You’ve probably heard by now that National Gallery Singapore has opened a brand new modern K-BBQ restaurant within the premises. Situated on the rooftop of the prestigious gallery, Seoul and So offers a refined and modern take on its predecessor, Seoul Restaurant.
Upon heading down to the restaurant, we felt like stepping into a different vicinity, surrounded by a minimalistic interior and a peaceful atmosphere.
Accompanying Seoul and So’s attractively calm vibe is an even more enticing lunch set menu. During lunchtime, Seoul and So offers a special lunch set menu, where you’ll be served a meat of your choice, a noodle or soup dish, dessert, and rotational banchans (side dishes).
Meats
From their S$35 Set Lunch, choose between Jeju Pork Belly and Iberico Pork Collar as your main.
The pork belly’s chewiness stood out more than anything, and consisted of a balanced meat to fat ratio. Adding on to the pork’s chewiness, it was also juicy when bit into—which isn’t the easiest thing to do when pork belly can be overcooked quite easily.
As for the Iberico Pork Collar, we found that it tasted closer to beef than actual pork! While we were a little skeptical of having our meat grilled for us, trying the Iberico Pork Collar reaffirmed that you can trust the employees to take the wheel.
Alternatively, top-up S$10 to opt for Short Ribs (USDA Prime) or Rib Fingers (Aus Wagyu 6/7) as your meat instead.
The Short Ribs can be a little tough to chew, but compensates by being packed with flavour and juice! We would also recommend dipping the beef in salt, or wrapping it in spicy perilla leaf when given as a banchan.
Similar to Short Ribs, the Rib Fingers tasted best when accompanied by kimchi or wrapped in perilla leaf. The highlight difference, however, would be the fact that the Rib Fingers were much softer.
Post-mains
On to Seoul and So’s post-mains, also known as its menu’s noodle or soup dish, take your pick among Kimchi Jjigae, Doenjang Jjigae, Mul Naengmyeon, and Naeng Kalguksu.
Comprising beef slices, cucumber, springy noodles, and icy broth, the Mul Naengmyeon is sure to cool you off amidst Singapore’s sweltering heat. The Naeng Kalguksu on the other hand, was a new flavour to us.
Garnished with perilla seeds, the Naeng Kalguksu carried a strong aroma of nuttiness and earthiness.
As for soup dishes, the Kimchi Jjigae seems to be well adjusted to the Singaporean palate. Not as spicy as the Kimchi Jjigae you would find in South Korea, but enough of a kick to give you the satisfaction of spicy stew.
On to our unanimous favourite post-main, Seoul and So’s Doenjang Jjigae is a must-try for all first-timers to the restaurant. An extremely flavourful and saturated stew, filled with generous portions of enoki mushrooms, beef brisket, greens, and potatoes. Complemented with a bowl of white rice, we knew we would come back again after taking a first bite of the stew.
At the end of the meal, you’ll be given the option to conclude your lunch with a cup of ice cream alongside a coffee or tea.
Although we were only able to try out Seoul and So’s lunchtime menu, the restaurant is decked out with more quality meat, authentic Korean dishes, and appetising side dishes.
So if you’re ever looking for a date activity and dinner date spot, the wonderful premise of National Gallery Singapore has it all in one place!
Seoul and So
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📍 1 Saint Andrew’s Road, National Gallery #05-03, Singapore 178957
🕛 12pm–3pm, 6pm–10.30pm (Daily)
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Photos by Alexis Lee
