One of Korea’s oldest noodle restaurants is opening in Singapore

Sure, you’re familiar with Japanese soba – but did you know chilled buckwheat noodles are a thing in Korea, too? Gwanghwamun Mijin, the Seoul institution that's been serving naengmyeon (cold noodles) since 1954, is opening its first overseas flagship at Far East Square on Aug 20.

The Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant has quite the pedigree – among its notable regulars was the late former South Korean President Park Chung-hee, who was reportedly a frequent diner back in the day.

With 11 franchise locations across Korea plus its original flagship in Seoul's historic Gwanghwamun district, this isn't just another Korean restaurant riding the Hallyu wave.

FOUNDED IN 1954

The restaurant was founded in 1954 by Ahn Pyung-soon, who later entrusted it to fellow restaurateur Lee Young-joo. The two met when Ahn became a regular at Lee's Japanese eatery in Seoul.

Before Ahn's death in 1980, she handed over the responsibility for continuing Mijin's legacy to Lee. Lee has also since passed on, and the restaurant is now in the care of the Lee family. They continue to keep the tradition of halmeoni (grandma)-style Korean cooking alive.

The restaurant's name references its location in the historic Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, where it has been serving authentic Korean cold buckwheat noodles for over seven decades.

FROM SEOUL TO SINGAPORE 

The idea to bring Gwanghwamun Mijin to Singapore came from Kimmy Tang Jiawen, a Chinese national and fan of healthy eating, who first discovered the brand through its signature buckwheat noodle frozen meal kits. She shared it with her Korean-American husband, Roger Kim, who had a personal connection – his grandfather was a regular at the original shop back in Seoul.

In August 2024, the couple flew to Seoul, queued for 40 minutes, and after one slurp of the icy noodles, Tang knew: “Let’s bring this to Singapore.”

The two now helm Mijin’s Southeast Asia expansion, with Tang leaving her role as a public equity team leader at the Singapore office of an American consulting firm earlier this year, to go all-in on the brand’s first overseas restaurant. Her hubby runs his own investment advisory company and they live in Singapore.

THE NOODLES ARE AIR-FLOWN FROM KOREA 

To maintain the same flavour and texture as the Seoul flagship, Gwanghwamun Mijin Singapore airfreights its buckwheat noodles from Korea, where it’s made in the basement factory of the OG restaurant. The team decided not to produce them locally, as water quality and ingredients can affect the final product. So you’re basically getting the real deal, minus the plane ticket.

It's not just the noodles either – an estimated 95 per cent of Gwanghwamun Mijin Singapore’s sauces and ingredients are also flown in, including ssamjang, soya bean paste, chilli paste, salted shrimp, breadcrumbs, sesame, seaweed flakes and perilla oil.  

The noodles, while made with buckwheat (a gluten-free grain packed with protein, fibre, and antioxidants), are blended with some wheat flour, which gives Korean buckwheat noodles their signature chewy, springy texture. Japanese soba is typically more delicate and served with a lighter soya-dashi-based broth. Gwanghwamun Mijin’s version, on the other hand, features a seafood-rich dipping soup that's colder and slushier.

SINGAPORE KITCHEN TEAM TRAINED BY KOREAN CHEFS 

To ensure consistency, Gwanghwamun Mijin's Korean head chef will oversee training of the local team for a month in Singapore. Franchisee Tang herself also underwent months of hands-on training at the Seoul flagship earlier this year.

The Singapore outpost features 68 indoor seats and 22 outdoor seats. While the original restaurants in Seoul shop keeps things old-school, the Singapore space adds a modern, minimalist touch, while preserving the brand’s signature colours and homey spirit.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The star of the show is their signature buckwheat noodles (S$15). It comes with two trays of noodles, a kettle of chilled broth, and a full condiment station at your table – including grated daikon, wasabi, chopped spring onions and crispy seaweed. In Seoul, the same dish goes for 12,000 KRW (around S$11.10). 

The dipping broth is a secret family recipe made with 14 ingredients, including dried anchovies, katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and kelp, which is brewed fresh and then chilled into a refreshing icy broth.

Other noodle variations include: Hot buckwheat noodles with soup (S$16), bibim buckwheat with savoury beef sauce (S$16) and a vegetarian-friendly perilla buckwheat version (S$16), which can be upgraded with marinated salmon for S$20.

Beyond noodles, the menu features Korean comfort food favourites like the crispy Korean fried pork cutlet (S$18), bossam (tender pork belly slices wrapped with napa cabbage, S$15) and pancakes made from buckwheat flour – like the kimchi buckwheat pancake (S$19) and spring onion seafood pancake (S$19).

DISHES EXCLUSIVE TO SINGAPORE 

The Singapore outlet is also introducing exclusive items like a pan-fried salmon (S$20) and a fried chicken cutlet ($17).

Gwanghwamun Mijin opens on Aug 20 at #01-01 Far East Square, 47-49 Pekin St, Singapore 048779. Open daily 11am-9.30pm. More info via Instagram.

This story was originally published in 8Days.