Naengmyeon, a.k.a cold Korean noodles, is a cold noodle dish of thin, chewy noodles that are made with buckwheat and potato or sweet potato starch. The noodles are served in a clear, refreshing broth that’s typically made with beef broth.
I’ve been craving for Naengmyeon for a long time. You can actually meal prep this at home. It’s not too difficult and many Korean marts sell ready to eat versions. But there’s something lacking versus having it in a restaurant with banchan.
Did a search on google and Noodle Star K 누들스타 케이 @ Tanjong Pagar came up as one of the top searches (the reviews are pretty good too).
Most of the Korean restaurants along Tanjong Pagar road focuses on fried chicken and barbecue meat. This shop, as the name suggests, seems to take a niche focus on noodles.
We arrived around 8.30pm. There were ample seats.
After we placed our order, they serve up then complimentary banchan (Korean side dishes). It was the usual fare and there’s only 3 types on offer.
Not wanting to take alcohol or any sweet drinks, we requested them to give us ice water. However to my surprise, they say over here, beef soup is served complimentary (refillable) instead.
The beef soup tasted meaty and peppery.
The star of the show was served shortly. As you can see from the picture, it was mostly the noodles in chilled broth. The ingredients are just half an egg, a piece of meat, sliced cucumber and pear. But it was a great combination.
The noodles are made in house. You can slurp up the noodles but you have the option to cut them up with the scissors provided.
It was yummy and very refreshing. You also have the option to order the spicy version.
While the noodles on its own taste great, you can further enhance it by adding the vinegar and mustard to it.
And I also find that the banchan taken together with the noodles further elevates that taste.
We also ordered the fried chicken wings (5 pieces for $13) and mandu (steamed dumplings) to share.
I really think the other restaurants should consider offering a smaller portion of fried chicken like this shop does. That way, we can order a greater variety of dishes.
Anyway, the fried chicken was on point. Crispy, juicy and the meat was flavourful.
The steamed dumplings come in two flavours. Original and with kimchi. We ordered a mixed basket. They make the mandu in house too. Unlike those frozen ones from supermarket, the skin is thin, the filings were juicy and flavourful.
My Personal Verdict:
Food 4/5 (I will definitely return when I need my Korean cold noodles fix.)
Ambience 3.5/5 (The lighting of the place was brightly lit without much ambience, so it’s pretty a much an eat-and-go set up.)
Service 4.5/5 (The service staff were friendly and attentive)
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