Sotpot Review: Traditional Korean Rice Pot And Steamed Meat Restaurant At Suntec

Sotpot has traditional Korean rice pots in Suntec City

Singaporeans love Korean food, and that’s a fact. The hype continues to grow with new spots popping up ever so frequently such as Jeju Sanghoe with specialised Jeju fare and Kelim Dakdoritang with their spicy braised chicken. This time, we headed to Sotpot for Korean-style steamed meats and 솥밥 (sotbab)━a must-try dish when you’re in Korea. For those unfamiliar with the term, sotbab is a Korean rice pot dish which you can find in Korea at the well-known Solsot.

Entering the restaurant, you’ll be greeted by a display of Korean rice pots used to prepare sotbab. At Sotpot, this rice is cooked with a blend of 20 different ingredients including pumpkin and lotus root, enhancing the flavour of the rice. Besides that, each table is equipped with a cypress wood steamer, used for preparing their signature Korean-style steamed meats.

Food at Sotpot

A must-order here is their Korean-style steamed meats, Phyunbaek Jjim (편백 찜), which is a healthier alternative to K-BBQ. Phyunbaek translates to “cypress wood” while jjim is “to steam”, where the thinly sliced meat and vegetables are steamed for 12 minutes in the cypress box. Once cooked, the meats and vegetables can be paired with various dipping sauces.

With prices starting from $34.90++, you can pick your choice of meat, served in 250g portions. Options include Pork Belly ($34.90++), Beef Short Plate ($37.90++), Beef Brisket ($39.90++), and Duroc Collar ($42.90++). Among these, we opted for the Duroc collar. While it’s stated to be suitable for one to two individuals, I believe it can easily feed three if you’re planning to get the rice pots too.

What sets Sotpot’s phyunbaek jjim apart is their use of vegetables. We learnt that unlike the typical version in Korea, which comes with bean sprouts and cabbage, Sotpot’s rendition takes influence from Chinese hotpot. This means you are served not just meat, but also an extensive assortment of vegetables.

As a vegetable lover, I was genuinely impressed by the whopping 800g of veggies in each portion, including carrot, corn, broccoli, black fungus, lotus root, pumpkin, eggplant, and mushrooms.

Moving on to the meats, the Duroc collar was steamed well, boasting a rich, natural meaty flavour complemented by a subtle sweetness. 

To pair with your steamed meats, Sotpot offers a signature sauce and a choice between two other sauces. Crafted with ingredients such as Chardonnay, the signature sauce was primarily sweet, but went well with the vegetables and meat.

Choose from one out of two of the other accompanying sauces: a spicy vinegar dip and ssamjang, which is a mix of fermented bean paste and gochujang. I much preferred the spicy vinegar dip for its tanginess which helped to cut through the meat’s richness.

Now, on to their specialty: sotbab, which comes with a variety of toppings such as beef, pork, or seafood. There’s even a vegetarian option! Each pot of rice is served with chawanmushi, an assortment of Korean banchan, and Korean seaweed soup.

We settled on the Duroc Belly with Fried Kimchi ($21.90++) and Beef Woodae ($29.90++).

The Duroc Belly with Fried Kimchi was topped with a generous serving of Duroc belly steak, lots of kimchi, and garnished with chopped spring onions and sesame seeds. It’s recommended that you mix the toppings into the rice for extra flavour.

Mixing in the kimchi gave the rice, with the savoury drippings from the meat, a kick of spice and tanginess for a burst of flavour in each bite.

The savoury Duroc belly had a good balance of lean and fatty bits, with a tender finish which I enjoyed.

Following that, we tried the Beef Woodae, which features cubes of beef atop a bed of fluffy rice, also garnished with fresh spring onions and sesame seeds.

The cubes came in sizeable chunks that were juicy and tender while maintaining a rich beefy flavour without any hint of gaminess. My only gripe was that despite being infused with over 20 ingredients, the rice tasted somewhat bland to me. This sotbab comes with a tangy sauce on the side, which helps to elevate the rice if you add it in.

Quench your thirst with some Korean Barley Tea, priced at $1++ for hot, and $2.40++ for cold. Otherwise, there are also popular Korean drinks such as the Crushed Pear Drink ($3.80++) and Grape Bong Bong ($3.80++). If you’re up for some alcoholic drinks, go for their Original Makgeolli ($6.90++) or the go-to of many, Jinro Soju ($17.90++).

Ambience at Sotpot

Sotpot is situated on the third floor in the Sky Garden at Suntec City. To get there from the mall, locate Coucou Hotpot in the North Wing, then continue walking straight from there, head outdoors, and turn left.

The eatery sports a clean and minimalistic look, adorned with wooden accents and bathed in natural light from the sun. It’s spacious, with plenty of tables available, so you won’t have to wait long to be seated down.

The verdict

While I truly appreciated the value-for-money offered by the steamed meats, I found the sotbab to be somewhat lacking in flavour. Since they’re still in their early stages, I believe that things will likely improve and would love to give them another try!

In related news, Hankang Pocha is a newly opened Korean restaurant in Tanjong Pagar which has affordable mains under $20. Otherwise, if you’re looking for more great Korean eats, check out our guide to the best Korean restaurants in Singapore.

Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard, #03-304/305, Sky Garden Suntec City, Singapore 038983
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 9pm
Website
Sotpot is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Daryl Lim.
This was a media tasting at Sotpot.