I was recently invited to try out the new branch of a Korean restaurant, Myung Ga in Bukit Timah that went viral on TikTok. Their new outlet at 28 Tanjong Pagar Road, Myung Ga II, serves up classic Korean dishes that can be described as 1 word: homely. However, with such fierce competition in this area of town and a certain lack of a distinct USP (being viral on TikTok doesn't really count), I do wonder if they would be able to outlast the other Korean restaurants.
The restaurant was pretty modern despite tucked in a shophouse, and was not too crowded when we went on a rainy weekday in December. There also wasn't much of a food smell despite table side grilling (though not as intense as a normal K-BBQ place).
And here's a branch exclusive menu item, the sliced iberico pork belly (S$22 for 180g, self grill. Add $2 if you want them to grill it for you!)
We first started with a typical drink - maksu, or beer with soju. So smooth! If you have not tried this combi, do it. On top of our meal orders, we also got some gimbap (S$11) from the chef to try, which we both appreciated. The gimbap was decent and the sesame oil was fragrant in creating this appetising start to our meal. However, there was just a bit too much (like 20%?) veggies in the gimbap. 3/5
Next, one of the mains we got was the Mul-naengmyeon (S$17), or Cold Noodles.
This was such a refreshing dish (I love cold food) and a portion of this size can easily feed two or 3 pax, no problem! I especially enjoy the crunchy bits inside that contrasted so well with the tangy, silky smooth noodles that still retained its chewiness. 4/5
We also had an order of the Dwenjang-jjigae (S$17), or soybean paste stew with beef, which came piping hot in the cast iron pot. This was such a good dish on a cold, rainy day, with some white rice. There's plenty of ingredients in there and I especially liked the mushrooms. However, the beef here was a bit tough and flavourless, which I suspect is due to being overcooked in the broth. So get this for the vibes not the meat! 3/5
Lastly, the best dish of the night goes to this insanely crispy Haemul Buchu Jeon (S$20) or seafood jeon. Seriously this was one of the best jeon I've had in recent years.. here it felt like the main character when a lot of times at K-restaurants they are the side dish. It was so good, I had what we couldn't finish for lunch the next day and it was still delicious. I would come back to Myung Ga II just for this. 4.5/5
All in all, Myung Ga II is a great place for homestyle Korean dishes that doesn't go over the top or wow you but has good value in terms of the generous ingredients and portions, carrying the fame of their OG branch hopefully over. I would recommend this if you are looking for a place to gather with some friends to have classic Korean food w/o crowds in Tanjong Pagar.
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Myung Ga II
28 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088451
Tuesdays to Sundays 11:30 am–3 pm, 5:30–9:30 pm
Closed on Mondays
Reservations: WhatsApp +65 80428025
Thanks to Myung Ga for the invite!
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