Il Pum Korea BBQ is a new KBBQ restaurant located in Amara Hotel, serving their speciality handmade Korean-style tofu! They also have a menu of premium KBBQ prepared by Chef Park Seong-won, who has served former Presidents Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, and Roh Moo-hyun.
Clean & Practical Interior
The restaurant has a simple layout, with group tables and in-built barbecue grills. You can watch the chefs prepare the meat through an open kitchen in the front, and there are private rooms for special occasions.
An interesting point was the showcase of traditional Korean artifacts that lined the restaurant’s entrance!
Il Pum KBBQ Menu
A speciality of the restaurant is its housemade tofu, which you can try in different forms. There is the Pureed Soybean Stew (콩비지 찌개, $16) and the Kimchi Soybean Pancakes (김치콩비지전, $18) made with the soybean pulp!
The menu offers both classic Korean BBQ cuts and traditional Korean dishes. There are KBBQ set menus available for 2 to 4 people for either beef or pork. Each set menu features different cuts like their signature Ilpum Pork Tomahawk (토마호크), Beef Rib Finger (갈비살) and Beef Long Ribs (우대갈비).
Other accompanying dishes include Kimchi Jeon ($20), Seafood Soybean Paste Stew ($16) and even Bossam ($50).
They also offer lunch set menus starting at $20, with options like a Cockle & Vegetable Bibimbap ($20), Grilled Pork Shoulder Blade ($24) and Grilled Mackerel ($25).
Pork KBBQ Set Menu
We tried the Pork KBBQ B Set ($189) that feeds 3 to 4 people, with 6 different cuts! The stars were the thick-cut pork belly, grilled till a golden brown.
It was equal parts juicy and fat, with a slight crunch from the grill. They provide ssamjang and vegetables, which were perfect for a ssam!
The pork tomahawk was meatier and had a good texture, but we recommend eating it while hot to preserve the texture. We quite enjoyed the variety of meat cuts provided which ranged from lean to fatty.
Beef KBBQ Set Menu
Those who prefer beef can get the Beef KBBQ B Set ($289) which presents premium beef cuts like beef rib eye (꽃등심) with flower-like fat marbling and the gigantic beef ribs, Woodae Galbi (우대갈비).
Each cut had an alluring marbling pattern unique to Korean-style beef, which was enough to whet our appetites. The meats had a rich fattiness despite the minimal seasoning, although we also recommend you enjoy it with wasabi!
Our two highlights were the Woodaegalbi and marinated ribs (양념갈비살). The galbi is served with its bone (which we shamelessly enjoyed) and was cooked till just tender. Their marinade was also a good balance of sweet and savoury, complementing the fattiness of the beef!
Tofu Kimchi
As mentioned, Il Pum’s tofu dishes are a must-try! Every part of the soybean is utilised, a part of Korean cuisine which is hard to find in Singapore.
The best way to enjoy their handmade tofu is the Tofu Kimchi (두부김치), which is included in their KBBQ sets. This dish features tofu with a stir-fry of their aged kimchi and pork for a perfect pairing.
The combination of the soft, fragrant tofu and savoury, slightly fatty kimchi mixture was delicious; and we could taste the effort put into the tofu!
Sundubu Jjigae
You can also try a different type of tofu in their Subdubu Jjigae (순두부찌개, $15), available white or with seafood ($16). This tofu was crumbly and silkier, providing a creaminess to the spicy seafood broth.
The white version is plain, allowing you to appreciate the clean and almost sweet flavour of the soybean.
Kimchi Soybean Pancakes
One unique dish is the Kimchi Soybean Pancakes (김치콩비지전, $18) made with the soy pulp from making tofu.
This tasted lighter than the usual kimchi jeon, which can be quite oily. The soy pulp added a nice ‘meatiness’ and complemented the spice and tang of the kimchi. It’s an interesting dish you don’t see often in restaurants here so we recommend you try it!
Noodle Dishes
We got to try an assortment of Korean-style noodles, including Soybean Noodles (콩국수, $16) with a thick soybean broth.
This comes unseasoned so you can add salt to taste. Since it’s freshly made, the broth had a strong yet clean fragrance of soybeans. It’s recommended you pair this with their grilled BBQ meats for a balanced bite!
There’s also the Spicy Cold Noodles (비빔냉면, $16) a classic pairing with KBBQ. Their iteration is perfectly seasoned with spicy and sweet, together with the slightly chewy noodles!
For something comforting, there’s the Banquet Noodles (잔치국수, $16). This was served in a comforting dashi-based broth, which had a great umami flavour. The added toppings and seaweed flakes add more layers of flavour with each bite!
Korean Braised Short Ribs
Another hearty dish is the Galbi Jjim (갈비찜, $55, min. 2 pax). This was packed with vegetables and chunky beef short ribs in a thick soy sauce-based gravy.
The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and had absorbed the rich flavours of the gravy, which would go great with a bowl of white rice.
Seafood Pancake
A classic dish, the Seafood Pancake (해물파전, $20) was big! It was also generously filled with ingredients and had a good crisp on the outside. We liked that it wasn’t too oily either.
Korean Handmade Tofu In Singapore
Il Pum Korea BBQ’s dedication to preserving the Korean cooking method is clear in their dishes, and we think their tofu dishes are a must-try! Their KBBQ is also a good option if you fancy a hearty meal or gathering.
@middleclass.sg the tofu is LEGIT yummy and you can taste that its handmade 😭 #sgfoodies #fypsg #sgtiktok #tiktoksg #sgkoreanfood #sgkbbq ♬ Shhh – KISS OF LIFE
Il Pum Korea BBQ
Level 2 of the Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Rd, 088539
Open daily: 11am-11pm
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