Singapore’s Yakiniku love has been heating up as of late, after years of Korean BBQ dominance. A plethora of affordable Yakiniku joints have been popping up everywhere and joining them is a red-hot new Hey! Yakiniku, promising great flavour on a small price tag.
With scores and scores of queues always found outside the usual suspects such as Yakiniku Like, new affordable options are always welcome. It’s even better when it’s a high-quality alternative.
How affordable? Well, their opening promo offers an irresistible S$1 Karubi Set that will let you leave full both in spirit and wallet.
Hey! Yakiniku follows the tried-and-tested décor, dressed in a warm slew of wooden tables each fitted with grills. But it’s the details that matter — a thoughtful combo of smokeless grills and immaculate ventilation ensured that we all escaped the stench of BBQ that happens oh too often.
However, it’s not just the S$1 promo that’s worth your trip down. Forgetting that, Hey Yakiniku’s price of S$9.90/100g, S$14.90/200g or S$19.90/300g for the Karubi Set is still a steal.
Thinly sliced and bathed in a flavoursome sauce, these slivers of beefy goodness spring to life once lowered onto the grill. The secret is to ensure a gentle pink and not leaving it too long on the stove, for tender bite gushing with juices. Can’t be beaten for the price.
For the best value though, Hey! Yakiniku’s Value Set (S$8.90/100g, S$12.90/200g, S$16.90/300g) is a great choice for those in the mood for chicken thigh and pork belly.
Alas, if you’re a sucker for unadulterated beef richness, it’s an absolute necessity to shell out a bit more for the sexily marbled Prime Karubi (S$7.90/50g, S$11.90/100g).
It’s worth it — those sensual veins of fat really make the difference in bolstering the luscious flavours and turning it up to eleven, while bestowing a blissful butteriness to the already tender meat.
Otherwise, Chuck Rolls (S$5.90/50g, S$9.90/100g) are also a great alternative for a cut that’s chock full of beef fat goodness, a cut with a higher fat percentage which melts-in-the-mouth.
It’s slightly fattier than what you’d be used to —someone commented: “This is good, no wait… Wait, ok this is good”, in the end, you’d probably end up getting used to all the luxurious juices spilling out of the cut.
Hey! Yakiniku lets you top up S$4.90 to make it a set, so you can get some rice to pair with the heavy flavours, and a choice of salad, kimchi, or spicy beansprout to cut through all that fatty goodness.
You can also indulge in a heftier cut if thin slices aren’t your thing, in the form of their Premium Aus Wagyu Set (S$19.90/120g, S$29.90/180g). With a marbling value of MB 4/5, these slabs of juicy Australian Wagyu Striploin are perfect for the grill.
Not only do you get a nice whiff of smoke into the steak that you can’t quite get at home in your pans, the striploin cut sports plenty of fat that can be converted into beefy flavours after getting scorched by Hey! Yakiniku’s grills.
For something unique, go for the Gyu Tan (S$7.90/50g, S$11.90/100g) which is beef tongue. The texture and taste are unlike anything else on the menu and gives a nice bounce when you bite into it.
And Hey! Yakiniku’s homemade shio sauce that comes with it is super addictive, the best accompanying sauce of the night. The strong umami also pairs well with rice, so you can get a Gyu Tan Don (S$19.90) and top up S$1.50 to coat some silky Onsen Eggs all over them.
Though there are other rice bowl options if the idea of beef tongue is a bit too much for you. Other than the Yakiniku Don (S$13.90), there are also Teriyaki Chicken Don (S$10.90) and Pork Belly Don (S$15.90) available for pretty good prices.
Hey! Yakiniku
Facebook | Instagram
???? 80 Middle Rd, #01-92/96 Bugis Junction, Singapore 188966
????️ 10am–11pm (Daily)
For more lifestyle updates like this, subscribe to our Telegram channel at @confirmgood.
The guy who will go on a 30 minute monologue about artisan coffee when you ask if they want Starbucks.