Noodlestar K's Chik Naengmyeon

I'm not into Korean food the way I'm not into K-Pop or the accompanying beauty and skincare products. You know how limited my understanding of Korean cuisine is, and how much I dislike gochuchang and kimchi. I can only appreciate certain dishes, but it's enough to get around if I visit South Korea or I’m obliged to step into a Korean restaurant with friends. At least I don't view it like Sichuan food or mala things- all of which I assiduously avoid. 

Made the mistake of watching 'Korean Cold Noodle Rhapsody' (2021), and an intense craving for naengmyeon (냉면) arose. The most recent memory of a good bowl of naengmyeon was when we were in Seoul. I had the best bowl at Eumildae at Mapo-gu. That was rather unforgettable.  

I do get a few decent bowls of naengmyeon here and there in Singapore. F suggested Noodlestar K for naengmyeon. The eatery has a clever price point, and a limited menu. All noodles, bit of rice and beef, and of course, mandu. It didn't offer fancy items or require a minimum spend like many Korean restaurants which use that to cover the banchan dished out. We had to walk the dog, so we took a jaunt to Tanjong Pagar. It was too last-minute to eat there. It was packed out anyway. We got noodles and mandu to-go. Unlike udon and soba, naengmyeon stands up well to delivery and takeout.

There were complimentary sides of beansprouts and kimchi given with our takeout. I was a tad annoyed with the man for dumping the kimchi atop the gogi mandu; smack in the middle and not at the side. UGH. I'm not fond of kimchi, and to have it to drip down and soak through the nice mandu, that was eeky. At least if it was moved to the side, it wouldn't be so bad. Aiyoh.

I love dumplings in most forms, especially when it's boiled or steamed as xiaolongbao, jiaozi, mandu and momo. The mandu tonight were good! It came in a portion of six pieces. Three for me was more than enough. Next time, I might order two portions of mandu and that would be my total meal. Hahaha. 

Noodlestar K's does chik naengmyeon. This version is made of arrowroot noodles instead of the Pyongyang style of buckwheat. As usual, the Asian pear and radish made for a beautiful naturally sweet crunch in the noodles. Mmmmm. This bowl had no sliced beef or pork along with it, which was fine for me. They threw in a bit of spicy sauce. The weakest link is in its broth. It isn't as lovely I had hoped for it to be, but it would do. I would order it again and slurp it all up.