People typically celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 and White Day on March 14, but in South Korea, people (mostly singles) also ‘celebrate’ Black Day, which falls on April 14. On Black Day, single friends gather together, wearing black outfits and eating black-coloured food, with jjajangmyeon (Korean black bean sauce noodles) being one of the more popular choices on this very day.
Regardless if you’re single or not, you can still enjoy a bowl of piping hot jjajangmyeon, often accompanied with jjamppong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup) and tangsuyuk (Korean sweet and sour pork) at these Korean Chinese restaurants in Singapore.
1) O.BBa Jjajang
Judging by the almost constant snaking lines for these restaurants, it would be fair to say that O.BBa Jjajang is probably the most popular Korean Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Due to its immense popularity, the establishment has not just one, but 3 outlets already, with 2 of them in Tanjong Pagar alone!
Address (main Tanjong Pagar branch): 77 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088498
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 4PM (lunch), 5PM – 11PM (dinner); closed on Tuesdays
2) Itaewon Jjajang
A relatively new kid on the block, Itaewon Jjajang has only opened its doors in January this year, but be expected to see long lines during peak hours. I actually tried out this eatery recently, and saw groups of Koreans joining the queue behind us (when you see locals around, it should be good right?) I ordered the Set A which consists of jjajangmyeon, jjamppong and tangsuyuk (similar to what most of the restaurants here offer) and it’s almost impossible for 2 girls to finish, so we will recommend to grab another friend along! As for the food, we really liked all the three dishes and it is a good alternative if you do not want to wait that long over at the nearby o.BBa Jjajang.
Address: 64 Peck Seah St, Singapore 079325
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 3PM (lunch), 5PM – 10PM (dinner); closed on Mondays
3) Hwang Sil Korean-Chinese Restaurant
Also located in Tanjong Pagar, this is also a good option to go for in Tanjong Pagar as this restaurant is less crowded as compared to the other 2 above (or maybe I was just lucky on the day I had this!) Hwang Sil also offers a set meal for 2 for $53, consisting of jjajangmyeon, jjamppong, tangsuyuk and dumplings – and yes, I feel that the portion is big enough for 3 people instead of the 2 as indicated.
Address: Air View Building, 38 Maxwell Rd, #01-03/05, Singapore 069116
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 2.30PM (lunch), 5.30PM – 11.00PM (dinner)
4) Dong Fang Hong
Being one of the older establishments in this list, Dong Fang Hong has been around since 2005! (Maybe before some of you were born…) This place serves 2 kinds of jjajangmyeon, one being the original Dong Fang Hong version and the more traditional Bainian jjajangmyeon. They also come with set meals starting from $52.
Address: Far East Square, 92 Telok Ayer Street, #01-01, Singapore (048472)
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 3PM (lunch), 5.30PM – 10PM (dinner); closed on Sundays
5) MukJja
Avid fans of Tae Woo Korean Restaurant which used to be located in Clarke Quay Central Mall will definitely know about this restaurant, as they are run by the same Korean owners. Personally, I have not tried this eatery yet since Tae Woo closed down, but seeing the rave reviews especially for the tangsuyuk, I guess it’s time to make a trip down to Novena soon!
Address: Novena Regency, 275 Thomson Road #01-07, Singapore 307645
Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 2.30PM (lunch), 5PM – 9.30PM (dinner); closed on Tuesdays
To summarise, most (or if not, all) of these Korean Chinese restaurants have this thing in common: they offer set meals for 2, which is definitely more than enough for 2 people – so do go down with a third friend and with a very empty stomach! Although the prices of jjajangmyeon in Singapore is definitely not as cheap as Korea’s (which is considered a cheap comfort food there), we’ll have to make do with these as they are currently the closest as we can get to taste Korea.
Cover Photo: KAvenyou
