One year old Masizzim is one Korean restaurant that left me pondering how much things have shaken up in the local F&B scene. With a lack of supply of readily available manpower, restaurants are struggling to come up with new menus that are not only compatible with the palates of fussy Singaporeans but also convincing them to pay for the experiences. Masizzim, not unlike fast food chains work on high turnover rate and little waiting time for diners. They do this by minimal food preparation and letting the diners “play” with their own food, which brings me to their mainstay, the DIY rice balls. The variety offered here is also extensive.
I do very much appreciate the interactive factor in the new Crab Meat & Roe Rice Ball ($10.80) where diners can mix the snow crab meat and shrimp roe among other ingredients in a bowl, and prepare their own onigiri. It is not only fun, but also delicious and healthier, with the rice ball mix comprising Korean black rice and medium-grain white rice which contains a much higher proportion of vitamins and fibre than polished white rice.
Stews are also easier to put together, compared to barbeque or grilled meat. As a stew-centric restaurant, Masizzim not only is less time consuming but it can also ensures consistency in their piquant clam-based stock.
Diners like me who prefer the fiery heat could head straight to level 4 (the hotness on a scale of 1-4) of their stew in either seafood ($36.80), beef or pork ($38.80). Others who prefer something milder could try the non spicy version made with soy sauce, pineapples and Korean pear.
Their stews are delicious and with that generous amount of ingredients, would be big enough to feed a family of four. I would give the crayfish version two thumbs up!
With spice kicking in, I recommend the new grapefruit yoghurt shake ($14.80), which is a refreshing and tangy drink that complements the meal. Top up an additional $4 for an adult Soju version. The new honey slush beer ($15.60), on the other hand was a little too sweet and experimental for me. I don’t think anyone would value a honey-beer combination unless the beer is made of honey.
The Spicy beef ($15.80)/ Spicy pork ($14.80) here that we find in most other Korean restaurants are also excellent.
I can imagine the Honey mustard cheese egg roll ($9.80), which incidentally requires the most preparation work to be the most popular item. This egg roll has become almost synonymous with Masizzim, judging at the number of posts for this plate on social media, which literally went viral at one time. Imagine half cooked fluffy egg rolls with melted mozzarella and cheddar before finishing off with a drizzle of honey mustard. Savoury-sweet with a little dash of spiciness in one mouthful- that was sheer ingenuity and the flavours were beautifully balanced out. If I hadn’t had dining companions, I might just have finished the entire thing by myself.
What Masizzim does to their food is nothing complex, but it is their little touches and their willingness to step out of their comfort zone to do a little few tweaks, like adding a few variety of cheese in the otherwise ordinary omelette, or drizzling a bit of honey to give our plain beer a little sweetness, and more importantly keeping the majority youthful diners happy with speed, affordability and the convenience it offers.
The above article is written by Guest Writer @ramenking2016. You can find him on instagram where he shares his love for food and travel.
Masizzim Singapore
313 Somerset #B3-02 313 Orchard Rd Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6509 5808
Operating Hours: 11am – 10pm (last order 9:30pm)
11am – 11pm (last order 10:30pm)
Masizzim Facebook
