Sunday 28 April 2019

O.BBa BBQ – Beefgasm Korean BBQ Style


Non-Marinated Prime Beef Short Rib – Saeng GalBi 

We have visited O.BBa BBQ at Tanjong Pagar (‘Obba’) regularly in the past year. It started with after a visit at 2 AM in the morning introduced by a friend’s friend. Let’s just say that 2 AM is definitely not a time to eat Korean BBQ. The menu looks attractive, we decide to visit it a few more times. Finally, we agree that bbq beef in Obba got our two thumbs up.

 O.BBa BBQ at Tanjong Pagar

Along Tanjong Pagar area, Obba always has customers queue outside especially during peak dining period of 7 PM to 10 PM, or even Midnight during the weekend. Obba takes reservation but limited to a few tables. The décor is a typical Korean BBQ restaurant, the walls are filled with empty soju bottles and photos of the customers. The blaring KPOP music from the speaker together with MTV makes the Korean feel more authentic.

For the food, Prime Beef – Ggok Sol ($39). A definite must order for beef lovers here. The marbling is just fantastic, cooked under the care of the grill master on our table to medium rare and cut to bite size. Each piece of the prime beef has a nice charred externally, followed with a melt in your mouth texture internally. I personally just dip it with a mixture of salt and sesame oil. #Beefgasm!!

Prime Beef – Ggok Sol

Prime Beef – Ggok Sol

Non-Marinated Prime Beef Short Rib – Saeng GalBi ($38). Slightly different cut compare to the prime beef. We prefer the non-marinated, compare to the sweet marinated version. Similar to the prime beef, it is cooked to medium rare, charred externally and juicy internally. Compare to the prime beef, the short rib has a slightly chewy texture, beefy yet remain delicious.

Non-Marinated Prime Beef Short Rib – Saeng GalBi 

We like how they did not waste any part of the meat. While we enjoy the meat from the short rib, the service staff continue grilling the meat closer to the ribs. For this part, you can expect a chewier bite due to the muscle that wrapped the bone with the juicy meat. I personally like it to have my beef bbq to be eaten with some white rice, my Korean version of gyudon.

Non-Marinated Prime Beef Short Rib – Saeng GalBi 

For the pork, we will normally order the 5mm of Sliced Pork Belly – SaengSamGyupSal ($19). It has the right thickness, crispy and juicy, however, I find it a bit chewy. Feels like the pork giving your jaw a bit of a workout.

Black Pork Belly and Pork Skin

Pork Skin

Pork Skin + Black Pork Belly ($39). We tried black pork in Jeju and the pork skin in Busan. The cut of the pork belly here is thick. The grilling of the meat will take some time, so it is a good time to catch up with your dining partners. The first thing that I notice here is that black pork does not shrink as much as the one in Jeju. In Jeju, the pork reduces about 1/3 in size when grilling as the fats slowly rendered and continuously moisturising the meat. Over here, it reduces about 1/5, resulting in the meat to be firmer and chewier.

Black Pork Belly

Black Pork Belly

While the beef and pork are grilled on a grill plate, the pork skin is grilled on the net, almost directly on the low fire. With the marination, the skin is brown and glistening. It is hard and chewy, not the texture that we expected. Slightly disappointed.

Pork Skin

Pork Skin

Steamed Egg – GaeRanJ jim ($5). Fluffy and fragrant. One of my preferred side dishes in a Korean Restaurant.

Steamed Egg

Seafood Spring Onion Pancake – HaeMulPaJeon ($20). It has a crisp skin, followed with a soft batter and delicious fillings of seafood, spring onion and sliced chilli, that I normally avoid.

Seafood Spring Onion Pancake – HaeMulPaJeon

For soup, the Pork Soup – Soondaeguk ($18.50) is our pick. Milky robust pork broth soup, filled with pork meat and blood sausage. The blood sausage filling is glass noodle soaked with pig’s blood. The chewiness from the blood sausage sure goes well with the milky broth.

Soondae / Blood Sausage in Pork Soup

The Pork Meat in Pork Soup

Beef Bone Soup – Seolrungtang ($18.50) is the beef version of the milky and robust soup. Personally, I think that the portion of the meat is generous and the meat is tender. I always enjoy this soup as it just opens up my appetite for the rest of the dishes to come.

Lettuce to wrap the meat

Flying Fish Roe with Rice- Jumeogbab ($10). Only seen this dish here. Tasty and delicious. LD will normally work her magical hand here to mix all the ingredients together and made rice balls out of it. You have sweet, savoury and umami in each bite of the rice ball. Yum Yum. A must order if you are there.

Flying Fish Roe with Rice- Jumeogbab

Flying Fish Roe with Rice- Jumeogbab

Of course, side dishes - banchan are important in any Korean restaurant. On average, they served about 8 to 12 side dishes on rotation. Most of them are good as it compromises the spicy and not spicy side dishes as well.

Side Dishes - banchan

Side Dishes - banchan

The service is here is friendly and efficient. The staff strength is sufficient as the staff will be the one grilling the meat to ensure it is cooked just right.

Overall, Obba definitely has gained our approval as the place to go to fill our cravings for Korean Beef BBQ. Although we find the pork at our Guiga is better, however, the soup here is much better, and the attraction of their Jumeogbab. As they open until 8 AM daily, you have a lot of time to enjoy Korean BBQ. Gun Bae!! Cheers!!

Food & Drinks: 8/10
Value: 7.75/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Budget per Person: $26 - $50

O.BBa BBQ Tanjong Pagar
63 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088484

T: +6222 0840
IG: @O.bba_bbq
OH: Daily 12.00 – 08.00


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