[Singapore] Food Review - Andong ZzimDak at Raffles City!
Monday, November 16, 2015
1. (Cheese) Dak Galbi
I couldn't stop craving for this when I came back to Singapore. Before Yoogane was brought in, I looked everywhere for this Cheese Dak Galbi. I almost broke down in tears when I finally got to eat it at Yoogane Singapore...
I mean, it's almost $20 in Singapore but only 6,000 won in Korea... 
2. Samgyeopsal
Before I knew anything about Korean culture, I never thought that eating meat with vegetables can be so... satisfying. After I experienced Samgyeopsal (pork belly, usually cooked on grill), I now wrap my meat in vegetables and enjoy the feeling of stuffing them into my mouth:
2. Samgyeopsal
Before I knew anything about Korean culture, I never thought that eating meat with vegetables can be so... satisfying. After I experienced Samgyeopsal (pork belly, usually cooked on grill), I now wrap my meat in vegetables and enjoy the feeling of stuffing them into my mouth:
3. Jjimdak
There is something about these sweet potato noodles that is incredibly addictive. Tossed together with spicy soy-based sauce and steamed chicken, this is a dish that you will fall in love with at first sight, or in this case, at first taste.
Knowing that I miss the jjimdak from Korea, the people behind Yoogane brought in the very first Andong Zzimdak to Singapore, which is conveniently located at Raffles City Shopping Centre! Yay!
The best drink to go along with the Jjimdak would be Makgeolli. For those that is unfamiliar, Makgeolli is a lightly sweet alcohol that is usually made from rice, and served on a wooden or tin bowl. It goes really well with food like seafood pancakes and spicy food, as its mild sweet taste helps to cleanse your palette.
You definitely have to order at least one bottle when you are here.
Their kimchi had a good pickled sour flavour and it wasn't too spicy, which is probably good for people who cannot take spicy food. However, it was a little too soft and mushy. I prefer my kimchi to have a bit of crunch.
There aren't many restaurants in Singapore that makes good dokboki. Most of which I have tasted were frozen and hard, as if they came straight out of the freezer.
I am so glad that Andong Zzimdak treat their dokboki seriously.
Their Spicy Dokboki was so soft and chewy, and the accompanying dokboki sauce had a good spicy flavour. The rice cakes absorbed the sauce so well, you can even taste sweet and spicy flavours on the inside. One of the better dokboki in Singapore!
This has gotta be the cutest version of Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon) I have seen! Served in mini crabcakes-size (as opposed to the usual huge pizza-like-size), these haemul pajeon were fried to a good crisp on the outside and were not that oily. The addition of lemon gives the seafood batter a good citrusy kick, making it a good, appetising snack to munch on while waiting for our main course.
At Andong Zzimdak, the menu is kept simple with just 4 choices for the Jjimdak: the original Andong Jjimdak, Boneless Jjimdak, Seafood Jjimdak and Mayak Jjjimdak. No more tearing out your hair, especially for those horoscopes that take ages to make decisions. Yeap, I am talking about you Aquarians and Cancerians.
There is something about these sweet potato noodles that is incredibly addictive. Tossed together with spicy soy-based sauce and steamed chicken, this is a dish that you will fall in love with at first sight, or in this case, at first taste.
Knowing that I miss the jjimdak from Korea, the people behind Yoogane brought in the very first Andong Zzimdak to Singapore, which is conveniently located at Raffles City Shopping Centre! Yay!
Iced Citron Tea ($2.50)
I like how they mash up the citrons, which helps to release the flavour of the citrus fruit into the drink.
Makgeolli ($19.90)
You definitely have to order at least one bottle when you are here.
Kimchi (Free)
Spicy Dokboki ($9.90)
I am so glad that Andong Zzimdak treat their dokboki seriously.
Their Spicy Dokboki was so soft and chewy, and the accompanying dokboki sauce had a good spicy flavour. The rice cakes absorbed the sauce so well, you can even taste sweet and spicy flavours on the inside. One of the better dokboki in Singapore!
Mini Seafood Pancake ($9.90)
This has gotta be the cutest version of Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon) I have seen! Served in mini crabcakes-size (as opposed to the usual huge pizza-like-size), these haemul pajeon were fried to a good crisp on the outside and were not that oily. The addition of lemon gives the seafood batter a good citrusy kick, making it a good, appetising snack to munch on while waiting for our main course.
At Andong Zzimdak, the menu is kept simple with just 4 choices for the Jjimdak: the original Andong Jjimdak, Boneless Jjimdak, Seafood Jjimdak and Mayak Jjjimdak. No more tearing out your hair, especially for those horoscopes that take ages to make decisions. Yeap, I am talking about you Aquarians and Cancerians.
We ordered 2 of their Jjimdak: the Seafood Jjimdak and Boneless Jjimdak.
Before I continue, I would like to issue you a challenge:
Before I continue, I would like to issue you a challenge:
The Evilbean challenges you to keep your mouth closed when they serve you the Jjimdak.
I bet all my beans that you will most likely fail this challenge (unless you are Hello Kitty),
and that's because THEIR JJIMDAK IS HUGE.
A blend of spicy Jjimdak sauce with chicken, prawns, mussels, squid and mushroom, I thought this was a seafood feast for the Korean Sea King.
Although they state that the medium size is for 2-3 pax, I thought the portion was more for 5-6pax. It was as if the chicken were respawning themselves in the plate, because they just kept appearing amongst the bed of mussels and prawns no matter how much we ate.
Lazy people like me loves these 2 words in the food menu: De-shelled and Boneless. Imagine my joy when I saw this Boneless Jjimdak in the menu! I seriously think that bones spoil the eating experience - imagine spitting out your bones, saliva and all, on your sharing plate every 10 seconds. And your hands are all greasy. HOW IS THAT EATING?
I am so glad that Andong Zzimdak has this Boneless Jjimdak. The chicken was braised nicely with the jjimdak sauce, and the meat was pretty tender. The sweet potato noodles were chewy and addictive, the texture similiar to the "tang hoon" (冬粉) we are used to having.
Eating Tip: The sweet and savoury sauce of Jjimdak goes very well with a bowl of rice. Do order a bowl of rice when you are having your jjimdak!
From what I heard from friends and from sources online, Andong Jjimdak, which originated from the city of Andong in Korea, is supposed to be very spicy. The spiciness is supposed to come from "dried whole red chili peppers and fresh fiery hot green peppers called Cheongyang gochu". The Singapore's version is very mild in terms of spiciness, and even their Level 3 Mayak Jjimdak had no kick for me. Therefore, if you come here to reminisce the spicy flavours you had in Korea, you might be slightly disappointed.
Andong Zzimdak is aware of this, and I think that they are probably tweaking on their recipe. There is also rumour that they will be bringing the popular fruit sojus to Singapore soon, which will be a great hit amongst Soju lovers here. I am so looking forward to that!
Jjimdak Rating (out of 5 Evilbeans):
(4)
Andong Zzimdak is by walk-in only, and the queue can get really long at dinner times, so try to get there early. They also do takeaways, but you would have to go down personally to make your order. But, you can always try calling them if you have a sexy voice. You never know, they might make an exception for you.
Thank you Owl City Singapore for the invite and Andong Zzimdak for hosting us! For more information, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AndongZzimdak/?fref=ts
"Are you making fun of my non-existent mouth again?"
Seafood Jjimdak (M: $52.90, L: $65.90)
"Annyeonghaseyo!"
Boneless Jjimdak (M: $49.90, L: $59.90)
I am so glad that Andong Zzimdak has this Boneless Jjimdak. The chicken was braised nicely with the jjimdak sauce, and the meat was pretty tender. The sweet potato noodles were chewy and addictive, the texture similiar to the "tang hoon" (冬粉) we are used to having.
Eating Tip: The sweet and savoury sauce of Jjimdak goes very well with a bowl of rice. Do order a bowl of rice when you are having your jjimdak!
From what I heard from friends and from sources online, Andong Jjimdak, which originated from the city of Andong in Korea, is supposed to be very spicy. The spiciness is supposed to come from "dried whole red chili peppers and fresh fiery hot green peppers called Cheongyang gochu". The Singapore's version is very mild in terms of spiciness, and even their Level 3 Mayak Jjimdak had no kick for me. Therefore, if you come here to reminisce the spicy flavours you had in Korea, you might be slightly disappointed.
Andong Zzimdak is aware of this, and I think that they are probably tweaking on their recipe. There is also rumour that they will be bringing the popular fruit sojus to Singapore soon, which will be a great hit amongst Soju lovers here. I am so looking forward to that!
(4)Andong Zzimdak is by walk-in only, and the queue can get really long at dinner times, so try to get there early. They also do takeaways, but you would have to go down personally to make your order. But, you can always try calling them if you have a sexy voice. You never know, they might make an exception for you.
Andong ZzimDak @ Raffles City
B1-44F Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179103
Nearest MRT Station: City Hall
Tel: +65 6533 3951
Singapore 179103
Nearest MRT Station: City Hall
Tel: +65 6533 3951
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Daily: 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thank you Owl City Singapore for the invite and Andong Zzimdak for hosting us! For more information, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AndongZzimdak/?fref=ts
I have multiple "Evilbean" personalities. Meet EatingEvilbean, Traevilbean, Lifebean and Rantingbean. They are all pleased to meet you.
2 comments
The koreans actually eat andong jjimdaek by finishing the glass noodles first and adding the bowl of rice mixed tgt with the remaining sauce for a second rd !
ReplyDeleteOMG second round. HOW DO KOREANS MANAGE TO STAY SO SLIM?
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