The Place One of the hottest and most popular Korean restaurants in CBD, Um Yong Baek Korean restaurant located at Boon Tat Street is well-known for its pork and rice soup during lunch time, and also for its three-way aged pork. There are two Um Yong Baek outlets, one at Boon Tat Street and the other at Telok Ayer Street.

I visited the Boon Tat Street outlet which has a simply and cosy interior with barbecue grills at each table. As the restaurant is very popular, reservations are highly recommended.  

The Food I went for dinner and hence have to miss out on their famous pork and rice soup which is only on the lunch menu. Dinner is a grilled meats affair, and pork is a big deal here more so than beef where Um Yong Baek style of grilled pork leans towards the Jeju-style.  

Pork options include cuts like the Tongmoksal Jumeokgogi (S$28/150g), which is the most popular cut of meat – Pork Collar. It is not a fatty cut, so go for this if you enjoy the porky taste with less fatty parts.

There are a few ways to enjoy the pork collar where you can have it with the white radish or Meljorim (S$7), which is a Jeju-style chilli sauce with anchovies. 

The fattiest pork I had was the Ohgyeopsal (S$27/150g) which is Korean pork belly meal that means “five-layered meat”.  

My favourite pork cut is the Hangjungsal (S$30/150g) where the pork jowl is tender and most flavourful for me.  

You can also order various side dishes to go along with the grilled meats like the Truffle Duxelles Yangsongi Gui (S$12/8 Pieces) which I enjoyed. It is made with button mushrooms that have been packed with a savoury mixture of finely chopped mushrooms along with truffle oil. 

The Mul-Makguksu (S$16) is a a cool, refreshing bowl of buckwheat noodles. I think it is a good choice to have this after all the heavy flavours of the meat as it is very light and somewhat refreshing since it is chilled noodles.  

Alternatively, there is also the crowd’s favourite – Soondubu-jjigae (S$15). Can skip this as the tofu here is quite average for me.  

Rants It gets a little heated up during the dinner service for me from the grill and fire; not the best ventilation around.  

Will I Return Again? I can understand why Um Yong Baek is a hit concept in Singapore. The pork is flavourful and the service is good since the staff helps to grill the meats at each table. Prices are relatively reasonable, and it is a no-frills Korean restaurant to head to with a group of friends.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Um Yong Baek 
27 Boon Tat Street 
Singapore 069623 
Tel: +65 8843 5968 

Opening Hours 
Monday to Sunday: 11am to 3:30pm; 5:30pm to 10pm 

Ranted by The Ranter