[FOOD REVIEW] Paik’s Bibim + Paik’s Coffee liven up the Korean casual dining scene in Singapore

Amidst the growing and thriving Korean dining scene in Singapore, casual eatery Paik’s Bibim has been a steady fixture with six outlet openings over the past four years. The bibimbap specialist offers a wholesome option for those looking to get their Korean cuisine fix by putting a spin on the traditional Korean rice dish. Its cafe chain counterpart, Paik’s Coffee, is a relative newcomer that first opened its doors earlier this year at Mapletree Business City. Bringing a slice of the vibrant Korean cafe culture to our sunny shores, Paik’s Coffee’s menu consists of delicious café treats ranging from unique beverages to icy desserts. Both Paik’s Bibim and Paik’s Coffee are fresh additions to the newly-refurbished Tiong Bahru Plaza.

Other than Tiong Bahru Plaza, Mapletree Business City is where diners can get the best of both worlds with Paik’s Bibim and Paik’s Coffee conveniently situated next to each other on level 2. At first glance, the lively aesthetic and interior appearance of the diner is definitely worthy of note. A simple garden-themed partition marks the division between the two stores and natural sunlight is allowed to filter in during the day, making the dining experience at Paik’s a refreshing and pleasant one.

Paik’s Bibim

The menu from Paik’s Bibim is restricted to around ten dishes, presenting customers with a carefully crafted list of scrumptious items to choose from. The rice dishes come with a generous mound of short grain rice surrounded by an ample portion of greens  and to top it off, the customer’s choice of beef, chicken, or seafood.

Teriyaki Chicken Bibimbap – $8.50

First up is Paik’s Bibim’s signature beef and chicken bibimbap dishes. The teriyaki chicken bibimbap is served with crispy tenkatsu and special mayo-sauce, the flavors melding together in a mouth-watering combination to create a healthy dish with strong flavours.

Beef bulgogi bibimbap – $8.90

Diners who prefer a lighter and more traditional taste are recommended to order the beef bulgogi bibimbap. With a copious amount of lightly marinated beef atop fresh vegetables, it is the perfect choice for health-conscious beef lovers. Customers have the option of mixing some red pepper paste (gochujang) into their rice bowls to add some spice or simply enjoying the dish as it is.

Warm noodles with soy sauce – $7.90

Other than the trademark rice dishes, we also got the chance to savour Paik’s Bibim’s warm noodles with soy sauce – a delightful union of thin noodles, fresh vegetables and marinated mince pork. Once they were mixed with the complementary ingredients, the plain noodles took on a rich flavor. The fresh vegetables countered the other drier components of the dish, ensuring that it would not become jelat/overwhelming.

Paik’s Coffee

At Paik’s Coffee, we watched a steady stream of customers stroll out of the store with the tagline ‘It’s cheap, it’s big, and it’s good – it’s Paik’s Coffee!’ branded on their coffee cup sleeves. Intrigued by what the cafe chain had in store for us, we were definitely not disappointed by the tasty drinks and Korean desserts on offer.

Paik’s Original Coffee (iced) – $3.50

For those who prefer an icy cup of joe over the traditional hot alternative, get your money’s worth and a sizeable caffeine boost with the towering Paik’s Original Coffee. Seemingly a normal cup of coffee with an abundance of ice, we were pleasantly surprised by the unique malty flavor of Paik’s Korean coffee mix used in the preparation of the drink.

Paik’s Vienna (iced) – $4.00

Paik’s Vienna puts an interesting twist on the famous cream-based Vienna coffee. Consisting of a quarter cup of espresso below a large swirl of specially blended soft yogurt, we had a lot of fun adjusting the taste of the beverage by mixing different amounts of refreshing yogurt with the strong, black expresso.

Green Grapes Flower Tea (iced) – $5.00

Cool off from from Singapore’s hot weather with this sweet and sour green grape grape-ade blended into the form of an iced tea –  served in cups as huge as the coffee drinks, this beverage is a fan favorite and we had no trouble figuring out why. The use of green grapes as the base fruit is rather unique in a fruit-ade and we loved the sweet and refreshing infusion of the flavourful berry into this drink.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie with Froyo – $5.50

It’s pretty hard to go wrong with the ever-popular and classic strawberry/banana combination but Paik’s Coffee brings it to the next level with their creative interpretation. With soft yogurt and strawberry syrup topping the huge smoothie blend of strawberry and banana, we foresee this becoming a go-to drink for fruit lovers and anyone else craving a sweet and sour beverage.

 Red Bean Snowflake – $5.50

Red Bean Snowflake is Paik’s Coffee’s contribution to the booming shaved ice dessert/bingsoo scene in Singapore. Traditional Bingsoo usually comes in a relatively large portion, designed to be shared and is slightly pricier than other desserts, but Red Bean Snowflake overturns the stereotype as it is cheap, tasty, and moderately portioned. Alternatively, frozen yogurt and nut lovers can opt for the Chunky Walnut – froyo filled in a cup with rich caramel coffee sauce, walnuts, pecans, cornflakes and other chopped nuts on top.

Chunky Walnut – $5.00

Paik’s Coffee has more than 15 types of coffee drinks available as well as many other flavoured sodas and smoothies, catering to every type of craving imaginable. In addition to the menu items featured above, Paik’s Bibim is set to launch some exciting new side dishes including glass noodle dish Japchae and the quintessential Korean fried chicken – marinated in two tasty sauces! Keep an eye on Paik’s Bibim and Paik’s Coffee’s social media pages for the latest updates on promotions and new menu items.

–

PATRONISE US: http://www.theseoulstory.com/
TWEET US: http://www.twitter.com/theseoulstory
‘LIKE’ US: http://www.facebook.com/theseoulstorydotcom
WATCH US: http://www.youtube.com/c/theseoulstory