Omma Chicken Soup: Affordable Korean-style samgyetang hawker concept opens 3 outlets in 3 months
Is Korean samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) shaping up to be Singapore’s next big F&B obsession? Well…it seems to look that way.
Over the past year alone, a wave of Korean-owned samgyetang concepts has landed on our sunny shores — from South Korea’s iconic Jiho Hanbang Samgyetang, to Modu High at Amoy Street and Bomul Samgyetang at Chijmes.
And now, the increasingly competitive scene has welcomed yet another contender — this time bringing the nourishing, yet indulgent Korean comfort dish straight into the heartlands.
If you’ve been online lately, you’d find Omma Chicken Soup a tad familiar. This new Korean-style samgyetang concept is helmed by three co-founders: Kenneth Teo, 31, Josiah Tan, 34, and Toh Chyelong, 30.
Kenneth and Josiah are also behind Cha Mulan, the TCM-inspired “bubble tea” brand that has steadily built a following across hawker centres and shopping malls.
As for Kenneth and Chyelong, the duo first crossed paths while working briefly together at a Michelin-starred Korean restaurant, which they declined to name.
Take a closer look around Singapore’s growing samgyetang scene, and you’ll notice one recurring theme: The price tag. Most bowls typically hover between S$30 to S$40 — hardly an everyday meal for the average diner.
Even Chinese double-boiled soups are positioned as a premium, almost restorative indulgence, often setting you back with similar prices.
But what if ginseng chicken soup could be stripped of its once-in-a-while luxury status and transformed into something more approachable — a comfort meal you could crave on a rainy afternoon, post-gym dinner, or even a random lunch?
That, essentially, is the mission behind Omma Chicken Soup, which serves up bowls of ginseng chicken soup and collagen chicken soup, with prices starting from under S$8.
The brand first opened at Block 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market in March, before expanding to Alexandra Village Food Centre just a month later.
Two weeks ago, the team launched its third outlet at Northpoint City’s Kopitiam — a rapid expansion that reflects the team’s ambitions and Singaporeans’ growing appetite for this healthy dish.
It’s worth noting that prices at the northern outlet are slightly higher than its hawker centre counterparts, albeit with bigger portions.
Even so, all of its dishes are still relatively wallet-friendly, with a bowl of ginseng chicken soup priced below S$9.
The star dish at Omma Chicken Soup
Here, the various soups are loaded with a generously-sized, whole chicken leg weighing about 300g in each serving.
The broths are further packed with nourishing ingredients such as goji berries, gingko nuts, red dates, and dang shen (often described as the gentler cousin of ginseng), arming them with a distinct herbal depth without being too overpowering.
That said, purists might notice that Omma’s rendition isn’t exactly traditional Korean samgyetang. Instead, it’s a version thoughtfully tweaked for local palates.
Most notably, there’s no glutinous rice stuffed inside the chicken — a classic and almost inseparable component of authentic samgyetang.
According to Chyelong, the team initially served the dish in its more traditional form at the Bedok 216 outlet, but the response from older diners wasn’t great. Interestingly, customers at Alexandra Village reacted quite differently.
After observing customer preferences across both locations, the team eventually decided to standardise the recipe across all outlets by removing the glutinous rice altogether — resulting in the less jelak (overly rich), more accessible version you’ll find at Omma Chicken Soup today.
There are other tweaks to Omma Chicken Soup’s formula, too.
Instead of serving an entire chicken as in a traditional samgyetang, the brand opts for a hefty whole chicken leg, paired with a rich broth that is simmered for eight hours — long enough to draw out both flavour and body without coming across overly heavy.
The preparation of the chicken itself is also pretty interesting. According to Chyelong, the protein is sous vide “for a very, very long time” to lock in the meat’s tenderness and juices.
Only then is the chicken warmed together with the broth, before being served piping hot to diners, resulting in meat that practically falls off the bone.
Omma Chicken Soup’s signatures at Northpoint City
If you prefer your flavours bold and in-your-face, the ginseng collagen Omma (S$8.90) is an easy pick. The bowl brings together a comforting ginseng-infused chicken broth, a chicken leg, Japanese leeks, and finished with three dang gui sticks for an extra herbal punch.
Personally, I found myself enjoying Omma’s more prominent, slightly bitter ginseng profile. Having tried traditional samgyetang in Korea, I’ve always felt the textbook rendition come across a little too mild on the ginseng front.
Thankfully, that’s not the case here.
The herbal notes come through in every sip — stronger and arguably more “gao” (thick) than what you’d typically expect. Of course, whether it’s potent enough boils down to personal preference, but for those who enjoy rich herbal flavours, this version delivers pretty well.
Another aspect that we also loved is just how clean-tasting the broth is: The soup goes down easy without leaving behind that overly cloying, siap-siap coating on the tongue.
In fact, finishing the bowl right down to the last drop feels like a piece of cake — especially with the tender chicken leg as the cherry on top.
For something a little lighter, there’s the collagen Omma (S$7.90), which features the same nourishing herbal accompaniments, sans the dang gui.
Visually, the broth appears less intense than its ginseng-forward sibling, but it still delivers big on the same soul-warming comfort. You also get the additional bonus of clocking in some collagen goodness, while you’re at it!
Meanwhile spice lovers will most likely gravitate towards the spicy collagen Omma (S$8.40), which adds a fiery, slow-building kick to the already-satisfying broth.
No Korean meal feels complete without a side of banchan (side dishes), and at Omma Chicken Soup, you’ll find its signature kimchi (S$1.90).
Much like the soups themselves, the kimchi has been slightly localised to better match Singaporean tastebuds.
Compared to the traditional Korean version, which usually carries a sharper tang and softer texture from prolonged fermentation, Omma’s take on it is crunchier, less sour, and easier on the spice levels — it still eventually catches up and creeps in with a satisfying kick towards the end.
Northpoint City-exclusive dishes
But if kimchi isn’t quite your thing, the Northpoint City outlet also offers other side dishes exclusive to this outpost.
These include a tangy seaweed salad, soy sauce-seasoned quail eggs, and beancurd ring rolls — yes, the hotpot ingredient that many Singaporeans are familiar with.
However, these items are only available as part of this outlet’s set meals. And frankly, the bundles are probably the smarter and more value-for-money way to order — especially if you’re arriving hungry.
For instance, the three-piece set meal (S$9.90) comes with a bowl of collagen Omma, your choice of carb (rice or mee sua), and a side dish. While the four-piece set meal (S$12.50) gives you an additional serving of mandu (Korean dumpling) for a more complete spread.
The newly launched Omma mandus (from S$2.90 for three pieces) are also exclusive to the Northpoint City branch. They can either be ordered as part of the set meals or a la carte, starting from a minimum of three pieces and all the way up to a 24-piece order.
As a fuss-free side to complement the hearty soups, these morsels — dressed in your choice of kimchi mayo or nacho cheese sauce — easily get the job done.
All in all, Omma Chicken Soup doesn’t stick too closely to a textbook rendition of samgyetang. It keeps the dish simple and comforting, while making it easy on the wallet — something you could happily reach for on a regular basis.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more recent eats, read more about our monthly round-up of new F&B openings in Singapore and Niku Iku’s new dine-in concept.
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Sat 10am - 9.30pm
Sun 10am - 9.30pm
- Yishun
Shannon has the taste buds of a grandmother and perpetually struggles with a food coma.
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