Located in West Coast Plaza, an outlet mall which is a few bus stops away from Clementi MRT Station, Sunny Korean Cuisine offers cheap Korean classic dishes below S$10.

As Sunny Korean Cuisine is a self-service eatery, diners are required to place their order with the staff at the counter or through the e-kiosk. Besides that, food and beverages are to be collected on your own as well. There is also a bucket filled with ice just beside the food collection counter should you need any for your drinks.

While service is not a priority here, food is served efficiently and we waited no more than 10 minutes for our orders to be ready.

We felt that their Bibimbap (S$5.50) is a good deal as the portion is sizeable. Served warm from the kitchen, we thoroughly enjoyed the dish which came with well-marinated chicken, fresh crunchy vegetables, fried egg, kimchi and moist rice. So good!

Every order of a Bibimbap comes with a small bowl of miso soup.

On the other hand, we had mixed feelings about the Hot Plate Beef Set (S$6.50). While the aromatic beef slices are tender and juicy, the amount of oil used made it impossible for us to finish the dish without rice.

Their hot plate sets come with a small serving of banchan and miso soup. We had to add S$1 for a bowl of rice.

Other Korean dishes you can enjoy at the eatery include Hot Plate Saba Fish Set (S$6), Kimchi Soup (S$5.50) and Kimchi Beef Ramen (S$5.50).

Sunny Korean Cuisine
154 West Coast Road
#B1-08, West Coast Plaza
Singapore 127371
Tel: +65 9199 2170
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Clementi

While it is relatively easy to find Korean restaurants in Singapore, it is difficult to find a truly outstanding place that will make you go back again and again to try everything else on the menu that you have not tried. Big Mama Korean Restaurant at Kim Tian Road is one of the few that belongs to this category. The food is generally good, and addictive enough to make you return on a regular basis.

It is better to go to Big Mama in a big group as many of their signature dishes come in big hearty portions. One of the most popular dishes which you will see every table ordering is the Dakgalbi ($15/pax, min 2 pax). Pan-fried chicken with vegetable, rice cake, sweet potato cooked in a spicy sauce. There is also the Pan-Fried Bulgogi ($50) which is a savoury combination of well-seasoned beef and rice cake. The remaining two dishes on the Big Mama’s recommendation list are Pan Fried Pork Belly ($40) and Suyuk ($25/40), pork belly boiled in water and served with various sauces.

While the prices of the signature dishes seem steep, the portions are meant for sharing. So it works out to be a decent meal that is not too gruelling on the wallet. But even if you are not in a big group — and one of the reasons why I love Big Mama — the menu offers plenty of choices.

There are the usual favourites like Ramyeon ($8), Pork Bulgogi ($13), Bibimbap ($14), Kimchi Fried Rice ($12), Seafood Soft Bean Curd Soup ($14), Kimchi Soup ($14). If you like Kimchi Pancake, you will love Big Mama’s rendition ($15) with finely chopped kimchi and seafood.

Big Mama also offers BBQ Meat like Grilled Pork Belly ($18), Grilled Boneless Beef Rib ($28) and Grilled Pork Collar ($18). While the meat was well-marinated and cooked to a good standard, it did not take our breath away.

The star of the menu was the Jjambbong Jeongol ($25/40) – a delicious spicy hot pot of mussels, prawns, clams, squids and kimchi which you see in the first photo of this post – with its balanced medley of savoury, sweet and spicy flavours. This is simple and honest food that I can eat on a regular basis, especially on rainy days.

I was not particularly fond of the Fish Cake Hot Pot ($20/35). Perhaps because it paled in comparison to the spicy seafood stew, and perhaps because it was too overwhelming to have a whole pot of fish cake.

Big Mama is extremely popular, so getting in without a reservation is very difficult, especially during dinner. The food is addictive and familiar, and it is a place that deserves more recognition.

Big Mama
2 Kim Tian Road
Tel: +65 6270 7704
Daily: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 11pm

I love KFC! I’m referring to Korean Fried Chicken, not Kentucy Fried Chicken (even though I will find it hard to say no to that too).

Kko Kko Nara Korean Restaurant on Tras Street (Tanjong Pagar) is a mom-and-pop chicken place that has been around for a while. They are famous for their Korean Fried Chicken, and the best part is they operate till late night 4am. For those of you who are always on the lookout for new supper place in Singapore — how about some Korean Fried Chicken and soju?

The Korean Fried Chicken craze actually took over New York City back in early 2007, but in Singapore, the term “Korean Fried Chicken” has not generated as much interest as KOI or Gong Cha Bubble tea.

Who cares if nobody knows about Korean Fried Chicken? I’m glad that there are a couple Korean Restaurants in Singapore serving them, and the best thing is: there’s no need to queue up.

After settling down, I was delighted to hear Koreans chatting in their native language. It’s always a good sign to see that the Korean Restaurant has the stamp of approval from their own people.

We started with the pickled daikon, a very good appetiser to wake the palate. Like Togi Korean Restaurant, Kko Kko Nara only serves 6 side dishes: kimchi, potato, black lotus root, and beansprout. My favourite place for Korean food in Singapore: Kim’s Family Restaurant is still the best, with 10 side dishes and a whole fish!

The Stone Pot Bibimbap ($10) came first. What’s there not to like about it? Add in the hot chilli sauce, and mix everything together in the hot stone pot — this is a must-order Korean food whenever I eat at Korean Restaurants. FYI: Kko Kko Nara only serves Bibimbap for lunch, it’s not available during dinner. I’ll touch on this in a while.

My friend wanted to try the Spicy Korean Ramen ($7), the stock was average, nothing to shout about. It’s also available for lunch only.

And finally, Korean Fried Chicken (KFC)!

Kko Kko Nara’s Korean Fried Chicken comes in four different flavours: original, soy garlic sauce, sweet & spicy, and hot & spicy. Since it was our first time there, we decided to go for the Small Chicken Combo Set ($20) which comes with 3pc of original, sweet & garlic. For those who prefer to have just a particular flavour, the Korean Fried Chicken is $15 for half and $25 for whole during lunch time (different pricing for dinner).

What’s so special about Korean Fried Chicken?

From what I understand, the chicken pieces are lightly coated with flour and deep-fried twice till a gorgeous shade of golden brown with shattering crisp. I tried the original flavour first, it was like normal deep-fried chicken, only leaner and crispier without any fats. Seriously, I could eat a dozen of the chicken wings on my own.

I proceeded with the sweetish Soy Garlic sauce chicken wings which had more depth in flavour and taste. It was a right decision to leave Kko Kko Nara’s Sweet & Spicy KFC for the last, the spiciness only hit you after a while. I started to sweat, but I didn’t stop eating. They were awesome – Awesome with a capital A!

Is KFC the best fried chicken in Singapore? I don’t know about others, but I preferred Korean Fried Chicken to the ‘best chicken wings’ that I had at No. 5 Emerald Hill.

If you are keen to try out Kko Kko Nara korean restaurant for the Korean Fried Chicken, I’d advise you to go during lunch. The same chicken wings cost $5 more during dinner, and the ‘cheaper’ main dishes like Bibibamp, Bulgogi are not available at night. Unless you just want the fried chicken wings, the other main courses for dinner are in the $20-$40 range. I’m guessing that the premium is probably to cover their cost for opening till late night. But like what I have mentioned, Kko Kko Nara at Tras Street (Tanjong Pagar) is a great supper place for some drinks and Korean Fried Chicken.

I’m gonna try the Korean Fried Chicken from Woori Nara Korean Restaurant at Lorong Kilat next. KFC FTW!

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Kko Kko Nara Korean Restaurant
57 Tras Street #01-01 Singapore
Tel: +65 6224 8186

// Recommended: lunch for the working crowd in Tanjong Pagar, and late night supper.

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It’s a pity that Korean food in the Singapore food scene isn’t as strong as its Japanese counterpart. Most people tend to crave for sushi rather than kimchi. I’m sure you can easily rattle off a list of good Japanese restaurants, but it’s not the same story when it comes to Korean Restaurants in Singapore.

My friends were craving for Korean food, and after hearing so much about Togi Korean Restaurant at Mosque Street, we decided to check it out on a weekday night.

The Ginseng Chicken Soup ($21) was mightily awesome. Even though the soup wasn’t that flavorful, the chicken was really tasty as it absorbed the finesse of all the ingredients.

Everybody loves bibimbap – tell me who doesn’t?

We poured a lot of the spicy-sweet chili into the pipping hot stone pot, stirring and mixing the Bibimbap ($11) into a delightful color of red, yellow and green. It looked good, it tasted even better! With an assortment of vegetables, mushroom, chicken, chili and steamed rice jumbled up — the bibimbap is a dish for all seasons.

We also had the stirred fried Spicy rice cake ($12), a famous street food in Korea. To be fair, I think it’s an acquired taste, and it’s really one of those dishes that you either love or hate.

I looked at the table, and fought the temptation to order the crispy Korean crispy pancakes: “No Brad, there’s too much food left”. Another visit to Togi Korean Restaurant, perhaps?

Judging by the crowd on a weekday dinner, Togi Korean Restaurant is definitely one of the more popular Korean restaurants in Singapore. Prices at both Togi and Kim’s Family Restaurant are in the same range, but the latter serves ten side dishes while the former only has six.

Even though I enjoyed the dinner there, Kim’s Family Restaurant is still my best Singapore Korean Restaurant.

Restaurant Review
Togi Korean Restaurant
11 Mosque Street Singapore
Tel: +65 6221 0830

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I’ve said it before, and I’m not afraid to say it again, Kim’s Family Restaurant is my favorite place for Korean food in Singapore. I like it because they always serve ten side-dishes (I like to call them appetizers) no matter how many main dishes you ordered, I like the tasty and affordable Korean food there, and I like the fact that they are just ten minutes away from my place and I can have Korean food whenever cravings call.

I like it, because I like it. Why am I even explaining? Make a trip there and you will know.

As for kimchi, I’m sorry to admit, she’s just not my type. Even after trying it for a few times, kimchi just doesn’t do it for me. Sure, it’s a great appetizer, sour, slightly spicy – the perfect combination to get your palate going, but I’m just not that into kimchi.

I know there’s at least a dozen of people will hate me if I say this, but I have never been a fan of Ramen. Fine, maybe it’s just me, but ordering ramen makes me feel like we are paying restaurant price for instant noodles. With the increasing number of Japanese Ramen restaurants opening in Singapore, all the ramen-lovers are rushing to compare which place has the best ramen, but you know what, I don’t crave for ramen, so unless someone drag me along, it’s highly impossible for me to explore any ramen restaurants.

Okay this is tricky, since we did ordered Ramyeon ($8) with meat. It wasn’t too bad, I like the intense flavor of the stock, and the presence of egg, meat, seaweed that made the ramen, uh, tasty.

Bibimbap ($10) is, of course, delicious with chili, lots and lots of red spicy-sweet chili. Topped with ingredients like meat, seaweed, beansprout, and vegetables, and mix together with chili; the hot stone pot kept the temperature of the rice pipping hot – it’s perfect!

The Seafood pancake ($10) is a lovely appetizer, but do not let the word appetizer mislead you; the portion of the Korean-style pancake was more than enough to feed the four of us.

If you have another place that serves affordable Korean food with lots of side dishes, please let me know. For now, I will stick to Kim’s Family Restaurant.

Restaurant Review
Kim’s Family Restaurant
17 Lorong Kilat #01-06
Singapore 598139
Tel: (65) 6465 0535

Kim’s Family Restaurant is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore

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When all my friends raved about Kim’s family restaurant, I know I have to check it out. Prior to this, my past experience with Korean food was limited to two places, so yes, up till now I have no idea how exactly an authentic kimchi taste like. The comprehensive menu meant that we spent another additional ten minutes flipping through before we finally decided on our orders.

Had I not been prepared by my friends recount of their experience, I’ll definitely be swamped by all the appetisers that arrived on our table. There was nine of them, and it even included a whole fish! There’s the usual kimchi, anchovy, spicy-sweet cucumber, and I particularly enjoyed the macaroni potato salad.

The braised beef claypot ($10) was excellent – sweet thinly sliced beef that came with cellophane noodles (dong fen) which fully absorbed the essence of the beef. We also had the kimchi fried rice ($10) which I somehow forgot to take a picture. The fried rice came with a sunny side-up on top; it looked good, but I would prefer it if it’s slightly more sourish and spicy. Bibimbap ($10) or hot stone pot rice completed the lineup for our dinner. What’s there not to like when you have hot piping rice in a hot stone mixed with so many ingredients and splashed with lots of chilli?

With the generous appetisers, and the value-for-money dishes, I will definitely return when my friends need a Korean fix, and the best part? It’s only ten minutes away from my place. See you there!

Kim’s Family Restaurant
17 Lorong Kilat #01-06
Singapore 598139
Tel: (65) 6465 0535

Kim’s Family Restaurant is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore