I am never a huge fan of carbs so if I am to choose my carbs, it will be, in the order of preference, bread, noodle and lastly rice. But guess what, I have recently tried Nipong Naepong, Singapore’s first “ppong” specialty restaurant that have given traditional Chinese-Korean cuisine –jjamppong(seafood noodles) a modern twist, and I thought to myself,maybe noodle and bread are now on par.
Inspired by flavours from around the world, there are 9 selections of the ppong available that appeal to different taste preferences! Here is one of my favourite from the more soupy version is the Cha Ppong ($15.80)! It is good to know that the jjamppong at Nipong Naepong specially made and imported from Korea together with all sauces and soup stocks used. The cabbage was first stir-fried with onion before adding in the stock, seafood, ppong and quail eggs. Using this method of cooking, it gave the dish a beautiful smokiness (aka wok hei) and different layers of flavours! Oh yes, for spicy food lovers, you will be thrilled to find that there are level 2 of spiciness to choose from. As a spicy food lover, level one has already hit me with a punch, beware!
Italian-inspired, Vongole Ppong ($16.80) was served with a generous amount of plump, briny clams. For those who like your Vongole Ppong to be packed with some heat, there is an spicy option available, do let the server know your preference. Infused with the aroma of white wine, dried chilli and garlic, you can be sure that this dish is full of umami.
Inspired by Phad Thai, Tae Ppong ($15.80) was cooking just like Cha Ppong with the cabbage stir-fried with onion to give it some wok hei. A generous amount of seafood was then added to a sweet, savory and the mildly spicy sauce. Despite being Phad Thai inspired, no, there is no sprinkle of peanut but I like it that there was a balance of sweetness and savoury.
For those who are feeling the heat, do check out the ade (1L $12.90, 500ml $7.90) to ease that fire in the mouth. There are 3 options available – Grapefruit, Citrus Tea and Lychee Yogurt.
For those who prefer something more creamy, you can choose the Ro Ppong-Roje ($17.80) or the Keu Ppong-Cream ($17.80) depending on whether you prefer something with a tanginess. Ro Ppong-Roje gave you the richness of cream sauce and the refreshing tanginess of tomato puree topped with shredded mozzarella to give you that visually pleasing stretching cheese effect. While Keu Ppong-Cream has the ppong ladened with creaminess and loaded with assorted seafood, tobiko (flying fish roe)and toasted tortilla shards.
If you have more space for desserts, don’t forget to order the Ni Pizza-Sweet Potato($16.80)! Slathered with smooth and sweet potato puree with covered with a layer of cheese and lightly-toasted desiccated coconut, this is definitely a treat to round the meal off. Roll the baked tortilla wraps up, dip into those delicious homemade fresh cream, these were highly addictive! The serving at Nipong Naepong is generally slightly bigger than average. Do grab a friend or two if you are heading over so that you can try more items!
Nipong Naepong
#01-16 JEM, 50 Jurong Gateway Road, Singapore 608549
Tel+65 6262 4078
Operating hours: Mon to Fri, 11am-10pm (last order at 9.30pm)
Sat to Sun, 11am-11pm (last order at 10.30pm)
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