[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

[Singapore Restaurant] Korean Food: Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant

Wang Dae Bak - this is a restaurant that I had wanted to visit since some time back but only get to do so now.  Friends, who are fans of Korean food, have been raving about this restaurant and after trying, there's no doubt that this is possibly one of the few Korean restaurants that serve pretty decent BBQ!

The restaurant isn't very big and the size of table is good for 4 pax.  The deco of the restaurant ie. the BBQ chimney, seats with round metal chairs, cylinder tank beneath the table top, resembles what you see in BBQ restaurants in Korea!

Side dishes - a total of 5 and all were really delicious.  We asked for refill and the service staff topped it rather speedily.

 

Each person is also given individual portions of condiments comprising salt, ssamjang for the BBQ meat and sesame oil. 

For the BBQ, we order a portion of pork belly and marinated chicken.  It came with tteokbokki and a bunch of enoki mushroom.

For lunch, the BBQ isn't cooked over charcoal.  Instead, it was cooked over the Korean-style hotplate.  Notice that the side of the hotplate is used the scrambled egg?  This is the first Korean restaurant, amongst the many that I have visited that uses such hotplate. 

Between the pork belly and the marinated chicken, it was unanimous amongst me and my friends that the BBQ chicken was really delicious!  And just to clarify, it is not the case that the BBQ pork wasn't delicious.   It was!  Just that the chicken BBQ was better!

And none of us would object that the seafood deonjang jjigae (bean paste soup) was delicious!  But note, for those who have not tried Korean bean paste soup before, the taste of this dish may take a while for one to used to.  Deonjang jjigae is made from fermented soy bean and hence, the fermented taste may be a little overpowering for some people.  Otherwise, for seasoned Korean food eaters, this is one place that I will recommend for deonjang jjigae.  

Andong Chicken is one dish that is quite subjective.  For people who haven't tried this dish and likes spicy food as well as stewed chicken, it is actually quite delicious.  But for those who have tried Andong Chicken in Korea, this would not be able to match up to the standard.  But overall, it is not a bad dish though.

The haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) is uniquely served on a bamboo-woven plate.  The portion was bigger than what we expected.  The pancake was quite nice too... thin and crispy at the edge.

We had also ordered the gamjatang (potato and pork ribs soup) and the dish was not impressive.  There wasn't any distinctive taste from both the potato and the pork ribs.  So... this is one which I will give it a miss.

Good news is that diners are entitled to 15% discount during lunch except for BBQ meat dishes.  You may also wish to try out the new dishes on their lunch menu.

Overall, the food, ambiance and value of food at Wang Dae Bak is good!  I will be back for more next time!

Wang Dae Bak
98 Amoy Street, Singapore 069918
Tel: 62260450
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Website: www.wangdaebak.com.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wangdaebak

Getting there: Walk from Raffles Place MRT station, Exit F.  It is approximately a 7 to 10 mins walk, depending on your individual speed.  With the opening of Downtown Line, it is in fact nearer to walk from Telok Ayer MRT station to the restaurant.



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[Korean Food] Bibigo goes to Suntec City

It is Chuseok on Thursday!  Celebration starts ahead of Chuseok as Bibigo celebrates the opening of it's 4th Singapore outlet at Suntec City!  The menu is complete with selection of traditional dishes including soup, hot stone dishes, pancakes rice, noodles etc; as well as modern and fusion dishes such as salads, desserts and drinks.  These are the dishes which I have tried and my verdict is ~ ~ 2 thumbs up!

Spicy Soft Tofu Stew with Seafood.  Served in a sizzling-hot hotstone bowl, the soup was really appetizing and the spiciness level was just right.  While the tofu was firm and may not be as soft as you expected, it goes not break away easily.

The Hot-Stone Chicken was yummy too.  The char-grilled chicken was well-marinated and the chicken thigh meat was tender and juicy.  The balance  of sweet and savoury taste was almost perfect.

Courgette pancake is exclusive to the Suntec outlet.  It is a Korean-style pancake with courgette (also known as zucchini, it is a type of vegetable which is related to the pumpkin family), sweet potato, butternut squash, topped with rocket salad.  The pancake was really fragrant and slightly crispy.  This is suitable for non-meat eater.

The characteristics of Bibigo pancake is that there is much more vegetable than the batter.  In this seafood pancake, scallion is used as the main ingredient topped with shrimps and squids.  This way, the dish is healthier since vegetables contain fibre!



Meals aren't complete without desserts.  The glazed sweet potato is a unique dish.  The fried sweet potato is coated with a layer of Korean grain syrup.  Even though the sweet potato has been fried, the dish managed to maintain the root vegetable's moisture.  The dish comes with glazed walnut and rice crispy too.  This dish is also suitable for non-meat eater.

If you like something cold, go for the Rosi Nero ice cream, which is made of black rice.  The ice cream is light, refreshing and not too sweet.

The Bibigo salad is another new addition to it's menu.  Served with apple sauce, this is a perfect dish for a light meal comprising of greens, chicken breast meat, crispy rice and tomatoes.

At least 5 dishes are added to Bibigo's existing menu and exclusive to the Suntec City outlet to mark the celebration of a major milestone for the global brand.  The launch of this latest outlet puts Singapore on the map as 1 of the 2 leading regions for Bibigo in the world!

The menu addition features some traditional favourites from Korea such as Hot Stone Galbi (Beef), Courgette Pancake (as featured above), BBQ Spicy Chicken, Bibigo Salad (as featured above), Oriental Chopped Salad and Grilled Ssamjang Pork.  So, be sure to check out Bibigo at Suntec City!

Suntec City Mall Tower 3, #B1-107
(For those of us who are familiar with the Suntec city layout, Bibigo sits at where McDonald's used to be)
Tel:
Daily: 11am to 10pm

For reservations at any of the outlets, call 6336 4745.

For Bibigo's delivery order, call 6604 7718.

Getting there: Take MRT to Esplanade Station and use the exit that is directly connected to Suntec City.



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Related Posts:
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- Chicken Up (Click here)


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Singapore Style : Korean Beancurd Stew (순두부찌개)





Doesn't those scenes in Korean dramas where the actors/actresses are eating piping hot stews from the pots make you drool?  One of the popular stews in Korea is the Sundubu Jjigae (순두부찌개).  It is a hot and spicy stew dish with beancurd and seafood, with an egg on stop of the dish.

 

It is actually quite easy to cook up a pot of Korean Beancurd Stew once you have the stew pre-mix.  The pre-mix is a sauce which I got mine from one of the Korean supermarkets. 

 

Koreans would typically eat this stew with rice.  For a change and to localise this, I decided to add the thick nice noodle into the stew.

 

 

 

For ingredients:

1.  Stew Pre-Mix (it can serve up to 4 pax)

2.  Eggs

3.  1 pack of Beancurd

4.  Some Thick Noodles which depends on how many persons you are serving

5.  200 ml of water

6.  Seafood

 

 

Steps:

1.  If you are using the thick noodles, cook it separately first and put it aside.

2.  Add the water and stew pre-mix into the pot. 

3.  Turn on high heat and let it boil. 

4.  Lower the heat and add in seafood ingredients

5.  Followed by eggs, beancurd and noodles.

6.  Turn on high heat for the final boil and that's it!

 

Simple, isn't it?  Taste wise, it is not bad.  If you prefer the stew to be thick and spicy, then the portion might be sufficient for just 2 persons.  If you do not take spicy food well, you will need to add a bit more water.  The thick noodles can be replaced with glass noodles too and it is all a matter of preference.

 



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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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