Mugung Review: Legit Bibimbap Restaurant In Telok Ayer With Dalgona Ice Cream And More

Mugung is a new Korean bibimbap restaurant in the CBD

Being a huge K-pop fan, I get pretty excited whenever anything related to the land of kimchi is mentioned. When my colleague told me about Mugung, a new Korean restaurant that specialises in bibimbap, I was sceptical about how this place was going to stand out from the many other Korean eateries around. 

Mugung’s friendly owner explained that the restaurant’s name is actually derived from Mugunghwa, which is Korea’s national flower. Their logo doesn’t just resemble a flower, but also is an illustration of a bibimbap bowl, with a fried egg in its centre and its various toppings depicted by the five petals. 

Their menu comprises different types of bibimbap, along with various side dishes to choose from. You can even customise your rice bowls while ordering at the kiosks, though there are only two sauce options: spicy gochujang, AKA red chilli paste, or non-spicy ganjang, or what we know as soya sauce.

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Food at Mugung

We started with a classic Beef Bibimbap ($14.90) which is a preset bowl featuring sides of spinach, radish, seaweed, marinated carrots, cabbage, mushroom, and minced beef. 

The only proper way to dig into bibimbap is to give everything in the bowl a good, hearty mix, evenly distributing the sauce and ingredients throughout the short-grain rice. This definitely includes cutting the egg up.

Even though it was mostly vegetables, I didn’t find that the bowl tasted too green or unappetising. I appreciated how the rice was nicely chewy, without being too hard, nor too soft. I didn’t think the dish was spicy, but you can add some fresh kimchi for that spicy-sour kick. Being a meat lover myself, I liked how the beef added savouriness and flavour to the mixed rice.

We also ordered their signature dish, the MUGUNG Bibimbap ($11.90): a meat-free option that features the same sides, without the marinated minced beef. I found this just as tasty and would recommend it if you prefer cleaner flavours. Take note that you can also choose to get each bibimbap bowl as a set meal (from $18.90), which includes your choice of drink and a small salad bowl. 

They also offer free-flow clear soup here, which helped to cut through all the strong flavours from the other dishes. 

On the side, we got the Pork Belly & Tofu with Fried Kimchi ($17). While my colleague and I found the pork belly a bit too greasy, you can pair it with a square of soft steamed tofu and juicy kimchi to give every bite a well-balanced taste. 

We ordered the Dalgona Ice Cream ($7.50) to finish off our meal. This sees three scoops of vanilla ice cream, topped with crushed dalgona, a popular Korean candy that’s made by melting sugar down. Besides its affiliation with the horrifying Squid Game, we were still quite interested in enjoying the fun textual variance between the soft ice cream and crunchy dalgona shards. The dessert was also elevated by the candy’s caramel-like flavour and sweetness. 

Ambience at Mugung

Mugung is painted in pleasant pastel colours, with a second level to accommodate more customers. I was told that at night, the second level is transformed with dim lights to show a night under the stars, creating a cosy atmosphere for late-night hangouts. 

The restaurant is located just a two-minute walk away from Telok Ayer MRT Station. We arrived at 1pm and only encountered a small group dining in, so I’d recommend this place for gatherings with your friends or colleagues. 

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The verdict

Mugung serves simple Korean dishes that are done well. Thanks to the friendly staff and calming atmosphere, I really enjoyed my dining experience here and would be back for another visit. 

If you’d like to feast on more Korean food, read our guide to the best Korean restaurants in Singapore. Alternatively, for more options in Telok Ayer, check out our Kuan Zhai Alley review for Sichuan fusion food!

Address: 112 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068581
Opening hours: Mon 11:30am to 10:30pm, Tue 10am to 10:30pm, Wed-Fri 10am to 11pm, Sat 9:30am to 11pm, Sun 9:30am to 3pm
Tel: 6908 3969
Website
Mugung is not a halal-certified eatery. 

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Photos taken by Ke-ian J Leong.
This was a media tasting at Mugung.