Now that I enjoy kimchi so much, thanks to my homemade kimchi, which tastes super (sorry for the masuk bakul angkat sendiri mode), I am now ready to eat kimchi jigae.
I often see many people ordering this kimchi stew at Sopoong@The Starling. So I made my way to Sopoong and ordered the kimchi jigae with beef.
Ooohhh...that looks so fiery hot! The banchan here, I am afraid is still quite awful. The cucumber kimchi (made with local cucumbers) was bland while the macaroni/cabbage with mayo was already off - it was sour and smelled funky. So I left the banchan uneaten.
The kimchi jigae however was another story. I had a tentative sip and oh my, it was wonderful!
This kimchi jigae exceeded my expectations and to be fair, this is my first kimchi jigae and I did not know what to expect. So my judgement is based on how I feel about the taste.
The broth is thick, robust and savory with a hint of tartness from the kimchi. It was definitely moreish, I wanted more and more!
There were quite a lot of ingredients in the stew - small chunks of tender beef, rice cakes, tofu, mushrooms, glass noodles and of course kimchi. Although it is fiery red, the spiciness is moderate. I enjoyed this kimchi jigae to the max.
And because I was so impressed with this kimchi stew, I decided to have it again for dinner but at another location - Seoul Station@A Foodie's Nest (CLOSED), also at The Starling.
The kimchi jigae is not as red as Sopoong's but the banchan here is much better.
I get proper kimchi, potatoes and long beans.
I had a feeling this kimchi jigae might not be a strong contender.
It was thinner in consistency and had a slight bitter after taste (I wonder why).
There were lots of ingredients in this kimchi jigae too and this one came with pork. But the flavors were no where near what I enjoyed at Sopoong.
So for me Sopoong's kimchi jigae wins hands down but they seriously need to improve on the quality of their banchan.
As I was eating my dinner, I noticed to my dismay that Champ's has called it a day.
Oh dear. There goes my favorite wat tan hor.....
Oh no, Champ's has left but you can always go and eat at their main shops. I like the food at Sopoong. I have eaten at their MyTown and Starling shops. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteSopoong has a new menu now with Korean fried chicken. I tried the spicy one and it was so so spicy!
DeleteThe ladies in the house would love this! We had something that looked similar, the sundubu jjigae, whatever that is. Of course I did not touch it. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI am going to try sundubu jigae next hee..hee...
Deletelooks like you're well on your way to becoming a kimchi connoisseur - you could definitely be my kimchi sifu cos i usually just take a slice or two and leave the remainder for someone else! :)
ReplyDeleteYou mean I will be your dewan bandaraya and finish up your kimchi for you? wahahahaha!!
DeleteI have eaten in Sopoong (IOI City mall) twice but not yet try their kimchi jjigae. I must go try it one day!
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it!
DeleteUntil now, I have not learned to appreciate kimchi. Maybe one day I might. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteIt's an acquired taste and it took me a long time to appreciate it.
DeleteSince I don't eat kimchi, so no kimchi jigae or kimchi anything for me. The unfinished wat tan hor you saw the other day is probably why they've called it a day. The standard must have dropped so much or it was the price point that lost them their customers. >_<
ReplyDeleteYou could be right. The last 2 or 3 times I ate at Champ's, the chu yuk fun and wat tan hor were too salty although the taste was still good.
DeleteI've been wanting to go to eat Korean food but never find a suitable time.
ReplyDeleteNow, reading this is making me to crave for it more.
Go lah and eat. Now only I understand why so many people like their kimchi jigae.
DeleteGood review. You earn yourself a kimchi critic now. Hehe.
ReplyDeletehah..hah..hah...
DeleteNow you can have your healthy diet without the seduction of the Wat Dan Hor, hehe :P
ReplyDeleteLOL! You are so right!
Delete