Like many of you, we’re huge fans of Korean fare. We know the pain of forking out more than usual when dining at fancier Korean restaurants in Tanjong Pagar, so we curated a list of cheap Korean food places with mains under $15. Seorae Jib is a potential addition to the latter, as their lunch menu sees mains from just $12.90++, with more than 15 options ranging from noodles and hotplates to sotbap and stews.
FYI, these lunch sets are available on weekdays till 3pm! Before diving into the different items available, note that all mains come with a soup, two banchan AKA side dishes, and a soft drink. If you’re getting a stew as your main, your set meal comprises banchan and a soft drink instead.
Their sotbap menu sees four variations, with the Smoked Black Pork Samgyeobsal ($18.90++) being a must-try here. For the uninitiated, sotbap is a traditional Korean stone pot rice dish topped with all kinds of ingredients: a protein of your choice, chopped spring onions, roasted sesame seeds and more.
With the upcoming monsoon season, a piping hot stew sounds like the ideal lunch or dinner. There are three kinds of stew priced at $15.90++ each, and we recommend the Sundubu Jjigae for a winning combination of soft tofu, minced pork, fresh clams, veggies, and egg. Each serving, of course, comes with rice on the side.
The most affordable mains at Seorae Jib include Jjajangmyeon, Mul Naengmyeon, and Bibim Naengmyeon, priced at $12.90++ each. If you’d like to try something different, get the Jeju Gogi Guksu ($17.90++) instead; this regional dish of Jeju stars springy noodles and pork belly slices submerged in a light yet robust broth.
If you love variety, you can’t go wrong with Seorae Jib’s Hanjeongsik Meal. This grand meal features a wooden box split into nine sections, with one reserved for the protein of your choice, seven sections for a variety of banchan, and the last section for fruits. It’s also served with rice and soup on the side! You can choose from three proteins: Garlic Dakgalbi ($18.90++) AKA marinated chicken thigh, Galmaegisal ($19.90++) AKA smoked pork skirt, and Gwangyang Bulgogi ($20.90++) AKA thinly sliced Black Angus beef.
For more Korean restaurants to check out in Singapore, read our Seoul Noodle Shop review, where we tried legit Korean knife-cut noodles at this celebrity chef-owned restaurant. Alternatively, read our GUːUM review for traditional Korean dishes with a modern twist.
Website | Full list of locations
Seorae Jib is not a halal-certified eatery.
Feature image adapted from Seorae Jib and @seoraejib