Fans of all things Korean, we’ve got great news for you: the first LOTTE Mart Express has opened in Singapore! The popular South Korean hypermart chain has brought over many of its top snacks, beverages and more, all of which occupy a small section of VivoCity‘s FairPrice Xtra.
There’s even a section of the store dedicated to Korean instant noodles, with notable brands such as Buldak, Nongshim, and Samyang well-stocked on the shelves. There’s a self-cooking station should you choose to enjoy your noodles on the spot!
That’s not all, you can also dress your noodles with the toppings they have available, which include chicken cocktail sausages ($1.87), snow crab leg ($3.85), egg ($0.80), mixed vegetables ($1), and sliced cheese ($0.80). We decided to go for the Lobster Ramyeon ($2.50), a soup noodle which boasts slightly sweet, seafood-rich broth.
Next to the wall of ramyeon is the food station Yorihada Kitchen, where popular Korean street snacks are made fresh-to-order.
Instant noodles aside, they serve up a range of freshly-made, Korean street-food classics.
For starters, there’s Eomuk ($5.90), chewy fishcake skewers soaked in a warm, clean-tasting broth. These are served from aluminium trays to keep them warm, similiar to what you might find in Korea.
These fishcakes are best paired with a side of Tteokbokki (from $5.90) or rice cakes, which come in two variations, Spicy, and Rose. We got the latter, which was delightfully creamy, with a subtle hint of spice.
For something more substantial, there’s also trays of Gimbap, which you can get with either Tuna or Beef Bulgogi. These rolls were packed with pickled radish, cucumber, carrot, crabmeat, egg, and we liked that these rolls boasted the perfect fillings to rice ratio. These are priced at $4.90 for a half portion, and $8.90 for a full portion.
Wash everything down with the large assortment of packet drinks they have here, with variations such as Watermelon Ade, Peach Iced Tea, Blue Lemonade, Iced Americano and Hazelnut Americano. Simply grab a cup of ice, fill it with your choice of drink, and enjoy it alongside your meal.
Tip: grab a few different packets to create your own unique convenience store drink combinations!
FYI, seating is limited to four diners at a time, so you might want to head down early if you plan on dining in.
Check out our Instagram reel below for the full review!
In other Korean food news, the recently opened Korea Culture at Changi Airport has a deal worth checking out. Any main dish you order gets you unlimited servings of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and banchan. There are over 20 different kinds of banchan available here!
You may also want to consider the $16.90++ Korean Griddle Buffet at POCHA Tampines. This buffet makes use of a Korean griddle, an iron appliance used to grill the various meats and vegetables by the table. This gives off a similar effect to what you would expect from a Korean BBQ experience, where the grilled items come with a smoky flavour.
For a non-buffet version of this Korean griddle setup, read our SOT Korean Restaurant review.
Address: 1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-23 & #B2-23, VivoCity, Singapore 098585
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 11pm
Tel: 6261 0803
Website
LOTTE Mart Express is not a halal-certified eatery.
Photos taken by Marcus Neo.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg
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