The Place Located in the buzzing Telok Ayer Street, Gamtan Korean Cuisine is a Korean barbecue restaurant which only opened late last year. The restaurant also offers Sotbap (Korean pot rice) lunch sets for the CBD crowd. The interior of Gamtan is simple and the shophouse space is denominated by a mix of different table sizes.

The Korean restaurant is helmed by a master butcher and chef duo, where Gamtan also prides itself as the only restaurant in Singapore to offer King Galbi – the crown jewel of K-BBQ – a rare USDA Prime rib cut (6, 7, and 8) as each cow yields only six scarce pieces, carved using a unique butchery technique. There are only 20 servings available daily at Gamtan. 

The Food Other than their ala carte menu, Gamtan also has a variety of sets like The King’s Delight (S$148 for 2-3 pax) and The King’s Feast (S$228 for 3-4 pax). Both sets feature the renowned King Galbi (500g), Beef Tartare, Naengmyun (Cold Noodles Spicy/Non-Spicy), and Soybean Stew, with the larger set having an additional Bone Galbi (500g).

For non-beef lovers, two variants of the Gamtan Pork Set are also available: Axe Belly Delight (S$98 for 2-3 pax), and Pork Belly Favorites (S$128 for 3-4 pax). Both include Axe Belly (250g), Flower Belly (180g), Moksal (180g), and Soybean Stew, the larger set having an additional Marinated Moksal dish. All of Gamtan’s meats are marinated for at least 6 hours. 

There is also BYOW – Bring your own wine with no corkage fee for up to 2 bottles, provided you order a signature set (for 2 pax) or 2 dishes per person, and you can enjoy the complimentary corkage. Additional glasses are available for S$5 each. 

I had The King’s Delight set and the highlight for me is undoubtedly the King Galbi. It is great that the staff helps to grill the meat as it required much cutting and slicing for the best optimal flavour. 

The beef is very flavourful and tender, and it is good on its own even without any condiments. 

Otherwise, you can enjoy the beef with condiments like the Maldon Salt, a premium salt brand certified by the British Royal Family. Another interesting Korean side dish served here as part of the refillable banchan is Gamtan’s Herring Roe Salted Fish. 

One highlight on its menu is the traditional Sotbap with Cha – a comforting Korean claypot rice infused with premium tea. This is how to enjoy Sotbap here: 

Mix your sotbap and sauce thoroughly in the pot, transfer all the rice into another bowl to eat; and lastly, pour the barley tea into the pot, cover it for a few minutes, then open the lid to savour the scorched rice bits. 

If you are still craving for other sharing dishes, go for the Truffle Gamjajun (S$25) which is essentially Korean potato pancakes with a tinge of truffle aroma. 

Rants The restaurant gets quite smoky over the meal from all the grilling, so be prepared to walk out “smoky”. 

Will I Return Again? The set meals are relatively good value since it comes with quite a couple of side dishes along with the meats. Service is a little patchy but other than that, if you enjoy a food K-BBQ experience, then Gamtan is one to check out located right in town. 

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5
Overall Experience: 3.5/5 

Gamtan Korean Cuisine 
132 Telok Ayer Street 
Singapore 068599 
Tel: +65 8349 0391 

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

Ranted by The Ranter