We’re seeing more from Korea brands landing in Singapore, and Obongzip (오봉집) is the latest exciting opening!
This popular restaurant chain from Korea specialises in spicy octopus dishes.
Famous Korean Stir-Fried Octopus
Obongzip has over 300 outlets in Korea alone, with stores in Australia, Hong Kong and Japan!
The brand has been around for 38 years, made famous for its family recipe for spicy stir-fried octopus.
The Singapore store is in Tanjong Pagar, only about 5 minutes walk from Maxwell MRT.
The space is small and narrow with capacity for different group sizes.
Be prepared for snaking queues! From what we see on their Instagram, they accept reservations but they’re already full for January.
Obongzip Menu
The menu focuses on octopus (nakji, 낙지)! This humble sea creature is said to be beneficial for boosting energy, cardiovascular health and brain function.
Their signature is the Fire-Grilled Octopus ($55, 2 people), stir-fried with flames in a spicy, savoury chilli sauce and vegetables.
You can customise the spice level from Mild to Extra Hot!
They also have variations with Octopus & Pork ($53) and just Pork ($50).
The octopus is also featured in the Octopus Knife Cut Noodle ($53) and Octopus & Vegetable Hotpot ($65).
Another speciality is their Pork Belly Bossam ($52 for 2 pax), served with housemade kimchi!
These dishes are designed for sharing, but they offer single-person sets with their signature items from $25.
There are also sides like fried chicken, stews and more!
Check out their full menu on Instagram.
What We Tried
We got the Obongzip Special Set ($108) that features three dishes: the Fire-Grilled Spicy Octopus, Pork Belly Bossam and Spicy Buckwheat Noodles.
It also included a plethora of banchan and a big bowl of seaweed soup.
The Fire-Grilled Spicy Octopus was saucy and punchy, with a prominent wok hey from the cooking.
The vegetables added a nice crunch, but some bits were a little raw and had a vegetal taste.
The octopus itself was tender but not chewy. It doesn’t have a prominent taste and isn’t fishy either, so it was the perfect carrier for their spicy gravy.
We opted for the Mild flavour and found it spicy (it’s a spice that builds) but not too intense!
It was chilli-forward with an umami
The key is to get their Seaweed Flake Rice ($4), spoon some of the octopus and mix it all together with the sesame oil provided tableside.
This was the best bite of the meal!
The rice soaked up all that tasty gravy, amplified by the umami from the seaweed and that roasted, rich sesame flavour.
For some reason, this combination amplified the wok hey way more than just eating the octopus on its own.
We found the Spicy Buckwheat Noodles underwhelming, with the sauce leaning too sweet.
The noodles were chewy but had a lingering starchy flavour that didn’t sit well with the sauce.
But a standout was the Bossam!
They use a fattier pork belly, and it was almost melt-in-the-mouth tender, with zero gameiness.
The accompanying housemade kimchi was a perfect complement with a spiced, fermented crunch.
Korean Spicy Octopus In Singapore
After having tried it for ourselves, we understand why Obongzip is so popular! Is it worth the queue? We’d say get a reservation instead because it is worth trying at least once.
Check out more Korean brands in Singapore:
- Gwangjang Gaon: Well-Loved Korean Restaurant Visited By Han So Hee & Lee Jung Jae Now In Singapore
- Gwanghwamun Mijin: 70-Year-Old Korean Buckwheat Noodle Restaurant Now In Singapore
- Daily Beer: Fresh Korean Beer On Tap & Fried Chicken In Telok Ayer
Obongzip (오봉집)
#01-01, 77 Tanjong Pagar Road
Open daily, 11.30am – 11.59pm
*This article is based on a media-tasting event, but all opinions expressed about the food are entirely our own.
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