Best places to get the most authentic Korean food in Singapore

If you find yourself wondering around Tanjong Pagar, you’ll probably be spoiled for choice with the wide array of Korean restaurants that you’ll find along the stretch. But if there’s one place that you can count on for authentic Korean dishes, look over to Todamgol. This cosy restaurant offers an extensive range of food delicacies from the classic bibimbap and army stew to grilled mackerel as well as spicy sea snails — a great option if you’re looking for a dish with a kick.

At 31 Tanjong Pagar Road Singapore 088454, tel: +65 6224 7077. Visit https://www.facebook.com/todamgol.sg/

When it comes to Korean food staples, you’d best believe that the iconic Korean Fried Chicken would have to be at the top of anyone’s list. Found in the heartlands of Toa Payoh, this restaurant serves a wide assortment of fried chicken including one that’s reminiscent of the yangnyeom chicken in Korea. Some of the popular flavours that you can find also include plain, soy sauce, sweet and spicy, and honey butter. But if you’re swinging by for some wings, be sure to come a little earlier to avoid the crowds especially during lunch and dinner.

At 125 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-523 Johnson Eatery, Singapore 310125. Visit https://www.facebook.com/WakerTPY

If bibimbap is your favourite Korean dish, this is the place to go, as it offers a modernised version of this popular food. This restaurant chain is the brainchild of Jong Won Paik, one of the most successful celebrity chefs in Korea. The first restaurant in Singapore opened in 2013 and there are seven outlets here now. You’ll find modern interpretations of the traditional dish here and the bibimbap is served with a hearty serving of fresh vegetables so you won’t feel guilty indulging in this. And, if you prefer noodles to rice, there are noodle dishes too, such as Paik’s Bibim Warm Noodles with Soy Sauce, which is packed with savoury soy minced meat and lots of vegetables.

At various locations such as Vivocity, Citylink Mall and Tiong Bahru Plaza, visit www.facebook.com/paiks.bibimsg/ for details.

Stepping into this BBQ restaurant will make you feel like you’ve travelled to Seoul. It harks back to the days when people used to meet to eat, drink and talk, and aims to remind diners of that communal spirit that brought friends and family together. It uses real charcoal for its BBQ (which adds to its flavour) and only high-quality meats are served here. Take your pick from a variety of marinated and non-marinated meats or you can go for its set menus too. Other items include kim chi pancake, ginseng chicken soup, Korean style instant noodle and spicy chicken stew.

At 98 Amoy Street, Singapore 069918, tel: 6226 0450, and 22 Cross St, #01-64 China Square Central, Singapore 048423, tel: 6225 2646. Visit www.wangdaebak.com.sg

Candy Namgung Ji Young is a former tutor who spent years cooking for Korean students studying in Singapore, then decided to open her own restaurant in 2012. Not surprisingly, the menu here is filled with homestyle dishes and she makes them with a little help from her mum’s recipes. The no-frills look of the restaurant gives it a more authentic, ‘homely’ look, so it actually adds to its charm. The specialties here are suyuk (steamed pork belly) and dakgalbi (pan-fried chicken), which isn’t served in many Korean restaurants here. Some of the dishes have been tweaked to suit Singaporean tastes but if you’ve ever dined at someone’s home in Korea, you’ll appreciate the food here. It gets busy very often so it’s best to make a reservation before you head here.

At 2 Kim Tian Road, Singapore 169244, tel: 6270 7704. Visit www.bigmama.sg

If pork is your meat of choice, this is the place to go. It serves thick slices of Mangalitza pork belly, which is often referred to as ‘the Kobe beef of pork’. The Mangalitza Hog is a rare pig of Hungarian origin and its meat is lower in cholesterol, and has higher levels of zinc, copper, iron and oleic acid. Order the 8 Colours Set and you’ll be served the pork belly in eight flavours – wine, original, ginseng, garlic, herb, curry, miso paste, and red pepper paste. Beef aficionados will love this restaurant too as there’s a choice of Argentinian grass fed, USDA prime and Japanese Wagyu beef. The Korean Grilled Squid is a good choice from the seafood selection and other popular dishes here include Army Stew, Seafood Pancake and Black Ginseng Chicken Soup. It’s a full-service BBQ restaurant so all you have to do here is enjoy your food after it’s been expertly prepared at your table.

At 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #02-79/90 The Central, Singapore 059817, tel: 8692 1188, and Shaw Centre #04-20/21, 1 Scotts Rd Singapore 228208, tel: 9018 9212. Visit www.8koreanbbq.com

Authentic flavours take centrestage here, with modern Korean cuisine that reflects authentic Korean culture, while embracing local tastes too. Go for the BBQ lunch or dinner buffet – you can choose the normal or premium buffet, or one without beef. And make sure you wipe your plates clean as a $50 fine will be charged if there is more than 100g of leftover food (yay to zero waste!). You could also choose the items you want from the a la carte menu, if you just fancy having a few specific dishes. And, if you’re looking for a private or corporate dining experience, the traditional Hanjeongsik Course set menus will give you an experience that was enjoyed in the royal palaces and aristocrats’ homes. It’s fine dining done in traditional Korean style and sure feels like a meal fit for royalty.

At #03-02 Regent Hotel, No.1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249715, tel: 6338 8548. Visit www.seoul.com.sg

Anyone who has lived in the Serangoon Garden area will know that there’s tons of good food to be had here and you can find a plethora of cuisines too. Hanwoori is one such exciting eatery here, and it’s a low-key establishment that’s mostly known to those who frequent the area, or if you’re a big fan of Korean food. There are BBQ meat dishes and bibimbap but a must-try is the Kimchi Hotpot. Lunchtime is a good time to dine here as they serve a number of $10 nett options then, and these items are rotated often too. But probably the most exciting attraction here is the ladyboss, who is quite a character, to say the least. Pop in and experience her friendly chatter and you’ll definitely be back for more.

At 76 Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555972, tel: 6283 6339. Visit www.facebook.com/pg/hanwoorisg/posts/?ref=page_internal

Tofu fans should head here as there’s a variety of dishes to choose from. The signature dish here is the Soontofu Soup (‘soon’ means soft) and it’s made from white soybeans imported from South Korea, then boiled, curdled and pressed for just the right taste and texture. Every soontofu dish is handmade fresh daily in the restaurant’s kitchen and the 10-ingredient soup broth is made from a secret recipe. After boiling, the broth is left to set for a couple of days so the flavour is brought out naturally, instead of having to add any artificial flavouring. Choose your spice level – mild, medium, spicy and crazy hot – then pick the soontofu that takes your fancy, including oyster, kimchi biji, seafood, original beef and original pork. There are other dishes to try here too, such as Grilled Chicken (spicy or teriyaki sauce), LA Galbi (BBQ short ribs) and Cockles Bibimbap (rice with spicy cockles and seaweed). The restaurant also serves Korean puffer fish, and claims to be the first Korean restaurant in Singapore to do so.

7 Wallich Street, #B1-01/02 Tanjong Pagar Centre, Singapore 077884, tel: 6386 6441, and 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-114 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039586, tel: 6873 6441. Visit https://sbcd.com.sg

The seafood tower craze from Korea hit Singapore in the form of this restaurant. How does this concept work? The tiers are stacked one on top of another and a variety of seafood are cooked in steamers, layer by layer, from top to bottom, so you can eat off the tower one tier at a time. Order the number of towers you’d like to enjoy according to how many people you’re dining with (or how hungry you all are). The sauce bar has two dozen condiments and ingredients and there are suggestions as to how to pair each food so you won’t be lost even if it’s your first time here. The broth sits in a pot at the bottom of the tower and, with the juices from the seafood dripping down right to the bottom, you’ll end up with a soup base full of flavours. Order a premium soup base such as Korean Ginseng Chicken, Korean Kimchi or Korean Tomato. When you’re done with all the seafood on the towers, turn your meal into a hot pot feast by ordering other items to cook in this soup base. There are other types of food to order here too, such as Garlic Pork Belly, Fried Seafood Tofu, and Captain K’s Sweet Potato Fries.

At 112 Middle Road, #01-00 Midland House, Singapore 188970, tel: 6255 5744. Visit www.captainksg.com

Also owned by Korean celebrity chef Jong Won Paik, this popular chain from South Korea has a couple of outlets in Singapore too. The restaurant’s specialty, Woo Sam Gyup, is a must-try. It’s Chef Paik’s recipe of thinly-sliced beef, seasoned with a top-secret marinade. Eat the juicy meat by itself once it’s cooked or dip it in the accompanying spicy sauce, or why not roll it up with some vegetables too? If you prefer to stay cool and not have a grill with sizzling meat in front of you, try the Born-Ga Naeng Mun – buckwheat noodles served in an icy-cold broth, with vegetables, pear and beef slices, and topped with a hard-boiled egg. Cold noodles might not be something we’re used to but this just might surprise your taste buds – in a good way.

#01-641 Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983, tel: 6836 3291, and #02-123 VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk, Singapore 098585, tel: 6376 8268. Visit www.facebook.com/Borngasg/

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