If you’ve followed the chaos of Culinary Class Wars on Netflix, you’ll already know Chef Choi Hyun Seok, the flamboyant, sharp-witted and unapologetically creative ‘white spoon’ on the show. He’s also the chef-owner of Michelin-recommended Choi Dot in Seoul. And now, you can try some of his famed dishes right here in Singapore, as part of his collaboration with local restaurant Bulgogi Syo.
The Chef & My Fridge and Culinary Class Wars star is presenting four dishes as part of a special menu titled Memories on a Plate, inspired by some of his personal culinary moments and discoveries. The menu launches on September 27 at Bulgogi Syo’s Suntec City and Bugis Junction outlets, and on September 30 at VivoCity and The Woodleigh Mall.
Fans of the Netflix series will be most excited to try two special dishes which appeared on the show: vongole sujebi ($21.90) and the Jang Trio with Omugi beef tenderloin ($39.90).
A viral moment during Culinary Class Wars saw the usually composed Chef Choi, in a rare misstep, forgetting to add garlic to his vongole. Here, he redeems that moment, and with an added twist: using hand-torn squid ink noodles for a subtle seafood flavour. The comforting, creamy broth is laced with garlic, butter and fresh clams, while the noodles are charmingly irregular in shape, giving each bite a different level of doneness. We like the additions of parsley and chillies too. Just a note: this dish is only available for Bulgogi Syo members.
Chef Choi’s Jang Trio is a conceptual dish at heart, and a nod to Korea’s three foundational pastes – ganjang (soy), doenjang (soybean) and gochujang (chilli). It’s also quite the showstopper, where Australian barley-fed Omugi beef is theatrically fired up, then finished with a generous smear of aged doenjang butter. You sear the tenderloin to your preferred doneness on a personal hotplate and enjoy it with condiments like ganjang-pickled radish and a gochujang dipping sauce. Unfortunately it’s more flair than flavour with this one, with the Jang Trio elements playing second fiddle to the fire show. For $40, we’d recommend skipping this.
Crafted with Singaporean taste buds in mind, the Daegu-style maeun dwaeji galbi jjim with triple-cheese risotto ($25.90) is an easy crowd-pleaser. The dish features spicy, tender chunks of marinated mokjeonji (pork shoulder) over a cheesy bed of rice. Three types of cheese form the gooey base: mascarpone, mozzarella and 12-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano. However, the risotto lacks the familiar al dente texture that would have been achieved if Arborio rice grains were used instead. It ends up being more reminiscent of baked rice – nostalgic and moreish, but not quite as refined as what we expect.
Then there’s the fresh Omugi beef yukhoe sotbap ($25.90), a classic Korean raw beef delicacy with a slight remix. The same barley-fed Omugi beef is hand-cut, rolled into a ball, then lightly torched by the table for smokiness, and also to make it more approachable for first-timers to raw beef. It’s served with sotbap (iron pot rice) and assorted vegetables, much like a bibimbap. Expect clean, sweet, savoury, but otherwise pretty conventional flavours. If you find it a touch too mellow, jazz it up with a hit of gochujang or dose of sesame oil to your liking.
So, are the dishes worth heading down for? There are thoughtful moments like the charred doenjang butter, the hand-torn sujebi and the like. But overall, the menu plays it safe, leaning towards familiar, easy flavours rather than Chef’s usual brand of playful unconventionality.
That said, if you’re a fan of Culinary Class Wars, or just enjoy the drama of tableside torches, it’s worth a visit. And with prices starting at $21.90, it’s undoubtedly one of the more accessible celebrity chef experiences in town. Pro-tip: sign up as a Bulgogi Syo member if you want to try the vongole sujebi – the best dish of the set, in our books.
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