Ex-Korean Restaurant Chef Sells Fab Fried Chicken & Tornado Omelette In Kopitiam

We speak mostly to Germaine, which is just as well because she’s a delight: friendly, funny, and a little dazed from their recent success. The rugged-looking Hong is friendly but incredibly camera-shy and declines to be photographed even after we asked for permission multiple times. He also doesn’t speak much English. It doesn’t stop him from being chummy with the other stall-owners and cleaners at the kopitiam, though. We catch him sneaking a smoke break with one of them after our shoot. “Oh they’ve been very friendly,” Germaine says when we ask if the other stall keepers are jealous of their good business. “It’s good for everyone! And they help us out a lot”.

We visit on their only off-day, Tuesday, which Germaine says is the only time she’d be able to host us at all. “The situation can get pretty chaotic,” she says, explaining that she now works here full-time, manning the till and taking orders. Apparently food has been running out as early as 1pm, shortly after their 11am opening. Germaine says they’re sorting out their operations to meet the demand, but the initial wave of interest after a video of their stall went viral has caught them by surprise and they’ve been a little overwhelmed.

Hong and Germaine took the hawker route as a stop-gap between opening a proper sit-down restaurant, which would have served up the same homey Korean fare and popular favourites that they offer here. Obviously, the pandemic put a stop to that, but instead of sitting idle they figured a hawker stall would be a good way to build their brand, get their food out there, and build a small following before delving into a proper set-up when things calm down.

But with the overnight success of their hawker concept, the couple say they’ve put their restaurant plans on hold. If they do open a restaurant eventually, Germaine says they may keep the hawker stall open since it’s doing so well, but it all depends on whether or not they can find and train the right cooks.

“We get so busy that sometimes we only eat at 9pm,” she says. “We’re looking for someone who speaks Korean and has some kitchen experience to help with the cooking, if not it’ll be really crazy.” We can see why: Hong is the only man in the kitchen, and according to Germaine he makes mostly everything to order, with very little pre-made.

Of her newfound hawker life, Germaine quips that the heat, long hours, and stress can be a challenge. “I used to work long haul flights and I thought that was the worst, but when I came here, it’s even more tough and tiring!”

The couple have been married for two years, having hit it off after being introduced by some mutual Japanese friends of theirs in Singapore. Germaine had previously spent some time in Japan for work, and Hong, who also speaks Japanese, has worked in Japanese restaurants before. They’re a cute couple, and speak to each other in a mix of English, bits of Japanese, and Korean, which Germaine says she’d been working on before work at the stall got so hectic that she had to put her classes aside. We ask if being married to a Korean has any home advantage and she laughs. “He tried to help me with my Korean homework, but he made so many mistakes”.

The 10-item menu is pretty extensive for a one-man show. It’s got a selection of noodles, stews, and soups on one hand, and Korean fried chicken in various sauces. Many of the ingredients, like the noodles, kimchi, and pastes, are imported from Korea, and the serving bowls and platters wouldn’t be out of place in a Korean restaurant. The main draw here seems to be getting Korean restaurant quality food at friendlier prices: nine pieces of fried chicken will set you back by $14 and the noodles range between $6 to $6.90 a bowl. Shortly after our visit, we learn that they’re temporarily restricting the menu to only five dishes to shorten the wait, and it so happens these five dishes are the ones we taste.

Think Korean omurice, except the rice comes topped with a pretty omelette swirl, achieved by twisting the egg with long chopsticks. You’ve probably seen this on countless YouTube videos of street food in Korea. The fried rice underneath is a simple but tasty kimchi fried rice, though the real star here is the soft, pillowy omelette that comes packed with lots of butter. Super yummy, and great for the ’gram.

Bouncy Korean egg noodles, thick and a little chewy, come drenched with an almost jet-black mound of minced pork and black bean sauce and spring onions. It is delicious: the sauce is slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and silky. Together with the moreish noodles, this comes together in comforting mouthfuls. It’s also surprisingly light: we manage to finish the whole bowl in spite of the heaving amount of food on the table.

A fiery-red gochujang-based soup is filled with tender mussels, prawns, and octopus. The soup is light, incredibly spicy, and has a pleasant sharpness.

This eggy, battered pancake comes generously packed with seafood and charred scallions. It looks gorgeous and tastes just as good: the pancake is all crispy-edges and chewy centre, and the seafood — tiny mussels, bits of octopus, and prawns — is fresh and sweet. It comes with a zingy soy and vinegar dip, laced with chilis and scallions for extra oomph.

If you brave the queue for one thing, it should be for the fried chicken. We’re told they only use fresh chicken that’s delivered first thing in the morning, which is then simply marinated and battered before service, then deep fried to order. It pays off: the chicken is incredibly juicy and fresh-tasting. Plain and simply battered with simple seasonings like garlic, chilli, and salt, the crispy coating gives way to steaming, tender meat, which is how we like it best, but we also really enjoy the versions that come drenched in sticky sauces (see below).

The Sweet Spicy is made with a fiery Korean-style chilli sauce that packs a pleasant, not overwhelming heat. The Soy Garlic version is sweet and kissed with loads of caramelised garlic flavour. We prefer the Sweet Spicy for its gooey stickiness and zingy, slightly tart and spicy flavour. In both, the crunchy batter holds up under the sauce, even after sitting on the table for a bit as we conduct our photo shoot. Very yummy.

Impressive restaurant-quality Korean grub at hawker stall prices: the flavours are rich and robust, and they don’t seem to have skimped on the ingredients. We’re particularly impressed by the comforting jajangmyeon, but the real star is the fried chicken, definitely up there with favourites like Kko Kko Nara and Chicken Up, and at a really friendly price too. It’s all super yummy, but we’re not so sure about braving the long queues for this. If you’re up for it, head down at opening time, but still expect a queue. Arriving at a quieter time might mean most of their stocks might be depleted, so it’s best to check their Facebook page for updates before heading down.

710 Clementi West Street 2, #01-247 Blk 710, S120709. Open daily except Tue. Wed-Mon, 11am-9pm. https://www.facebook.com/annyeongck.

Photos: Aik Chen

All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg