Bulgogi Syo

Opened by Chef Chul Park, the founder of SEORAE a very popular Korean barbeque, Bulgogi Syo is a new Korean barbeque concept where the meats go through a unique 3 step grilling process. The 3 step process will see the meat being seared and torched in the open kitchen before being then flambéed at your tableside

The first outlet of Bulgogi Syo opened in Bugis and the 2nd one at Woodleigh one month later. During the initial launch, it was crowded at both outlets with many influencers reviewing the restaurant for their food. One unique thing that caught everyone’s eye was the huge torch used by the chef, which had high flames to torch the meat. I visited the Vivocity outlet this year and the crowd has since died down. At first glance, the outlet has a basic grey and wood decor which is kept simple and minimalistic

At the far end of the restaurant is the open kitchen where you can see the chef working on the grill with the gigantic torch so the tables near the kitchen tend to be slightly warmer than the tables in the front of the restaurant

In the middle of the restaurant, there is also a self-service counter where customers can help themselves with sauces, condiments like pepper and salt, and banchan. They offer 4 kinds of banchan; basic cabbage kimchi, tomato kimchi, macaroni mayonnaise and pickled radish. The kimchi is basic in terms of taste and is not particularly delicious. Still, the tomato kimchi is extremely delicious and appetizing as the tardiness of the tomato helps to cut the grease of the grilled meat. The macaroni was slightly hard when served with mayonnaise which I feel al dente doneness for the pasta was not suitable as a banchan

There are quite a variety of dishes on their menu and for first-timers, it is great for customers to order the combo as they will offer you a taste of the few different cuts of meat within the same hotplate

We ordered the pork combo which has grilled vegetables as part of the set and there are pumpkins, zucchini and onions together with a fried egg. Personally, I am not a fan of grilled pumpkin as I feel the flavour and texture of the pumpkin are lost. It was too soft and the sweetness did not come through from the grill. We did not really finish the vegetables

The set also came with a clay pot soup and we chose the kimchi jigae which was quite a big serving even though it was part of the combo set. The soup was nice and tangy with strong kimchi flavours with quite a load of ingredients like enoki mushrooms, tofu and vegetables. I would have ordered the soup on its own with rice as there was good depth to the soup flavours

Finally, the meat was the last item to be served as the chef had to grill it and torch it before the server flambéed it at the table. We had collar meat, pork belly as well as pork neck meat on the hotplate on top of onions. My favourite was the collar as I found the belly and neck meat slightly fatter but my nephew loved them. The triple grill method did increase the charred and smokey flavour of the meat without affecting the tenderness of the meat. The onions at the bottom also added a tad of sweetness to the meat which was the perfect balance

Last but not least, I ordered the squid as I like barbequed squid and it was served with thick bulgogi sauce which was both sweet and savoury. The squid was also nicely grilled with a charred flavour which enhanced the flavour of the squid

Overall, I like the concept of Bulgogi Syo offering small plates of barbeque meat for small eaters and lone eaters who are eating alone and do not want to go to a regular Korean barbeque restaurant. I have returned a couple of times for meals and I have changed to ordering the non-combo meals since I have found the items I prefer over other items

Address: 1 HarbourFront Walk, B2-29 VivoCity, Singapore 098585

Opening hours: 11.30 am to 9 pm ( 9.30 pm on Fri and Sat)