Is Um Yong Baek’s Famous Korean Pork Soup Still Worth The Hype?

Um Yong Baek has Korean pork and rice soup in Tanjong Pagar

If you’re looking for more underrated Korean cuisine in Singapore, check out Um Yong Baek on the Telok Ayer stretch. While most mainstream hits such as bibimbap, kimchi pancake, and jjajangmyeon are readily available at the turn of any corner—be it at a random food court or a Korean BBQ joint in the hip Tanjong Pagar locale, Um Yong Baek offers something more niche: Korean pork and soup rice. It’s not just famous among Koreans living in Singapore, but the brand has also been featured in multiple publications and TV shows in Korea. Read on for our review!

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Food at Um Yong Baek

Korean pork and rice soup, also known as Dwaeji Gukbap, originated during the Korean War. Back then, food was scarce, so there was a need to maximise whatever was available. By boiling pork bones for an extended period of time, the refugees could extract as much flavour and nutrients as possible. Since then, it has become a popular local dish, especially in Busan.

Do note that the dishes mentioned in this review are only available for lunch, and the dinner menu is entirely different. For the pork and rice soup, there’s a limited number of bowls served daily, so we recommend making a reservation before heading down.

We started with the UYB Clear Daejigukbab ($22++), AKA Busan-style pork rice and soup, which features a clear broth with a treasure trove of ingredients hidden within. You get a generous mix of pork collar, tender pork cheek, and pork stomach, neatly assembled atop a bed of short-grain rice. The crème de la crème is the uber flavourful soup, boiled for at least eight hours to extract the rich essence of the pork.

The different cuts of meat added fresh layers of texture and flavour to the dish, making each mouthful an interesting experience.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the stomach cut, considering how I’m not usually a fan of innards. These thin shreds of stomach meat were well-cooked, without the funky flavour commonly associated with the cut.

P.S. You’ll see a small container of fermented shrimp on your table—add a scoop or two to enhance the flavours.

I also appreciated how each meat component was clean-tasting and not overly porky. The different parts are boiled separately, according to how they’re best prepared, resulting in an impeccably tender texture and delicious flavour. In addition to this attention to detail, the meat you’re presented with is different from what’s used in the broth—there’s no reusing involved.

If you love Japanese tonkotsu, you’ll enjoy the UYB Thick Daejigukbab ($22++), another signature dish at Um Yong Baek, starring a thick broth made with pork bone. This version came with pork leg, cheek, chin, and stomach, garnished with lots of chopped chives to cut through the richness of the soup.

The rice was perfectly cooked and surprisingly, not mushy despite sitting in the soup for a while. Each carby spoonful paired well with the creamy, full-bodied broth.

Personally, I preferred the Busan-style clear soup as I thought it had more flavour, but the tender meat featured in this thick broth was more to my liking.

It’s also worth noting that both soups are prepared without additives, so you’re getting only the purest flavours here. They were far less salty than most soups I’ve had, though you can zhng it up by adding some of their delicious house-made kimchi, so you get to taste the full essence of the ingredients.

We were served five kinds of banchan, AKA Korean side dishes: three varieties of kimchi, a sweet-tangy seaweed salad, and a mix of chopped garlic, green chilli, and spicy fermented soybean paste. Mild in heat, they worked perfectly as palate cleansers between bites.

Ambience at Um Yong Baek

Um Yong Baek is conveniently located in the CBD. It’s a mere two-minute walk from Telok Ayer MRT Station, making it a breeze to find the restaurant. If you’re visiting for their Korean BBQ menu that’s exclusively available for dinner, you can pick the low seats for a more authentic experience. Otherwise, there are regular tables and benches if you prefer. Also, the bulk of their customers are Koreans—an unofficial mark of the place’s authenticity, in my opinion.

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Um Yong Baek — Eatbook review

Prepared with care and precision, both dishes we tried were delicious. Our Korean writer described them as true “soul food”. If you’re wondering, yes, Um Yong Baek is still worth the hype.

For more solid Korean food places to check out, read our Tonshou review, where we tried one of the best pork cutlets. Alternatively, read our MODU review for a decent bowl of samgyetang. 

Address: 27 Boon Tat Street, Singapore 069623
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 3:30pm, 5:30pm to 10pm
Tel: 8843 5968
Website
Um Yong Baek is not a halal-certified eatery.

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Photos taken by John Lery Villanueva and Chew Yi En.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg