Singaporean restaurant in Mapo: shrimp broth fried noodles at Ttasijia

After work, my boyfriend and I were looking for dinner in Yeonnam-dong and visited the newly opened Ttasijia Yeonnam (따시지아 연남). There are already so many great places to eat in Yeonnam-dong, so I tend to look for somewhere new, and this one caught my attention as the first official Korean location of a place selected for the Michelin Guide in Singapore for six consecutive years.

The space itself was so glamorous, haha. My boyfriend had been to Singapore before, so I thought it would be even more fun to go together. As we ate, he told me one by one about foods he had eaten in Singapore and things that happened on that trip, so I got to hear Singapore travel stories throughout the meal too.

What kind of place is Ttasijia Yeonnam?

Apparently, the Chinese name of Ttasijia sounds like “Daesikga” when read in Korean, while its Chinese pronunciation is “Ttasijia.” Ttasijia and Daesikga are not different names—they refer to the same restaurant.

As Korea’s first official location of Daesikga, a Singapore restaurant selected for the Michelin Guide for six years in a row, I thought it could be worth a visit for anyone who enjoys Singaporean food. During the day, you can have a hearty meal centered on dishes such as shrimp noodles, shrimp gukbap (rice soup), and shrimp broth fried noodles; in the evening, it is also a place for hawker-bite dishes with drinks.

Ttasijia is widely known for its shrimp noodles, so at first I thought it was mainly a meal-focused restaurant. But it turns out that in the evening, you can enjoy hawker-bite dishes along with a variety of drinks. Rather than simply having a meal and leaving, I think it would be nice to order several dishes and take your time over drinks in the evening.

If it is your first visit to Ttasijia, I would recommend looking beyond just the shrimp noodles and checking out the shrimp broth fried noodles or shrimp gukbap too. Especially if you are visiting with several people, it could be fun to share different dishes and compare the flavors.

What we ordered and the prices

• Shrimp noodles ₩12,500
• Small black-vinegar guobaorou ₩18,000
• Shrimp broth fried noodles ₩16,500
• 100% pressed apple juice ₩6,000

For the shrimp noodles, we chose the standard noodles. It came with two medium-small, 20-count shrimp.

How the shrimp noodles and shrimp broth fried noodles tasted

Shrimp noodles are the dish that appears most often when you search for Ttasijia, so I had been curious about them before visiting too. The broth had a distinct shrimp flavor and was lovely as a warm bowlful, while the shrimp and noodles worked well together as a complete meal.

Personally, the shrimp broth fried noodles were really delicious—the best of everything we had that day. From the name alone, you might expect ordinary fried noodles, but they had both the savory depth of broth and the feel of fried noodles, which made them different. The shrimp added that distinctive seafood flavor to the broth, and having it with the noodles was filling.

Apple juice between the rich dishes

The 100% pressed apple juice, ₩6,000, that we ordered alongside everything also suited the meal well. When you keep eating boldly flavored foods such as shrimp noodles, fried noodles, and guobaorou, the flavors linger in your mouth, but a sip of apple juice felt like a clean reset. It made it easy to taste the next dish as though I were having it for the first time.

I found out that guests at Daesikga’s Singapore flagship also often order this apple juice with their food. At first, we thought of it as simply adding a drink, but it was nice to sip between dishes. If you are sharing several dishes, I think having a sip now and then would be a good idea.

Dinner with black-vinegar guobaorou

I thought it might feel a little lacking if we only had noodle dishes, so we also ordered the small black-vinegar guobaorou for ₩18,000. Its crisp coating and sweet-tangy black-vinegar sauce made it good alongside the noodles. Taking a bite of guobaorou after the shrimp broth dishes changed the direction of the flavors, so it was lovely to have here and there. If you visit in the evening, I think a dish like this would also go well as something to have with drinks.

I have not been to Singapore yet, but it felt even more fun because someone who had actually been there told me travel stories along with the food. If you are looking for somewhere to have dinner after work in Yeonnam-dong, Ttasijia Yeonnam seems like a nice place both for a meal and for enjoying hawker-bite dishes with drinks in the evening.

Shrimp noodles are the best-known dish, but I recommend checking out the shrimp broth fried noodles and shrimp gukbap as well. If you would like to try slightly different Singaporean food in Yeonnam-dong, or are looking for somewhere to have a light drink with delicious food after work, I think it would be worth a visit.