Was going around Jurong East and got to learn about the opening of Damok K-Soup & Noodles that is situated within the Kopitiam food court at JEM — these folks are just located right beside the outlet of Culiang Yufen 粗粮鱼粉 there. Seemingly a new name in the local F&B scene here, Damok K-Soup & Noodles claims to have had partnered with a two Michelin-starred chef for the recipes they use in the eatery; its social media bio does suggest that the stall “serves authentic Korean food at affordable prices”. The menu at Damok K-Soup & Noodles is split into sections dedicated to Rice, Noodles and Sides; the line-up of Sides also does comprise of quite a number of Banchan dishes (i.e. small Korean side dishes) as well.

One of the few items that is listed in the Noodles section of the menu would be the Jinju Cold Noodles with Beef Pancake — it is worth noting that Damok K-Soup & Noodles also serve up the Jinju Cold Noodles; the variant of the same that comes without the beef pancake if one prefers their order to come as such. Damok K-Soup & Noodles does not describe the elements that come with their various dishes, though it could be observed from our order that the Jinju Cold Noodles with Beef Pancake does come with elements such as buckwheat noodles, shredded omelette, seaweed, radish, apple slices, cucumber and pancake. One can opt for a set at an additional cost of $2.50 to add a small platter of three (3) Banchan dishes — we opted for this and the selection of Banchan that was served on the day of our visit would be the Homemade Kimchi Banchan, Marinated Squid Banchan and the Marinated Quail Egg Banchan. Digging into the Jinju Cold Noodles with Beef Pancake, we did find ourselves really liking the broth here; lightly savoury, yet also lightly tangy that keep things refreshing and easy to eat. The buckwheat noodles here are on the denser side of things; does require quite a bit of chew though it does also make for springier, bouncier and QQ-texture to say the least. The addition of elements like radish helps to give a soft crunch for a variance of textures — the radish having soaked up the flavours of the broth while cucumbers do add another element of crunch with the sliced apples further giving a hint of sweetness apart from the crunch. Meanwhile, the addition of elements like the shredded omelette adds a fluffiness that contrasts against the chewiness of the noodles whilst the seaweed adds an umami note to the broth itself. The beef pancake was a good to have; coming with a batter that seems to make use of egg-wash that is not too dissimilar to that of French Toast, the batter does seem to have absorbed some moisture from the broth; the beef also came more lean with meaty bite though doesn’t come with any noticeable gamey hint of flavours here.