If there's one good thing that came out of COVID-19 for me, it's the appreciation of Korean cuisine, thanks to Netflix and K-drama. I've always prefered Japanese food over Korean, as it is more delicate and refined, as compared to the one pot, mix-it-all with lotsa sauce, and eat out of a huge metal bowl kinda way of eating. Well consider me a convert. Korean food is best for social bonding over hearty dishes and alcohol. For those who want the best of both worlds, i highly recommend ANJU for a more elegant modern Korean dining and bar experience in a chic and tasteful setting right in little Korea that is Tanjong Pagar. I promise you would not leave smelling like a BBQ post-dinner.
Dinner reservations are hard to come by and i was lucky that a friend made a reservation more than 2 months ago! Forget the regular green or blue bottles of soju. At Anju, they have a curated list of Koreans alcohol and Makgeolli is a special.
If you are here with more friends, definitely go for their special Champagne Makgeolli ($75, 940ml), which is naturally carbonated. Since there were only 2 of us, we went with the White Lotus Makgeolli ($28, 375ml). The grain liquor was infused with white lotus, which provided hints of floral undertones and a refreshing nutty finish.
For appetizers, it's a toss between the umami crunchy bomb that is the Bori Prawns ($8) simply seasoned with green baby garlic shoots and salt; or the Black Bean Mascarpone ($16) with sourdough crackers that is my one true love. The latter could be a snack or a dessert due to its delicate sweetness from the sweet Suritae beans. Mix it with Chef’s special chive oil and it provides a savoury headiness.
We skipped the cold appetizers this time because there's insufficient stomach space but next time round, I'd definitely be getting the Yuk Hoe ($28), the much raved about beef tartare with charred smoky kale topped with quail egg yolk.
A perfect snack (more like a full meal on it own) with the Makgeolli is the Hogam Jeon ($25), a super crispy potato and zucchini pancake with prawns. Top it with Mozzarella cheese (+$3) to make it like a pizza. I could not believe the crispiness of this! Overall the flavor was a tad bland, though you do get a subtle umami when you bite into the prawns. Make sure you give it a good dunk in the pickled onion Korean soy sauce that it was served with and i'd definitely ask for more of the sauce (that little saucer was definitely insufficient).
We came for the Galbi-Jjim ($38/portion, min 2 portion), and we were not disappointed. I felt like i was starring in Let's Eat and imagined classical tunes to go with each cube of beef that i savoured. The traditional Korean braised boneless beef short rib was a dream with a tender bite. I also liked that the sesame-soy braise wasn't too overly sweet. We opted not to have rice with this because the pancake was super filling but it would certainly complete the meal.
Also make sure you order a side of Baek Kimchi ($7). It was my first time having this non-spicy kimchi but certainly not my last time! We much preferred the cabbage over the radish as this fermentation brought out more of the bitterness of the root vegetable.
Lovely experience at Anju. I only wished we had more stomach space for more dishes. Desserts didn't sound all that exciting to us so we skipped.
Tel: +65 6612 1172
Tue - Sat: 6 - 10.30pm
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