Noryangjin fish market-style eatery a hit with Korean expats in S’pore, fab soy-marinated raw crabs and live seafood on menu
Just two months after opening its doors in July 2022, Shiman and his Korean wife Irene Yang, 41, who runs the business with him, converted their retail store to a restaurant as “there was always a demand for dine-in”. “We tried anything and everything to make it work. We kept bringing in new things and specials , we were burning money. Our mindset is if it’s not going to work, it’s not going to work. Just give it your best shot, no need to save money.”
Shiman runs the kitchen with his team of four chefs, while Irene handles front of house. He credits much of their success to Irene, whom he calls the “face of the business”.They trust her and want her to introduce the food and make recommendations, and she’s amazing at selling, to the point that sometimes I have to tell her to slow down ’cos not enough stock already,” laughs Shiman.
Thinly cut and almost translucent, the halibut has a subtle flavour and a firmer, QQ texture – a testament to its freshness. You can eat it dipped in zingy chogochujang or soy sauce and wasabi, but we prefer having it ssam-style in a veggie wrap. Only female flower crabs are used for their roe, and Irene tells us the crabs are tedious to prepare. After scrubbing them clean, the crustaceans are bathed in a soy sauce-based marinade consisting of 12 ingredients including pear juice, garlic, and “secret recipe of Chinese herbs” for three days. The marinade is then strained and boiled to bring out the flavour. When it is cooled, the crabs are marinated in it for another three days.