We went in blind: we didn’t know that Pujim Korean BBQ at Amoy Street is an upscale BBQ restaurant. Judging from the prices we saw on some of the food blogs, we thought the prices were reasonable, but we were misled.

Banchan (Korean side dishes)

As usual, the banchan (side dishes) is complimentary and freeflow. It comes with steamed egg and an interesting leek salad and sweet pickled celery although the most important of all Korean staples, kimchi, is disappointing. Neither the radish kimchi nor cabbage kimchi is crisp as it should be.

Steamed egg, the highlight among the complimentary banchan

Seafood pancake

The one dish I regret ordering is the seafood pancake at a freaking $38. The menu shows a photo of the pancake without any pricing. I thought it would be around $20. It’s just flour, eggs, leeks, squid, and some prawns–how is the price tag justified?

Granted it comes in a huge portion enough for 6 to 8 people. I’d rather they halve the portion and halve the price. It makes a lot more sense.

Tastewise, it is ok. It’s slightly greasy, and the uncut leeks make it hard to eat, but there are a couple of big tiger prawns.

Tofu seafood stew

We ordered the Beef and Pork set for 2 ($75) which includes pork collar (150g), beef shortrib (150g), and a choice of soup with a bowl of bean rice. My recent dining experience at SBCD Korean tofu stew was so unforgettable that I ordered the tofu seafood stew here to relive the memory… but unfortunately it pales in comparison.

Although the stew is packed with seafood and tofu, it tastes like Shin ramyeon seasoning soup without all the delicious soybean-ness that SBCD has.

Beef shortrib on charcoal grill

They use charcoal grill for their bbq, which is really the only way to go when you’re eating Korean bbq. Eating gas bbq is just a waste of time.

The servers grill the food for you. If I were a waiter, I would feel so stressed, having to cook for customers.

Pork belly ($13 / 100g)

Their pork items are quite something. The Duroc pork belly ($18) can be cooked normal or crispy. Crispy, always choose crispy. And it’s sooooooo fantastic. It is crispy but not oily. Everytime I ate a piece, I would give a shout of surprise. My eating companions complained, “You praised the pork belly enough already.” LOL.

Beef and pork set

The other pork item, pork collar, comes as part of the “beef and pork” set. It’s cut into small bite-sized portions, all curled up when cooked, and it’s naturally sweet with animal juices.

Their beef items are not bad, but nowhere close to the flavours of pork. Part of the “beef and pork” set, their beef shortrib comes without bones (most Korean bbq serve them with bones). It feels too thin and when put in the mouth, it feels lost and lonely.

The marinated beef brisket ($18 / 100g) is listed as their signature but it is marinated too sweetly and merely tastes like nicely cooked bulgogi beef.

After cooking, servers put the meat on a piece of bread by the side of the grill. This prevents overcooking and the bread absorbs the oil.
I ate part of the bread, the part that was still white, not charred black by the heat. It was delicious.

It’s fair to conclude that the cooked items (stewed soup and pancake) aren’t their speciality and it is best to stick to the bbq items, especially the delicious pork. They have enough pork items that you should be able to make a feast out of pork, without touching the beef.

While their bbq items are excellent, they are priced way too high. Including two bottles of beer, we paid $198 for three persons. It’s outrageous. At this price, I’d rather go to a good Japanese yakiniku to eat Japanese BBQ beef or hop two doors down to Wang Dae Bak at Amoy Street which averages $30-$40 per pax.

Because of the price point, we won’t return.

Pujim BBQ
82 Amoy Street Singapore 069901
t: +65 6224 1588
Weekdays 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 11pm
Weekends 5pm – 11pm
facebook

Food: 7.25/10
Value/price: 4/10
Decor/ambience: 6.5/10
Service: 7/10

You may be interested in…
– Twins Korean Restaurant, Tanjong Pagar: Super Delicious Korean Fried Chicken by Hot Twin Chefs
– Bornga Korean Restaurant, Vivocity: By Korean Celebrity Chef Paik Jong Won
– Don Dae Bak 돈대박, Kreta Ayer: Awesomest Charcoal Korean BBQ Buffet at $19.90!
– Daessiksin 大食神, Orchard Gateway: Korean BBQ Buffet for $14.90!

Written by Dr. A. Nathanael Ho.