Haru Haru (day by day), we are seeing more Korean cafes in Singapore, after the Korean Pop, Korean BBQ, and Korean Fried Chicken wave have hit us.
What defines a Korean café, at least in Singapore context? They all almost sell Korean desserts like Bingsu shaved iced, toasts (usually injeolmi rice cake), Korean inspired snacks and Korean style coffee and beverages of green tea and sweet potato latte.
For this list, we were looking at the whole package – ambience, service, ‘Korean-ness’, other than food. All are owned or co-owned by Koreans. We know that Paris Baguette is visibly missing, but our hearts went out to the smaller players.
10 Best Korean Cafés In Singapore
Banana Tree Singapore
26 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089133
Opening Hours: 9am – 7pm (Tues-Fri), 10am – 8pm (Sat-Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/bananatreesg
Banana Tree is the perfect Instagram venue with its natural light casing down with the open top ceiling, banana fruit paintings on the wall, cute decorations and pretty (fake) flower decorated food. Strike a pose.
It is not uncommon to find girls in floral dresses ‘model’ with candy floss topped coffee. The other offerings were equally photogenic – Flower Paap ($6.50) – pudding in a flower pot, Oreo Bomb ($12), and Pot BingSu ($12.50). Service was sweet. More pretty than tasty though. (Read: Banana Tree Keong Siak)
Nunsongyee 눈송이
45 Burghley Drive #01-04, Singapore 559022 (15-20 min walk from Lorong Chuan MRT)
Opening Hours: 12am – 10pm (Tues-Thurs), 12pm – 11pm (Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/nunsongyee
Nunsongyee is already known for its heart-melting bingsu. We decide to feature something else – the Sweet “Ka-Rei” ($8.90) Korean Rice Cake with Cheese which came beautifully plated with drizzled maple syrup.
Fans of tteokpokki (Korean rice cake) could experience a sweet and savory version instead of the spicy tteokpooki that we were all too familiar with. The top layer was baked to give a golden brown crust. These bite- sized tteokpokki was soft and cheesy with a slight tinge of sweetness. The owner’s grandparents were rice farmers, thus the emphasis of rice cakes of this café. (Read: Nunsongyee Burghley Drive)
Sync Korean Fusion Bistro
Westgate Mall #03-01, Jurong East, Singapore 608532
Tel: +65 63699913
Opening Hours: 11am – 11pm Daily
https://www.facebook.com/syncbistro
The Korean technological geek may find home at Sync Korean Fusion Bistro, which is opened in collaboration with Samsung. Thus you would find many Samsung gadgets around.
Korean traditional dishes and desserts are given a Western twist. You get Toppoki sprinkled with fried bacon and topped with soft-boiled egg, Hotteok Korean pancake stuffed with cinnamon and nuts, with vanilla ice cream on the side, and Lava Cake incorporating Misugaru Korean grain. 50% off Sync Korean Fusion Bistro
Tom N Toms
12 Gopeng Street #01-12 Icon Village Singapore 078877
Tel: +65 6225 6313
Tom N Toms must be one of Korean’s largest café chains that can found internationally. It is also one of the earliest Korean café to set food in Singapore. Remember the ones at Far East Plaza and Vivocity? Unfortunately, the Korean fever was not waving that hard then.
Munch on toast, pretzels, pastries and bingsu – with flavours of Green Tea and Red Bean ($11.90), Mango ($10.90), Taro ($9.90), Yogurt Cheesecake ($12.90) and Milk Tea ($10.90). A favourite venue for CBD executive and groups of students for discussions and book-mugging. Free WIFI and quiet sitting area.
Bing Go Gung Dessert House
102 Guillemard Road #01-01 Singapore 399719 (Mountbatten MRT)
Opening Hours: 12pm – 11pm
https://www.facebook.com/binggojung
With all the new Korean bingsu cafes opening up in Singapore, Bing Go Gung must be saying “Yawn, we have already been around way before you.”
This is the café concept of Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ restaurant. The bingsu varieties sold here include the popular Milk & Red Bean ($11), Injeolmi ($11), Green Tea ($11) Coffee ($11) and an intriguing Tomato ($11), along with toast, grilled sandwiches and chewy waffles. A lot of Korean tai-tais come here to chit-chat, should be good lah.
Nunsaram Korean Dessert Cafe
181 orchard rd #05-51/52 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896 (Somerset MRT)
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon-Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/NUNSARAMSG
Finally. A Korean café in town area (wait, one more opening). Owner of Nunsaram, who is also the owner of Korean BBQ restaurant K Cook, stressed that Nunsaram is a “real Korean dessert café”. On Instagram, they are known as “the café which gave away FREE bingsu”. (No more already)
Bingsu are priced between $12.90 and $15.90, an additional $1.50 for a scoop of ice cream and $2.50 for red beans. The side menu consists of Tteogkkochi (Korean rice cakes on skewers) that comes in 3 variations: Honey ($4.50), Spicy ($4.90) and Cheese ($5.90) and Injeolmi Toast ($5.90). Bingsu was smooooth, nicccccce, BUT we think there are better ones around. Maybe still new, still improving.
Café Insadong
279 South Bridge Road Singapore 058828 (Chinatown MRT)
Tel: +65 8533 2003
Opening Hours: 12pm – 9pm (Tues, Wed, Thurs), 12pm-10pm (Fri-Sat), 2pm-8pm (Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/cafeinsadong
A Korean café started by a Singaporean and two Korean friends, combined a café concept with an art space and “Elegani” vanity table. Thus the female standee around. Scary at night though.
Other than bingsu, they offer toast topped with ice cream, red bean, kaya butter (!), peanut butter, nutella. Or Bulgogi Beef with Injeolmi ($6.50). Tasted quite ordinary though, the main surprise coming from the steamed Korean rice cake sandwiched within the two slices. Savoury items could be limited. I asked for savouries and the cashier offered me cup noodles. They were serious. (Read: Café Insadong South Bridge Road)
O’ma Spoon Korean Dessert Café
6 Raffles Boulevard #01-01/02/03 Marina Square Singapore 039594
313 @ Somerset Orchard Road #04-20/32 Singapore 238895
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm Daily
O’ma dare-dare open two shops in quick succession – one at Marina Square, the other at 313 Somerset. Good areas, too high levels. Anyway, this shop means ‘mother’s spoon’’. While the Patbingsu ($11.90) and Injoelmi ($11.90) are still reasonable in price, the Choco Brownie ($18.80), Mixed Berry ($18.80) to a rather steep Mango Berry Cheesecake ($22.80) may make customers think twice. EXPENSIVE. (Note: We hear prices have been revised again.)
We tried the Patbingsu ($11.90) and quite liked it. Ingredients such as the red bean ‘Korean pat’ and injeolmi are imported from Korea. The milk shaved ice was smooth and finely-shaved, had a soft yet instantaneous melt-in-your-mouth effect. Décor was kind of dated for a new café.
Snowman Desserts
Serangoon NEX #02-04, 23 Serangoon Central Singapore 556083
Tel: +65 6634 4608
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm
https://www.facebook.com/SnowmanDesserts
There was literally a big blown-up snowman greeting you at the entrance. The reason why Snowman Desserts would be very much smoother than what some of the average stores were offering, was due to a specially imported milk snow bingsu machine. That apparently cost a 5-figure sum.
Other than the Milk Snow Bingsu ($11.50), there are other dessert snacks available for takeaway such as Hotteok ($3 pancake with seeds), JCone ($3), Churro with Ice Cream ($3.50) and yogurt drinks. Churros are made ON THE SPOT. The main thing that we like/didn’t like: Smell of Korean BBQ next door, both tempting and off-putting.
Snowy Village
120A Prinsep Street Singapore 187937 (near Lasalle, Sim Lim Square)
Tel: +65 88221702
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm Daily
https://www.facebook.com/snowyvillagesingapore
Is this Singapore’s first container café? We literally walked past Snowy Village without realising, so look out for this marine blue (or I should I say facebook blue) coloured container. The outer area where oil drums were used as tables, is perfect for OOTDs. But there is no aircon outside, so hot, bingsu (and the eater) will melt!
Chocoreo Bingsu ($13.90) was smooth, but lacked flavours. The items such as Injeolmi Toast ($5.40), Drug Corn ($5.00) and Sandwich ($5.00) tasted emmm, home-prepared.
(Special Mention) One Thing Coffee Kids Café
Bukit Timah Shopping Centre B2-17, 170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588179
Opening Hours: 10am – 9pm (Mon-Sat), 10am – 8pm (Sun)
Family and child-friendly Korean café. Menu should appeal to the young as well, with Waffles ($10, $2 extra for ice cream), Caramel Bread ($8), Croque Monsieur ($7) and Sliced Cakes.
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