Food Picks: Serangoon Garden grows as heartland Korean dining hub with new Jeju porridge eatery

SINGAPORE – Serangoon Garden is shaping up to be a heartland destination for Korean dining. Established in 2011, Hanwoori Korean Restaurant is one of the neighbourhood’s longstanding eateries, joined in recent years by chain outlets O.BBa BBQ & Jjajang and Kelim Dakdoritang.

The latest arrival is Jeju Sanghoe & Juk, a 24-seat eatery at the basement of myVillage. Opened in July 2025, it is the second concept from the team behind Korean speciality restaurant Jeju Sanghoe in Tras Street. This time, the spotlight is on Jeju-style porridge.

Co-owner Jason Yeo, 35, who hails from Busan, says: “We wanted to bring a unique Korean cuisine to Singapore. We found there is a lack of Jeju Island cuisine here, though there are many South Korean restaurants.”

At the myVillage outlet, the decor reflects Jeju’s volcanic landscape, with replica basalt rock on the exterior and stone-like tiles evoking the roof of a traditional Korean house.

Mr Yeo says: “We wanted to recreate the feeling of being on Jeju, even in the small space here.”

The menu is anchored by two types of porridge.

The Abalone Porridge ($21) is prepared fresh every morning with Korean short-grain rice simmered in pork bone broth for more than 1½ hours. Served in a heated dolsot (stone bowl), the porridge is rich and sticky, simply seasoned with salt and Korean soya sauce, and finished with fragrant sesame oil, toasted seaweed and sesame seeds.

There are about three slices of abalone in each bowl, which comes with free-flow side dishes of kimchi, braised quail eggs and fermented squid.

The Abalone Innards Porridge ($23) is the real highlight, though its name sounds less than appetising. Whole abalones are shucked, with the innards seasoned, ground and cooked into a paste that gives the porridge a greenish hue and briny depth.

“It has a taste more complex than fresh oysters,” says Mr Yeo. The paste is made every two to three days, while the abalone meat is simmered separately until tender.

For lighter bites, the Mini Kimchi Pancakes ($9 for four pieces) are thin and crisp, though the flavour of kimchi runs mild, while the Mini Seafood Pancakes ($11 for four pieces) are studded with prawns and baby octopus. The batter – a mix of wheat flour and cornstarch – is made in-house.

End on a sweet note with Sikhye ($3.50), a traditional malt-and-rice punch which is prepared at the flagship outlet.

Where: B1-03 myVillage, 1 Maju Avenue
MRT: Serangoon
Open: 11.30am to 3pm and 5.30 to 10pm (weekdays); 11.30am to 10pm (weekends and public holidays)
Info: Call 6341-7539