When Ben jio-ed (invited) me to catch up at Seorae at Northpoint City in Yishun, I was looking forward to the meet up as I have not seen buddy for some time. As for the venue, truth be told, I am usually not overly eager to go to no chef, own self cook places like BBQs (and steamboats), especially if they are expensive. I mean, pay so much, still got to cook ourselves meh.... ?
But, Seorae turned out to be a pleasant experience which I don't mind going back to.
Seorae at Northpoint City Yishun looks welcoming, clean, comfortable and it is relatively spacious compared to most mall restaurants. (I don't like eating in malls generally because they are often jam packed, spaces are tight, food is industrial, atmosphere and service are harried and we have to pay a premium for all these 🙄 ).
Seorae at Northpoint City Yishun didn't felt this way (granted today is a weekday - Tuesday).
Founded in South Korea in 2007, at the moment, Seorae has three hundred outlets around the world and six in Singapore. They have been in Singapore since 2015 though this was my first time in a Seorae restaurant.
I left all the ordering to Ben as he has been to Seorae a few times.
Once the orders were in, the staff moved fast to set us up for the BBQ. Seorae uses smokeless white charcoal and each pit has an individual overhead suction exhaust. There was hardly any cooking fumes, most of which were ducted out efficiently.
Subak Cocktail (price $26++) - sweet watermelon juice with soju. A nice, very likeable thirst quencher 🤭
Sundubu Jjigae (price $16++) which came with boiled rice.
The tofu was very soft and smooth, and mostly broken up, mixed with the clams, vegetables and pork. The soup thickened with egg was spicy, sourish and rich with umami from the clams but no burning heat of the chili pepper type. It's a great starter to work up our appetites to devour the loads of meat Ben ordered.
Thick 200 gram slab of Yangnyeom Mokssal or pork collar (price $20++).
Own self BBQ. Ben has attained expert level through lots of practise 🕺
Expertly scissor cut the slab to bite size pieces.
Darned nice. Tender, moist, savoury, porcine sweet and smokey. We had two servings of Yangnyeom Mokssal (pork collar) 😋
Pork jowl always my favourite.
Pork jowl has a tenderness and subtle crunch which only jowl can have, so I will order it whenever it is available.
Signature original Galmaegisal or pork skirt meat 170 grams per serving (price $24++). Each animal yields only 250 grams of this strip of meat between the ribs and belly. The cut is also known as secreto. In the past, only Korean royals have a chance to taste this cut of pork. Now, anyone can have it for $24++ at Seorae 😄
On the grill. There's normal and spicy marinades, and Ben picked the normal one.
Tender with a slightly soft chewiness, juicy, sweet, smokey.
Woosamgyeob or beef shortplate 150 grams (price $26++).
Soft, juicy thanks to the fat, sweet, beefy, smokey.
Woosel or ox tongue 120 gram serving (price $25++).
Very thin, soft tender, with a slight chewiness.
The younger folks like to eat their meats with molten creamy cheese lava which adds savoury salty flavour. Not quite the way I like my BBQ meats but I will try everything 😁
Three of us, we finished everything 😯
I over ate today 🫢
Overall, the meats were fresh, well marinated, so most people would have no problem grilling up some great BBQ meats by themselves. Do it yourself is fun for a change.
Oh... the meats come with dips and sauces but I didn't use them. The meats were very nice on their own.
They also have a good banchan (small side dishes) bar but I didn't use it either because we already ordered so much meats 🤭
Prices looked competitive, especially when coupled with Seorae's frequent promotions. Look out for them, ask the staff before you order.
If buddies want to eat Korean, Seorae will be among the top of my mind for good value and tasty Korean BBQ in Singapore.
Korean BBQ in Johor Bahru 👈 click
Written by Tony Boey on 22 Aug 2023
🎗Disclaimer: Please note that this was a media tasting. I very rarely attend media tastings. I did not pay for these food but I did not receive any payment for writing this post. I report exactly how I felt even though that could mean that I may not receive another media tasting invite again 😄
Thanks for sharing.
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