Tanjong Pagar is awash in Korean joints, and the competition certainly keeps the restaurants on their toes. But some of them come and go so quickly, I can't keep track. I recently found Kitchen Twins (or Twins for short) which is celebrating their 2nd anniversary. Generally I find that if an eatery has survived its first year, it's a good sign.
Twins is named for the pair of twins in the kitchen. Yes, this is really them - meet chef-owners Park Woojae (left) and Park Sungjae, both of whom are only in their late 20s. Don't they look like they belong in some Korean drama?
Their mainstay is fried chicken with various flavours. The first photo above is the Chicken in homemade Original batter (6pcs for S$18; 12 pcs for S$36). This one here is the Soy & Garlic Wings (5pcs for S$10; 10pcs for S$18)
They use fresh chicken here, not frozen chicken. You can taste it in the way the chicken is wonderfully juicy despite the deep-frying. The batter is super crispy, so this makes a nice contrast when you bite into it. We did find the Original version a little on the bland side - we fed back to chef that it could use more salt or a stronger dip than the sweet Honey Mustard.
The Soy & Garlic sauce on the wings worked better as seasoning, but it does take away the crispiness of the original batter. I'd love to come back and try their Yangnyum (Spicy) or Cheese (sprinkled with garlic powder).
If you prefer boneless chicken, you can try their Soy & Lemon Kkangpungki (M S$22; L S$30) which is tossed in soy and lemon sauce, and topped with shredded leek, dried chilies and garlic.
But what really impressed us was the Woo Jae's Seafood Noodles. The broth is incredibly umami with all the crab, clams, fish, shrimp, mussels and squid. I thought the chefs had laboured for hours over the stove to extract the stock, but no, this was a quick high-heat stir-fry involving vegetables and seafood (oh the lovely smokiness is delightful) and everything is then boiled with water. The opaqueness comes from the chili powder. It's so good.
The chefs are also coming up with new dishes. This is the Chicken Galbi, cooked on a portable stove right at your table. Watch the cheese melt.
Of course, for dessert, you can have Bingsoo. It's quite affordable here, from just S$10. The Mango Snow Bingsoo (S$12) with generous mango chunks fed three of us quite well.
For drinks, try the Yuzu Tea or Plum Tea. There are sodas and orange juice too.
It's minimalist industrial chic here. I do like the skylight which lets in natural light.
Twins is tucked in a quiet corner shophouse at 7 Craig Road, a pleasant respite from the busy main road.
Come for lunch - there's 20% off with their anniversary!
KITCHEN TWINS
7 Craig Road
Singapore 089667
Tel: +65 6221-5205
Open daily
Mon-Sat 11:30am to 3pm; 5pm to 12:30am
Sundays 5pm to 11pm
Many thanks to Twins for the invitation and hospitality!
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