considering how Brawn & Brains Coffee now mainly operates from Hamilton Road, a run round the 100 Plus Promenade at National Stadium was the reason why we decided to drop by the food centre. One of the things that had seemingly caught our attention when we had walked into the food centre was the banner introducing the new Wooga Jjajang — whilst being a new addition to Old Airport Road Food Centre, the name does ring a bell for us considering we have had items from the brand before. For those whom are familiar with Yuktan Chobeolgu-i Korean BBQ Restaurant at NTP+ Mall at Lorong Chuan, Wooga Jjajang is a concept that is related to the said brand — Yuktan Chobeolgu-i Korean BBQ Restaurant does also offer a line-up of items from the Wooga Jjajang brand as well. For the Old Airport Road Food Centre location, the Wooga Jjajang outlet takes over the former premises of the now-defunct Pasta Manna; the stall can be found at around the middle of the second row of stalls in the middle of the food centre. Here, Wooga Jjajang is more focused on their Jjajang Myeon and Kal Guksu offerings, serving up a smaller variety of items as compared to Wooga Jjajang’s spread of items at Yuktan Chobeolgu-i Korean BBQ Restaurant. One particular highlight is that the Jjajang Myeon offerings do seem to have a focus around BBQ meats — these includes the flexibility of ordering Jjajang Myeon with Bulgogi meats and pig trotter as well.

We made our enquiries on what is being included in the Yoo-Ni Jjajang Myeon considering how it is the only item which isn’t quite self-explanatory in its naming convention — the staff advised us that the item features minced pork; we went for it considering how the Yoo-Ni Jjajang Myeon is also mentioned in the menu to be a “signature” item anyway. Patrons are issued a buzzer when they place their order and make their order at the counter; patrons will then be subsequently paged to collect their order at the counter once the food is prepared. We were actually asked by the folks at the counter if we would like to have some kimchi to go along with the Yoo-Ni Jjajang Myeon, which we went for. At $6.50, the Yoo-Ni Jjajang Myeon is perhaps one of the most affordable bowls Jjajang Myeon out there — possibly being competitively priced to the likes of O.BBa Jjajang Express and Jeong’s Jjajang; all of which are stalls located in food courts and coffeeshops. We were told to give everything a toss altogether before enjoying the dish — this includes the Kimchi. All in all, this was pretty tasty; the lack of onions in this variant wasn’t too much of a bother — the inclusion of kimchi below to add a good crunch anyway. The Jjajang sauce (i.e. caramalised black bean sauce) was also on point — the variant here leans slightly towards the sweeter side, but the addition of kimchi also meant that it added a slight tang that cuts through the sweet notes for a good balance. The noodles were incredibly chewy here; a texture that we really liked while the minced meat provides a good bite with a bit of savouriness that makes it kinda wholesome. Considering its price point, it is really quite an appealing option to go for especially if one is craving for Korean-Chinese cuisine whilst dining at Old Airport Road Food Centre; the Jjajang Myeon items being priced between $6.50 to $8, while the price of the Kal Guksu ranges from $7 to $8 — definitely worth a try for those who are big fans of Jjang Myeon.