Big Mama Korean Restaurant @Kim Tian Road Singapore

Greetings, fellow Korean food fans – if you happen to be craving for lots of spicy treats lately, it’s time to spice up your life with Big Mama Korean Restaurant!

Big Mama Korean Restaurant
2 Kim Tian Road
Singapore 169244
Operating Hours: 11:30 – 14:00, 17:30 – 22:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Nearest MRT Station: Tiong Bahru

Many great restaurants are set up by entrepreneurs who are willing to venture out and make their dreams possible. Ji-young Nam Gung, aka Big Mama, is a great example – a former tutor and caretaker who set up her own Korean eatery who has been cooking for groups of Korean students in Singapore for many years. Thus, Big Mama was born, with authentic Korean dishes inspired by her mum’s recipes with a little twist to suit local tastebuds.

Big Mama has two specialty dishes that constantly attracts customers back to their restaurant. One such example would be the Dakgalbi – spicy pan fried Korean chicken, first originated from the City of Chuncheon in Gangwon Province. I’ve heard that the spiciness of the chilli in this famous Korean dishes make you break out in sweat, but surprisingly leaves you wanting for more.

The other specialty dish has got to be the Samgyupsal Suyuk – steamed pork belly, served with vegetables and special sauces. Big Mama uses a special method of steaming the pork belly, making the slices of meat crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. It’s less oily too because the extra fats have been removed during the cooking.

A rather cute design of the walls in Big Mama’s interior, making it a friendlier environment for customers. The seats are surprisingly really comfortable with soft cushioning.

Let’s now take a look at the menu. Side dishes are also served with every menu that you order, apart from the Korean pancake dish.

Being a fan of spicy food, I HAD to give the spicy pan fried Korean chicken a try! It’s priced at $15 per pax, with a minimum of 2 pax per dish. It’s highly recommended to bring a group of friends along with you because the serving came in a REALLY huge portion.

Ran out of ideas of what to order? Take a look at the stretch of menu items Big Mama offers – which is just located right above you on the walls.

In the recent article, I visited Kko Kko Nara Korean Restaurant, where I tried the yummy sweet rice punch, and I loved it! This time, I decided to give the Cinnamon Punch a go.

As usual, complimentary plain water for customers to quench your thirst. Thankfully, we went there for dinner and the weather was rather cooling.

Sujeonggwa (Cinnamon Punch with Dried Persimmon) (3.50)
A sweet punch flavoured with ginger and cinnamon with a few floating pine nuts and dried persimmon. Something unique to me that makes me favor these sweet punches even more.

The side dishes were prepared in a jiffy, with plain white rice served too, at only $1.50 a bowl.
Here are some close-up shots of the side dishes below:

Now all we need is a huge pan of Dakgalbi and we’re good to go!

Utensils can be found at the side of the table, so help yourself!

Dakgalbi ($15/pax)
This delicious bowl of pan fried seasoning chicken blended with a generous amount of vegetables, sweet potatoes, rice cake, and spices, drizzled with spicy sauce. WARNING: It really gets hot after a few bites, so remember to have water by your side, as well as a bowl of rice to go with the chicken.

To ensure that the food doesn’t turn cold after a while, the heat is always turned on. It can be adjustable too, depending on the heat level you prefer.

Just look at the perfect combination of ingredients! Staring at it makes me want to drool already…

Fried Rice ($3/pax)
The Dakgalbi dish also comes with an add-on option, which is to separately purchase fried rice, made after you are done with the pan fried chicken dish. The staff would attend to you and fry your fried rice for you on the spot!

Firstly, by adding in white rice, with soy sauce and on top of the meat.

Secondly, mix, mix, mix it well! All the chicken goodness and spicy sauce are evenly mixed in the rice while frying it on the pan.

Thirdly, sprinkle some seaweed into the frying pan and mix it together with the almost-done fried rice.

And finally, there you have it – a huge pan of Korean fried rice right in front of your eyes. It’s really sufficient to fill your tummies, and a great investment!

To end it off, here are the business hours of Big Mama Korean Restaurant. Do take note though, that they close the kitchen even before 10pm, so make sure you make a reservation at latest 930pm to prevent making a wasted trip to the restaurant.

For reservations, try to book two days in advance so that a more fixed service can be given to you. Also remember to come with a group of people, be it friends or family, so the larger portions are able to be shared amongst you and your friends. Dial them up at +65 6270 7704 and you’re ready for a yummy Korean food tasting session!