As with most popular restaurants in Singapore, the waiting list to dine at ANJU was long. It is really difficult to get a table during normal dining hours (ie, weekdays after working hours, or weekend meal time). So I waited for a few months before finally visiting this sophisticated space that serves contemporary Korean cuisine.

It was a weekday at 6 pm. And the establishment was already packed with diners.

I love the interior with a soft and muted colour palette that emphasised clean lines and natural lights. The bronzeware created that chic and luxury atmosphere almost instantly.

We ordered a bottle of Champagne Makgeolli 이화백주 (940ml, $80), a naturally carbonated Makgeolli for the night. It features a fizzy champagne mouthfeel, with a sweet and smooth profile and a tinge of sourness. A milky but refreshing aperitif to whet our appetite. It is also one of the Makgeolli that made it to the Blue House’s curated wine list and is served to its prestigious guests who are visiting the Blue House for dinners.

Appetizers

At ANJU, expect communal dishes with 10/10 aesthetic plating efforts. You get to experience that Korean ritual of uniting with loved ones around the table of elevated and flavourful sharing dishes.

For appetizers, we ordered Bori Prawns 보리 새우 ($10), a deep-fried baby prawn dish seasoned in green garlic shoots and Korean chilli powder. It was an addictive pre-dinner snack that is great to pair with a chilled beer.

Domi 도미($26), a red snapper carpaccio garnished with ANJU’s house ginger dressing, Ssamjang, kombu, arugula leaves and endives. It was a refreshing cold appetizer perfect for the warmer days in Singapore.

If there is one dish you should absolutely order from its hot dishes category, that would be Yangnyeom Cauliflower 양념 컬리플라워 ($22). It was a clever dish marrying the flavour of sinful Korean Yangnyeom fried chicken with healthy cauliflower. The crispiness and nuttiness from the multigrain crumb were a nice touch and I am sure all veggie-haters would enjoy this dish. I wasn’t expecting much from this dish but it is now on my must-order list at ANJU.

We also ordered the Ssambob 쌈밥 ($10) as tummy fillers for the night. Each barley rice roll was lovingly wrapped with savoy cabbage and garnished with ssamjang.

Makgeolli and Korean pancake “Jeon” 전 is a classic pairing in Korean cuisine. Hence we also ordered the Hogam Jeon 호감전 ($26), a pancake dish that is made of Hobak 호박 (zucchini) and Gamja 감자 (potato). We also opted to top the pancake with Mozzarella cheese (+ $3).

However, the dish didn’t turn out as I imagined. While I prefer my pancake to be soft and fluffy on the inside with a perfect crisp on the outside, just like the ones we had at the traditional markets in Korea, the Hogam Jeon was a tad dry and bland. The cheese didn’t do much in sustaining the moisture of the pancake either. That said, you can give the jeon a good dunk in the Korean soy sauce with pickled onion that is served together for a stronger flavour.

Well, I have to admit that I had high expectations of this dish, which probably explains my disappointment. But I don’t think that this is a bad dish, just not the way I like my jeons to be. If you love crispy Korean pancakes, then this would fit your appetite!

Main

The star dish of the night was Galbi Jjim 갈비찜 ($38 per pax, minimum order 2 pax). Each cube of the Korean short rib was perfectly braised to a soft, tender and flavourful bite. The soy sauce wasn’t overly sweet and has that fragrant umami that calls for a bowl of warm and fluffy Korean short-grained rice.

If you are familiar with Korean food culture, you may often come across the expression “Bap-doduk” 밥 도둑, literally translated as “rice thief”, which refers to dishes that boost one’s appetite and increase rice intake. The Galbi Jjim at ANJU is definitely a real Bap-doduk.

Dessert

We had the Black Sesame Bread 깨찰빵 ($16) as dessert. It is a unique combination of black sesame cream, doenjang ice cream, yuzu meringue and Korean black sesame bread. As I am no stranger to Korean doenjang and doenjang desserts, I find myself enjoying the ice cream and black sesame cream pairing. The Yuzu meringue provided a refreshing touch to the earthy element of this dish too!

Writer’s Note

The beautiful traditional flavours, outstanding modern execution of the dishes, and unique curation of South Korea’s finest booze are probably the reasons for ANJU’s popularity. While the atmosphere was pleasant, with the hustle and bustle of this popular establishment some guests may get a little loud. That said, I am still looking forward to going back and trying out other dishes at this elegant Korean restaurant.

Restaurant Information

ANJU
62 Tras Street, 079001, Singapore
+65 6612 1172
https://anju.com.sg/
info@anjusg.com

TUE- SAT:
6 PM – 10:30 PM

CLOSED ON SUNDAY & MONDAY

While many of us are familiar with the time-tested Korean noodles places in Singapore such as Dong Fang Hong (동방홍) or Hwang-sil (황실), in recent years, more Jjajangmyun brands have sprung up in Singapore and I am very sure O.Bba Jjajjang is no stranger to any K-foodie in Singapore.

O.Bba Jjajang is one of the popular restaurants often frequented by my Korean friends. Oddly enough, I have never visited the restaurant prior to this. I have only ordered O.bba Jjajang delivery but I love every bit of it. As I decided to write down all my favourite Korean eateries in Singapore, I visited the Tanjong Pagar outlet on a weekend.

Though O.Bba Jjajang is primarily a Korean-Chinese restaurant, you can find Haemul Pajeon 해물 파전  (Seafood Leek Pancake) on the menu which is quite uncommon in South Korea. However, I’ve heard great things about their pancake so we ordered one. It turned out to be a popular dish among my family members! We love the savoury flavours, soft interior and crispy outside. Every bite was a delight.

Are you Team Black or Team Red? When you are visiting a Korean-Chinese Restaurant with friends in Korea, this is the question you’ll always get – “Are you a fan of Jjajjangmyun or Jjamppong?” (짜장이냐 짬뽕이냐), alongside with the question: “Are you Team Dip or Team Pour?” (찍먹? 부먹? I’ll come back to this later).

Team Red would always order the Jjamppong Noodles 짬뽕 (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup). The portion is huge. The soup looks fiery red, but it wasn’t too spicy. I feel a slight numbness on my tongue, which was quite pleasant. You can find fresh mussels, prawns and squid in the soup, which added a delicate briny flavour to the dish.

Now here comes another fun part about dining at a Korean-Chinese restaurant. Whenever the Tangsuyuk 탕수육 (Sweet & Sour Pork) is served, the next question asked at the dining table would be “How do you eat Tangsuyuk? Jjingmok (찍먹) or bumok (부먹)?”

Bumok 부먹 is an abbreviation from ‘부어서 먹어’ meaning ‘eat after pouring the sauce’, while Jjingmok 찍먹 is from ‘찍어서 먹어’ meaning ‘eat after dipping the sauce’. Personally, I prefer Jjingmok as it retains the crispiness of the meat. However, if you like a stronger flavour, try bumok. But that’d mean the batter coating will be soaked up in the sauce and lose its crispy texture.

Of course, we ordered Tangsuyuk at O.Bba’s. I can never imagine eating Jjajangmyun without Tangsuyuk. O.Bba Jjajang’s Tangsuyuk is served with a few pieces of fried lotus roots (love it!). Each piece is coated in a light and fluffy batter, and deep-fried until golden. I like that they’re crispy but not too greasy. According to the restaurant, they change their oil daily just so the Tangsuyuk taste fresh and the colour remains a beautiful light-golden! It pairs really well with the tangy-sweet & sour sauce.

For those who know me personally, you know that I am a #TeamBlack. I will always go for Jjajangmyun whenever I visit a  Korean-Chinese restaurant. The Jjajang noodles at O.Bba’s were served with some julienned cucumber as toppings that added a slight crunchiness to the dish. The springy and chewy yellow noodles are handmade daily and upon order, and is covered in the classic black sauce.

The flavourful black sauce pairs really well with the smooth and bouncy noodles. Personally, I think the black sauce at O.Bba Jjajang is one of the best in Singapore. With every bite, there is sweetness from the caramelised onions and the savoury taste from the Chunjang (춘장), the black bean sauce. Though it has lesser pork bits, the delectable sauce makes up for it.

I like to eat my Jjajangmyun with Danmuji (단무지), the yellow pickled radish. I reckon it is one of the most important side dishes for Jjajangmyun. Its tangy-sweet flavour along with the refreshingly crunch texture makes a perfect pairing with the chewy noodles. It also thought to aid digestion too!

I also asked for additional Chunjang (춘장), the black bean paste to go with my onions. In Korea, this black sauce is a complimentary condiment for the guests. They don’t serve it automatically here in Singapore probably to cut down food wastage because most Singaporean do not know how to eat it. I always dip raw onions into the sauce and it brings out the natural sweetness of the onion! If you like onion perhaps you can try this pairing the next time when you are at the restaurant.

Contact Details

O.Bba Jjajang (Tanjong Pagar) 오빠짜장 (3호점 탄종파가)
77 Tanjong Pagar Road Singapore 088498
Opening Hours: 11:30 am-3 pm, 5:30-11 pm
Close on Tuesdays.
Tel. +65 6221 8254

In fact, I always get this question after settling down back in Singapore – Where do I get my Korean food craving fixed? 

Having spent years living in South Korea and studied under my dissertation advisor, professor Geun Lee who’s also a passionate belly-critic has definitely broadened my taste and understanding of Korean cuisine, and of course, my ability in identifying certain characteristics that distinguish an authentic Korean restaurant (that serves good food) from an average one.

This blog post is dedicated to one of my all-time-favourite Korean BBQ restaurants in Singapore – Go! K-BBQ 고케이 비비큐.  I frequent a few Korean BBQ places here but Go! K-BBQ is my ultimate fail-proof Korean restaurant in Singapore.

The atmosphere is unpretentious. There are no frills, but authentic experience – the hustle and bustle, the smell, the taste, the naengmyun that comes after they served the meat, down to the way that thick, fat and juicy Samgyupsal (Pork Belly) melts in my mouth… The entire experience is almost identical to a BBQ Matjib in Korea.

Go! K-BBQ specializes in serving quality aged meat. All the fresh meat went through an ageing process where the meat is refrigerated without packing at low temperatures for 15 days to allow the enzymes that are naturally present in the meat to break down the muscle tissue of the meat. This process improves the texture and flavour of the meat.

To ensure quality control and consistency, their chefs go around the tables to cook the meat. From making sure the grilling pan is of the right temperature to the cooking sequence of different kinds of meat, everything will be well taken care of. All you need is to come real hungry and stuff yourself with these quality cuts!

Look at the amazing beef marbling here! The meat looks fresh and succulent. A tip I learned in Korea to identify quality Korean BBQ restaurants is their meat. A good Korean BBQ restaurant in Korea would never serve you frozen meat.

While I do not know what are the SFA requirements to import or transport fresh meat, the restaurants would probably need to adhere to certain processes but one thing is for sure – your meat will not come frozen in a good Korean BBQ restaurant in Singapore.

The Aged Boneless Beef Short Ribs 숙성 진갈빗살 (SGD 36/150g) was tender, juicy and rich in flavour. I love to wrap it with lettuce, the spicy green onion salad and garlic.

My favourite item on the menu is the Aged Samgyupsal 숙성 삼겹살 ($26/150g). I still remembered how excited I was when I saw the generous serving the first time I visited this place. “This is EXACTLY how they do Samgyupsal in Korea!” I told my friends who were equally fascinated. I mean, look at that chunk of fatty meat.

They were at least 3cm thick, and each and every chunk has that perfect lean meat to fat ratio. This resulted in that melt-in-your-mouth sensation that is juicy, tender and irresistible. The aged meat is also very flavourful despite zero marination.

My favourite wrap combination for their aged pork belly is with fresh lettuce, Ssam Mu (쌈무 pickled radish slices), Myeong-yi namul (명이나물 Pickled Wild Garlic Leaves) and a little bit of freshly grated wasabi. The textural contrasts and the burst of flavours when you bite into the pork belly wrap is sensational and beyond words. I really love how they do Samgyupsal here.

Writer’s Note: Go! K-BBQ definitely top my list for authentic Korean BBQ Restaurants in Singapore. It is the restaurant I’d go to if I am missing the food served at my 2nd home (especially during an unprecedented time like this!) Not only their BBQ meat are of the top quality, but they also serve really good Korean cuisine too! I always order Mak-guksu (막국수 buckwheat noodle) or Chadul Doenjang Jjigae (차돌 된장찌개 Soybean paste stew with beef) and they taste exactly how they’re supposed to be like in Korea.

I like that the restaurant did not adjust their menu and recipe based on local tastes and preferences so that we get to enjoy the real Korean flavours even in Singapore. They are extremely popular at dinner time so please call at least one week in advance to make a reservation before heading down!

If you’re wondering, here are my tips on how to identify an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant from an average one. Though this should only serve as a general guideline because the strength of all Korean BBQ restaurants in Singapore is different.

Simple Guide To Identify An Authentic Korean BBQ Restaurant:

1. A good Korean BBQ restaurant would never serve you frozen meat.
   So does an authentic Korean BBQ Restaurant. They might need to adhere to the SFA guidelines but at least, the meat should not come frozen. If your meat is served frozen, then high chance it is not a good BBQ restaurant.
2. Their signature meats are non-marinated.
   Meat quality is everything to a BBQ restaurant, and if their signatures are non-marinated, this says a lot about the restaurant.
3. They serve the round and thinly sliced pickled radish slices, and pickled wild garlic leaves.
   Many years ago, some Korean F&B veteran in Singapore told me that only a Korean BBQ speciality restaurant would serve myung-yi namul (pickled wild garlic leaves) in one of their banchans as the sweet and sour taste of the pickled dish complimented the pork belly really well. This golden rule is still valid today.
4. The restaurant manager or helpers are Korean, and you see Korean expatriate patrons dining in there.

Contact Details

Go!K-BBQ Singapore 고케이 비비큐 싱가포르 
76 Amoy St, Singapore 069895
Opening Hours: 11:30am-3 pm, 5:30-10:30 pm
Tel. +65 6423 0308