Food Review: Wang Dae Bak Korean BBQ Restaurant

Posted on April 19, 2014 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place I have heard so much about Wang Dae Bak in China Square that I can’t wait to try it in my quest for the best Korean barbeque restaurant in Singapore. I called to reserve, which is highly recommended as the waiting list was long, so was the walk-in queue.

The interior of Wang Dae Bak is surprisingly big, and slightly smoky. That is because of the charcoal style barbeque here which is one of the unique selling point. The crowd is a mix of locals, Koreans and Japanese, a clear testament of the authenticity of the restaurant. Even some of the waiters are Koreans!The Food Expect the usual Korean fares such as Kim Chi Pancake and needless to say barbeque beef and pork. The prices are not that cheap but this seemed to be the average Korean barbeque prices everywhere these days. I could not resist ordering the Kim Chi Pancake ($18), which shocked me by its huge serving. This was one of the best dish of the night. The texture of the pancake was very crispy, which reminded me of our local Rota Prata. If need to order rice, I would recommend the Rice with sliced beef ($6) which comes in a very small bowl. The quality of the rice was very good and fragrant and it was perfect having it with some sauce and sliced beef.And the highlight of the meal had got to be the meat! We chose the Boneless Prime Rib Beef ($28) and Shoulder Loin Pork ($18). The servings of the beef and pork was quite small, which might not be sufficient for the big eaters. I was slightly disppointed with the quality of the beef which left me unimpressed. The beef taste was very mediocre and it was obvious that it was not high quality beef. The pork was pretty normal fare as well.If there was one thing I fancy about the barbeque at Wang Dae Bak, it was the egg. Request from the staff and they will pour the egg around your barbeque stove, quite a novel idea!Rants There were some hits and misses with the food, especially the quaity of the meat. Price ain’t exactly value for money and expect long waits if you decided to walk in. The whole restaurant was quite smoky as well, so my advice is be prepared to smell like roasted meat after your meal.

Will I return again? My first thought when I stepped out of Wang Dae Bak, overrated and overhyped. There are much better Korean barbeque restaurants around, such as Togi and Red Pig.