The deepest impression this Korean BBQ restaurant left me was the service. The floor staff were a bit grumpy, which I didn’t mind, but the manager was very professional and friendly. When we were paying, he inquired how the food was. We said the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake, $22) was bland and tasteless, and he didn’t charge us for it.

A patented recipe from Korean celebrity chef Paik Jong Won, Borgna’s signature meat, woo samgyup (beef brisket, $28/200g) came pink, as if it hadn’t been marinated. Mansinchang samgyupsal ($24/200g) was a bland pork belly. And yangnyum galbi ($45/2 pcs) is prime cut beef ribs marinated in house special sauce. To be honest, they were all a bit bland and only ok.

The food was forgettable and costly, and everything–from service to ambience–was average. Having eaten at  some really good and affordable Korean restaurants in Singapore, being average was just not good enough. Including a few other items like kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew, $15) and jap chae (glass noodles, $23), 6 of us paid about $45 each.

Bornga Vivo

1 Harbourfront Ave, #02-123/124, Singapore 098585
T: 6376 8268
11.30am-10pm daily
Rating: 2.989/5 stars

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.