Ming Jia Korean Food

Ming Jia is a tiny little restaurant hidden in a corner of Bukit Timah Plaza run by a Korean lady & some local helpers. The shop is so small there's only seat for about 8-10 thin diners, most of which will have to sit facing a wall full of korean posters promoting the benefits of eating Kim-chi.

The Korean food served here includes a few rice dishes, black noodle, rice cakes, pancakes & other kimchi dishes like kimchi fried rice, kimchi noodle, kimchi whatever. The variety here is mainly fast home-cooked food so no ginseng chicken or other luxury dishes. Nevertheless, if you're looking for authentic home-cooked Korean food, Ming Jia is the place to visit.

ming jia is one of those hole-in-the-wall places you go to for a quick bite over lunch, or even dinner if you're so inclined. quite literally a hole in the wall, the cooking and seating area is partitioned by a large fridge and a curtain with only enough seating space for 2 separate tables and two communal eating benches. so don't come here during peak hours of lunch (1-2 pm?) or dinner (7-8 pm) if you want to get a table to yourself, and definitely don't expect to have intimate conversation. the last time i popped by for an early dinner, my elbow had an intimate conversation with the elbow of the person on my right, but i don't set much store by intimate elbow conversation, so, you know, avoid this place if you want a romantic date setting.

otherwise, if you live in the area and haven't tried ming jia yet, why the hell not?! it's one of the few casual places in bukit timah where you can get decent, unpretentious food at a price that won't kick your wallet til it screams for mercy, and better yet, it's within bukit timah plaza, so it's air-conditioned, unless you sit near the fridge, which is nearest to the cooking area and therefore the hot seat. even if you aren't hot (yet?), you will be if you sit there. that said, i'd sit anywhere that's available, just so i can enjoy their very reasonably priced $5 set meal.

you can choose a meat and 2 veg sides; i've seen other people choose 2 meats and 1 veg side but i don't know if that would get you charged extra. you can't really go wrong with anything they have, but if i were you i'd avoid the sliced potatoes and the spicy beans and go for the spicy tofu and the broccoli/carrot combination instead. i was hesitant to order the broccoli at first, thinking it'd be bland (most zi char places do their broccoli either soaked in sauce or totally bland, either of which i do not like), but it's surprisingly sweet,  neither hard nor soggy, and tasty even without much in the ways of sauces or condiments. as for the meats, i'm a coward and have never tried their pork or fish, but only because i'm pleased enough with the chicken or beef to want to order anything else. chicken is spicy but not too much so (whereas for the spicy tofu...looks are deceiving, it's not spicy AT ALL); the beef is juicy and sweet. ask for extra gravy/sauce on the beef because it is delicious and you won't regret it, trust me. rice is served piping hot and fragrant - and i'm picky about my rice, so this is a compliment. the accompanying seaweed soup is clear and refreshing but has what could be an overwhelming seaweed taste to some people. avoid if you don't like seaweed.

as for the other dishes i've tried: the ramen is no big deal - they cook it with instant ramen noodles (i've seen their stock being delivered), and the soup is neither all that spicy nor unique. plus point: even if they use the instant noodles, they definitely don't use the soup powder to make the soup, so uh, props for that i suppose? for $4.50, i'd rather cook instant ramen myself, but if i feel like something soupy i'm not completely averse to ordering the ramen. i've also tried the seafood pancake, which was slightly too doughy and had not enough actual seafood/vegtables for me to give it the thumbs up. imo, it's not worth the $6, but perhaps if the auntie fried it a bit crispier i'd like it more.

i haven't tried it, but the spicy soup is supposedly potent and really good; i keep going back for the set meal and never ever NOT feel like the beef or chicken. next time, next time.

We ordered a delicious bibimbap and pancake, and an extra small plate of kimchi for $1. Yummmmmy!Between the owner and the Singaporean auntie she hired, there was some confusion about how much we were supposed to pay, because they didn't keep track with a bill. It got sorted out quickly, but maybe ask for a bill when you go to avoid confusion, especially if there are lots of people in the restaurant.

I absolutely love this place.

My Dad once gave this invaluable food advise. To tell if any expat food restaurant or stall is good you just need to see if people of the same nationality go to that place to eat. And this advise hardly ever proves its self wrong.

It is a small cozy store found very close to the back entrance of BT Plaza next to a malay nasi lemak store and another korean restaurant ( which has since closed down).

It is run by a korean lady and an elderly women who is sooo nice. Every time i get my food and i offer to pay her she would gently wave me away and ask me to eat first lol.

The Menu of this place is really specialised. There are less then 5 things on its menu so choosing food is hassle free. If its your first time eating here, go for Bibimbap or you can try its kimichi soup set which taste pretty spicy and kimichi-ish. Not like all those fake chemical tasting ones you get else where. Here comes my fav part, if you think it is not enough and you wanna eat some more, you can always spend another dollar and buy some meat (or vege) from the counter. Trust me, as a guy, you will be full-to-the-brime satisfied after that. and it cost me $5.80 ( $4.80 for the main dish and $1 for a small side dish.)

Due to its location, it is surprisingly nice, quiet and peaceful, and you will not find such a value-for-money authentic korean food around this area. A place any korean food lover should definitely go to to try.

Burp!... Excuse me.

I love watching dramas, because they got fairy-tale endings; there are moments where you smile like a fool, or weep together with the scenes, but at the end it will be a happy ending – I like happily-ever-after outcomes.

And there are always food in the show, the characters are only human, they need to eat too! So when I watch dramas, I will always get hungry. This bring us to Korean food, it’s a shame that we can’t put our hands inside the screen and grab that very delicious-looking food. So, we hunt, for Korean food.

We wanted the spicy looking Korean noodles but it was sold out; so we took the next-spicy-looking, kimchi soup set ($5.50) instead. It came with a appetiser with choices of tofu or anchovy, kimchi soup and rice. The kimchi soup was fabulous; spicy yet not to the extent of fiery, with a subtle hint of sweetness – I love it!

Bibimbap ($5) will always my choice when I have Korean food, not that I’ve eaten much, but I like the mixture of everything in one bowl. And I also like it to be in a hot stone bowl so that the rice will be piping hot! The one at Ming Jia was pretty decent, just that it wasn’t hot enough! Still, it was great to mix everything with the spicy-and-slight-sweet chilli!

(1) Ming Jia is very near my place.

(2) Ming Jia is very affordable.

(3) Ming Jia is unpretentious and homely.

(4) Ming jis is helmed by a Korean lady, and Koreans go there too.

(5) Ming Jia will be the place to go when I’m craving for Korean food.

You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!

All pictures are here

http://blessedwithfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/mingjia-on-280908.html

Have seen this small but cosy stall in Bukit Timah Plaza few times but never got the chance.

Though the choices are pretty limited, it's all the famous, must try, Korean dishes.

Plus its 100% authentic Korean taste, not those "trying to pretend" as your food is whipped up personally by a Korean auntie.

Food / Beverage 9

Bibimbap $5

Extra Information

--> To "bibim" is to "stir together" vegetable or meat toppings with boiled calrose rice ("bap"). There are innumberable varities of bibimbap but the most popular are perhaps those that use a dolsot or stone bowl.

In this case, the auntie chose to use a metal bowl instead of stone bowl which will affect the taste.

If Bibimbap are served in stone bowl or dolsot, the bap will tend to be more fragrant.

Gochujang chile paste given are not much too, thus the taste are not very strong.

Ingredients that auntie has put in her Bibimbap is those that can be easily found and instead of Brussels sprouts, she chose to put beansprouts.

Despite quite a lot of negative comments from me, the rating given is so high is because it's ADDICTIVE.

Simple but it's very nice. I'm serious, this dish is awesome and it gives a "homely" taste & feeling.

Food / Beverage 8.5

Kimchi Soup w rice w side dish $5.50

This dish at only $5.50 comes with rice, soup & side dish, it's definitely filling & value for money!

The taste that affects the kimchi soup is obviously kimchi and as i have mentioned, this stall is run by a Korean auntie, so what do you ppl think the taste of the kimchi will be like?

AWESOME!

Food / Beverage 7

Black Noodle $4.50

You know how in Korean dramas, those people will order “炸酱面” & slurp it out in big mouthfuls? Those scenes make me go crazy! They always manage to look like its SUPER NICE.

I was so excited to try out this dish & when the dish was served & tried, i was kind of disappointed.

It tastes normal, a bit watery but despite so, i still like it.

It defers for everyone, but for me, i think Korean dishes are seriously very addictive.

Food / Beverage 8.5

Stir Fry Rice Cake $5.50

Another dish that is frequently featured in Korean dramas.

Kimchi, meat, rice cake, carrots, onions all taste yummy-licious! The sauce & the rice cake are the ones that affect the overall taste the most and in this case, the rice cake is chewy enough, not too tough not too soft, just nice. The sauce is spicy to give you the kick.

GOOD!

Food / Beverage 8

Seafood Pancake $5

The prawns and sotong insides are fresh enough.

Seafood pancake is what Koreans love to eat and what makes up a good pancake?

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Yes in this case, the pancake is cooked to a perfection. The outside is a bit charred which makes it crispy and the inside is chewy, soft, overflowing with the abundance of ingredients.

Ambience 6

It's pretty small and so if you go during lunch time hours, be prepared to stand & wait for seats.

Good thing? since it's situated in a shopping mall, there's air con! So for people who sweat while having their meals, don't worry! =)

Value 8

No GST nor Service Charge, prices are reasonable, definitely worth the money!

Service 7.5

The chinese auntie who serves the dishes will chat with you if you take the initiative to talk to her. The Korean auntie who cooks are friendly too! As h'm learning my Korean language, i chatted with the auntie, a bit kind of like chicken & duck?

But overall, i enjoyed myself be it food or with the service.

Summing Up,

The dishes are that are spicy has the kick factor, so people who likes spicy dishes, be sure to try out their kimchi soup & their rice cake.

For me, i will definitely be back to try the rest of the dishes =)