CheongDamChae Serves K-BBQ With An Automated Grill—Is It More Than A Gimmick?

CheongDamChae is a Korean BBQ restaurant in Telok Ayer with an automatic grill

Korean BBQ: a smoky, fiery experience best enjoyed with meat lovers who don’t mind bearing the cost of smelling like grilled meat on the way home. Like many Korean natives, I’m a fan of this experience. Especially after a long day at work, unwinding with juicy cuts of meat alongside a green, translucent bottle of soju over conversations with my friends is the way to go. 

When I first heard of CheongDamChae, I assumed it was like any other Korean BBQ restaurant, where meat is grilled manually; its grease and smoke subsumed into long exhaust pipes over each table. But I was wrong—the grill that crowns each table here is different. Instead of a stationary grill over a fire that requires your undivided attention when cooking your meats, CheongDamChae uses rolling metal rods that grill the meat as evenly as possible, ensuring a hassle-free experience. 

Curious to see if this innovation would make my life easier, I hurried down to CheongDamChae to check it out myself.

Food at CheongDamChae

Since I visited mainly for the unique rolling grill, I put it to the test with a variety of meat. I started with the Prime Rib ($52.80++), followed by the Duloc Pork Belly ($32.80++), and finally their Marinated Pork Collar ($28.80++). 

The metal rods start moving in sync, from left to right so the meat is cooked evenly without getting burnt. Frankly, the feature isn’t useful when grilling the meat but it comes in handy when the rods are automatically replaced with a new set upon the touch of a button. This means you can start cooking again instantly, instead of waiting for the staff to change the grill manually.

Each Prime Rib serving gets you 150g of beef—marbled and vibrant red with a fat-to-meat ratio that was just right. This ratio is key to achieving that juicy, tender bite I anticipate from a quality prime rib.

Here’s a tip: prime ribs, compared to pork belly and marinated pork collar, don’t require as much grilling time. Instead of flipping each piece multiple times, I recommend flipping twice—or at most thrice—to ensure that the juices within aren’t lost in the process.

When I was done with the Prime Rib, I moved on to the 220g of Marinated Pork Collar. Taste-wise, the pork collar wasn’t much to shout about; the sweet marinade, which just tasted like soya sauce, was lacking.

My favourite was their Duloc Pork Belly, starring 180g of fatty pork belly, which is a must-order for all K-BBQ experiences. Though slightly thick, each bite-sized slice still offered a chewy and almost buttery mouthfeel.

Overall, the rolling grill is a worthwhile innovation as it helps to save time when it comes to replacing the grill!

At this point, I needed something spicy to wash down the grease, and the Spicy Soft Bean Curd Stew ($17.80++) was the perfect choice.

FYI, you can choose between seafood and beef brisket for the stew. I went with the former as I wanted a touch of seafood after all the meat! A traditional earthenware pot comes packed with mildly spicy broth with enoki mushrooms, soft chunks of beancurd, finely chopped zucchini, fresh prawns, and sliced chilli as the finishing touch.

Every Korean will relate when I say any form of rice is indispensable to stew. That’s why I decided to get the Jumeok Rice ($8.80++), which translates to “fist rice”. A huge bowl that can easily feed three comes with a warm bed of rice topped with shredded seaweed, diced pickled radish, and a drizzle of mayo sauce.

All you have to do is wear a disposable glove, mix the ingredients, grab a small fistful, and make it into a bite-sized round ball.

Besides meat and stew, I always get a gyeran-jjim, AKA steamed egg to share with my friends at a K-BBQ restaurant, so I ordered the Bomb Steamed Egg ($8.80++). Fluffy on the outside and custardy at the core, the egg mixture was well-seasoned with some salt. Also, the portion size is great for two or three diners!

If you’re not in the mood for K-BBQ, I recommend getting the sotbap instead. For the uninitiated, sotbap is a traditional Korean pot rice topped with all kinds of delicious ingredients. Here, you get this dish in six variations. I tried the Prime Rib Hot Pot Rice ($34.80++) from the lot. Every order of sotbap comes with a side of mukguk, a beef and radish soup that helps to wash down any heavy flavours.

Though a tad pricey, the Prime Rib Hot Pot Rice is a hearty, filling meal for those working in the area. The only issue was the texture of the prime rib as it got a little tough when I left it unattended for some time. The saving grace was the raw yolk that added a bit of creaminess to the dish and softened the chewy bits of the beef.

Ambience at CheongDamChae

The restaurant is the epitome of how sometimes less is more; the interior is simple with no bold designs or colours, which I appreciated. It’s relatively spacious, accommodating no more than 50 diners at once! There are tables for pairs and bigger groups, making it an ideal spot for date nights, family meals, and corporate gatherings. Plus, it’s conveniently located just three minutes away from Telok Ayer MRT Station by foot.

The verdict

Having tried CheongDamChae’s offerings, I recommend visiting the restaurant not for the automated grill but for the fresh, quality meat and speedy service. After all, there’s no point in having rolling metal rods if the meat quality is lacklustre, considering the price you’re paying for a meal here. 

For more solid Korean fare in Singapore, read our MODU review, where we dined at Singapore’s first samgyetang speciality restaurant with hanok-style interiors. There’s also TONSHOU restaurant, a Korea-famous pork cutlet eatery in Tanjong Pagar.

Address: 123 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 068592
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Website
CheongDamChae is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was a media tasting at CheongDamChae.