Korean BBQ restaurant On The Grill 온더그릴 located at Myeongdong Seoul, has an unusual and motivating story.
It was actually started by a Singaporean Jonathan Quek, who found love and success in Korea.
It didn’t start out easily though, as the non-Korean speaking foreigner had to navigate and communicate his way through an unfamiliar culture.
He first started a Korean BBQ restaurant Aunt Piggy near Seoul National University, which became popular with students as it was branded as a no-frills competitively priced eatery.
On The Grill, a Korean fusion concept located at Myeongdong, was also successful due to its appeal to budget-conscious diners and interesting sauces used for the meals.
The Singaporean has found his way back to Singapore with this new restaurant at Level 3 City Square Mall.
He is backed by “celebrity partner” Dasmond Koh who has proven he is not only good at hosting and finding handsome young talents, but in business as well.
On The Grill at City Square Mall is a casual, fuss-free restaurant which serves up Korean BBQ meats on a wooden platter.
Diners get options of Honey Garlic Pork Belly, Honey Glazed Pork Shoulder Steak, Gochujang Pork Shoulder Steak, Chicken Ddakgalbi with Gochujang base, and Black Pepper Beef (Chuck Flap Tail), all served with one side of fried rice or rice with stir fried bean sprouts.
This is priced at $12.90 to $18.90.
One good thing is that meats are grilled in the kitchen, and diners won’t leave smelling smoky.
All meats are also accompanied with gochujang, ssamjang, sesame salt and pepper, sweet chilli – two more than what the restaurant in Korea would serve.
I ordered the Honey Garlic Pork Belly and liked that the meats were soft and tender yet not exceedingly fatty.
They were lightly marinated so you get that touch of honeyed-sweetness without being overpowering.
My friend found the dish greasy though, but I could imagine it could have been worse.
For more flavourful meat, you might prefer the Chicken Ddakgalbi which had succulent pieces, though not as spicy as what would be served in other restaurants.
Overall, good stuff.
On the side was Fried Rice which I thought was the weakest link, lacking in the distinct fried-rice-fragrance.
With its success in Korea, Singaporeans should be curious enough to try the local version. We would probably start seeing celebrity friends like Xu Bin, Aloysius Pang, Zong Zijie and Timothee Yap showing their support.
On The Grill온더그릴
City Square Mall #03-21/22 180 Kitchener Rd, Singapore 208539
Myeongdong: 21, Toegye-ro 20-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul 04629, South Korea
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