Twenty Years in the Making: Korean BBQ Finally Serves Korean Pork and Beef!

Do you remember your first Korean BBQ?

I certainly do. It was 2007, at Ju Shin Jung along the East Coast. Back then, K-pop had yet to conquer global charts and K-dramas were still a niche interest. Korean cuisine was not the mainstream favourite it is today — it was a novelty.

I still remember the moment the banchan arrived. One by one, the little plates covered the table — eight, maybe ten varieties in all. We stared in disbelief when we realised they were complimentary and refillable. It felt generous, exotic, and completely different from what we were used to.

The meat selection was modest by today’s standards. There was no Wagyu, no Iberico pork — just Australian or American beef and local pork sizzling over charcoal. Yet at the time, it felt exciting and new.

Fast forward almost two decades, and Korean BBQ is now firmly embedded in Singapore’s dining landscape. But it has taken more than twenty years for us to finally enjoy what feels like a truly authentic Korean BBQ experience, with the arrival of Hanwoo and Jeju Black Pork on our shores.

Jeju Black Pork: A Really Tasty Pork!

Over the past decade, we have been fortunate to witness a quiet pork revolution. The arrival of Kurobuta, Iberico and premium Japanese pork changed the way we looked at what was once the most ordinary of meats.

Before these gourmet breeds appeared on our shores, pork was simply… pork. The dependable, ubiquitous staple of Asian cuisine — valued more for its versatility than its intrinsic flavour. It was the blank canvas upon which soy sauce, garlic and spices performed.

Only after tasting Kurobuta for the first time, did I realise that pork could stand confidently on its ow...