Song Gye Ok Review: Korea's cult-favourite chicken barbecue chain lands in Singapore

Time Out

a day ago

Think Korean barbecue and thick strips of samgyeopsal (pork belly) or slabs of galbi (beef ribs) might come to mind. Song Gye Ok offers something entirely new to Singapore's K-BBQ scene – grilled chicken over charcoal. Hailing straight from Seoul, the chain commands hour-long queues in the Korean capital, with even celebrities and TV food programs singing praises.
Its Singapore outlet is wedged in the buzzing Telok Ayer area, joining the company of other popular Korean barbecue outlets, so it must be doing something right to be earning snaking queues despite only offering one kind of protein on its menu.
The restaurant manages to replicate the look and feel of its Korean counterparts, with dark-wooden tones, rustic design elements, and Hanok-inspired interiors. For a more immersive dining experience, snag a seat along the raised counter tables under makeshift huts to watch the staff grill up your meal right before you. If you're dining in a big group, regular table seats are available too.
Song Gye Ok's claim to fame is its SGO signature grill platter (720 grams, $98) with six chicken cuts including rare parts like boneless chicken neck fillets, gizzards, hearts, and chicken breast softbone. The standard grill platter (470 grams, $68) does away with the boneless neck fillets, and both platters also include chicken thigh and tenders.
A word of caution: dining here isn't for the fainthearted, especially those who might find chicken innards (gizzard) or hearts a tad grisly to look at. If that's you, opt for a la carte portions of tenders, or chicken thigh ($20 per portion) to fill you up instead. But if you're down for a challenge, you'll grow to appreciate the medley of textures and flavours the platters offer, as they spotlight oft-overlooked parts of the chicken that can be just as delicious as the usual thigh or breast meat.
Our pick is the chicken heart, which is served first. Each piece is firm and bouncy, with just the right amount of that irony taste you'd expect. Customise each mouthful as you'd like, with some six condiments to play with – salt, sweet soy sauce, sriracha mayo, diced garlic, chopped shishito peppers, and shishito peppers in yuzu sauce. Apart from the chicken hearts, the classic chicken thighs impress as well. The smoky, charcoal-grilled flavour is most pronounced here, and our favourite way to enjoy this cut is with a simple dab of salt.
Despite our anticipation, the gizzards and softbone don't quite hit the spot. On their own, they have a naturally palatable taste, but otherwise, they're pretty much devoid of any flavour, so you might have to amp up the seasoning on these cuts.
Apart from chicken, Song Gye Ok Singapore serves up a lean menu of cooked dishes and sides, including samgak kimbap (grilled triangle rice ball, $8 for two) glazed with soy sauce and lightly torched; cold bibim noodles topped with minced chicken tenders ($24); and the signature doenjang stew (soybean paste stew, $24) which is heavily fermented with a grainy consistency and deep, rich profile. Visit during lunch hours for signature samgyetang sets by popular Korean restaurant Modu, including an outlet-exclusive truffle samgyetang ($34).