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Since the recent announcement of Vaccinated-Travel-Lanes to South Korea, the impulse to buy the earliest flight out to Seoul can’t be any stronger. Whether you managed to book your trip or are putting your travel plans to K-town till next year, at least one thing’s still within reach: Korean food.
When my aunt recommended Annyeong Chicken 안녕치킨, an authentic Korean hawker stall over in Clementi, I thought it’d be a good idea to visit, while satisfying my cravings for Korean fried chicken and jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles).
Opened former Korean restaurant chef Hong Kyeong Sik and his Singaporean wife, Germaine Ong, Annyeong Chicken’s mission is simple—to provide Korean food and K-pop lovers affordable and high-quality Korean food. With over 15 years of experience in Korean culinary skills, one can only hold high expectations.
What I tried
Firstly, I had to satiate my cravings with 3pcs Fried Chicken (S$8) coated with soy garlic sauce. Sure, there are plenty of fried chicken spots all over Singapore but there’s just something about Korean fried chicken that hits different.
The wings were fried upon order and presented themselves to us ultra golden and crispy, coated generously with soy garlic sauce. The chicken was juicy and fresh and the sauce was not overly sweet.
My only gripe has to be the batter, which was too thick and starchy to my liking. While the crunch factor was almost ASMR-worthy, the texture and taste were rather lacklustre. Also, eating this while trying to remain glamourous is basically impossible. Take it from me and embrace the glorious mess and ditch the cutlery as you dig in!
One of my favourite Korean dishes ever has to be jjajangmyeon, a noodle dish doused in black bean sauce. Annyeong Chicken’s Noodles in Blackbean Sauce (S$7) follows the traditional recipe closely, with thick egg noodles, black bean sauce, onions, pork, and cucumber slices.
The flavours from the black bean gravy were impressive, with a hint of rice wine, savoury black bean and fragrance from the onions.
I’ll be honest; I was a little disappointed to find minced pork instead of pork belly chunks in the sauce. The latter would often provide a good bite with the presence of fatty and lean meat layers, yet the version at Annyeong Chicken was very one-dimensional.
Additionally, this rendition did not include bite-sized potato chunks, which is arguably an essential ingredient of the traditional jjajangmyeon. Yet at its given price point, it’s no surprise here that ingredients would be compromised to keep costs affordable.
When it came down to deciding between the Kimchi Pancake (S$10) or Seafood Pancake (S$12), we settled for the latter to see if the hype around it lived up to expectations. I must say, this was a portion good for two to share and quite the steal at just S$12. Mind you, some restaurants sell the exact same portion at double the price, excluding GST and service charge!
All decked out in crispy edges and a chewy texture, the filling could definitely do with more seafood to bring out more flavour. Each bite just seemed like it was more of an egg and scallion pancake than seafood. We did find bits of octopus and prawns but not quite enough to get us hyped up.
Dipping a slice into the tangy soy vinegar and chilli dip definitely helped to enhance the flavour yet still not quite enough. Altogether an average dish but perhaps it was just an off day for the team.
Final thoughts
While my experience at Annyeong Chicken was not my most memorable Korean dining experience to date, I can see why Clementi dwellers would appreciate the affordable and convenient fare here. If you’re in the area, the fried chicken definitely makes a good snack. I guess for me, good Korean cuisine is something I would pay extra for.
Expected damage: S$7 – S$15 per pax
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