[Korean food] SBCD Korean Tofu House 부창동 순두부

In the recent years, Korean restaurants/fastfood specializing in signature Korean food are getting more popular in Singapore.  Some of these specialties include bingsu, fried chicken, gimbap, bibimbap and the latest addition to the list is now soontofu (순두부).  In the 1970s, Korean soft tofu soup has been regarded as a daily comfort staple that provides a rich source of nourishment to Koreans and other nationalities residing in Korea.

SBCD Korean Tofu House, the latest Korean Restaurant in the Tanjong Pagar CBD district, specialises in a variety of Korean soft tofu soup, where the word "soon" actually means soft.

The restaurant uploads the kitchen philosophy of serving uplifting and complete meals.  Every soontofu dish is created using handmade silken tofu prepared fresh daily.  The broth comes in 4 different levels of spiciness - mild, medium, spicy and crazy hot.  After trying the various level of spiciness, level 3 seems to suit me best.  However, this may be a little too hot for some, who aren't into spicy food.

The modern and spacious restaurant has a total sitting capacity of 120 with 96 in the main dining area and 24 in the private dining area.

The private dining area can be further split into 3 smaller rooms with 8 seats each.  The private rooms are names after the restaurant's name, calling itself b-dong, c-dong and d-dong.  In the administrative division in South Korea, "Dong" means neighbourhood.

(entrance to one of the private rooms)

 (Private dining area)

The soft tofu is made with mature white soybeans, after they have been boiled, curdled and pressed.  The soybean is low in cholestorol and carbohydrates and is a good source of protein and calcium.  The chef comes in as early as 7am daily just to start preparing the fresh tofu for the diners.

(Chef making Prawn Tofu Pancake)

(Prawn Tofu Pancake)

Each soontofu soup is served with an egg and individually prepared in a rich, savoury broth.

Another unique practice in SBCD Korean Tofu House if the way the rice served with every meal.  Each bowl of rice is served in a hot stone bowl, and scooped out into a metal bowl at the dining table.  A thick crust of scorched rice (nuraungji) will remain in the hot stone bowl and corn tea is added into the hot stone bowl and covered to retain the heat to further cook the leftover rice.  Diners get to enjoy a bowl of rice porridge dish later, that is not only nutritious, but also aids in digestion.

(Hot Stone Bowl)

Each bowl of rice is cooked in individual hot stone bowl.  Each batch of rice are covered and pressure-cooked for a precise 15 min and 20 secs! 

The healthy soontofu soup is served with comforting taste of homemade side-dishes (ban chan), which include kimchi, seaweed, pickled green chillies, spicy squid strips and a whole fried croaker fish!  Serving a whole fried fish as a side dish is not common in Korean restaurants in Singapore.  Amongst the side dishes, what stood out for me was the seaweed and the kimchi.  They were totally delicious.  The price of set-meal ranges from $17.90 to $29.90.

There are a total of 4 appetiser dishes in the menu.  Besides the Prawn Tofu Pancake, there are also japchae, fried dumplings and seafood pancake.  Price ranges from $12.90 to $19.90.  The prawn tofu pancake is generous with the minced prawn fillings than the soft tofu itself.  Each portion of the appetiser is suitable for 2 to 3 to share.

(Prawn Tofu Pancake)

Besides the soontofu soup, the restaurant also serve popular Korean meat dishes such as L.A. Galbi, Spicy Grilled Chicken and Spicy Baby Octopus, with price ranging from $23.90 to $35.90.  Options are available to order these dishes as main dish or to include them in the combo meal along with a soontofu soup of choice.  My personal preference is the spicy grilled chicken, although I must say that the level of spiciness has been moderated, perhaps to suit the local taste.  The price for the meat dishes are comparable to BBQ dishes at other Korean restaurants.

(Tteok Galbi - Grilled Short Ribs Patties)

 (Spicy Grilled Chicken)

There is a good selection of 10 soontofu soups on the menu and fortunately for vegetarians, 1 of which excludes meat in the soup.  All soup base contain pork and vegetable, except for the Sesame Soontofu which does not use pork in the broth.  The ingredients used in this healthy option includes sesame, broccoli, mushroom and zucchini.  The taste is really light and suitable for diners who just want a light soup meal.  It is also the only dish that is non-spicy, making it suitable for junior diners.  

Overall, the restaurant serves quite a wide range of Korean popular dishes although the main highlight are the soontofu dishes.  The available of seats provides office workers in the vicinity, a good option for a healthy meal after work and with the enjoyment of continuous K-pop music.

The restaurant is located in Tanjong Pagar Centre, the newest tallest building in Singapore and is conveniently connected to the Tanjong Pagar MRT station.

SBCD Korean Tofu House
7 Wallich Street, Tanjong Pagar Centre, #B1-01/02 Singapore 078884
Tel: 6366 6441
Opens daily fom 11.30am to 10pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBCDSingapore

SG Cafe Series: Korean Cafe Tom N Toms Cafe in Singapore

Missing the relaxing ambience of a Korean cafe?  I am sharing my favourite hide-out away from the hustle and bustle of shopping mall cafe - Tom N Toms cafe.  Located at a not-so-prominent Icon Village at Tanjong Pagar, the cafe plays the best of non-stop K-pop and most of the service crew are also Koreans.  The cafe may be full-house even during off-office hours but it is a quiet place to chill out.

There are 2 sections to the cafe.  The main cafe has piped-in music while the side section is quiet.  Students and office workers use the cafe for discussions and it is quiet a common sight.

 

(Main Cafe)

 

(Side Cafe)

Just like what is commonly seen in cafes in Korea, a pretty wall mural can be found at Tom N Toms.

 
The drinks selection is much more interesting than what we normally get from CBTL or Starbucks eg. cinnamon mocha, green mint mocha etc.  Food-wise, pretzel is a signature bakery at Tom N Toms.  But for the Singapore outlet, they do not serve pretzel.  Instead , they serve thicktoast bread with flavoured whipped cream as well as tortilla pizza.

 

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Good news for those who needs to get online often.  The cafe provides free wifi!!  This cafe has been around for a few years, and I hoping to see more Tom N Toms in Singapore in the future!


Tom N Toms
12 Gopeng Street #01-12 ICON Village, Singapore 078877
 Tel: 62256313
Opening Hours: 7am to 1am

Getting there: The cafe is 2-minutes walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station.  Use Exit A, walk along Choon Guan Street, turn left at Peck Seah Street.  Walk ahead and cross the junction at Gopeng Street.



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[Singapore Restaurant] A Korean Style Chicken Restaurant : Chicken Up (한국 치킨 전문점)

As I walk along the stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road starting from Orchid Hotel toward Maxwell Market, I realise that many new Korean restaurants have joined in the wave of hallyu in Singapore.  Other than what we normally get ie.  BBQ, stews and rice, one shop stood out from the rest.  They serve mainly chicken dishes, and Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) is their specialty which is why they are also known as 한국 치킨 전문점, meaning Korean Chicken Specialty Shop.  This shop is Chicken Up.  This new KFC is totally different from the usual KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and it is worth a try.  Best part of it is that you can opt for ala carte or chicken buffet!

The main entrance



The front façade

Chicken Up has been around for about 3 years.  The main restaurant can take up to about 40 guests indoor.  There are also some outdoor seats.  Chicken Up has recently taken over the space next door and expanded its seating capacity.  It is generally an ideal place for gatherings with friends and colleagues, especially if they are K-pop fans.  Immerse in an evening of continuous latest hits which savouring the chicken dishes.

On each table is a small thrash can and it is meant for the chicken bones.  Truly, that's how the Koreans eat fried chicken in Korea!!



There are also some secluded seats behind the main counter which has more privacy.

The newly acquired restaurant uses open concept although it is also air-conditioned.

All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet costs $25 (before tax) per person.  Go for this option if variety is something that you like to have.  Comparing the cost of Korean Fried Chicken against other Korean restaurants, the price is reasonable.  To get into the real mood of eating Korean Fried Chicken, you can top it up with some beer.  치맥 (chicken & beer) is really really popular in Korea.  Note that on Fridays and eves of public holiday, there is a $5 surcharge for the buffet.

Chicken Up has several fried chicken options including Curry Up, Spicy Up, Mild Up, YangNyeom, Soya Chicken and Popcorn Chicken.  The other options include Andong Chicken Stew, truffle fries and salad.

Soya Chicken (간장치킨) comes in chicken wings and this is my favourite.  The savoury and slightly sweet crispy wings are really delicious.   The wings are quite big, tender and juicy.

The Yangnyeom chicken (양념치킨) is 2nd on my favourite list.  Chunky pieces of chicken were deep-fried before coated with a layer of sweet, sticky and slightly spicy sauce.  These are delicious but perhaps the pieces were way too chunky.

Other than the 2 fried chicken dishes, I personally like the Andong Stew Chicken which isn't commonly found in Singapore.  As the name implies, this dish originates from the city of Andong in the Gyeongsang province in Korea.  Other ingredients used in this dish include mainly glass noodle, potato, carrot and onion and together with spicy soy-based sauce and dried chilli.  In Chicken Up's version, rice cakes and lots of sesame are also added! 

Spicy Up is the signature dish at Chicken Up!  The pieces, a mix of breast and thigh pieces, are big as well and very crispy.  However, the taste is a tad ordinary which can be found in some other Korean fried chicken stalls/restaurants in Singapore.

The waiting time for the fried chicken generally takes about 15 to 20 mins.  The chicken dishes aren't pre-cooked and heated up upon order.  I guess that is a little price to pay for freshly cooked food.  In the meantime, salad is also available on the buffet list.  The fresh veggies mixed with thousand island salad offers a refreshing taste to the sinful fried dishes and provides some balance to the diet. =)



Chicken Up 

48 Tanjong Pagar Road #01-01, Singapore 088469

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/ChickenUp

Tel: 6327 1203

Opening Hours: 5.30pm to 2am daily. 

Getting there: Take the mrt to Tanjong Pagar Station.  At Exit A, walk towards Peck Seah Street, then Tras Street and finally Tanjong Pagar Rd in the direction towards Maxwell Market.  It is diagonally across Fairfield Methodist Church.



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驿站 (Yi Zhan) again.... [Shop has Closed]

My second visit to 驿站 within a month.  This time round, what caught my eyes was the 鲁肉饭 (Stewed Pork Rice).  The white rice has been covered by the fragrant stewed pork and gravy.  The 2 yellow pieces are pickles. 

Felt a little sinful after finishing most of the stewed pork as half of it are fatty meat =P  Washing down the rice and the pork is a bowl of clear vegetable soup.  Yummy dinner!

O Dae Yang Korean Seafood Restaurant - New Location

O Dae Yang has finally re-opened.... it is now located at 76 Peck Seah Street S (079331) [Tel : 63965356]. Easily accessible by Tanjong Pagar MRT, just 3 mins walk when you reach the street level.

The new place is much much smaller compared to its old location. But again, this is just amt the normal size of a Korean Restaurant found in town area.
 

On the right side are 2 private rooms that can sit up to a max of 8 pax (a little squeeze). 6 pax wld be just comfortable...

 

The beautiful thing about a Korean meal... lots of appetizers to whet your taste buds before the main courses are served. The ikan bilis & peanuts are to die for... they are really good. But it is not a common side dish. Perhaps they are adapting to the local taste buds.
 

Here comes the main course - Korean Glass Noodles with Vegetables.

Dak Bulkogi - BBQ Chicken.

Stir Fried Pork Belly.... pork slices were a little too thick for a non-regular pork eater like me.

Seafood Soondubu Chigae (Stew).

Seafood Pancake.

Our drinks - Hite beer.... my, my... the beer costs so much more here...

Dessert - Watermelon and pineapple

Fruits - pineapple, rock melon + pear. The rock melon is very very sweet and fragrant... Special skills are needed to cut the pear, can u see it?

Generally, the restaurant ambience is really good, just like how it was @ the old location, except that the place is way smaller now.

 

 

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