Tucked away in a quiet corner of Regent is Seoul Restaurant, my current favourite spot in Singapore for Korean BBQ. Run by a Korean family, they have been around for around 5 years and were previously located at CHIJMES. Given the quality of food I experienced during my numerous visits, I still remain surprised at the lack of coverage for this place. What irks me even more is that when you do a search on "Best places for Korean BBQ in Singapore", you get abysmal results.
Regent? CHIJMES? The Ala Carte Buffet here is surprisingly affordable despite being located in a premium location like Regent. $32.90 for weekday lunches, $37.90 for weekend lunches and $49.90 for dinner everyday. Of course, Seoul Restaurant is comparatively more expensive to most KBBQ places most of us are accustomed to, but for a good reason.
Just take a look at the marbling of this boneless short rib (Galbisal) and you should know what I mean. For the price you are paying, I doubt that you can get unlimited servings of this elsewhere. Other non-marinated meats in the buffet include thinly sliced beef brisket (Chadolbagi), sliced pork jowl steak (Hangjeongsal) and the all time favourite sliced pork belly (Samgyeopsal). They even use a special grade of charcoal, imported from Korea, elevating the taste of the meats.
For those who are bigger fans of marinated meats, Seoul Restaurant has a decent selection of marinated beef, pork and chicken. As far as possible, I never get marinated meats at BBQ buffets because the meats that are marinated are usually of an inferior quality (How else do you think most BBQ places offer you those prices?).
Apart from the meat selection, diners can also order a variety of cooked dishes as part of the buffet. Also included in the buffet, I highly recommend ordering a bowl of chilled buckwheat noodles soup (Mul-naengmyeon) or spicy mixed buckwheat noodles (Bibim-naengmyeon) after you're done with the BBQ to "cool" your body down.
Admittedly, the name of the restaurant doesn't inspire excitement but what they lack in naming creativity, they make up for with the quality of their food. I'd rather better food than a nicer sounding restaurant name, how about you?
Protip: Quality meat will not taste good if you're bad at cooking, so don't be afraid to ask for guidance or help from the staff.
