Popular home-based Korean concept Kimpson’s Table opens physical store in CBD

Korean food spots are a dime a dozen in Singapore’s CBD area, but we think the all-new Kimpson’s Table is worth checking out, especially if you love a comforting workday meal. 

Started by Korean native Patrick Kim, 35, Kimpson’s Table began as a home-based concept in early 2025, focusing mainly on Korean meal kits. 

As his business gained traction among the Korean community and local diners, Patrick went on to test the viability of a physical setup through Far East Organisation’s Chef X incubation space earlier this year.

The chef-owner has been in Singapore for a decade now, and has also done stints in Korean restaurants here, but being at Chef X was his first brush with serving his own crowds face to face.

The proof of concept must have worked in his favour, because just months after the pop-up wrapped, Patrick opened his very own Kimpson’s Table outlet in the heart of bustling Far East Square.

What’s on Kimpson’s Table’s menu

Patrick’s aim in starting Kimpson’s Table was to provide warm, nourishing meals, and that approach is clear in the no-frills menu at his debut restaurant.

Expect a concise menu of comforting Korean dishes, including one that’s an interesting cross between local bak chor mee and Korea’s knife-cut noodles.

That dish is the dak bibim kalguksu (U.P. S$15), which is going for just S$8.90, from now until August 10, thanks to a National Day promotion. 

It is essentially a bowl of knife-cut noodles, dry-tossed in a spicy housemade sauce, topped with shredded chicken, fresh cucumber, and sesame seeds.

Kalguksu refers to knife-cut noodles and closely resembles local ban mian, which are also cut from a block of dough.

If a spicy, dry version isn’t quite your thing, Kimpson’s also serves up a soupy one — the dak kalguksu (U.P. S$15), also going for S$8.90 until August 10 — with a chicken broth that’s been simmered for five hours for optimal flavour, topped with shredded chicken and leek. 

That comforting broth is also the base of Patrick’s signature samgyetang (S$18), which features half a French chicken that has been simmered for five hours with red dates, garlic, and ginseng.  

You might have noticed many shops popping up around Singapore serving the Korean ginseng chicken soup dish, such as Modu High and Jiho Samgyetang SBCD, but most come with a full-sized chicken, with prices hovering around S$30.

Kimpson’s Table’s version is not only a more manageable and affordable portion, but it is also more classic in terms of flavour, eschewing additional herbal embellishments that many of the samgyetang speciality concepts have added. 

It doesn’t come with rice, as the chicken is already stuffed with glutinous rice, but you will get a selection of freshly made side dishes.

If you want rice, then you’d probably want to get the hansang-style dishes, which refers to a balanced meal comprising a main, rice, and side dishes.

At Kimpson’s Table, Patrick is serving up the same spread he did at his Chef X pop-up: beef bulgogi hansang (S$16), jeyuk bokkeum hansang (spicy pork, S$15), and Chuncheon-style dak bulgogi hansang (stir-fried chicken, S$15).

With Kimpson’s Table’s new location squarely in the CBD, it’s clear that Patrick’s menu is geared towards busy professionals looking for a fuss-free meal.

But if you’re coming for dinner, look at sharing dishes for the table.

You have a choice of pancakes or fried chicken, but we think that’s plenty of variety, as there are quite a few flavours to choose from.

For pancakes, we recommend the crispy cheese potato pancake (S$14), which resembles a rosti and tastes like it would go well with a beer or two.

The fried chicken selection won’t be new to fans of Kimpson’s Table, as Patrick has served it at Chef X and on his home-based business’ menu, but they can look forward to a new flavour — Bburinkle cheese (S$17), a savoury-sweet powdered dusting of cheese, garlic, and onion. 

It’s a popular flavour in Korea, said to have been first popularised by Korean fried chicken chain BHC Chicken. 

We also tried the soy garlic (S$16) flavour. While tasty, the sauce was a tad too watery to cling to the chicken. We’re chalking this up to opening teething issues, especially since the version we had at Chef X was nothing short of perfection.

Other fried chicken flavours include original (S$15) and yangnyeom (S$16), which refers to a spicy-sweet marinade. 

While most Korean spots do allow a mix of flavours, Kimpson’s doesn’t seem to be offering that at this point, which just means you’ll have to order more for the table, if you want to try different ones — is too much fried chicken ever a bad thing, though? 

Food aside, service at Kimpson’s Table’s pre-opening was a little erratic, with some dishes arriving quickly while others took longer than expected. We noticed the same at other tables.

Given that this is Patrick’s first full-fledged physical foray into F&B as both owner and chef, and that his team is still fairly new, we’re hopeful that the food, service, and pacing will smooth out with time.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more eats around the Raffles Place area, check out Nyonya Next Door or Sip Sip.