SSADA GIMBAB: Popular hidden Korean eatery with mala pork gimbab & amazing cheesy fried rice

As a recent graduate of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Bukit Timah and Beauty World area has always been a spot where my friends and I would explore after school. Ever since I graduated, I haven’t been back to this part of the country in a while, until I heard about the opening of SSADA GIMBAB.

SSADA GIMBAB can be found in the basement of Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, located right next to Beauty World MRT Station. The Korean eatery first opened its doors in Jul 2023, and has since attracted plenty of customers to its quaint store.

SSADA GIMBAB has many seats for diners to enjoy their meal, though it tends to get a little crowded during peak hours. Aside from offering their gimbabs, they also have other Korean classics, like tteokbokki and stews.

What I tried at SSADA GIMBAB

The most eye-catching item on SSADA GIMBAB’s menu was their Mala Pork Gimbab (S$11). I’m a huuuge lover of gimbab — these delicious rolls are stuffed so generously with fillings, making every bite savoury and flavourful. I was excited at how SSADA GIMBAB included a flavour that I’ve never seen at any other Korean store in Singapore, and knew that I had to try it.

I loved how generously packed with fillings the Mala Gimbab was, and each element shined through as I bit into the roll. The assortment of veggies were super fresh and crunchy, while the layer of rice was thin, complementing the flavourful fillings nicely. Unfortunately, I could not really taste the mala aspect of the pork — it was meaty and slightly salty, making the whole roll more tasty, but it was not evidently numbing or spicy.

Regardless, this was a pretty great gimbab. I’d love to try SSADA GIMBAB’s other flavours, especially the Tonkatsu Gimbab (S$11)!

My favourite dish of the night was SSADA GIMBAB’s Cheesy Spicy Stir Fried Pork Rice (S$15), a rice dish topped with cheese, pork and onions. When I mixed the ingredients together, the stretchy cheese was well-combined into the rice, with the sauce turning the entire dish a tantalising shade of orange.

I was blown away by how delicious this seemingly simple dish was. The sauce had a slight sweetness to it, and wasn’t very spicy, making it relatively easy to chow down. The cheese was the perfect addition as it made the rice so much creamier and milkier. I loved the bits of vegetables speckled within too, as they gave the dish a slight crunch.

Though weren’t very hungry when we visited SSADA GIMBAB, we ended up polishing off the entire plate of Cheesy Spicy Stir Fried Pork Rice!

The final dish we tried at SSADA GIMBAB was the Spicy Beef Stew (S$15), which came served in a claypot. The stew, containing shredded beef, enoki mushrooms, eggs and various vegetables, was literally boiling when it was served to us. It also came with a bowl of white rice on the side.

The Spicy Beef Stew was pleasantly flavourful and not too salty. Though it reminded me more of kimchi soup than a beef stew, I enjoyed how comforting it was.

There was also a generous amount of ingredients within the stew, ensuring that every bite came well-supplemented with various elements. The shredded beef within had a nice chewy texture, though it did lack the beefy flavour that I was hoping for.

I decided to add the white rice into the stew, which made the dish so much more filling. However, the large volume of rice soaked up the soup too quickly, leaving the dish feeling a bit like a drier version of porridge. I’d recommend consuming the stew and the rice separately in order to avoid this.

Generally, though I enjoyed the Spicy Beef Stew, I thought that it could use a little more soup.

Final thoughts

SSADA GIMBAB is a great spot to grab lunch or dinner if you’re in the Beauty World area. Their mains are affordably priced with a pretty adequate serving size, and they did not disappoint in terms of taste. If this eatery had opened back when I was still studying at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, it would likely have been one of my go-to after-school spots.

Definitely give their gimbabs and Cheesy Spicy Stir Fried Pork Rice a try if you’re thinking of paying them a visit!

Expected damage: S$8 – S$17 per pax

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