Ilmiri Korean Fusion Cuisine, a popular Korean restaurant chain opens in Clarke Quay, serving up their renditions of the braised chicken dish, Jjimdak, alongside a range of Korean fusion dishes.
You might have come across Ilmiri one way or another. as the brand boasts nearly 200 outlets in the country alone, alongside appearances on popular Korean dramas such as Vincenzo and Thirty-Nine.
Korean Braised Chicken (Jjimdak) in Singapore
The outlet here in Singapore is located near Boat Quay, with a simple modern interior – think wooden tables and chairs, and a combination of grey limewash and brick walls. There’s also both indoor and outdoor seating.
We were served 2 menus when we arrived. First, was the Chef’s Recommendation menu which consisted of the set meals, featuring various combinations of the Cloud Cheese Jjimdak, Mari, and Crunchy Potato (Gamjajeon).
The other menu was the a la carte menu, where you’ll find more Jjimdak variations, such as the Red Chilli Jjimdak ($37.9), Truffle Jjajang Jjimdak ($37.9) and BBQ Jjimdak ($37.9). There are also add-on options such as dumplings ($4), glass noodles ($4), and rice cakes ($4).
You’ll also find items like the Eonyang Bulgogi ($28.9), which is a local specialty of Eonyang, a soy sauce-based marinated beef dish that’s cooked on a charcoal grill. There’s also a mixed platter ($49.9) where you can try the Mari, Eonyang Bulgogi, and Crunchy Potato at one go.
For something filling, they also have Bibim Noodle ($14.9) and Salad Noodle ($14.9) which is a cold noodle dish paired with a special yuzu soy sauce.
Ilmiri Singapore Review
We opted for the Jjimdak Combo ($64.9) which came with a Cloud Cheese Jjimdak, we opted for the soy sauce base, alongside a Seaweed Sunny Side-Up Bibim Rice and Crunchy Potato (Gamjajeon).
Before our mains arrived, the basic banchan served here consisted of fish cakes, kimchi, and cut-up pieces of raw cabbage.
The Cloud Cheese Jjimdak was one of the dishes we were looking forward to since Jjimdak isn’t exactly one of the more common Korean dishes here in Singapore. Inside, there were chunks of tender chicken, alongside assorted vegetables, rice cake, and dumplings. The cheese pull here was very satisfying, and we thought the dish fared well overall.
Don’t forget to add a few spoonfuls of the sauce to the Seaweed Sunny Side-Up Bibim Rice, which was the way recommended by the staff to enjoy the dish. A very comforting bowl of rice, when paired with the soy sauce-based gravy.
The Crunchy Potato looked slightly different from the menu, topped with a sour cream drizzle, parmesan cheese, and cherry tomatoes. At this point, the dish skewed more towards rosti, with its crispy textures and flavour profile. We did wish it had a more Korean element, perhaps a more playful take on the sauce.
There was no way we were leaving without trying the Mari ($47.9) which isn’t a dish usually available at Ilmiri. This dish was from Goi Mari (고이말이), a brand with multiple outlets in Korea.
Mari is a reimagined dish inspired by a Korean royal classic, Pyeonchae, featuring an assortment of vegetables (spring onion, enoki mushrooms, and paprika) wrapped in beef. It also comes with a soup base, and you can choose from either the classic Soybean Paste Stew or Korean Tofu Stew. We went with the soondubu stew.
Firstly, the meat rolls are grilled before the stew is added to the grill. You can pair the meat rolls with the sauces provided, but we enjoyed the Yuzu Soy the most! As for the stew, you can pair it with rice, ramyeon, or even a butter sunny side-up bibim rice.
We enjoyed ours with ramyeon in the stew, but we thought adding rice to the stew and cooking it for a while would be the best way to get every inch of flavour – sort of like a Korean risotto.
Korean Restaurant in Clarke Quay
Overall, we thought the dishes at Ilmiri fared pretty well and were a nice way to enjoy Korean cuisine, apart from the usual Korean BBQ. There’s also a wide variety of drinks, making this a nice spot to unwind.
Do note that the Mari dish is only available after lunch, alongside certain dishes such as the Eonyang Bulgogi. For lunch, they offer set meals with mains such as bibimbap and stews.
Ilmiri Korean Fusion Cuisine
25/26 Circular Road, Singapore 049381
Mon-Fri, 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm, Sat-Sun, 12pm-3pm, 5pm-11pm
*This was an independent review by MiddleClass
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