The neighbourhood around Beauty World MRT is known as the second Koreatown in Singapore. The first being Tanjong Pagar. You can find almost everything Korean here from Korean Marts, Korean Fried Chicken, to the second O.bba Jjajang outlet. Bigger brands aside, there are actually a lot of small hidden Korean restaurants that serve amazing food, such as Myung Ga II.
Myung Ga II in Bukit Timah Plaza
Located in Basement 1 of Bukit Timah Plaza, Myung Ga II is a small, humble Korean restaurant that serves Korean food at affordable prices.
Even on a weekday, there was a relatively long queue waiting to be seated for lunch. The restaurant can accommodate around 25 people.
During such situations, the staff will kindly take your order will you’re queuing, and no joke, the moment you sit down, the banchan (side dishes) will be served and your food will come out in no time.
We also loved how they served barley tea, which reminded us of the service provided by restaurants in Korea.
Myung Ga II Menu
Despite being a Korean barbecue restaurant, lots of people head to Myung Ga II for their cooked food. The menu is huge, with quite a few lesser-seen items like Al-Tang (Spicy Pollock Roe Stew).
They also serve Kimbap and Korean-Chinese classics like Jjajangmyeon and Jjamppong.
Before the food arrived, we were served 4 side dishes: Kimchi, Anchovies, Seaweed and a slice of egg roll. You rarely find Korean restaurants serving egg roll as a side dish these days.
Korean Tonkatsu
If you’ve ever been to Korea, you’d probably come across restaurants selling Tonkatsu (Donkkaseu). The Myeong-dong area leading to the N Seoul Tower has lots of Donkkaseu restaurants.
However, Korean Tonkatsu is slightly different from Japanese Tonkatsu. The Korean-version is usually served with a sauce drizzled all over the deep-fried pork cutlet.
The Donkkaseu ($15) at Myung Ga II is huge. The entire pork cutlet is larger than the palm. It is served with some rice, salad, baked beans, corn and pickled radish.
The sauce resembled a typical brown/bbq sauce, but we could also taste some sweetness from tomatoes. Since the sauce was drizzled over the pork cutlet, some crispiness was inevitably lost.
The batter around the pork cutlet was thin, which we appreciated.
Bibim Naengmyeon
Another dish we ordered was the Bibim Naengmyeon ($13.90).
Visually, the dish was beautiful. It was served with huge chunks of ice, generous amounts of julienned cucumber, some slices of pear and meat.
The Bibimnaengmyeon had a nice clean, refreshing taste, perfect for the hot Singapore weather. You can add vinegar and mustard according to your preference, but we recommend adding just a tiny pinch of mustard for a nice tingly aftertaste.
They provide scissors for you to cut the chewy buckwheat noodles and the portion for the dish was also more than enough for one.
Authentic Korean Food in Singapore
If you’re looking for some authentic Korean food near Beauty World MRT, Myung Ga II is a great option. Although you might have to spend some time in a queue during peak hours, the generous portions and side dishes make up for it.
Myung Ga II
1 Jalan Anak Bukit #B1-55 Bukit Timah Plaza Singapore 588996
Tues-Sun, 11:30am-4pm, 5:30pm-9pm, Closed on Mondays
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