Ajumma's Korean Restaurant @ Funan Mall [Singapore]

A friend had recommended Ajumma's Korean Restaurant when she knew I will be going to Funan Mall, but it was after lunch hours and the dining establishment had closed for one hour. 

Famished me couldn't endure the wait and opted for five senses bistro instead, which thankfully exceeded our expectations! Ajumma's remained etched on my mental food-list and we managed to secure seats right after their afternoon break. 

It's an extremely popular restaurant with long queue forming during mealtimes, and given the limited space; there shall be a dining limit of 45 minutes. Not an issue for me as I am known among some friends for my ability to "inhale", and not eat, food. 

Option to order via the QR code and pay at the same time. For cash and NETS payment, please go back to the inefficient way of ordering and paying via the physical counter.  Frankly, I do not enjoy ordering via the website on my phone as the screen is too small and sometimes, operators don't bother adding in photos of the food for references.

Fret not, Ajumma's has a physical menu whereby you can review the mouthwatering pictures! Problems would be what we can order as there's only so much stomach space, and Alex isn't a big eater.

Side Dishes - typical of Korean restaurants, I always look forward to checking out the 'banchan', aside from kimchi, which is standard fare. Not bad side dishes at Ajumma's and my favourite had to be the seasoned seaweed that screamed of umami; albeit a bit salty.

Beef Bulgogi - honestly, improvement could be made to the presentation to make it visually more appetizing. It looked like something I once served Rubee when he was alive. 

Fortunately, my appetite was stimulated by the strong grilled aroma and taste wise, definitely one of the better ones! Maybe there's a reason why the plate was large; I should have thrown in the rice and mixed it up with the meat.

Sweet-Spicy Fried Chicken with Crispy Toppoki - I have never had toppoki that was crispy and since both Alex and I generally enjoy Korean fried chicken; decided to give this a try.

Fried toppoki was interesting (hard though) but the sauce was just a light drizzle, making it hard for a bland rice cake to stand out. Chicken was a letdown; full of unimpressive batter and meat that wasn't sufficiently juicy.

Fluffy Steamed Egg - the signature in Ajumma's that you would likely see on most tables! It's a visual treat to have that steaming hot omelette served to you; like a rising cake that was about to overflow! 

Verdict - tasted like normal steamed egg, honestly wasn't that fluffy (in fact, overly dense) and there was a burnt aftertaste. Alex literally ignored this after two bites.

Hotteok - I remembered this snack fondly from my travel in South Korea a few years ago and while it didn't seem the same; it's not common to find it in Singapore and I die-die wanted to try! 

You would have mistaken this as a deep-fried bread should it be placed in a bakery. The oily sheen might be off-putting for some of you but this was nowhere near the level of the one I ate at Namdaemun Market at Seoul!

Crisp exterior, soft inside and a sweet filling right in the middle. It wasn't as sinfully and as crazily delicious as the one I had at Namdaemun Market but good enough as an after-meal dessert for both of us.

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Obvious from the above picture what we enjoyed and what we didn't. To be blunt, I don't understand its popularity; nothing was spectacular. Was price the primary determinant or did I order the wrong things? Maybe the chef was not up to form? I might still be back to try the other dishes at Ajumma's but if I am with Alex, he would likely push for Five Senses Bistro instead.

Address

107 North Bridge Rd, #B1-31, 

Funan Mall, Singapore 179105

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Mondays - 11.30 am to 9.00 pm

Tuesdays to Sundays - 11.30 am to 9.30 pm

Pricing

Side Dishes - Free

Beef Bulgogi - $10.90 

Sweet-Spicy Fried Chicken with Crispy Toppoki - S$9.90

Fluffy Steamed Egg - S$5.90

Hotteok - S$3.90

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)