Kimbap — or Korean seaweed rice rolls — are the perfect snack to take with you on the go. It has everything you need: rice, veggies, and meat, all rolled up into a nice and compact roll which you can down in one mouthful. Westies will be thrilled to know that this new kimbap store, Ssada Gimbab, has opened in Beauty World with unique fusion flavours and other mouth-watering Korean snacks.
Located at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Ssada Gimbab is the newest Korean eatery to join Beauty World’s own mini Korea. Before you get confused, this Ssada Gimbab outlet is not related to the popular Ssada Gimbab chain in Korea. The menu offerings are also vastly different from its Korean counterpart, but, while these two outlets are not related, the food here is still worth a try.
On the menu are your classic kimbap offerings like Tuna (S$9), Kimchi, Shrimp, and Beef with prices starting from S$9. Mala lovers rejoice as Ssada Gimbab has a mala kimbap — a pretty unique offering at a Korean eatery. There’s also a Nude Gimbab (S$9) which is an inverted version of the original gimbab — kinda like a maki roll. Each gimbab is meticulously made on the spot by a Korean ahjumma with generous portions of rice, veggies and meat.
Interestingly, the Mala Gimbab (S$11) is one of the best sellers so naturally I had to give it a go. The gimbab comes stuffed with mala pork, radish, cucumber, carrots and rice. On your first bite, you’ll get the fragrance of the mala spices as well as a slight numbing sensation. As with all things mala, the more bites you take, the more the spice hits.
Thankfully, the crunch from the cucumber and radish helps to alleviate the spice. However, I feel that the ingredients could have been more tightly packed together.
For those who have a low spice tolerance, the Tonkutsu Gimbab (S$11) might be right up your alley. The roll comes chock full of ingredients, including a hearty well-battered pork cutlet. The savoury crunch from the tonkatsu contrasted well with the sauce while the fresh veggies helped to cut the grease so that you don’t feel too jelak eating it. Pair it with some kimchi for added spice and tang.
The menu also features several quintessential Korean snacks like Rabokki (S$13), Tteokbokki (S$12), and Chapaghetti (S$8). If you love cheese, you should get the Cheese Tteokbokki (S$14) which is your regular chewy Korean rice cakes drenched in a spicy-sweet sauce and loaded with cheese — the perfect blend of sweet, savoury, and spicy all in one mouthful.
Apart from hearty gimbab, they also have soothing hot stone stew like Soft Tofu Stew (S$13) and Soybean Paste Stew (S$13). I absolutely fell in love with the soybean paste stew. It was rich, spicy, flavourful, and loaded with ingredients like mushrooms, zucchini and tofu.
If you live or work around Bukit Timah Shopping Centre or are around the area looking for a quick lunch fix, Ssada Gimbab has got your back. Do note that if you’re planning to pick up something for lunch, the shop takes a break from 3pm to 5pm, so keep that in mind!
Ssada Gimbab
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???? 170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre #B1-14, Singapore 588179
???? 10am–3pm, 5pm—9pm (Tue to Sun), Closed on Mon
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Photos by Marcus Leong
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