Taking over Hokkaido Izakaya at Tanjong Pagar, On Dol is now serving Korean hot stone BBQ and affordable Ssambap lunch sets.
With the exterior retaining similar vibes to the previous stall, one may unknowingly walk past and not notice On Dol. The interior retains much of the original wood elements from Hokkaido Izakaya. However, it is now decorated with photos of Korean dishes on the side of the walls and low-hanging lights from a tall ceiling.
At the entrance, you’ll be greeted by a row of electric pot rice cookers, something not commonly seen in Singapore. Seems like they brought the machine from Korea, since everything from the labels to instructions is in Korean.
What is Ssambap?
Ssam means wrap in Korea, while bap means rice. Basically, you use a piece of lettuce to wrap rice, meat and sauces and eat it together.
$18 Ssambap Lunch Set at Ondol
For the lunch set at On Dol, there is a minimum order for 2 pax. For this price, you get to choose a main, either stir-fried pork, grilled beef brisket, bulgogi, pork belly or thin-sliced pork belly.
It also comes with a soup, a whole range of fresh vegetables, side dishes, and a pot of rice.
Do note that the price stated is before GST and service charge. *Update: The lunch set is now priced at $24 (accurate as of 29 Aug 2021)
Wide Variety of Vegetables
This is probably our first time seeing such a wide variety of vegetables being served at a Korean restaurant in Singapore.
Besides the usual lettuce, it also came with Perilla leaves, peppers, kale, beet leaves and more. There are a total of 11 types of vegetables.
Banchan (Side Dishes)
There was a total of 10 side dishes, including the ones that went on the grill.
- Kimchi
- Beansprouts
- Green Onion Kimchi (부추김치)
- Cucumber Kimchi (오이소박이): crunchy and refreshing
- Potato Salad: just your normal mashed potato salad
- Pickled Radish (쌈무): it’s similar to those yellow pickled radish you see in Jjajangmyeon stores
- Soy Sauce Braised Beef with Quail Eggs: the meat was slightly tough
- Young Radish Kimchi (열무김치): not 100% sure it’s young radish leaves, but this had a nice sharp, spicy kick to it
- Salted and Fermented Squid (오징어 젓갈): nice, savoury and chewy
- Apple Salad (사라다): tastes like your typical fruit salad
As for the sauces, Ondol provided the basic sesame oil and Ssamjang. Interestingly, they also provided a pinch of curry powder and roasted soybean powder.
Chadolbaegi (Beef Brisket)
Before the meat was served to us, they put some vegetables on to the grill (yes, more stuff!) such as potato slices, sweet potato slices, pumpkin, mushrooms and corn.
The meat itself was decent, similar to most cuts we’ve had at other Korean BBQs.
Make sure to make your own Ssam while you’re here! Our favourite recipe is placing some meat on lettuce and a piece of perilla leaf, along with some Ssamjang, kimchi and rice. You can have some fun experimenting!
Pork Belly
We also ordered an extra serving of black pork belly ($25) which went well with the grilled kimchi. Being marketed as black pork belly, we kind of expected more, but it tasted similar to normal pork belly. They also have a premium version of black pork belly at $35, maybe that would have been more mind-blowing.
Seafood Soybean Paste Stew
As part of the Ssambap set, we got to choose a soup and we settled for the soybean paste stew.
It came with a generous amount of seafood, such as crab, mussels, clams, and prawns. It was good, but we did think the stew could have been less salty.
Stone Pot Rice (돌솥밥)
If you think that was all, you’re wrong.
Each person gets their own hot pot rice as well. The rice is usually served in a hot stone pot, like your Bibimbaps, but they are served in a metal pot here at Ondol. The staff will help to scoop your rice up into a bowl while adding some soup to the pot so you can enjoy some scorched rice soup.
Maybe because it wasn’t cooked in a stone pot, the scorched rice didn’t have much of a crust, and the burnt taste wasn’t prominent as well.
However, we really enjoyed the rice as it was well-cooked, soft, and fluffy.
New Korean BBQ Restaurant in Tanjong Pagar
Overall, the meat quality here at On Dol is generally ok and similar to most Korean BBQ outlets. However, what set them apart was the quality of the side dishes and a variety of vegetables. The service was great as well, with the staff constantly checking on us to see if we needed anything more.
It’s a great place to experience Korean BBQ in Singapore, with the affordable lunch set being another good reason to visit.
On Dol
95 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088516
Mon-Sun, 11:30am-11pm
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar Exit A
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