Daebak! Go to Go! K-BBQ Restaurant for perfectly cooked aged meat
- A simple, no-frills restaurant which takes much pride in its aged meat, Go! K-BBQ is the place to go to
- A simple, no-frills restaurant which takes much pride in its aged meat, Go! K-BBQ is the place to go to
I had a gathering over the weekend at Go! K-BBQ at Amoy Street. Once you enter Amoy Street, the distinctive brightly-coloured signboard greets you at the door. The logo consists of the red-and-blue taeguk, which is also the centerpiece of the South Korean flag, giving everyone a clear indication of which country’s cuisine is sold behind its doors. With its bright sign, there was no way for us to miss it.
Staff greeting at the door
Once inside the restaurant, we were greeted by good-looking oppas dressed in their black uniforms. They were standing near the frozen meat chillers showcasing the various types of meat cuts. The entrance of restaurant looks like a butcher at first glance, with the meat in the chillers, what looks like a meat cutter behind the chef manning the chillers, as well as a weighing scale.
The meat looked very fresh and succulent already and it hadn’t even been cooked yet! Even though I hadn’t ordered any meat yet, I felt like sinking my teeth into the flesh immediately. The place was also fairly spacious – there was a lot of space between different tables, so moving around was not an issue. (I have been to many Korean restaurants before, where the spacing between the tables was so cramped, to the point that we felt that there was no privacy. The experience in Go! K-BBQ, with its fairly generous spacing between the dining tables, was extremely cosy.)
Once inside the restaurant, we were greeted by good-looking oppas dressed in their black uniforms. They were standing near the frozen meat chillers showcasing the various types of meat cuts. The entrance of restaurant looks like a butcher at first glance, with the meat in the chillers, what looks like a meat cutter behind the chef manning the chillers, as well as a weighing scale.
The meat looked very fresh and succulent already and it hadn’t even been cooked yet! Even though I hadn’t ordered any meat yet, I felt like sinking my teeth into the flesh immediately. The place was also fairly spacious – there was a lot of space between different tables, so moving around was not an issue. (I have been to many Korean restaurants before, where the spacing between the tables was so cramped, to the point that we felt that there was no privacy. The experience in Go! K-BBQ, with its fairly generous spacing between the dining tables, was extremely cosy.)
Aged meat stored for 15 days at a low temperature
Another staff member guided my friends and me to our seats, and brought us some cups of drinking water with the menu. When I looked the menu and looked around the restaurant, the thing I caught my eyes was “Aged meat” – Aged Pork Belly ($20 per 150g), Aged Pork Neck ($20 per 150g), Aged Shoulder Butt ($23 per 130g), Aged Pork Skirt ($23 per 130g), Seasoned Pork Belly ($20 per 180g), Aged Beef Short Ribs Boneless ($30 per 150g), Aged Beef Brisket ($26 per 120g).
It was easy for us to tell that the specialty of this restaurant is aged meat. Meat ageing is a process where the meat is refrigerated without packing at low temperatures for 15 days to allow for natural enzymatic and biochemical processes to improve the tenderness of the meat and the development of its unique flavour.
We could also see what looked like an oven, with the meat placed behind a glass panel, and having red light shining on the meat. This is in fact the Mature Room for aged meat in this restaurant. To complete the ageing process, the meat would have to stay there for 15 days in low temperature. The owners of this restaurant have clearly put much thought into making the whole ageing process. The whole process of turning raw meat into cooked, ready-to-eat bite-sized pieces of tender meat is easily understandable. There were no secrets there.
Another staff member guided my friends and me to our seats, and brought us some cups of drinking water with the menu. When I looked the menu and looked around the restaurant, the thing I caught my eyes was “Aged meat” – Aged Pork Belly ($20 per 150g), Aged Pork Neck ($20 per 150g), Aged Shoulder Butt ($23 per 130g), Aged Pork Skirt ($23 per 130g), Seasoned Pork Belly ($20 per 180g), Aged Beef Short Ribs Boneless ($30 per 150g), Aged Beef Brisket ($26 per 120g).
It was easy for us to tell that the specialty of this restaurant is aged meat. Meat ageing is a process where the meat is refrigerated without packing at low temperatures for 15 days to allow for natural enzymatic and biochemical processes to improve the tenderness of the meat and the development of its unique flavour.
We could also see what looked like an oven, with the meat placed behind a glass panel, and having red light shining on the meat. This is in fact the Mature Room for aged meat in this restaurant. To complete the ageing process, the meat would have to stay there for 15 days in low temperature. The owners of this restaurant have clearly put much thought into making the whole ageing process. The whole process of turning raw meat into cooked, ready-to-eat bite-sized pieces of tender meat is easily understandable. There were no secrets there.
Limited aged meat – reserve a table early to avoid disappointment
As the restaurant ages the meat for a fixed period of 15 days, the amount of meat they sell is limited. If you want to make sure that a particular part of pork or beef is available when you visit the restaurant, you would have to make a reservation beforehand, or run the risk of feeling disappointed if you fail to get the part you want.
I remember British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay mentioning before that a restaurant should focus on its best dishes without having too fancy a menu. This place has done it right. Their specialty is their aged meat and they highlight it in their menus and the posters on the wall. Even before looking at the menus and posters, the display of meat right at the counter, as well as the easily visible Mature Room at the back of the restaurant leave little doubt to what the restaurant takes pride in selling.
As the restaurant ages the meat for a fixed period of 15 days, the amount of meat they sell is limited. If you want to make sure that a particular part of pork or beef is available when you visit the restaurant, you would have to make a reservation beforehand, or run the risk of feeling disappointed if you fail to get the part you want.
I remember British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay mentioning before that a restaurant should focus on its best dishes without having too fancy a menu. This place has done it right. Their specialty is their aged meat and they highlight it in their menus and the posters on the wall. Even before looking at the menus and posters, the display of meat right at the counter, as well as the easily visible Mature Room at the back of the restaurant leave little doubt to what the restaurant takes pride in selling.
Checking of temperature before cooking meat at 320°C
We ordered their signature meat - the aged Pork Belly ($20 per 150g) and the aged Pork Neck ($20 per 150g). While waiting for our meat, one of the good-looking staff came to our table with a temperature gauge. We asked him what it was, and he said that he used it for checking the temperature of the grill. He knew which temperature would be the best for cooking the tastiest meat, so he checked the grill to measure temperature.
According to him, the highest starting temperature to cook the meat is 320°C, to ensure the tenderness of the meat and that the juices are locked into the meat. Other restaurants usually cook the meat at a starting temperature of 180°C to 200°C. The reason why Go! K-BBQ is able to cook the meat at such a high temperature is because they use two types of fuel at each stove: charcoal and gas burners.
I had been to many Korean restaurants in Singapore, however I hadn’t seen what Go! K-BBQ did. How detailed they were! Even before the meat had been served, I could already sense their professionalism and their effort in presenting the best possible Korean BBQ dining experience.
If you have any questions about the meat they sell, the professional staff in the restaurant will explain in detail. I knew not only this information about the meat, but also learnt how to make Korean Style Somac (Art of drinking soju and beer cocktail) from the good-looking staff!
We ordered their signature meat - the aged Pork Belly ($20 per 150g) and the aged Pork Neck ($20 per 150g). While waiting for our meat, one of the good-looking staff came to our table with a temperature gauge. We asked him what it was, and he said that he used it for checking the temperature of the grill. He knew which temperature would be the best for cooking the tastiest meat, so he checked the grill to measure temperature.
According to him, the highest starting temperature to cook the meat is 320°C, to ensure the tenderness of the meat and that the juices are locked into the meat. Other restaurants usually cook the meat at a starting temperature of 180°C to 200°C. The reason why Go! K-BBQ is able to cook the meat at such a high temperature is because they use two types of fuel at each stove: charcoal and gas burners.
I had been to many Korean restaurants in Singapore, however I hadn’t seen what Go! K-BBQ did. How detailed they were! Even before the meat had been served, I could already sense their professionalism and their effort in presenting the best possible Korean BBQ dining experience.
If you have any questions about the meat they sell, the professional staff in the restaurant will explain in detail. I knew not only this information about the meat, but also learnt how to make Korean Style Somac (Art of drinking soju and beer cocktail) from the good-looking staff!
Good-looking staff who grill meat expertly for you
When our orders arrived, I was surprised to see a thick slice of pork which was 3cm-4cm thick. According to the staff, this thickness would provide diners with the tastiest meat possible. The thickness of the meat sold in this restaurant is different from the meat sold in other Korean restaurants. Needless to say, the main difficulty in cooking a thick slice of meat (3 cm – 4cm) is to make sure that the meat isn’t either under-cooked or over-cooked.
That might have served as a problem for novice cooks like me, but that never seemed to be an issue with the restaurant staff. The experienced staff helped us to cook the pork to perfection, and they even have signs on the tables asking us to leave the cooking to them! Being a frequent visitor to Korean BBQ restaurants, I have had many unpleasant experiences of entering the Korean restaurant in fresh and clean clothes, eating my pork in a smoke-filled environment with the putrid smell of burnt pork, and then leaving it with the same smell lingering all around me, no thanks to the many other customers who cooked their own raw pork on their own and burning it badly in the process.
There were no chances of that happening at this restaurant, as the chefs in the kitchen deftly moved around the tables to cook the meat to a perfect tenderness and colour.
After the meat had been cooked, the staff picked up the meat with a pair of tongs and placed it on a metal grill above the pan to keep the meat warm without overcooking it.
When our orders arrived, I was surprised to see a thick slice of pork which was 3cm-4cm thick. According to the staff, this thickness would provide diners with the tastiest meat possible. The thickness of the meat sold in this restaurant is different from the meat sold in other Korean restaurants. Needless to say, the main difficulty in cooking a thick slice of meat (3 cm – 4cm) is to make sure that the meat isn’t either under-cooked or over-cooked.
That might have served as a problem for novice cooks like me, but that never seemed to be an issue with the restaurant staff. The experienced staff helped us to cook the pork to perfection, and they even have signs on the tables asking us to leave the cooking to them! Being a frequent visitor to Korean BBQ restaurants, I have had many unpleasant experiences of entering the Korean restaurant in fresh and clean clothes, eating my pork in a smoke-filled environment with the putrid smell of burnt pork, and then leaving it with the same smell lingering all around me, no thanks to the many other customers who cooked their own raw pork on their own and burning it badly in the process.
There were no chances of that happening at this restaurant, as the chefs in the kitchen deftly moved around the tables to cook the meat to a perfect tenderness and colour.
After the meat had been cooked, the staff picked up the meat with a pair of tongs and placed it on a metal grill above the pan to keep the meat warm without overcooking it.
Daebak! Tender & juicy meat
Once the meat was cooked, I took a bite of the thick pork neck. I was actually shocked at how tender the meat was, and how the juice from the meat oozed out. The meat actually tasted as if there were extra flavours added to it. I had to ask my friends twice if they had seen any marinating. The answer was no, of course. The pork shoulder tasted equally juicy, and the thick cuts were grilled to perfection.
One of my favourite side dishes (the banchan in Korean) in Go! K-BBQ is white Kimchi (Baek-kimchi in Korean). Baek kimchi has a mild and clean flavor, which appeals to children and the elderly, to whom the regular kimchi might be too spicy. I seldom saw white Kimchi at other restaurants so when I saw it here, I enjoyed and ordered it many times. (Even thought I ordered side dishes many times, the staff were extremely friendly and delivered them for free of charge, which made me feel at ease.)
Once the meat was cooked, I took a bite of the thick pork neck. I was actually shocked at how tender the meat was, and how the juice from the meat oozed out. The meat actually tasted as if there were extra flavours added to it. I had to ask my friends twice if they had seen any marinating. The answer was no, of course. The pork shoulder tasted equally juicy, and the thick cuts were grilled to perfection.
One of my favourite side dishes (the banchan in Korean) in Go! K-BBQ is white Kimchi (Baek-kimchi in Korean). Baek kimchi has a mild and clean flavor, which appeals to children and the elderly, to whom the regular kimchi might be too spicy. I seldom saw white Kimchi at other restaurants so when I saw it here, I enjoyed and ordered it many times. (Even thought I ordered side dishes many times, the staff were extremely friendly and delivered them for free of charge, which made me feel at ease.)
After finishing the meat without much effort, we also ordered the aged Shoulder Butt($23 per 130g) as well as the aged Pork Skirt($23 per 130g).
I love the way the restaurant priced its meat by weight to prevent any disputes and we would know how big the piece was.
I saw several other tables ordering their Kimchi Stew with many pork($13) and Soybean Paste Stew with Seafood($13), so my best bet would be that they are the best side dishes that goes along with your barbequed meats.
I love the way the restaurant priced its meat by weight to prevent any disputes and we would know how big the piece was.
I saw several other tables ordering their Kimchi Stew with many pork($13) and Soybean Paste Stew with Seafood($13), so my best bet would be that they are the best side dishes that goes along with your barbequed meats.
After dinner, I also asked some of my friends who ate the meat for their opinions of this restaurant.
Alice said, “The thick and chewy aged pork belly was richly flavoured."
Nathasha said, "I love the customer friendly staff, not to mention the fact that they are a bunch of good looking guys."
Jeffrey said, “I bet the aged meat here is the best in Singapore! This place is value-for-money.”
If you are looking for a no-frills simple place to indulge in your meat craving, I strongly recommend this restaurant. Go! K-BBQ is the place to go!
Go! K-BBQ
Alice said, “The thick and chewy aged pork belly was richly flavoured."
Nathasha said, "I love the customer friendly staff, not to mention the fact that they are a bunch of good looking guys."
Jeffrey said, “I bet the aged meat here is the best in Singapore! This place is value-for-money.”
If you are looking for a no-frills simple place to indulge in your meat craving, I strongly recommend this restaurant. Go! K-BBQ is the place to go!
Go! K-BBQ
- Address : 76 Amoy St, Singapore 069895
- Opening hour : 11:30am – 12pm (Break time : 3pm – 5pm)
- Reservation - Phone : +65 6423-0308
Writer : JessLin
