Located around the River Valley area along Havelock Rd is The Butcher’s Dining, a trendy Korean gourmet butchery with an in-house restaurant.
Korean Butchery & Mart in Singapore
Stepping into The Butcher’s Dining felt like stepping into a modern butchery in Gangnam. From the LED-lit ceiling to shelves filled with quality sourced items from various brands, shopping here was a treat for the eyes.
One of the main brands showcased here was MIMC (Myeongin Myeongchon). The Korean brand wants to show the quintessence of Korean taste and flavour through its items. You can spot lesser-seen items like Jeju Fish Soy Sauce, Sweet Rice Syrup, and Plum Gochujang.
There are also lifestyle items such as dinnerware, magazines, and more from brands like Hohodang and coffee beans and drip coffee from a Busan Cafe and roastery, WERK.
Most people would be attracted by the beautiful cuts of meat on display, from beef to pork. You can find cuts like Oyster Blade, Diamond Cut Short Rib, Flap Tail, and Spain Duroc Pork Belly.
The Butcher’s Dining also has its own range of meal kits, with items like Bulgogi Jungol, Galbi Jjim, and Shabu Shabu.
Menu at The Butcher’s Dining
Right beside the butchery is a 20-seater restaurant serving a simple menu of Korean food. The interior reminded us of popular restaurants in Seoul in areas like Seongsu or Garusogil.
Their menu is rather straightforward, with items like Duroc Pork Collar Steak ($21.80), TBD Cheese Burger ($18.90), Spicy Pulled Pork Burger ($18.90), and Stir-fried Mushroom Bulgogi ($18.90). Everything is done through a QR code that will lead you to a Yqueue website, where you can order and make payments online.
We were looking forward to trying out the Gimbaps, but they are no longer part of the menu as of now.
The restaurant also serves beverages and coffee using beans from WERK Roasters, a cafe in Busan.
Tteokgalbi
The Tteokgalbi ($3.20/pc) was something like a pre-meal appetizer, served in a small metal plate. Inside the minced beef/pork patty were pieces of rice cake that were chewy, adding textures to the crumbly patty.
The pumpkin puree served alongside was savoury and had a subtle sweetness to it.
Old School Duroc Pork Cutlet
While many Singaporeans know about Jjajangmyeon and KBBQ, one of the lesser talked about dishes from Korea is tonkatsu. The Korean version differs from the Japanese version and is usually drenched in sauce served with a side of rice and salad.
The Butcher’s Dining version was served with a side of white rice (cooked to perfection btw), macaroni salad, and danmuji (pickled radish). We loved how the danmuji was spiced, which felt different from the usual ones.
The Old School Duroc Pork Cutlet ($25.80) took us by surprise with the deep-fried pork cutlet being bigger than the size of our palms. Unlike the usual pork cutlets that tend to be on the drier side, the one here was tender and juicy.
MIMC Iced Lemon Ginger Tea
Using ingredients from Myeongin Myeongchon, the Iced Lemon Ginger Tea ($7.50) was a nice balance of refreshing flavours with a pinch of spice from the ginger. It wasn’t too overpowering and provided a nice relief from the Singapore heat.
Interesting Korean Brands at The Butcher’s Dining
The Butcher’s Dining proves itself to be different from the usual Korean marts with high-quality products from various brands. The staff were also super attentive and friendly, explaining each brand story in detail.
Hopefully, the restaurant would expand its menu in the future to offer lesser-seen Korean food items in Singapore.
The Butcher’s Dining
593 Havelock Rd, #01-03, Singapore 169641
Mon-Sun, 10:30am-8pm. Restaurant opens from 11:30am
*This is an independent review by MiddleClass.sg.
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