Viral Korean Restaurant Myung Ga II With Glamorous Lady Boss Opens Cheaper Food Court Stall In Bishan
Junction 8’s Food Junction is back after a major three-month overhaul, and among the lineup of new stalls is popular Korean restaurant, Myung Ga II. Here, it’s called Myung Ga II Minipress, a more affordable version of its full-service restaurant siblings. It opens on 22 September, together with the relaunch of the food court in Bishan.
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The elegant lady boss behind Myung Ga who’s “25 forever”
Myung Ga II is known for its hearty Korean dishes including donkatsu (the Korean version of Japanese tonkatsu), noodles and more. The woman behind it is the elegant, immaculately made-up Victoria Jung who looks like she could’ve stepped out of a K-drama series. When 8days.sg asks how old she is, she brushes off the question with a grin: “Age doesn’t matter, I’m 25 forever!”
Myung Ga’s first standalone restaurant in Bukit Timah Plaza
Photo: Google/Olevia Cheong
Myung Ga II @ Tanjong Pagar
Photo: Google/Cherrlyn Lim
Cheaper menu at Myung Ga II Minipress in Junction 8
So why the name Minipress? It’s a blend of ‘mini’ and ‘express’. “Minipress is a mini version of Myung Ga II, but I didn’t want to use the name express as everybody uses it,” Victoria explains with a laugh.
She tells 8days.sg that she’s had this idea for some time. “Our portions at the restaurants are big, so some solo diners complain that they cannot finish it. I wanted to focus on solo [portions] and for families in the hub of Singapore such as Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, and Toa Payoh.” So when Food Junction approached her, she took on the opportunity to set up a smaller stall in Bishan.
The key difference? “Faster service, smaller portions, lower prices, but the same quality food,” explains Victoria.
A few of Myung Ga II’s signature dishes will also be available at the new food court outlet. Take note that unlike at the restaurants, portions at the food court stall are smaller and mostly feed one person.
As a rough guide — prices of dishes at the standalone restaurants range from $19 to $30 for a main course, while they cost between $9.90 to $16 each at the food court.
Catch Victoria at the Food Junction stall during opening week.
Here are some dishes to try there:
Donkatsu, $12.90
The brownish sauce on this slab of Korean-style tonkatsu ain’t curry. “We use fresh ingredients like carrots, tomatoes and blend them together,” says Victoria. The veggie sauce is drizzled over crispy breaded pork cutlet, and served with a bunch of side salads, plus pickles.
Mul-Naengmyeon, $9.90
“We don’t use instant noodles, we make them fresh ourselves everyday,” she shares, referring to the cold noodles served in a refreshing, savoury broth.
Haemul Jjambong, $12.90
A spicy Korean-Chinese noodle soup spiked with gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) and paired with assorted seafood like prawn and squid.
Jaeyuk Dupbap, $12.90
This hotplate dish features stir-fried pork marinated in spicy gochujang (Korean red chilli paste), served with rice.
What about Victoria’s famous kimbap? “Our two restaurants have kimbap stations but our food court kitchen is too small for that, so I’ll send a limited [number of] kimbap every morning [to the Bishan stall] for takeaway only,” Victoria shares. Expect kimbap in flavours like the Original and the Spicy Pork and Spam.
Seafood Pancake, $16
A best-seller at Myung Ga II’s sister restaurant at Tanjong Pagar, this golden-brown pancake comes studded with seafood and is served with a soy-based dipping sauce. “The portion here is only 20 percent smaller [than at the restaurant],” Victoria says. This means it’s still ideal for sharing.
Other stalls to check out at J8’s revamped food court
Myung Ga II isn’t the only reason to swing by the revamped Food Junction at Junction 8. While old names like King Grouper Fish Soup and Pepper Lunch are making a return, there are 17 new stalls joining the line-up, with some spin-offs from popular restaurants.
There’s even a small Japanese food street with six stalls serving up Japanese and Korean grub.
Strangely, the rest of the food court has been revamped with an “American retro diner” theme, complete with a jukebox, vinyl furnishings, and retro booth seating reminiscent of the ’80s. Photos of the madeover space weren’t ready at press time.
Here are the other new stalls to check out:
Cha Han Garlic Fried Rice by the Akashi Group
Cha Han is F&B stalwart Akashi Group’s first standalone Japanese-style garlic fried rice concept. Highlights include the Egg Fried Rice with Teriyaki Chicken ($8.30) and Garlic Fried Rice with Yakiniku ($8.80) beef.
Dumpling Chain Zhang Ji Yun Jiao From China
This Chinese dumpling chain from Guangzhou has a standalone casual eatery at Grantral Mall in Clementi. Its food court spin-off stall offers its signature Pork Dumplings at $7.80 for ten pieces in Bishan.
Shabu Bar by Food Junction
A Japanese-style mini hot pot joint offering a counter-style dining experience by Food Junction. Prices start from $12.90, and you can customise your soup base, meat, and add-ons.
Lastly, making its debut is Double Up C, a new Korean fried chicken stall. We’re told by a PR representative that “the team behind it prefers to remain behind the scenes”. Notable dishes include the Korean Fried Chicken with Mozzarella Cheese Set ($9.90) and the Korean Fried Chicken Hawaiian Pizza ($10.90).
Myung Ga II Minipress opens on 22 Sept at Food Junction, #04-01 Junction 8, 9 Bishan Pl, S579837. More info via Instagram.
Photos: Food Junction
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