Singapore is saturated with Korean Restaurants selling mainstream Korean food such as Army Stews, Kimchi Jjigaes and Fried Chicken, but Jjigae Jjigae takes it to another level with Collagen Hotpots.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of Raffles Place sits a shop that’s relatively new, serving up Korean food with a twist at affordable prices.
The space is relatively big and can seat up to 50 people at a time, but take note that the restaurant is always packed during lunch hours. Instead of using portable gas stoves, induction cookers are used here. Brownie points for extra safety!
We started by ordering some of Jjigae Jjigae’s signature drinks. The Soju Yuji Tea ($14.90) was light and refreshing, with hints of Yuzu and lime.
The taste of the soju also came through but it was not overpowering. This would be perfect for a hot afternoon pick-me-up.
I liked the White Grape Moscato ($14.90) because it was extra fruity. Slightly tangy and sour, drinking this will help you ease into a heavy meal. The alcohol in this drink was not overly strong, but enough for you to taste it.
It’s always wine o’clock somewhere, right?
We then moved on to the food and started with the Thunder Fusion Rice Balls ($10.80). Yes, you read right. The traditional Hakka dish of Thunder Tea Rice is weaved into traditional Korean Rice Balls.
For those who like to play with your food, you’re allowed to get messy here. The way to eat this bowl of rice is to mix the ingredients with your hands, before rolling everything into balls.
If you don’t want to have a full portion of rice, you can also opt for the mini portion of this dish at $5.50, and then order a beauty collagen hotpot.
We also tried the mini portion of the Anchovy Rice Balls ($5). For those of you who don’t know, anchovies are similar to ikan bilis, but smaller.
The anchovies were very crispy and fragrant and the generous amount of them added texture to the rice balls, elevating the dish.
Koreans are known for their Bulgogi, so we decided to try the mini portion of the Beef Bulgogi Rice Balls ($5) too.
All the rice balls looked the same after we rolled them up, but each had their own distinct taste. The beef bulgogi was very well-seasoned, but we felt that the rice balls would have tasted better if there was more bulgogi in the bowl, to begin with.
Next, we moved on to the highlight, the Beef & Pork Beauty Collagen Jjigae ($22.90) that feeds two people, and we chose Kimchi Gochujang as our base. There are three different flavours to chose from, Yuzu Salt, Doenjang and Kimchi Gochujang.
Oh, and if you’re new to Jjigae, it’s basically Korea’s version of stew.
The crushed ice-looking thing in the middle of pot is actually the beauty collagen stock, and the Jjigae only took three minutes to cook, melting the stock in the process.
The dish comes with sliced beef and pork, cheddar cheese, cheese tofu, cheese cocktail sausages, napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, onions, rice cakes, baked beans, kimchi and sweet potato noodles.
The meats were also sliced very thinly, which made them cook fast yet remained very tender throughout our meal. The soup was thicker and richer as compared to the soups that you get in army stews. Must be the work of the collagen!
Lastly, we also tried the Seafood Beauty Collagen Pot ($16.90) that is meant for one person. We were recommended the Yuzu Salt as a base.
The broth was clear but still thick. It tasted light with a slight hint of a Yuzu aftertaste, and paired very well with the seafood, bringing out the sweetness.
For $16.90, generous amounts of seafood were included, but it’s a pity that the fish slices and prawns were not the freshest. Maybe it was just the case during our visit!
It was indeed an interesting experience to be able to ‘play’ with my food and also to indulge in hotpot that I know is good for my skin. Do not expect the food at Jjigae Jjigae to be 100% authentic, because the restaurant is keeping up with the times and adding twists to Korean food to suit our ever-changing taste buds.
Check out the dinner specials where you can get a Beauty Collagen Hotpot for two people, Mini Rice Balls and two Iced Teas starting from only $25.90. Head over to Jjigae Jjigae to have army stew and collagen hotpot at pretty affordable prices!
Expected damage: $5 – $20 per pax
