Food Review: Chingu @ The Oval At Seletar Aerospace Park | Korean Restaurant In Colonial House Setting

Posted on October 27, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place I wouldn’t have thought that there is a Korean restaurant nestled within the Seletar Aerospace Park. Housed in a refurbished colonial house, aka black and white houses, I checked out Chingu @ The Oval recently. Chingu @ The Oval is a relatively new contemporary Korean restaurant which also has another outlet in Rochester Park.

The space of Chingu @ The Oval is decked in neutral tones and wooden finishings, where there are two private rooms along with cosy banquette-style seatings with ample natural lighting in the day. The word “Chingu” means “Friend” in Korean and by virtue of its location, the restaurant is surrounded by greenery which makes it pleasant for an occasional gaze as I took pauses in between the dishes.

The Food The menu at Chingu is an extensive mix of Korean BBQ meats along with a good variety of comfort Korean dishes – all prepared in different ways be it pickled, cured, fermented, or grilled.

I visited Chingu @ The Oval on a weekend where it has just launched a Korean-inspired Weekend Brunch Menu which is only available at Chingu @ The Oval on weekends between 10am to 2pm.

For a start from the Weekend Brunch Menu, I had the Kimchi Cheese Pancake (S$26) which is a delicious dish for sharing where the edges of the pancake is crisp to my liking.

I love eggs and the Steamed Egg Fromage (S$14) combines two of the best ingredients – egg and cheese. It is a good balance of Grana Padano & Mozzarella cheese here which does not make the dish taste overly cheesy.

Other appetisers good for sharing include the flavourful and tender Confit Pork Jowl (S$25) served with gochujang aioli and kimchi salsa roja; and the Trio-Umami Bao (S$24), a Korean spin on ‘Kong Bak Pau’.

The “Suyuk” (pork) here is served in three distinct flavours – Original Suyuk, Garlic Soy Glaze and Braised Aged Kimchi. My favourite is the Braised Aged Kimchi take of the pork belly, though I do recommend you share this dish with a friend considering the generous portion.

For Mains options from the Weekend Brunch Menu, the Baked Tteokbokki (S$24) is a crowd pleaser and is one Korean dish I usually will have on the table for any Korean meal. The Korean rice cakes here are in a mildly spicy sauce and is baked gratin-style with a layer of cheese.

Other mains options include the uniquely created Kimchi Pork Ragu Linguine (S$22) which is an interesting Italian Korean fusion. The kimchi element here is not too spicy and I must say the portion is quite huge.

For a more brunchy option, there is the Korean Egg Drop Sandwich (S$18) where the fluffy brioche bread is packed with a Korean-style egg drop filling, crispy bacon bits and melted cheddar cheese!

Of course, a visit to Chingu is not complete without trying the meats from the regular BBQ Ala Carte Menu. The meats here are dry-aged and wet-aged in dedicated on-premises chambers, and one thing I also appreciate during my meal is the smokeless open grill tabletop.

The staff added some Applewood to the charcoal before placing the grill over the charcoal which helps to impart a more aromatic flavour to the grilled meats.

I managed to try some of the new meat cuts being introduced to Chingu @ The Oval and Chingu @ Rochester, where my favourite is the Black Angus Oyster Blade Steak (MS5+, S$42). Dry aged for 7 days, the steak here is very flavourful and succulent and I enjoy it with just a pinch of the accompanying salt.

Another new cut of meat on the menu is the Black Angus Hanging Tender Steak (S$40), also dry aged for 7 days. This cut spots a beefier flavour as compared to the Black Angus Oyster Blade Steak, which suits your palate if you do not like your beef too fatty.

In addition, there is also the Barley-Fed Free Range Ox Tongue (S$45) dry aged for 7 days where you get thin slices of the tender tongue meat.

One good service at the restaurant is that the staff helps to grill the meat upon request and helps to cut the grilled meats into bite-size portions for ease of eating.

The other interesting dish I had from the regular menu is a soup dish called Banban Stew (S$38), and it is unique in the sense that you get to choose two stews out of the three options available – Kimchi Stew, Soybean Paste Stew and Tteokbokki. I had both the Kimchi Stew and Soybean Paste Stew which are served in a dual ‘yuan yang’ style pot, where the flavours are comforting, and it is quite a good complement to the grilled meats.

Rants The location of Chingu @ The Oval can be quite inaccessible without a car. Having said, the restaurant was full during my visit, so do make sure you make your reservation early if you plan to head down to Chingu.

Will I Return Again? Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience at Chingu @ The Oval where the dry aged BBQ meats are my favourite. The additions of the Korean-inspired Weekend Brunch Menu also made Chingu stood out from my other dining experiences in Korean restaurants in Singapore. Definitely appreciate the modern looking and cosy interior, where its Seletar Aerospace Park location further elevates the overall dining experience here. This restaurant is definitely a destination dining spot in Singapore which you should not miss.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservation instantly at Chingu @ The Oval here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5