This Korean spot specialises in 12 varieties of handcrafted springy knife-cut noodles
Tucked away in Singapore’s very own “K-town”, Seoul Noodle Shop at 99 Tanjong Pagar Road joins the lineup of Korean food options. Opened by Korean celebrity chef, Lee Won-il, this restaurant focuses mainly on kal–guksu (Korean knife-cut noodles), along with an array of sides.
For those who enjoyed My Chef is Korean Oppa’s 1-month popup that happened at Market Blue, Tanglin Mall recently, you’d be glad to know that it has become a permanent fixture named Seoul Noodle Shop. What sets this second outlet at Tanjong Pagar apart from the first one is its range of outlet-exclusive dishes.
If you’re lucky, you’ll catch Chef Lee in action while he’s still in Singapore.
The noodles are made in-house and are freshly churned out by the machine upon customers’ orders.
We kicked things off with the Pork Bone Spicy Noodles (S$20.50), that came with barley rice, pickles and kimchi.
The noodles were silky smooth and the perilla powder added a gritty texture in every bite. The soup was smoky and unique tasting with a dull spice that left me craving more.
The pork ribs came in 3 pieces and one of them was massive and generous with fork-tender flesh.
The bowl of barley rice came with a serving of bean curd cubes doused in soybean paste gravy, which I found rather refreshing compared to the conventional rice that’s usually served.
I was also obsessed with the pickles that were slightly tangy with a mild sesame oil taste (I finished 3 plates by myself).
With Singapore’s weather being so hot these days, a good remedy would be getting a bowl of Bibim Noodles (S$16.50). It comes with spicy sauce, kimchi cubes, sliced beef and egg.
It was a refreshing bowl of chewy noods that had tangy bits of kimchi, loads of crunch from the spring onions and a lingering spice that playfully teased the tongue— this was my favourite!
There’s also the Singapore-exclusive Busan Shrimp Noodles (S$20.50) filled with shrimp, fishballs and scallions.
This dish would be a hit with seafood lovers. The unassuming broth turned out to be extremely robust and umami with a dominating prawn-y taste. To us, the fishballs ended up tasting more like sotong balls instead.
The Kimchi Mandu (S$5 for 3 pieces) came served in a cute dim sum basket. The dumplings had paper-thin skin with a loaded filling of mixed vegetable kimchi and glass noodles— highly recommended!
For a truly cheesy indulgence, the Spicy Chicken Cheese Dakgalbi (S$38.50) is a sharing plate consisting of stir-fried boneless chicken leg and mixed veggies. Hot melty mozzarella cheese is then poured atop before getting flame-torched right in front of your eyes.
We also tried the Beef Pancake (S$24.50) that was topped with appetite-inducing leek salad. It was a refreshing twist on the usual kimchi and seafood versions.
If you’re in the mood for a drink, share a Makgeolli Ade (S$18.90) that comes in a cute mini kettle. For something refreshing, get the Yuzu Ade (S$4.80) to lift your spirits.
Oh wait, before I forget, there’s an ongoing promotion till 14 Oct 2024, where you can get either of the drinks I just mentioned for free with any noodle order!
If you’re a fan of Korean fare, Seoul Noodle House is definitely worth checking out. Even for someone like me, who typically prefers Japanese food, the dishes I tried have me eager to return next month for another taste.
Yes, it was that good!
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