Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
“Affordably priced and very value for money”
At review time, K. Cook has only been opened in our sunny island for a mere 2 weeks and judging from the dinner crowd and queue, they seem to have arrived with a mission in mind – to be one of the best Korean BBQs in town.
K.Cook offers both air-conditioned and non air-conditioned areas- the larger and non air-conditioned area is kept breezy with huge ceiling fans and air coolers, so no problems for anybody who doesn’t want to sweat it out over korean BBQ, because you won’t. If you’re one of those lucky ones who managed to snag a table by the glass panel, you’ll get to enjoy your Korean BBQ session with the great view of Orchard road. To top it off, the outside seating area also screens K-Pop music videos. Great ambience and Korean pop stars, we’re loving it already!
The buffet area, simple but ample is divided into 4 main areas – (1) appetisers and fruits, (2) BBQ essentials -raw meat, seafood and accompanying condiments, (3) cooked food and carbs and (4) cooked food and soft drinks.
We were told that the sweeter and not as sour kimchi is adapted to suit the preference of Singaporeans’ palate. You can enjoy grilled kimchi by BBQ-ing it on the grill pan for a few minutes, which is what many locals do in Korea. Also goes well with the BBQ-ed meat.
The korean pancake, also known as pajoen, was pleasantly warm when we picked it up. The slightly spicy dipping sauce added some flavor to the otherwise slightly plain pancakes.
The spicy tofu stew was also warm and not at all watered down, with ample vegetables and tofu lurking below. A bowl of this stew to start off the meal is perfect while waiting impatiently for the food to be cooked on our grill.
Some of the buffet items we took on our first round – Beef ribeye, beef bulgogi, pork belly, marinated chicken and all the yummy stuff for a great BBQ. What you see here is NOT only what you’ll get – there’s still more stuff we aren’t showing here.
We went for so many rounds of Japchae (korean glass noodles), we stopped counting.
As always, meats first. The marinated meat were all very well marinated by the restaurant’s Korean chefs, definitely good enough to eat without any condiments but our favourite meats were the pork belly and spicy chicken.
The pork belly was of a good thickness and cooks well with a lot of juicy fat (not for the weight-watchers), leave it on the pan long enough and you’ll have a somewhat crispy bacon-ish pork belly finish.
The spicy chicken as I’ve mentioned before, is well marinated and tastes flavourful with a spicy garlic kick. The beef ribeye was also decent, but we would have preferred ours a little more tender as it was a tad tough.
On the few rare moments that we took the lettuce to wrap the meat, I’ve got to say that the lettuce were really well washed and fresh with a crisp.
Service was warm, friendly, efficient and K.Cook BBQ has bonus points for some eye candy among the Korean staff. Our pan got charred and without prompting, the staff came over to clean it up. Cleaning took a total of less than 30 seconds and our pan was as good as new. Bye bye aluminium foil and oily grill, K. Cook uses a non-stick pan which prevents any foil being accidentally eaten.
If you’re looking to complete the Korean BBQ experience, you must have an alcoholic drink or two. Or three. K.Cook offers 5 different types of alcohol and we got to try 2 flavours based on the owner’s recommendation.
We tried Maehwasoo (left) and Jinro Het Bokbunja (right). Maehwasoo ($18) is made with plum and apricot, tasting sweet and sour with a slight bitter after taste. It also has a very light foral fragrance. Jinro Het Bokbunja ($25) as described by the restaurant’s owner is made up of berries and wine, which also explains the sweetness of it and a heavier taste definitely. Both drinks are very popular with ladies for being light and sweet.
Needless to say, we emptied both bottles but if we really had to choose one, we would go with the Jinro Het Bokbunja with powerful flavours. Another great tip as recommended by the staff is to add it with soju to get a fizzy cocktail- we’re already planning to try that during our next visit!
Good location- check; good variety- check; good service – check; good pricing – check; The only checking left to be done is for you to check them out.
One of the most affordable Korean BBQ buffets I’ve seen in Singapore, you definitely want to check out this new buzz called K.Cook BBQ. Variety isn’t amazing, but you can’t complain at their pricing. The open air area and ventilation in place also minimizes a lot of the typical BBQ stench in an enclosed restaurant.
Related Article: 2D1N Soju Bang (Ssikkek) Korean BBQ buffet Review
Lunch – $14.90++, Dinner – $24.90++ (Additional $2 on weekends, PH eve and PH) | There’s a 10% discount for buffet food if your session is under an hour, making it even more affordable.
Expected Damage: $19 – $28 per pax
