There’s plenty of new Korean restaurants that have been sprouting up in Singapore lately: from luxurious fine-dining spots, famous chain restaurants, KBBQ, the list goes on. But among the sea of new openings, one Korean “restaurant” caught our eye, and it’s actually a private dining concept located within a condominium!
Tucked away in a condo apartment along Farrer Road is Bēok, a cosy private dining concept serving up contemporary yet unpretentious and authentic Korean cuisine. We also checked in with the team at Bēok if any license from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was required for them to operate, and it turns out that there isn’t! Aside from adhering to strict hygiene standards, we’re also told that all staff at Bēok have already attained the necessary Food Safety certifications required. As for the apartment, it’s tastefully decorated, with traditional Korean touches that make it feel more like home: like hand-painted floral artworks, ceramics imported from Icheon in Korea (famed for their ceramic crafts), embroidered Korean knots and “wealth bags” handmade by a Korean grandma, among others.
The idea for Bēok was born out of the founders’ love for their Korean culture and food, and the desire to share authentic Korean dishes you might not find elsewhere in Singapore with fellow foodies. This passion for Korean food is what led the Bēok’s founders to rent a cosy apartment space from where they can host small groups of guests in an intimate setting and deliver the most attentive service possible. The menu is conceptualised and created by a Korean chef, Aesil, who has experience working in various hotels and celebrity restaurants like Hyatt, Marina Bay Sands and Adrift. Bēok’s menus focus on traditional Korean cooking with a modern flair, while highlighting only the best seasonal produce available, much of which are imported directly from Korea. Bēok’s menu changes according to the seasons, and they’re currently serving an 8-course Summer menu till mid-September 2024.
As with authentic Korean cooking, the dishes presented by Bēok spotlights the natural flavours of the ingredients, so you’ll get clean-tasting dishes without lots of overly heavy seasoning or additional sauces—letting you really taste each ingredient in its purest form. The Summer course sees plenty of refreshing and health-boosting dishes, naturally, which is also great for beating Singapore’s heat. And the dishes are served to us by none other than Bēok’s very own resident Korean oppa, Jackson, who will enthusiastically explain every component of each dish and constantly be cracking jokes during your meal, making the entire dining experience a warm and homely one indeed.
Makgeolli Bread
Eggplant Rice Chip
Maesil Tomato
We started off the meal strong with a trio of Amuse Bouche that were meticulously made and intricately presented. The steamed Makgeolli Bread shaped like leaves and flowers had a unique chewy texture, much like glutinous buns, and had a unique tangy, fermented taste that paired well with the savoury and umami burnt corn butter. The Eggplant Rice Chip was one of our favourites from the appetiser set, with ultra crunchy fried eggplant shaped into a “taco” encasing a subtly herbaceous perilla hummus. The Maesil Tomato was juicy and oh-so-refreshing, made with green plum extract that takes an entire year to make!
Scallop Naengchae
Fish Jjim
For seafood lovers who love sashimi, the Scallop Naengchae is something to look forward to, with sashimi-grade Hokkaido scallops that have been lightly torched for a hint of smokiness. The sweet and tender scallops were the perfect balance to the citrusy orange wedges and celery oil sauce. You’ve got to get a little of everything on the plate for the best bite. We’re familiar with cabbage-wrapped meat, so the cabbage-wrapped Fish Jjim dish was something pretty new to us, though a very welcome surprise. The fork-tender cod fish tasted light on its own, but paired with the traditional Korean spicy sauce and sunchoke chips—gave a whole new textural experience to the dish.
Dongchimi Naengmyeon
Following the “refreshing” Summer theme of the course comes the Dongchimi Naengmyeon, an incredibly complex dish that’s so much more than a simple bowl of cold noodles. You have ingredients like mushrooms, radish and floral garnishes literally “hidden” within the swirls of noodles to be slowly unraveled altogether as you mix them up. Even the broth is unique, chilled with leaf-shaped mulberry leaf tea ice cubes that’ll slowly melt and change the taste of the broth as you eat.
Sutbul Neobiani
Sutbul Anchang
Our favourite course has got to be the meats; and this course is prepared on the balcony, grilled over binchotan for that amazing charcoal fire aroma. We had Sutbul Neobiani, which is hand-chopped Duroc Pork and Sutbul Anchang, or Tajima Wagyu Outside Skirt. The chopped pork patty was meaty and juicy, but the wagyu beef was truly the star of the show. We’re told that the wagyu has a marbling score of 7 or 8, and it’s cooked to the perfect medium well for maximum tenderness. The meats are paired with perilla oil salad and celery pickles, all of which are made in-house.
Jeonbok & Dak Scorched Rice Porridge
Omija Panna Cotta
What’s an Asian meal without some carbs? The final main course comes in the form of Jeonbok & Dak Scorched Rice Porridge, a comforting and hearty dish made with glutinous rice and barley, organic chicken, abalone and 6-year Korean ginseng—essentially a combination of all the quintessential health-boosting ingredients Koreans love. The taste itself is reminiscent of samgyetang, or Korean ginseng chicken soup, but in porridge form, and we’d gladly gobble bowls of this especially on sick days. Dessert was Omija Panna Cotta, a jiggly pudding-like dessert that was not too sweet, with peach compote, basil espuma and basil tuille—a creation that was almost too pretty to eat.
Bēok is available for booking from Monday to Sunday for only 1 seating per day, either lunch (starting from 12pm to 1.30pm) or dinner (starting from 6.30pm to 7.30pm). The current Summer menu is priced from $105 nett per person (for a group of 6-10 persons) or $115 nett per person (for a group of 4 persons). A minimum of 4 persons in a group is required to book, or you also have the option of booking out the entire space for $460 nett. Bēok’s food might not be the kind of food that you think of when it comes to the idea of “Korean food”, but is no less authentic. If you’re looking to explore traditional Korean cuisine with a modern and elevated touch, along with unforgettable hospitality, Bēok is definitely a gem to add to your list.
Taste: 9/10
Price: $$
Favourite dish(es): Eggplant Rice Chip, Scallop Naengchae, Sutbul Anchang
Bēok
Address: Along Farrer Road, Singapore (exact address given upon booking)
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 12pm or 6.30pm onwards
