Jajangmyeon — Korean black bean noodles ($13.80++)!
Tanjong Pagar Korean restaurant — jajangmyeon (자장면) with dark chunjang black bean sauce, julienned cucumber, banchan of kimchi, danmuji yellow radish, beansprouts. $13.80++.
Lunch today: jajangmyeon at a Tanjong Pagar Korean restaurant for $13.80++. 😋
What was on the table ($13.80++):
- A jajangmyeon plate: thick chewy noodles half-coated in dark black bean sauce (chunjang) with pork, onion and zucchini chunks, topped with julienned cucumber strips.
- Banchan sides: kimchi, beansprouts, and pickled yellow radish (danmuji).
- A metallic Korean tea cup at the back.
Jajangmyeon (자장면) is the beloved Korean-Chinese noodle dish, descended from a northern Chinese zhajiangmian but made distinctly Korean by chunjang, a fermented black soybean paste that’s fried with caramel and aromatics into a glossy, almost sweet, savoury-deep sauce. It’s the ultimate Korean comfort food, the dish everyone orders on moving day.
The serving ritual is part of the fun: the sauce comes only half-coating the noodles, so you mix everything together yourself first to get every strand glossy and black before digging in. The cucumber strips on top add a cool, fresh crunch that cuts the richness, and the banchan of kimchi, beansprouts and tangy danmuji round it out. The noodles here were properly thick and chewy, and the sauce had a good savoury depth.
Overall: 4 / 5. The sauce had proper savoury depth, the noodles were chewy, and the banchan and cucumber added freshness. A solid jajangmyeon. 😋👍🏼
