Monday, July 31, 2006

Mee Doo Korean Restaurant

Kimchi Jige

I had noticed this place (26 Tanjong Pagar Road, 6224-2882) whenever I headed over to Amici, but it always looked unattractively tacky on the outside with these huge colorful banners hanging outside, advertising pictures of their food. Still, seeing that it was one of the remaining Korean places in the area that I hadn't tried yet, I decided to go inside to see whether the food was any good.

And to my surprise, the inside was rather elegantly decorated (at least, compared to the other Korean places around here) in a modern and minimalist sort of way. I went for the kimchi jige, which turned out fine, and I rather enjoyed some of the kimchi sides. What was surprising though was the wild rice that appeared when I took off the lid of the metal bowl. This seemed out of place in a Korean restaurant (especially since I'm used to seeing the red color from the kimchi jige penetrating into steamed white rice as the meal progresses), but nonetheless it did the job, even if it were a bit grainier.

Well, I didn't really try anything else to be able to say whether or not I liked this place better than the others around here, but it worked for me. Interestingly though, I found out afterwards that these guys also run the Korean stall up at the Amara food court, where one can get the same dish for about half the price. In this case, I'd be willing to pay for the restaurant instead, as the food court version doesn't come with such a wide variety of kimchi on the side. Besides, the restaurant version is just S$10 (US$5.90), and you don't have to fight for a table at the hectic food court in the process.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might like to try Jeju Restaurant located along Seah Street. Their prices are really reasonable too.

Anonymous said...

The food stall at amara is appalling. The female helper was very rude to customers and the quality of the food has deteriorated over years. Perhaps the restaurant makes more profit so they don't care about the stall anymore.

Anonymous said...

I've been told that the Manna restaurant on Telok Ayer Street (my office is just opposite the restaurant, actually) is extremely good, run only by Koreans and all. The decor inside is also pleasant and understated. Service is decent and most importantly, the food we had was served promptly and tasted good.

We just ordered four of their set meals as we were pushed for time.

Funnily enough, I'm also an expat foodie working in Singapore (not in F&B, but shipping).

Anonymous said...

i tried Su's korean cuisine, basement of far east plaza and when requested, kimchi sides were topped up and u can even ask for a change in the sides. i had the tofu soup w clams and it was yummy!Wide variety of dishes and a cosy setting. great blog by the way and always look forward to yr frequent updates!

•°o.O( gen )O.o°• said...

There's a place along Mosque st called Togi that serves pretty good bim bo bab(?). Price is reasonable too, around $10 for a bowl.

Anonymous said...

most korean places here in the bay area serve the 'purple' rice, unless you ask for the regular. i've never seen them serve it at any other korean restaurant in singapore though. interesting.

tlc said...

jeju - would not touch it with a 10 foot pole. first time i ever had kimchi that tasted like its gone bad (like it can go bad?!!). terrible korean food. much prefer togi for its soups - korean ginseng and spicy tofu. and auntie kim's on thomson road - excellent bbq and soups.

Anonymous said...

I just happened to google Tao Kae Noi and found your blog as the first link. Amazing.. One thing led to another, and I read post after post after post after post. This is so intriguing. I agree with you - fine dining is just oh too posh nosh snob for me. Street eats (windy atmosphere preferred) will do just fine for me, saves me a ton of money which I need for shopping.

And Californian I see? I was in LA & SFO for 2 weeks 'bout 2 years ago. Gosh first time in my life I saw 'Singapore Noodles' more times the number of fingers I've got.

Interesting stuff you've got here! I'll stay tuned!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, previous post *more times THAN the number of fingers I've got.

I'm working in the Tanjong Pagar area myself, been told the New Harbour Cafe around here isn't too bad but I haven't had the chance to try it out.

Seems like the Tanjong Pagar / Club Street / Far East & China Sq area have their share of good food too, just haven't had the time to scour.

Anonymous said...

hi, i was really impressed with your blog. it's really nice to know that there's someone out there who's so passionate about food. i'm malaysian ... i'm not sure if you've been here just yet... but you should... and don't forget india.... ur sure to fall in love with the food they serve there ...
cheers!

Anonymous said...

I tried Mee Doo for the 1st time with my Korean classmates as they recommended and brought us there. They said that this place was owned and run by Koreans and well know among the Koreans residing in Singapore. We tried a variety of food and most of them are very nice...

Thereafter I went with my boyfriend twice, 1st time for lunch and the last time was dinner. Dinner was served with almost 20 types of side dishes which are mostly tasty. We ordered the kim chi steamboat and the pancake. The steamboat is highly recommended as the soup is very appetising.I recommend to try the dishes there. :)