More than just another Korean restaurant dishing out your typical Korean stews, fried chicken and soju, NY Night Market impresses with its unique, over-the-top renditions of popular Korean delicacies. No, this is far more than just another joint for you to drown out your post-Seoul vacation blues.

Hailing from Seoul, this restaurant brings to Singapore a taste of new-age, contemporary cuisine fusing the best of both Western and Korean influences. Imagine this: the vibrant cuisine of cosmopolitan New York City intermingling with the nuanced, hearty flavours of Korea. The result? A smorgasbord of mouthwatering delights that are just too decadent to handle—on your own at least. Nearly everything on the menu comes laden with melted cheese, cream or bacon which is never a bad idea—unless you’re dieting.

There are so many items to choose from, each with its own unique quirks and delicious appeal, but if we had to pick a favourite, we’d easily go for their M.A.C Feat Bacon (a twist on the classic mac & cheese) as well as their unique take on a Korean classic, Budaejjigae—a dish that sees a heaping mound of bulgogi beef and a jumbo pork sausage on top of the usual trimmings.

We hope you brought along your appetite because NY Night Market is anything but light, what you can expect is a full-on feast of next-level fusion food—one that perfectly fuses the best of Korean comfort food and New York City-style attitude.

From 21 March to 10 April 2019, our readers can quote “ladyironchef” to enjoy the following discounts at NY Night Market:

Get S$10 off with min S$50 spent
Get S$20 off with min S$100 spent
Get S$30 off with min S$150 spent

WATERFALL CHEESE SHRIMP

If you love the crunchy texture of fresh shrimp, as well as the idea of warm, savoury liquified cheese, doused over its sweet flesh then their Waterfall Cheese Shrimp (S$14.90++) will work up to be quite the treat.

The shrimps are first grilled along with a combination of herbs, vegetables and simple seasonings before being covered with a generous pour of melted cheese. The cheese sauce here is a combination of mozzarella and emmental—which is mildly sharp, buttery, slightly nutty but more importantly, stretchy enough to give you a satisfying cheese pull.

CREAM THE CURRY FEAT. TOPPOKI

A dish that packs serious heat and comes with a rather intimidating surprise is their Cream The Curry (S$14.90++). The dish arrives looking rather uninspiring at first, but not until a heaping mound of whipped cream is layered over it. Dig in through the layer of cloud-like cream to reveal a layer of chewy Korean rice cakes swimming in a lip-smacking red curry along with a handful of softened bell peppers.

Spicy, sweet and creamy all in one mouthful, this velvety smooth mammoth of a dish is given a sprinkling of curry powder as a finishing touch. Warm, savoury and oozing with a milky richness, this dish is one that really grows on you.

WATERFALL CHEESE STEAK

If you’ve never experienced a proper cheese raclette meal before, you haven’t missed out on much and we’re willing to go as far as to say that their Waterfall Cheese Steak (S$15.90++) is heaps better than the posh Swiss delicacy.

Certainly gimmicky, the dish sees chunks of sautéed beef on a hot plate loaded with sweet cherry tomatoes, broccoli coated in barbecue sauce before a cascade of cheese sauce is poured over top. Beyond the drama aspect of it, the dish was actually pretty good. The beef cubes were soft, tender and juicy and the cheese sauce complemented the sweet barbecue sauce well.

YOU’RE BACON ME HUNGRY

Korean sandwiches have been the fad as of late, but trust NY Night Market to do more than just serve up everyday sandwiches. Available from 8am to 6pm daily at NY Night Market’s 313 Somerset outlet only, tuck into a wide variety of sandwich options spanning the humble Bulgogi Babe (S$7.90++) to the bacon and cheese loaded You’re Bacon Me Hungry (S$7.90++).

More than your everyday bacon sandwich, their version is essentially a big breakfast compressed between two slices of toasted brioche, the contents of which see generous strips of fried bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown, cheese, shredded cabbage, their house-made jam and tartar sauce. For lack of a better word, it was divine. It has everything you’d want in a sandwich from the fried, greasy components to the sweet, savoury and tangy profiles that make it incredibly addictive.

M.A.C FEAT BACON

What’s a cheese-forward menu without a section dedicated to the comfort food classic, Mac & Cheese? Here they have 3 varieties for you to choose from but we opted for the M.A.C feat Bacon (S$11.90++).

Enhanced with lashings of potato and bacon bits, the dish had a nice, smooth texture underscored by a rich, smoky and savoury flavour. Cheesy and all in all satisfying, this is one dish we wouldn’t mind stuffing ourselves with as we binge on Netflix.

BEEF LEEK PIZZA

The Beef Leek Pizza (S$15.90++) is a treat for meat lovers. Think thin slices of medium-rare steak neatly laid over a crispy tortilla sheet brushed generously with a sweet, luscious barbecue sauce with bits of savoury leeks scattered around. The result? A crispy, thin-crusted pizza oozing with sweet, smoky and beefy flavours, accompanied by a fragrant, umami hum from the sautéed leeks.

BUDAEJJIGAE

If you take a classic Korean army stew, load it up with a jumbo pork sausage that’s long enough to line the circumference of a round dish, bulgogi beef, melted cheese and possibly a pump of steroids as well, you might end up with something that’s a fraction of NY Night Market’s Budaejjigae (S$18.90++).

It is what it is—a heart attack in a pot—but for what it’s worth, it is essentially a pot brimming with both fried and stewed goodies, closely resembling a classic Korean army stew but double the satisfaction.

30CM STEAK FRITES

The crème de la crème of all of NY Night Markets steak offerings has got to be their colossal 30cm Steak Frites (S$22.90++). A feast for the eyes, what you get is a 30cm board that’s topped generously with grilled ribeye along with thick-cut fries and a medley of roasted vegetables.

ROSTI & BEEF

Made with finely shredded russets, the Rosti & Beef (S$11.90++) was crispy around the edges but pillowy soft in the middle. Topped with a dollop of sour cream, the sharp, creamy flavour of it did well to balance out the sweet, intensely meaty flavours of the bulgogi beef.

Although this dish is by no means American or Korean—it’s actually Swiss—we must admit that they were pretty spot-on with their own rendition of it.

PASTA DE DAK-GALBI

The Pasta Dak-Galbi (S$17.90++) is a whimsical, calorie-dense fusion dish comprising the likes of Korean dak galbi (spicy grilled chicken) and an assortment of vegetables with a heaping mound of spaghetti covered in a sweet, tangy tomato sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese. Not for the faint of heart, this pasta dish packs an intense fiery punch and you’ll likely be needing to gulp down a drink two bites in.

ALL-IN PLATTER

If you’re finding it hard to decide on a specific dish to order, why not order up a bit of everything to try? Provided you’re in a group with people who can seriously eat, order up the All-In (S$34.90++), a ginormous sharing platter comprising steak, shrimp, grilled pork, mac & cheese, bread rolls as well as an assortment of dipping sauces for you to choose from.

This really had us stuffed but if we’re talking about some of the best sharing platters we’ve ever had, this would easily come up among our top three. Every component was cooked perfectly, from the crunchy, lightly spiced skewered shrimps to the pink-hued medium-rare steaks.

From 21 March to 10 April 2019, our readers can quote “ladyironchef” to enjoy the following discounts at NY Night Market:

Get S$10 off with min S$50 spent
Get S$20 off with min S$100 spent
Get S$30 off with min S$150 spent

Terms & Conditions
- Applicable for dine-in only at NY Night Market 313 Somerset and Westgate
- Minimum spend must not include amount spent on 1-for-1 beer
- Minimum spend must be on a single bill
- Quote ‘ladyironchef’ or flash our website / Facebook /Instagram post to redeem the promotion.

NY Night Market (313@Somerset)
313 Orchard Road #01-29,
313@Somerset,
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6957 4620
Sun to Thu: 8am – 11pm
Fri & Sat: 8am – 1am
Nearest Station: Somerset

NY Night Market (Westgate)
3 Gateway Dr,
#01-08 Westgate,
Singapore 608532
Tel: +65 6816 1018
Sun to Thu: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Jurong East

This post was brought to you by NY Night Market.

So there’s a running joke that Asians have bubble tea running through their veins than blood, and there’s no denying that we do absolutely love our bubble tea.

From regular milk tea to cheese tea to fruit tea, with a variety of pearls, we love them all, and yet we still can’t seem to get enough, if it wasn’t already evident enough from the magnitude of bubble tea shops popping up all over the place.

Here some people have gone the extra mile to plate up bubble tea in ways we’ve never considered before. Genius or insane? We find out.

Photo Credit: Celest Lim

BUNS

We don’t suppose it requires much more of a description once you’ve seen the image. It’s an earl grey tea-infused fluffy dough bun filled with earl grey tea-infused cream and the classic chewy tapioca balls.

CHOCOLATE MALT TOAST

For slightly more, you can also get a Chocolate Malt Bubble Tea Toast. Kind of a cross between Horlicks and Milo in the form of a Nutella spread, it oozes nothing but sweet decadence with a pop of surprise in each bite.

Photo Credit: Nini

DORAYAKI

If you grew up watching Doraemon, you’d know his absolute favourite snack would be dorayaki, a Japanese pancake stuffed with fillings such as Azuki paste. Over in Taiwan, you’d find a stall called Quolofune selling Pearl Milk Tea Nama Dorayaki apart from regular dorayaki flavours. It’s a winning combination of sweet black sugar tapioca and freshly whipped soft cream.

Photo Credit: Nini

EGG TARTS

We’ve had chocolate egg tarts, passion fruit egg tarts, so why not bubble tea egg tarts? We don’t just mean tossing a spoonful of tapioca on top of a regular Portuguese egg tart though. Found inside a train station at Liang Liang Hao, they serve up hot pockets of eggy goodness with tapiocas almost all but melting into the egg mixture.

Photo Credit: Nini

PANCAKES

Combine a Japanese’s fluffy souffle-style pancake with tapioca pearls and you’ll get a dish that looks like someone plucked it straight out of your mid-day office daydreams. Described as a lovely mesh of milk tea-infused cream with black sugar pearls atop the fluffiest, airiest pancake ever that even guys would enjoy as it’s not overly sweet.

Photo Credit: Nini

PANCAKES..?

Before you question why pancake appears twice (maybe thrice, if you consider Dorayaki one too), there are so many different types of pancakes served with tapioca we couldn’t help but give them their own individual spotlight.

Photo Credit: Nini

PIZZA

Regardless of whether you think pineapple belongs on pizza, this might be enough to spark a new debate. While the idea of chewy black sugar balls in a bed of melted cheese and crust might seem sacrilegious since dessert pizzas are already a thing, what’s there to lose with tapioca on pizza?

Photo Credit: Shopaholicdeb

ROLL

Another creation by our very own Breadtalk is their Earl Grey Bubble Tea Roll to wrap up their Taste of Taiwan release. The same earl grey tea-infused cream and tapioca are wrapped within a light and airy Swiss sponge cake with little flecks of tea leaves added to the mix. It’s sure to make everyone say “wow” when you bring it to the table.

Photo Credit: TP Tea

SOFT SERVE

You’ve probably also already heard by now that TP Tea sells their signature soft serve with tapioca as toppings. You can expect a satisfying creamy bite of milk tea in the form of ice cream that contrasts perfectly with the thick chewy tapioca pearls.

Photo Credit: The Benjamins

TOAST

Picture two slices of crispy bread with chewy tapioca pearls stuffed in the middle, drizzled in a sauce of your choice. Sounds crazy? You’ll be surprised to know that some people love it.

Nowadays you’ve probably heard a lot about ModSin cuisine, though more often than not the novelty of fusion food is pretty much a thin disguise for more gimmicky quirks than actual delights. Fortunately, Uncle Kiisu in Novena Square 2 offers up an affordable yet impressive plethora of dishes that seeks to please all sorts of foodies.

This relatively new establishment serves up fusion food where West meets modern Asian cuisine. Aiming to challenge culinary norms, Uncle Kiisu displays its unique interpretations of food where diners are constantly wowed with creative combinations of Peranakan, Japanese and other local flavours.

First to arrive was their Mentaiko Cheese Bruschetta (S$3.80), two pieces of crispy dough fritters that were mercilessly doused with mentaiko and cheese and topped with ikura. Freshly torched before serving, the breath of char made this umami bomb all the more smoky and creamier.

Next was a plate of KiiWings (S$7.80), which was the furthest thing from your regular fried chicken. The wings are tossed in a mixture of soy and sambal and sprinkled with Japanese seasoning and fried garlic shards.

It’s really hard not to suck the meat off the bones because of how well seasoned the wings were. Crispy, juicy and succulent, the flavours oozed out with every single crunch of the fried exterior.

We also ordered their BellyRollMee (S$12.80) which was their take on a classic Porchetta, stuffed with mee siam instead of the usual meat based filling. This was, hands down, the single best bite we’ve taken, and perhaps in ever too. From the beautiful crackling skin to the fragrant fat and the soft tender meat, everything was melty and oozy and just absolutely divine.

Touted as their number one signature dish, we definitely understand why.

Last but not least, we also had their SobaSoGood (S$8.80). A simple and classic pun for a dish name, it was also the dish that we were most looking forward to. With cold matcha noodles served in truffle soba sauce alongside hotate and ikura, what more could we have asked for?

When it arrived, the smell of truffle wafted through the air and was definitely not hiding. We took a couple of generous slurps and fully enjoyed the way the delicate flavours played off one another.

Uncle Kiisu
10 Sinaran Drive
#02-65 Square2
Singapore 307506
Mon to Fri: 10am – 10.30pm
Sat & Sun: 10am – 11.30pm
Nearest Station: Novena

Along the picturesque side of Esplanade mall, Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill—a halal-certified restaurant which specialises in ModSin cuisine—is one of the many dining destinations located along the boardwalk.

Opened by renowned Chef Ummi Abdullah, who is incidentally also the person behind the success of Ambeng Cafe, this chic classy restaurant serves up a plethora of not only attractive noodle and grill dishes but also tantalising desserts and mocktails.

Perhaps one of the most popular, as well as the most innovative dish, their Smoked Duck Lemak Chilli Padi Pasta (S$18.90) pays homage to the traditional Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi. Just like the original, this dish is fiery, much so that the waiters even warned us as we ordered it.

This dish is a super savoury coconut-based gravy, with warm pasta neatly twirled in the middle, and generously topped with smoked duck, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the vegetables. The gravy is packed full of heat that’s only quelled by the fresh tart vegetables. The smoked duck meat was tender and juicy, though the smoked flavour was a little overwhelmed by the gravy.

We also ordered their Tori Hanjuku Ramen (S$16.90). After all, how often do you come across halal ramen? It was one of the more highly anticipated dishes online, and needless to say, we were pretty excited about it too. However, the appearance of the dish was rather underwhelming, with most of the ingredients hidden under the soup.

We weren’t too impressed by the taste either. While the noodles were firm and al dente, and the eggs lusciously soft and creamy, the soup itself was much saltier than the usual chicken based broth with little else to it.

Despite being a noodle-focused restaurant, their rice dishes delivered fairly well too. The last dish we ordered was their Noosh Bulgogi Chicken (S$14.90). It’s a classic bowl of stir-fried chicken in teriyaki sauce served over rice. Unpretentious and simple, the warm bowl of rice was nothing short of comforting and soothing.

The sauce to rice ratio was also just right, and made for a moist savoury bite, with honest chunks of chicken and sticky caramelised onions.

Located along the prime area facing Singapore’s iconic skylines, Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill is one of the more affordable restaurants around with plenty of tasty enticing modern Singapore specialities.

Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill
8 Raffles Avenue
Esplanade Mall #01-13B
Singapore 039802
Fri: 3pm – 10pm
Sat to Thurs: 12pm – 10pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade