Um Yong Baek

After hearing about the opening of the Um Yong Baek, I have been trying to get a slot to try their famous Dwaeji Gukbap

Opened in mid-2022, Um Yong Baek is widely featured in the Korean media and is less known in Singapore since Dwaeji Gukbap is not common in local Korean restaurants. Dwaeji Gukbap is a pork bone soup cooked by boiling pork bones for an extended period and served with rice and various cuts of pork meat and is widely available in Busan. Those who have travelled to Busan will know the popularity of Dwaeji Gukbap as there are various Dwaeji Gukbap restaurants all across Busan

Their first outlet at Boon Tat Street has been packed with people since it opened in May 2022. I have been trying to get a reservation since early 2023 which was impossible. I even tried heading down to the outlet on a Saturday just 10 minutes passed their opening time and the slots for lunch were already fully taken up. This round I chose a weekday and did a queue booking at 10.30am using their online queue site which put me in queue number 4036 with 58 people before me. I made sure to arrive 5 mins before their opening time at 11am to make sure my queue number was not skipped. I was expecting to get a table in the 2nd round but I was pleasantly surprised that the staff cleared all the people already waiting at their door as long as you have a queue number. So do make sure that you are at the door waiting with your queue as they will not wait to sit guests in the queue sequence

The interiors immediately reminded me of a cosy home-cooked restaurant in Korea with wooden tables and tatami seating at the front of the restaurant and more modern tables and seating at the back of the restaurant. The kitchen is partially open concept where you can see the action as the Chefs prepare bowls and bowls of soup

The table at the back sits mostly in small groups of 2 to 3 people and is quite tight as the table is optimised for 2 bowls of soup and a plate of meat. For any additional orders, you will have to clear some dishes before more food can be placed on the table. The tables are meant to sit 4 people but are separated by the utensils box and condiments to house 2 groups of 2 so this is not the perfect place for private chats. Every table was served 4 plates of sides which included kimchi, pickled green chilli, chives with chilli and raw garlic with bean paste and Cheongyang chilli. A pot of sea salt and fermented salted shrimp is also provided for seasoning the soup to each diner’s personal preference

There were 2 types of pork soup; the Busan style and the Milyang style which is pretty different in flavours. The boss was repeating to each customer that their soup is boiled for at least 8 hours with no added seasoning or MSG so diners can taste the original flavours and season the soup to taste with the provided sea salt and salted shrimp. Both soups were topped with slices of pork collar, pork cheek, pork stomach and short grain rice. The different meat in the soup is boiled separately with each of their own cooking methods for a softer and more delicious taste and is different from the meat used in cooking the broth. Even the rice was cooked using a special traditional Korean cooking method to remove the starch and allow the broth flavour to permeate through the rice

The Busan style is a clear-styled soup which is made by roasting meat from aged pork giving it a natural sweetness of the pork meat. The soup has a strong pork flavour but was almost as light as fish soup. The rice picked up the broth perfectly and was great when eaten with the meat and kimchi piled together. The different cuts of meat were extremely tender with no overpowering porky smell or taste

The Milyang-style was visually very different with their soup looking milky white and topped with a spoonful of chopped chives. The broth is made by boiling various bones (pork bone, backbone, neck bone, foot, tail) for a long period of time. At first taste, the broth was thick and creamy and reminded me of the Tonkotsu ramen broth. Beyond the milky flavours, you can taste the sweetness of the pork and the chives added an additional layer of peppery flavour

The next item which almost stole the limelight from the soup rice was the Suyuk which is the boiled pork belly with skin. Similar to Bossam, the Suyuk is steamed instead of boiled to achieve the same tenderness. There are many ways to eat the Suyuk as advised by the staff; 1st to eat the Suyuk with sea salt, 2nd with chives and steamed garlic, 3rd with salted hairtail fish, after which you can have any of the side dishes like kimchi, chilli chives or raw garlic. I also ordered an additional salted pollack roe which can be eaten with the Suyuk or with the soup rice.

While the Suyuk looks fatty and oily, it is amazingly non-greasy as the moment you place the meat in your mouth, the fats immediately melt in your mouth and provide a juicy environment for the tender meat. My favourite way of eating the Suyuk was the sea salt and the steamed garlic with chives. The sea salt allows you to taste the natural flavours of the meat with a hint of saltiness from the salt whereas the steamed garlic adds a creamy kick to the meat so there is an explosion of flavours in your mouth

There was a crazy queue outside when I finished my meal at 12.30pm and people were all willing to wait for a table so I was glad I came really early. As the Dwaeji Gukbap is limited to 80 bowls per day and only available during lunch, I would recommend visiting as early as possible. The dinner menu changes to aged pork barbeque so it will take on another different group of diners. I also noted their notice that a 2nd outlet is opening nearby so it might be easier to get a table next time

Overall, I have tried at least 2 other restaurants which also offer Dwaeji Gukbap but Um Yong Baek definitely takes the crown. Eating their soup made me so happy that I felt like I was in Busan. If you are looking for authentic good Dwaeji Gukbap, you need to visit Um Yong Baek

Address: 27 Boon Tat St, #01, Singapore 069623

Operating hours: 11 am to 3pm and 5.30 pm to 10 pm ( Closed on Sun)