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Call me bias but I love anything Korean-related. Excitingly, Market Blue introduces the first ever K-Market Festival in Singapore at Tanglin Mall. Happening from 19 to 23 Apr 2023, I’m telling you— better hurry down soon before it gets packed on the weekends!
Featuring K-beauty products, rare-to-find Korean delicacies and lifestyle products, everything at the pop-up festival is directly air-flown from Korea. If you were thinking of buying a ticket to Korea to secure Korean goodies, I suggest you save your money as you can satisfy your K-food cravings over here. Even popular Korean sellers have flown down to set up booths for this exciting 5-day event!
When we visited on its first day of opening at 1pm, the whole space was a boom town. I mean it— heaps of people were scattered at all of the pop-up’s different sectors!
If you’ve been to Market Blue before, you would know that B for Bagel is right next to the Korean grocer. Now, the wide space shared between both acts as an extension of what they previously had to offer.
Think of K-Market Festival as a Korean flea market, as it features everything you can find, ranging from press-on nails to athleisure wear and baby clothes… You can even enjoy a complimentary skin analysis next to the photo booth! I got mine here, and wow, I can tell you for sure that the analysis goes extremely in depth.
Moving on to the munchies: they have a myriad of options from desserts, traditional Korean tteok and even fusion flavours. You get a mix of tradition and modern incorporations, all of which are catered to your wild taste buds!
Starting with the sweets… One might remember Market Blue’s in-house donut brand, Donas8. Specialising in chewy mochi donuts, the Donut Twists were surely the eye-catching item this time round.
Don’t forget to get the Honeycomb Ice Cream (S$7.90) while you’re there at Donas8! Those who love milk-flavoured items, you’ll fall in love after having a scoop of their ice cream. Topped with an actual honeycomb by the side and lotus biscuit crumbs at the bottom of the cup, this minimalistic dessert is great for a sweet-tooth fix.
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What did I say? I told you you’d be able to satisfy your Korean cravings here, and that includes the authentic hot street foods you miss from Seoul!
Over at the hot station, you can pick between Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken (S$6.90), Korean Jeon Set (S$14.90), or the popular Corndog (S$5.90). The Hotteok (S$3.90) was one of my favourites while dining at K-Market Festival. It was a pancake filled with peanuts and cinnamon, and was topped off with black sesame. This is comparable to the fried fritters that you occasionally find at hawker centres, except less greasy and more palatable.
Something more familiar would be their Spam Gimbap (S$11). With 10 pieces in the packaging, a box of this easily fills your stomach. Not to mention, its plentiful vegetables might strip away the sense of guilt you feel from indulging in the variety of sweet treats here. I really liked how the daikon radish added a subtle sweetness in this!
If I were to come down again, I’d probably grab another slice of Bulgogi Pizza (S$6.90). This fusion delicacy is extremely delicious, with credits to the well-marinated bulgogi beef and a heap of onions. I almost thought I ordered bulgogi beef on its own with the large portion on beef on top.
Furthermore, what’s even better than a huge slice of pizza?! A slice like this probably amounts to 2 slices at most pizza chain stores.
Once you got your hands dirty with the huge galore of food, be sure to look around for what else K-Market Festival has to offer.
With booths that feature unique offerings, you definitely won’t see regular items that you usually chance upon in Singapore. It’s almost like a free ticket to Korea!
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