Korean restaurant Bigmama closes after more than a decade, owner returns to South Korea

After years of serving authentic Korean fare in Tiong Bahru, Bigmama has closed for good. 

The owner announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on Monday (July 20). 

"After 16 wonderful years, the time has come to bring the beautiful journey of Bigmama to a close as I prepare to return to South Korea," she wrote. 

"Words cannot express how grateful I am for your unwavering love and the precious memories we've shared. Thank you for filling a significant chapter of my life with your warm smiles."

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The owner added that while the restaurant has closed, she hopes to remain connected with her customers. She also plans to continue sharing stories about Korean food and life in South Korea after she leaves Singapore. 

"Thank you once again for being a part of the Bigmama family. Wish you all health and happiness always," she said. 

In the comments section, customers expressed their dismay at the news. 

"That's really sad, we enjoyed your food," said one, while another wrote: "No. Why?"

Another asked the owner if she could share her lotus root banchan (small side dish) recipe before she leaves. 

In a separate Instagram post on July 20, the owner shared that her last day was on July 19. 

Over the restaurant's final weekend of operations, she had given out free japchae and anchovy side dishes to her customers.

She explained that she did so because she wanted to express her "sincere gratitude". 

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"Although I have many regular customers, I didn't reach out to them separately because I'm worried it might put a burden on them if I contacted them out of the blue. However, rather than just for one specific person, this is a gift I prepared while thinking of every single customer who has visited Bigmama," she shared.

When AsiaOne visited the restaurant on July 21, the eatery had fully closed and there was no longer any furniture in the unit. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Bigmama for more details. 

Bigmama is located on Kim Tian Road and served specialty dishes such as samgyupsal suyuk (steamed pork belly), dakgalbi (marinated chicken) and seafood soft beancurd soup. 

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