(Nipong Naepong has since ceased operations at their JEM location, and consolidated all operations to their 313@Somerset outlet. The address for its 313@Somerset location can be found at the end of the post.)
With so many Korean eateries serving up a wide variety of Korean cuisine in Singapore, Nipong Naepong is the latest addition to the local food scene that focuses on serving up fusion Jjampong (Korean seafood noodle soup) and pizza.
Nipong Naepong is a brand brought into Singapore by the folks behind Chir Chir, Massizim and Kogane Yama; itself being a brand that hails from South Korea with multiple outlets situated there. Their first outpost in Singapore is located at Westgate, taking over the former spot of Lena’s by MOF — the space being split into half; one part belonging to Nipong Naepong while the second branch of Kogane Yama occupies the other half. The menu at Nipong Naepong is considerably straightforward — split into Jjampong, Pizza and beverages, there are set deals where patrons are able to opt for as well with various combinations of Jjampong with sodas or Ades and/or Pizza.
(Vongole Ppong)
We got ourselves the Ade set; one of the set deals listed on the menu which is made out of two Jjampongs, one Pizza and a 500ml Ade which sounded good for two pax to share. Going for one of their top sellers listed on the menu, we picked the Vongole Ppong; the Vongole Ppong being a Korean-Western fusion dish that sees the Jjampong coming together with Vongole. Whilst Vongole is usually served dry with the noodles absorbing the flavours of the white wine and clams, the Vongole Ppong is served wet; supposedly the way that a Jjampong would be served, with mussels and noodles served together with clams in a white wine broth with garlic. The broth did carry Vongole-esque flavours; the white wine was evident here, with its sharp flavours that is enhanced with the spiciness of the chili added, while carrying a hint of garlicky flavour from the entire cloves of garlic that had been added to the broth that is simmered with the clams. Noodles were springy and chewy, carrying a decent bite, while the seafood added were generally fresh; we actually noticed quite a generous portion of clams included in our noodles. Overall, pretty much a fusion dish that works; the flavours being distinctively identifiable as Vongole yet using Korean elements to form the fusion component of the dish. Something which Vongole lovers should find pretty familiar with.
(Ro Ppong-Roje)
The other top seller in Jjampong menu that we went for was the Ro Ppong-Roje; the Ro Ppong-Roje is essentially the crowd-pleaser here for it comes with a tomato cream sauce that is topped with flying fish roe and mozzarella cheese. While the mozzarella cheese is being strewn atop the bowl of noodles upon serving, the mozzarella cheese does melt into an oozy, stringy and stretchy form from the heat of the bowl of noodles; essentially the crowd-pleasing component of the entire dish itself. The tomato cream sauce is tangy but a little bit on the heavy side; provides a good contrast with the melted cheese, while the noodles are pretty much identical to the one that we had with the Vongole Ppong; springy and chewy, with a good bite. The mussels served with the Ro Ppong-Roje seemed to be slightly different from the Vongole Ppong in terms of quality; we noticed that there were two mussels that did not seem to open up that was served in our bowl, while the shells of the mussels seem to be a little bit brittle with quite a few shards of its shells found within the bowl from some of the shells which seemed to have been broken.
(Nae Pizza-Garlic)
Nae Pizza-Garlic was our choice of pizza for the Ade set from the pizza section of the menu. The Nae Pizza-Garlic is a pizza that comes with a tortilla-esque crust, whilst spread with garlic and served with whipped cream on the side. Overall, the tortilla pizza seemed to carry a hint of sweetness amidst the light, garlicky flavour that it carries; not something that we were quite expecting considering it seemed to have tasted closer towards a dessert pizza rather than a savoury one that we thought it would turn out to be. The whipped cream that comes on the side also did not help with the original sweetness of the pizza by itself; instead, it adds on yet another dimension of sweetness to the already sweet pizza. While the entire item was not unpleasant, it was something that we were not exactly prepared for.
(Citron Tea-ade)
Making our choice between the three different ades that Nipong Naepong serves, we picked the Citron Tea Ade which was essentially a fizzy version of the Citron Tea. For those who are unfamiliar with Citron Tea, the Citron Tea is somewhat similar to a jam that comes with citron peel within that carries a generally sweet flavour with a slight hint of citrus; a pretty refreshing drink to have.
Overall, Nipong Naepong does seem to serve food of a respectable quality, whilst maintaining the roots of the dish despite their inventive variants of Jjampong that sees an interesting mix for the fusion touch; the items being easily identified as Jjampong with familiar elements served but carries the intended flavours of the fusion well without being too abstract or complicated to understand. That being said, Nipong Naepong should probably look into improving the quality of the food further, especially for the case of their seafood such as the mussels for an even better experience of the meal. Given how the combo sets are being designed, Nipong Naepong is a place that would be suitable for groups of friends to head to for a Korean meal, especially with the portions of the Jjampong served here. Yet another decent and interesting dining option at JEM that residents around the area can look forward to visiting, especially given its unique concept.
jiaksimi png . eatwhat rice 
Leave a comment