Samjin Amook

Samjin Amook
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-34 ION Orchard

78 Airport Boulevard
#B2-232 Jewel Changi Airport

https://www.facebook.com/samjinamooksg/

Samjin Amook Facade

Heaven For Fish Cake Aficionados

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $6 per person.


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Founded in 1953 in Busan, Yeongnam, South Korea, Samjin Amook specialises in the city's favourite snack - Eomuk / Fish Cake. With over 60 years of history, Samjin Amook is known for their extensive variety of fish cakes, and their design concept which resembles a bakery. We originally visited them while in Busan, Yeongnam, South Korea. The outlet in Singapore opened in September 2017, and since then, I've been visiting regularly to get my fish cake fix.

Ambience at Samjin Amook is styled to resemble a bakery, with rows upon rows of open displays, warmly lit and filled with sturdy wooden trays bearing their various fish cakes. The clean, modern, and welcoming feel draws in customers, and the clear signage makes it easy to identify what ingredient goes into each fish cake. The Singapore outlets are purely takeaway, there isn't any seating available.

Service at Samjin Amook is fast and efficient. No matter how long the queue is, customers are able to pay and leave quickly. Staff are helpful, checking if customers need assistance, and display good product knowledge as they share the ingredients of each item. They call out promotions as well as popular items. I note they also quickly replenish items when they're about to sell out. Recently, they started offering to heat your purchase if you want to eat it straightaway.

Food at Samjin Amook is all about Busan style fish cakes. Offering over 30 different varieties at a time, each fish cake features 1 or 2 additional ingredients, which transforms the flavour. These are all freshly made everyday, and a central kitchen ensures consistency. Portions are sized for individuals, and it's a delicious snack. Prices remain slightly high for a snack, budget about SGD $6 per person.


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The Eomuk Guk (SGD $4.60) is a classic South Korean street food, featuring skewers of assorted threadfin bream fish cake in a warm, light soy sauce and dashi seaweed stock. The version here has a lovely earthy sweet flavour to the soup / broth, and features 3 skewers of fish cake, each having a tender bouncy bite to texture. The flat fish cake has a mild savoury sweet flavour with slightly higher density. The chili pepper roll fish cake has a sharp spicy savoury flavour with a soft chew. The assorted fish roll, flat fish cake, and chili pepper fish cake skewer has a combination of sweet savoury salty spicy flavours. Nice to have on cold days. Worth ordering!

Eomuk Guk (SGD $4.60)

Eomuk Guk

Eomuk Guk

The house signature White Whale (SGD $2) is named for its semi-circular shape, and features a bouncy springy alaskan pollock fish cake studded with tender chunks of crab meat stick and straw mushrooms. This has lovely earthy sweet savoury flavours, and you can distinctly taste the trio of ingredients. Among my favourite items here. Highly recommended!

White Whale (SGD $2)

White Whale

The Fish Cake Chili Pepper Roll (SGD $1.20) is slim and cyclinderical in shape, and features bouncy tender threadfin bream fish cake studded with crisp chili peppers. This lends a sharp spicy kick to the sweet savoury flavour of the fish cake, making this rather addictive. I like that there isn't any lingering burn of spices, it fades away quickly. Good!

Fish Cake Chili Pepper Roll (SGD $1.20)

Fish Cake Chili Pepper Roll

The Fish Cake Corn Tang (SGD $2) is round and flat in shape, and features juicy corn kernels studded within the soft tender threadfin bream fish cake. While the robust grainy sweet savoury salty flavours here are pronounced, I feel the flavours don't exactly complement, as they seem to contrast in depth of taste. Could be improved.

Fish Cake Corn Tang (SGD $2)

Fish Cake Corn Tang

The Crab Meat Flower (SGD $2.80) is oval and spherical in shape, and features bouncy threadfin bream fish cake infused with popping smelt fish roe, and stuffed with tender partially-peeled crab meat. Rather resembling a coral in looks, this has robust briny salty savoury sweet fishy flavours, which I didn't quite like. An acquired taste which may appeal to some.

Crab Meat Flower (SGD $2.80)

Crab Meat Flower

The Laver Roll (SGD $2) is oval and oblong in shape, and features bouncy threadfin bream fish cake studded with a variety of finely diced ingredients (burdock root, straw mushrooms, carrots, white onions, spring onions, and leeks), then wrapped in a dried laver seaweed sheet. This has a moist bouncy chew to texture, with a deep earthy herbal savoury sweet salty flavour. Good!

Laver Roll (SGD $2)

Laver Roll

Laver Roll

The Cheese Roll (SGD $2.80) is more cheese than fish cake, a rarity amongst their offerings. A long stick of cheddar cheese, with bright cheesy salty savoury milky flavour, is enveloped within a thin cylindrical threadfin bream fish cake. When warm, it's nicely satisfying, with 3 different textures of crispy, soft, and chewy. Worth ordering!

Cheese Roll (SGD $2.80)

Cheese Roll

The Mashed Potato Croquette (SGD $2.30) is spherical in shape, and features a bouncy chewy croquette of alaskan pollock fish cake, with bright sweet savoury flavours. Within the hollow center is creamy smooth mashed potato, which has a mild starchy sweet flavour. Rather light on taste. Could be improved.

Mashed Potato Croquette (SGD $2.30)

Mashed Potato Croquette

The Sweet Potato Croquette (SGD $2.30) is spherical in shape, and features a bouncy chewy croquette of alaskan pollock fish cake, with bright sweet savoury flavours. Within the hollow center is creamy chunky mashed sweet potato, which has a lovely bright floral earthy sweet flavour. This is pretty addictive. Good!

Sweet Potato Croquette (SGD $2.30)

Sweet Potato Croquette

The Chili Pepper Croquette (SGD $2.30) is spherical in shape, and features a bouncy chewy croquette of alaskan pollock fish cake, with bright sweet savoury flavours. Within the hollow center is a blend of mashed threadfin bream fish cake, straw mushrooms, carrots, white onions, and chili pepper, which lends a sharp spicy sweet kick to taste. This is more fiery than other items here, with a short lingering burn that is rather enticing. Highly recommended!

Chili Pepper Croquette (SGD $2.30)

Chili Pepper Croquette

Unique to Singapore, the Bak Kwa Croquette (SGD $2.80) is spherical in shape, and features a bouncy chewy croquette of alaskan pollock fish cake, with bright sweet savoury flavours. Within the hollow center is juicy chewy minced pork bak kwa, which has a deep meaty savoury salty flavour, with a hint of sweet notes. Delicious, among my favourites here. Highly recommended!

Bak Kwa Croquette (SGD $2.80)

Bak Kwa Croquette

Love the Spicy Amook Bites With Green Paprika (SGD $2), with its round spheres of tender chewy flat threadfin bream fish cake, wrapped around soft moist mashed fish cake and crunchy bits of green bell peppers / capsicum. This has bright vegetal savoury sweet earthy bitter flavours, with a sharp spicy kick that fades quickly. Highly recommended!

Spicy Amook Bites With Green Paprika (SGD $2)

Spicy Amook Bites With Green Paprika

Spicy Amook Bites With Green Paprika

The Amook Hot Dog Sausage (SGD $3.50) features a simple chicken hot dog sausage, with a snappy juicy crunch to texture, enveloped within a tender chewy breaded threadfin bream fish cake studded with crunchy bites of batter. Despite its looks, this has a pronounced sweet flavour to it, with a mild savoury note on the tail. Definitely some sugar in the batter to make it this tasty. Worth ordering!

Amook Hot Dog Sausage (SGD $3.50)

Amook Hot Dog Sausage

Amook Hot Dog Sausage

Think of this like a variation of the corndog. The awesomely-named Goblin's Mace (SGD $3.50) has a simple chicken hot dog sausage, with a snappy juicy crunch to texture, enveloped within a tender chewy alaskan pollock fish cake, coated with deep-fried diced potato cubes. Rather like a potato hash brown, you get the earthy starchy sweet flavour on the outside. But inside, you have the delicate sweet savoury salty flavours of the ingredients. While fun, this is rather messy to eat, with the potato crumbling off in chunks. Good!

Goblin's Mace (SGD $3.50)

Goblin's Mace

The Half Moon Sesame Leaf (SGD $3) is a leaf-shaped treat, which actually features 2 layers of perilla leaf, stuffed with a mixture of threadfin bream fish cake, straw mushrooms, carrots, white onions, burdock root, and bell pepper / capsicum, then crumb battered, and fried. With a bright juicy grainy chew, this has a distinctive herbal earthy savoury sweet flavour, with a touch of minty finish. Good!

Half Moon Sesame Leaf (SGD $3)

Half Moon Sesame Leaf

Despite its ingredients, the Fried Chili Pepper (SGD $3.50) actually isn't overly spicy. The whole Korean green chili pepper is stuffed with a blend of threadfin bream fish cake, straw mushrooms, carrots, white onions, and prawns / shrimp, then coated in more threadfin bream fish cake, crumb battered, and fried. The result is a juicy grainy crunch to texture, with bright sweet savoury spice flavours. Good!

Fried Chili Pepper (SGD $3.50)

Fried Chili Pepper

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