Kang kong and Tiger beer dinner at Ttasijia, Yeonnam-dong restaurant

I suddenly remembered a trip to Singapore and started craving Singaporean food again after a long while. That's how I found Ttasijia Yeonnam, apparently a famous spot for authentic Singaporean flavors, and went to check it out.

I heard Ttasijia has a lot of shrimp dishes, which made me even more curious. It's also said to be Michelin-recognized in Singapore itself, so I went in with high expectations.

What struck me most was how the atmosphere felt like Singapore from the entrance onward — genuinely fun. These days, when I can't travel abroad or just miss the memory of a trip, visiting a restaurant with this kind of exotic vibe turns out to be a nice little mood-changer.

Inside Ttasijia Yeonnam: a Singapore mood that starts at the door

Ttasijia Yeonnam is a Singaporean restaurant on Donggyo-ro 38-gil in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and the atmosphere was noticeably different even before stepping inside. The entrance really captured that local Singapore feel, so the moment I walked in, I felt like I was traveling again.

The interior was decorated with the same exotic feel, so this felt less like a place you just eat at and more like a space to enjoy alongside the food. Since I'd been to Singapore before, this atmosphere felt especially welcoming to me.

Lately, there are moments after a trip abroad when you suddenly crave that country's food again. Ttasijia isn't just about the food — the space itself is so exotic that it brought back memories of my Singapore trip.

What we ordered at Ttasijia Yeonnam, and what it cost

We ordered quite a variety of dishes that day at Ttasijia Yeonnam: shrimp broth fried noodles for ₩16,500, chili crab with fried mantou for ₩16,000, kang kong (water spinach) stir-fry for ₩10,000, shrimp roll fries for ₩10,000, and a Tiger beer for ₩10,000.

• Shrimp broth fried noodles — ₩16,500
• Chili crab with fried mantou — ₩16,000
• Kang kong stir-fry — ₩10,000
• Shrimp roll fries — ₩10,000
• Tiger beer — ₩10,000

Since we were at a Singaporean restaurant, I wanted to try a bit of everything — and to cut to the chase, almost everything we ordered that day was delicious. The one that stuck with me most, by far, was the shrimp broth fried noodles!

Shrimp broth fried noodles, a flavor I had never tasted before

The shrimp broth fried noodles were genuinely delicious. Honestly, it's the kind of flavor I don't even know how to describe, haha.

It felt different from any noodle dish I'd had before, so I kept eating while thinking, "What flavor is this exactly?" Being a shrimp-based dish, there was a rich shrimp flavor, and eating the broth together with the noodles kept me reaching for more.

It was different enough from the usual pho or fried noodles that it stuck with me even more. If it's your first time at Ttasijia Yeonnam, this is the dish I'd say you absolutely have to try.

Why spicy chili crab and fried mantou buns belong together

We also ordered the chili crab and fried mantou. The chili crab had a spicy shellfish flavor, and the fried mantou was crispy but a touch greasy on its own.

Eating them together, though, worked really well. Pairing the spicy chili crab with the fried mantou made the flavors complement each other, so it was better together than eaten separately. If I'd eaten just the fried mantou on its own, it might have felt too greasy — but the chili crab balanced that out nicely!

Kang kong (water spinach) stir-fry, as good as ever

And then there was the kang kong stir-fry. This one was genuinely delicious.

The signature texture of kang kong stayed intact while blending well with the seasoning, so my chopsticks kept going back for more. Whenever I travel abroad, I always end up eating this kind of stir-fried vegetable dish, and it paired so well with the Singaporean food that I was glad we ordered it.

Rather than eating only seafood dishes like shrimp and clams the whole time, having the kang kong stir-fry in the mix made for a much better combination.

Plump shrimp roll fries with a cold Tiger beer

The shrimp roll fries were delicious too. Above all, I loved how plump the shrimp were.

Being fried, there was a nice crisp texture, and inside, the plump shrimp gave it a satisfying bite. Anyone who loves shrimp would be happy with this dish.

And that day we also ordered a Tiger beer. This combination was really great, haha.

The food overall paired so well with beer that it went down easily with each sip of Tiger beer. Especially with bold-flavored dishes like the shrimp roll fries or chili crab, drinking beer alongside them really felt like eating local food while traveling.

A Yeonnam-dong restaurant that brings Singapore back

Overall, everything we ordered at Ttasijia Yeonnam that day was delicious, and I left satisfied. The shrimp broth fried noodles in particular really felt like a flavor I'd never had before and stuck with me the most, and the kang kong stir-fry was also excellent. The shrimp roll fries were great thanks to the plump shrimp, and the chili crab with fried mantou made a good combination together.

More than anything, I loved that the exotic atmosphere came through from the entrance onward, not just in the food. If you've been to Singapore, it'll probably bring back travel memories, and even if you haven't, it's a great place to enjoy that local food feeling in a distinctive setting.

I think I'd order the shrimp broth fried noodles again next time I visit. Everything was so good that day that it made me curious about the other menu items too. If you're craving something a bit different from the usual food around Yeonnam-dong, or want to enjoy Singaporean food alongside an exotic atmosphere, this is a place I'd recommend.