Yoogane

Yoogane
200 Victoria Street
#02-47 Bugis Junction

3 Gateway Drive
#03-08 Westgate

313 Orchard Road
#B3-37 313@Somerset

4 Tampines Central 5
#01-33A Tampines Mall

23 Serangoon Central
#B1-28 NEX

https://www.facebook.com/yoogane.singapore

Great Tasting Korean Chicken Galbi

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 6
Spent about SGD $32 per person.

.....

A popular galbi franchise founded in 1981 in the city of Busan, in Yeongnam region, South Korea, Yoogane has since gone international, opening its doors in Singapore in May 2014. Yoogane specialises in chicken galbi, which refers to marinated chicken meat that is grilled on a hot pan. The meat itself is marinated in ganjang sauce, a type of soy sauce made from fermented soy beans, giving it a savoury, sweet, and spicy taste.

Ambience at Yoogane resembles a typical Korean barbecue, with large tables sectioned off with low partitions, bright flourescent lighting and a high ceiling. The open space allows for air circulation, always important in a Korean barbecue, and although the smell of grilled meats does still cling to you, it's not too strong. The tables themselves are sparse but functional, spacious enough to accomodate the large grilling pan, as well as several side dishes. I did find the low hanging cabinets under the table irritating though, as my legs kept banging against it.

Service at Yoogane is very good... when it's not crowded. Staff greet you, give you attention, and are knowledgable enough to advise on the menu. They're also trained by chefs from the Korea outlets to assist customers to cook / prepare the food at the table, though they're only able to do this when it's not crowded. Or, you can choose to cook the food yourself, but do heed their advice on preparation. Due to the grill-at-table nature of galbi, there is quite a bit of work in setting up, and tearing down, during your meal, so staff are almost always circling around to assist. Thumbs up for that!

Food at Yoogane is focused on their speciality of chicken galbi. This is typically paired with other ingredients like seafood and vegetables, all cooked together on the hot grilling pan. Communal dining is a must here, as orders are for a minimum of 2 diners, although I find portions to be slightly small. However, taste is very good, their ganjang sauce pairs well with meat, vegetables, and starch! Yoogane also offers a free-flow salad bar, although variety is limited. I personally find prices slightly high due to the small portion sizes, budget about SGD $32 or more per person for a meal here.

.....

The clean but unattractive interior can get rather noisy during peak periods, when the sound of chatter and grilling fills the air. They offer complementary foldable paper mascots if there is a queue.

Yoogane Signage

Yoogane Mascot

Yoogane Toys

Yoogane Seating

Items from the free-flow salad bar are complimentary with each meal. The Kkakdugi / Cubed Pickled Daikon Radish here comes in an uncommon bright yellow, but works great as a refreshing palate cleanser as galbi can be quite heavy. The unique Coleslaw With Strawberry Sauce also stood out for me, the crunch of the cabbage with the sweetness of the strawberry sauce is unusual, but pleasant.

Coleslaw With Strawberry Sauce

Kkakdugi / Cubed Pickled Daikon Radish

I sampled the Chicken Galbi With Chukkumi Octopus (SGD $43.80 for Minimum 2 diners), and the Combination Dokboki / Ddukbokki / Tteokbokki (SGD $6.90), which comes with a trio of rice cakes, including traditional / original, sweet potato, and cheese rice cakes. Each order of galbi is served with a medley of fresh vegetables (spring onions, leeks, daikon radish, cabbage). All the ingredients are cooked together until the ganjang sauce coats everything.

I find the combination of savoury, sweet, spicy taste to be very appealing, and the spice level is low enough that it doesn't distract from the other flavours. The vegetables lend a nice contrast of crunchy texture, complementing the soft, tender chicken meat, and the fresh, chewy octopus. The traditional / original rice cake is decent, but the flavour I like best is the sweet potato rice cake, with a sweet, gooey interior. The cheese rice cake was not that great, as the small amount of cheese within didn't do much to enhance the flavour. Overall, a very good dish, although it's slightly oily, and the flavour can be rather one-note after awhile... and once you order it once, everything else tastes almost similar.