We’ve had our fair share of Korean restaurants specializing in grilled meats, bingsu, jjajangmyeon and others but an eatery specializing in tofu stew? Now that’s a first.
SBCD Korean Tofu House (not to be confused with BCD Tofu House in Los Angeles) is our first ever Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean soft tofu soup (soondubu). SBCD, though completely unaffiliated with BCD Tofu House, borrows concepts and is inspired by the latter.
For appetizers, we had the Japchae with beef, egg and mixed vegetables ($19.90) and Prawn Tofu Pancake ($19.90), which can fill you up rather quickly. I’d say skip these and go straight for the tofu stew and main courses.
Among the main courses, we tried the LA Galbi ($35.90), Spicy Raw Flower Crab ($29.90) and the Spicy Grilled Chicken ($25.90).
The Spicy Raw Flower Crab is a new item only recently added to the menu so I was pretty excited to get a taste of it. It was also my first experience eating a raw crab (which only few restaurants in Singapore serve, by the way). I did like the acquired taste though my friend (a soy sauce raw crab lover) felt that the chili paste might have overpowered the taste of the raw crab itself. Which was also understandable since some might not be comfortable with the raw taste.
That one dish that delivered more than we expected was the Spicy Grilled Chicken. We were rather impressed with the marinate and sauce which was not overly heavy and thus kept us reaching out for more.
More than anything, the hearty stew and soft, delicate tofu of the Ham & Cheese Soontofu ($19.90) I had stood out. Although still differentiable, the tofu stew here did come close in taste to the one I’ve had in Korea recently. Note that you’re allowed to choose your spice level ranging from mild to medium, spicy and crazy hot. Each order of soontofu also comes with hot stone rice & side dishes. Of which, we were pretty pleased to see a whole fried fish among the side dishes. The only gripe I had was that the side dishes cannot be refilled.
Despite there being a range of mains and sides to accompany soft tofu stews on the menu, I felt that the tofu stew was not overshadowed by the other dishes, keeping its spot as the highlight of our meal. If you’re going with others, the main courses are worth a try too. It’s prime location at Tanjong Pagar Centre right next to Tanjong Pagar MRT station targets the working crowd, so go early if you’re thinking of heading there for lunch!
And in case you’re looking for lunch or dinner to go, they’ve also launched Soontofu Dosirak sets ranging from $14 to $16, specially for takeout. Yes, these sets even include their tofu stew within them along with rice and your choice of meat.
Thank you SBCD Korean Tofu House for the invite and Brian and Brandon for the kind hospitality.
7 Wallich Street, #B1-01/02, Tanjong Pagar Centre, Singapore 078884
Tel: +65 6386 6441
Mon – Sun 11.30am – 10pm
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 