Cuisine: Korean
Address: 22 Cross St, #01-64, Singapore 048421
Nearest MRT: Chinatown Station (Northeast / Downtown line)

Famous for authentic charcoal grilled barbecue, signature seafood & kimchi pancake and bibimbap, Wang Dae Bak has established a name for itself within the Singapore community since 2011. It currently owns 3 outlets, of which one is nearer to Chinatown and the other 2 are at Amoy Street. It is known for its authentic quality charcoal Korean BBQ. The other outlet is called Wand Dae Bak Pocha, which means a covered wagon, which is common for a street food vendor.

Looking at the interior of the restaurant, the floor was quite greasy due to the sizzling meat. The tables are arranged quite packed together and the decor of the restaurant feels like you’re stuck in the 1980s. The staff were very busy trying to serve all the customers because there were many occupied tables at dinner time, which goes to show how popular this Korean place is.

We were given roasted tea for the table drinks. After that, we decided to start the party by ordering a somaek tower (2 litres – $49). It was a cocktail made of soju and maekju (beer), of which we can choose the soju flavour – green grape.

As with any typical Korean restaurant, an array of side dishes was served. The Korean small plates called banchan (which literally translates to “side dishes,”) are served ahead of the main course. If you finish any of the dishes and want a refill, the waitress would top up (for free). Some people in Korea actually only order one dish with rice, and then they stuff themselves full with the side dishes.

We ordered the japchae ($10) which is fried vermicelli. No Korean feast is complete without a colorful plate of japchae, a stir-fry of glass noodles and vegetables. … it means a “mixture of vegetables,” which describes both the dish as well as the method with which it is prepared. The japcahe was a bit too sweet and there was no ingredients inside which was disappointing.

The Half Half pancake ($25) was really huge and it is a good dish for sharing. It was one half made of kimchi and the other half was seafood. I like the sides of the pancake because it was crispy. I remember making the pancake at home and it was still quite wet because my pan was not heated enough or I did not use enough oil. The soy sauce with cut chilli dip goes well with the kimchi pancake.

Next we had the BBQ items. The mushroom set was really delicious after grilling it. Since the original taste of mushrooms is nothing, but adding some butter and grilling it on the hot plate brought out excellent taste of the mushroom. For the hotplate, there was a well surrounding it, so the stuff would pour an egg mixture that would form an omelette when it hardens. This is the first time I have seen this, as other places normally charge for steamed egg on the menu and also they would pour cheese into the pan.

The set menu B ($49) that we ordered includes marinated boneless prime ribs, pork belly, marinated pork collar and spicy marinated chicken. The meat seems little, but after cooking it we were all satisfied with the portions as we did not want to consume too much meat. I enjoyed the juicy texture of the prime ribs. The advantage of ordering the set menu is that we get to try different types of meat. For April 2021, Wang Dae Bak has actually introduced several other meat sets such as Soul meat set (3-4 pax) and the Party set (6-8 pax), you can see the menu here.

One of the ladies requested for something soupy, so we also ordered a Budae Jjigae or army stew ($39). This can feed 3 people but we also had other dishes, so it was more than enough. There is an option to add cheese topping for $3 and they even charge for soup top up at $3 from the second time onwards! The army stew contained your typical items of canned food, Korean instant noodles and some meat. The soup became too thick towards the end as most people finished the ingredients. We added more noodles at $3 as many people at the table enjoy eating Korean ramen.

Overall, I enjoyed the lovely atmosphere and the authentic Korean food at Wang Dae Bak. I hope to be back again with other friends. Coupled with a beer tower and the incessant noise, it felt like I was truly in a Korean restaurant and enjoying my meal with family. Perhaps next time I can check out the outlet at Amoy Street which is less crowded. For reservations, please click on this link.