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Somehow, Korean samgyetang never fails to remind me of the comforting, soul-warming ginseng chicken broths (sometimes with pig brains thrown in) that my granny used to brew whenever my exams were approaching. I’ve seen this dish being offered at Korean eateries around Singapore, but never have I encountered a hawker stall selling it. That was until my colleagues dragged me along to Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre and Market, next to Heartbeat @ Bedok, to check out Omma Chicken Soup.
The establishment was started by 2 chefs who used to work in the kitchen of a 1-star Michelin Star Korean restaurant.
The menu consists of 3 main categories — ginseng chicken soup, mee sua, and porridge — each available in ginseng, collagen, and spicy collagen variations. Up front, bottles of Otoki sesame oil are lined up like a supermarket shelf, alongside towers of black claypots and neatly-stacked spoons.
Maybe it was due to the stall’s brick wall, bamboo ceiling lamp, and warm lighting, which exuded a welcoming vibe — that there was a long line of customers waiting to place their orders (or maybe it was simply because the stall is pretty new). When we visited, we were informed that Omma Chicken Soup had just opened another hawker stall at Alexandra Village Food Centre a week before.
We started off with the most premium option for the samgyetang — Ginseng Omma (S$7.80) — because why exercise restraint when you don’t have to?
Without much effort, the whole chicken leg tore into half. The meat was tender and succulent, mildly flavoured with the earthiness of ginseng. Somehow, pairing the chicken with the fresh scallions on top was quite a satisfying combo.
The soup also came with mixed pepper-salt, sesame oil, and kimchi. Slathering the chicken with these 3 condiments all at once took me on another flavour route. It was zingy, savoury, and fragrant all at once. I recommend you try it, too!
As I was scooping the light golden translucent broth, I discovered wolfberries, a couple of red dates, and lotus seeds. The soup had a subtle ginseng flavour, which was intentional, as they had tweaked the taste to suit local palates. I, though, would have wanted it to be slightly more robust. Nonetheless, the broth was easy to drink and I kept going for it.
We then moved on to the Spicy Collagen Mee Sua (S$4.90), thin wheat noodles crowned with shredded chicken, sliced scallions, red dates, and lotus seeds, all in an orangey-red soup.
As fiery and intimidating as it looked, the soup turned out to be more bark than bite — safe and fairly normal, rather than spicy. Perhaps, a little more gochujang would’ve given it more character? Texture wise, the soup was true to its collagen identity – thick and silky on the tongue.
The fine strands of mee sua and chicken absorbed the gravy like a sponge. Since the broth was fairly neutral, eating the dish as a whole tasted healthy and clean.
We also ordered 2 of their sides to complement our dishes — Signature Kimchi (S$1.20) and Omma Egg (S$1.20). FYI, the egg doesn’t usually look like that — that was purely the result of my questionable spoon-cutting abilities.
The kimchi was decent, with a good level of tanginess and spice to cut down on the richness of the mains.
On days when you’re craving something light and soupy — or even when a thunderstorm is raging outside — Omma Chicken Soup is just the thing you need. Do visit them if you’re in Bedok or Alexandra Village.
Since we visited the Bedok branch, here’s the address of the Alexandra Village Food Centre branch for your convenience: 20 Bukit Merah Lane 1, Alexandra Village Food Centre, #01-23, Singapore 150120.
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