Goobne: Korean Oven-Roasted Chicken Chain Opens Its First Singapore Outlet At Great World

Having recently undergone a revamp inside and out, Great World (formerly known as Great World City), has refreshed its directory and is today, home to over 70 new tenants. One of their new additions is Korean chicken chain, Goobne.

Translating to ‘baked’ in Korean, Goobne started out in South Korea in 2005, specialising in oven-roasted chicken, baked to perfection without the use of oil. With more than 1,000 restaurants across Asia and Australia, Goobne has also entered the Singapore market with their first outlet located on the first floor of Great World.

Decked in classic black with accents of brown wooden finishings, the outlook of the restaurant is simple, yet stylish; a conducive dining environment for hanging out with big groups of friends, catching up over chicken and beer. 

The menu at Goobne offers an extensive range of Korean cuisines. From their signature oven-roasted chicken to the extra spicy volcano chicken and sides dishes such as fried rice and rice cakes, even the pickiest eater will be able to find something suitable at Goobne. 

Our meal started off extravagantly with the restaurant’s signature offering, Goobne UFO Fondue (S$39), which was served in a mookata-like barbecue grill. Right smack in the centre laid a bed of shredded cheese (a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and grana padano), with two different flavours of chicken wings and drumsticks surrounding it. Of the four flavours available, we chose to pair our cheese fondue with the Deep Cheese and Volcano-flavoured chicken as recommended by our server. 

Deep Cheese is oven-roasted chicken generously coated with a sensational mix of cheddar, cream and blue cheese powder, whilst Volcano is chicken oven-roasted with Goobne’s in-house spicy sauce. Similar to a cheese fondue (and probably 10 times tastier), the best way to savour the chicken is to wrap them in thick, melted layers of cheese and send it straight into your mouth. 

Comparing both flavours, Volcano paired better with the rich, artery-clogging pool of cheese. My succulent drumstick was doused in Goobne’s fiery glaze, with charred bits around its ends, resulting in a lightly smoked flavour. Cutting through the richness of the soft and creamy cheese coating was the heat from the glaze, balancing out the flavours of the baked chicken. 

Deep Cheese, on the other hand, was better off eaten alone as I won’t be able to imagine how hard my heart will have to work with the cheese-on-cheese double punch combination. Although oven-baked, the chicken had a crunchier skin which was very much similar to deep-fried chicken. I would expect this flavour to be a hit amongst children and teenagers as the cheese powder itself was sweet and slightly sourish (think sour cream), very appetising and suited to a younger palate. 

To complement the Goobne UFO Fondue, we ordered the Seafood Jjamppong Soup (S$14), a popular Korean spicy soup that is loaded with seafood and flavours of the ocean. Having lived in Seoul for two years, I can proudly say that this was a bowl of authentic jjamppong. Unlike some jjamppong that have been altered to cater to Singaporean’s tastebuds (usually made sweeter), Goobne’s jjamppong was undeniably spicy. 

Spicy not in a bad sense, but to the extent where Koreans will express it as refreshing and comforting. After eating the chicken, a mouthful of the spicy jjamppong soup will definitely reset your taste buds, and get you ready for more. 

Looking to get some carbohydrates into your system? Double the amount by ordering the Volcano Cheese Rice Cake (S$15), Goobne’s version of Korea’s popular street food—Rabokki. It’s a combination of ramen noodles and tteokbokki (rice cakes) mixed with melted cheese; a feast of interesting textures and bursts of flavours. 

Not only did the chewy rice cakes and instant noodles soak up the flavours of the sweet and spicy gochujang (Korean chilli sauce), the other ingredients such as the Korean fish cakes was also drenched in this fiery red sauce, making every mouthful very addictive and irresistible.

For a less sinful and spice-free option, I highly recommend Chicken Fried Rice With Galbi Sauce (S$15). Served in a flawless dome on a hot plate, we were able to choose between cheese or egg to accompany our chicken fried rice. Naturally, we went with the lighter option: egg. 

Poured upon serving, the egg mixture formed a beautiful bed of light yellow encircling the rice which was later mixed together after a minute or two. Serving the fried rice on the hot plate was a brilliant idea as it not only kept the dish warm throughout our entire meal, it also resulted in the formation of wok hei (scorched rice) on its sides, giving the fried rice added fragrance and texture which I truly appreciate. 

Besides dishing up mouth-watering Korean delights, Goobne also prides itself on its unique cocktails and mocktails. We washed down our meal with Shark Blood Non-Alcohol Rita (S$12), a blue-coloured lemonade based mocktail, in a slurpee form.

As I removed the toy shark sitting on top of our beverage, a pool of “blood” gushed into the drink, taking me by surprise. Later did I realise that the “blood” was, in fact, cranberry syrup, added to give the lemonade some sweetness and a fruity aftertaste. 

Goobne’s UFO Fondue was certainly a refreshing and different take on Korean chicken. The chicken might be baked and free of oil, however, with the addition of cheese powder and layers of gooey melted cheese wrapping over your chicken, beware as it might not be that guilt-free and sinless after all!

Expected Damage: S$15 – S$30 per pax