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| 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.
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| 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!!
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| Prime Beef – Ggok Sol |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Black Pork Belly and Pork Skin |
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| 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.
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| Black Pork Belly |
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| 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.
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| Pork Skin |
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| Pork Skin |
Steamed Egg – GaeRanJ jim ($5).
Fluffy and fragrant. One of my preferred side dishes in a Korean Restaurant.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Soondae / Blood Sausage in Pork Soup |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Flying Fish Roe with Rice- Jumeogbab |
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| 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.
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| Side Dishes - banchan |
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| 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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