Sagae review
Located right in the heart of the CBD area, Sagae (formerly Jo Eun Jip) is a hidden gem waiting for hungry office workers to discover. Operated by a Korean brother-sister team, Sagae is as authentic as it gets, with some menu items we’ve never heard of. With a variety of over 50 menu items ranging from bibimbap (mixed rice) to jjigae (stews), they also offer an affordable lunch deal of one soup and one stir-fry dish at only $9.90++, proving that Korean food isn’t always that expensive in Singapore. They even offer customisable tofu soups and bibimbaps so that you’ll always find something to suit your tastebuds!
We had the privilege of meeting both the Korean bosses who proceeded to suggest their new signature menu Set A - a 50cm long BBQ platter with stir-fried chicken, pork spare ribs with tteokbokki (rice cake), various side dishes completed with a cheese dip ($60++)!
We had the privilege of meeting both the Korean bosses who proceeded to suggest their new signature menu Set A - a 50cm long BBQ platter with stir-fried chicken, pork spare ribs with tteokbokki (rice cake), various side dishes completed with a cheese dip ($60++)!
For these BBQ platters, there are three levels of spiciness for us to choose from: mild, spicy and very spicy. After being informed that the mild version is more of a sweeter, ketchup-y taste, we settled for the spicy version. For people with low tolerance of spice, we recommend trying the spicy version, where the spice does not warrant a nose-sniffling-eyes-watery-reach-for-the-water ordeal, instead it offers a much more pleasant experience where the spice will fade away by itself.
When the waitress served us our highly anticipated order, we were impressed with the portioning and how the platter is filled to the brim. On one side of the cheese is the stir-fried chicken with onions and local vegetables. Other than the sauce slightly overpowering the taste of the chicken, the meat is actually moist. We all know how unappetising it is to eat a dry chicken so this is a major plus point.
The other highlight is the spare pork rib with tteokbokki (rice cake). One way to eat this is to dip the rib into the bubbling cheese and secretly have a cheese pulling contest to see how far the cheese stretches! Or you could do it the boring way of just wrapping the dangling cheese remnants around the rib. Your choice, not to mention that the springy rice cake is delicious and goes really well with the cheese pork ribs. Playing with food aside, the ribs are surprisingly tender and infused with the sauce, even though the cheese can be slightly overwhelming. I’ll be sure to do with the cheese more sparingly next time.
Sides include coleslaw as well as fries topped with cheese powder served with ketchup, chilli, and their very own homemade mustard, a slightly sour blend which offers a refreshing change to the constant spice.
The sheer variety of banchans (side dishes) makes for an interesting surprise everytime i go to a Korean restaurant so I always make it a point to place emphasis on it. Even the boss told us that he added the spicy beancurd strips as an infusion of Sino-Korean cuisine, as he believed it will appeal to local tastebuds. Apparently these banchans are more or less common in Korea, but since we don’t have this culture in Singapore, I always try one of everything then proceed to devour all of it by myself.
All in all, we think that it is value for money for the set, which is a great option for sharing given the huge portion. We would definitely be back to try out the rest of the dishes on the menu! We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Sagae for their great food and kind hospitality. Most importantly, this place have a great ambience, and you will feel like you are in Little Korean Town as you dine in this wonderful restaurant. Do check it out!
The sheer variety of banchans (side dishes) makes for an interesting surprise everytime i go to a Korean restaurant so I always make it a point to place emphasis on it. Even the boss told us that he added the spicy beancurd strips as an infusion of Sino-Korean cuisine, as he believed it will appeal to local tastebuds. Apparently these banchans are more or less common in Korea, but since we don’t have this culture in Singapore, I always try one of everything then proceed to devour all of it by myself.
All in all, we think that it is value for money for the set, which is a great option for sharing given the huge portion. We would definitely be back to try out the rest of the dishes on the menu! We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Sagae for their great food and kind hospitality. Most importantly, this place have a great ambience, and you will feel like you are in Little Korean Town as you dine in this wonderful restaurant. Do check it out!
Address: 22 Nankin St, Singapore 048888
Operating hours: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:00
Contact number: 8298 7608
How to get there:
(Note: It still shows up as Jo Eun Jip on Google Map but it’s actually the same restaurant)
From Raffles Place MRT, Exit D (approximately 7 minutes walk):
Operating hours: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:00
Contact number: 8298 7608
How to get there:
(Note: It still shows up as Jo Eun Jip on Google Map but it’s actually the same restaurant)
From Raffles Place MRT, Exit D (approximately 7 minutes walk):
From Telok Ayer MRT, Exit B (approximately 4 minutes walk):
