Nestled in Tanjong Pagar is Jeju Sanghoe, a cosy and unassuming new restaurant offering a specialty menu of Jeju cuisine! The restaurant brings some of the most popular foods from the island, including black pork and abalone.
Simple But Homey Interior
Upon entering Jeju Sanghoe, the faux cherry blossom tree immediately caught our attention, adding a pleasant pop of colour to the space. The restaurant’s soft lighting created a cozy and inviting environment, making our dining experience quite relaxing. Every corner is decorated with familiar Jeju memorabilia, including island maps and mini Dol hareubang figurines. There are also private rooms available.
Jeju Sanghoe Menu
The menu offers a spread of Jeju cuisine, such as the signature Gogi-Gukbap ($18) or pork soup with rice. It’s also available in Gogi-Guksu ($17) with noodles, made with the famous black pork.
Other dishes include Black Pork Kimchi Stew With Rice ($29) and Jeju Style Stone Pot Rice With Abalone ($32). There’s even a dedicated grill menu with Mackerel ($47), Salmon ($43) and Black Pork Belly BBQ ($28).
To balance out the spices and flavors, they also serve alcoholic beverages such as Jeju Hallabong Makgeolli ($25), Halla-San (Jeju Soju)($25), and Jinro Soju ($22) to help clear the palate.
Banchan
We were impressed by the selection of banchan! Upon ordering, 8 banchan dishes were served. Among them, the highlights were their quail eggs, kimchi, and the Oi Muchim (Spicy Cucumber Salad), which had a pleasant crunch.
Halla Mountain Braised Pork Spare Ribs
We ordered the Halla Mountain Braised Pork Spare Ribs ($79), also available in a spicy version ($89). It was massive and the ribs had a good amount of meat on them.
This dish was one of our favorites! The soup was rich and flavorful, with a strong garlicky taste nicely balanced by the sweetness of the cabbage. The ribs were also fall-off-the-bone tender with a minimal porky taste, and can easily fill you up.
Jeju Dombae
The Jeju Dombae ($45) came with thinly sliced pork arranged on a cutting board, which is the most traditional serving method.
The meat was tender with a thin layer of fat, served with a basket of fresh lettuce for making ssam. You can get really creative with the pairings!
It went best with the banchan, including garlic and gochujang sauce, which added a burst of flavor.
Moum Guk
Moum Guk ($18)is a traditional Jeju-style seaweed pork soup, served with a bowl of rice. Despite its dark colour, it had a rich savoury seaweed flavor, complemented by the kick of the provided chilli powder.
The soup might have an acquired texture, being thick and almost slimy. But we found it to go well with rice, similar to a gravy.
Jeju Style Gogi-Guksu
The Jeju Style Gogi-Guksu ($17) is a comfort food for rainy weather. The soft, thin noodles paired well with the thinly sliced meat.
However, we felt that the flavour of the soup was underwhelming. It would be better with the distinctive sweetness of pork or a stronger body for a more satisfying taste.
Sautéed Black Pork Belly With Chili Sauce
One dish that stood out to us was the Sautéed Black Pork Belly With Chili Sauce ($37). It came with a generous portion!
The sauce was flavourful with a good amount of spice. The pork belly was tender, and fatty and paired perfectly well with the rice.
Jeju Restaurant In Tanjong Pagar
Jeju is a popular destination in Korea, and we’re happy to see the cuisine has made its way to Singapore! While we found it novel and some dishes were tasty, we think some flavours could have been more prominent.
For more Korean eats, check out our list of restaurants to check out in Tanjong Pagar!
Jeju Sanghoe
74 Tras Street, Singapore 079013
Open daily: 11.30am-3pm, 5pm-10pm
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