Located on the Korean food strip of Tanjong Pagar Road, the newly-launched Sagye Korean Pot Rice and BBQ is the first sotbap specialty restaurant to introduce gourmands in Singapore to the traditional and authentic dish, which combines a delicious array of ingredients with rice in a pot, alongside other offerings such as stone barbecue and a la carte dishes.
The name, Sagye (사계), translates to ‘four seasons’ in Korean. This element is evident in Sagye’s dishes that are inspired by the rich Korean cuisine and deeply connected to the changing seasons and the seasonal produce it brings.
Sotbap is a traditional Korean dish that directly translates to ‘pot-rice’. Sagye puts a spin on the traditional sotbap by offering diners with three choices of rice – plain Japanese rice, five grain rice or Japanese rice with sweet potatoes and gingko nuts for a sweeter and more nuanced option.
Sagye’s mainstay menu features the Chicken and Pork Sotbap. The Chicken Sotbap (left) features a grilled chicken thigh that is done to a nice crisp and dressed up with roasted sesame seeds, chopped spring onions and soy sauce. The Pork Sotbap (right), on the other hand, includes both the tender ribs and collar of Iberico pork, grilled to give a juicy and satisfying bite with every mouthful. Bracken, which is a nutritious root vegetable commonly eaten by Koreans, is added in the dish. This comes along with roasted sesame, chopped spring onions and a delightful pork soy sauce to complement the savoury ingredients in the dish.
Diners can also opt for more premium ingredients such as Beef Short Rib and Abalone. The Beef Short Rib Sotbap (left) comes with tender grilled Australia beef short ribs that are full of flavour; a raw egg yolk is carefully set on the chopped spring onions, roasted sesame and beef soy sauce, creating a colourful and aesthetically-pleasing ‘pot-rice’. The Abalone Sotbap (right) features masterfully grilled abalones, firm and succulent Matsutake mushrooms, along with a rich seafood sauce. Good things come to those who wait – 30 minutes to be exact.
For a limited time only – and in a bid to harmonise with the rhythm of nature – Sagye is offering Scallop and Octopus Sotbaps this winter. The former (left) showcases the sweetness of grilled scallops and is served with umami-laden mentaiko and flying fish roe. The octopus (right) is also grilled, and served with carrots and a delicious seafood sauce.
The way to eat sotbap is to mix ingredients in the stainless steel pot, then scoop up the meal into a separate bowl. Gourmands would know to stay from the edges as well as the very bottom as the staff will pour barley tea into the pot and cover the lid to soak up the scorched rice known as nurungji. The result is a nourishing and heartwarming soup and rice combo known as sungnyung.
Sotbap is available only at lunch. Pot-rice sets range from $17.80 to $38.80 and offer great value with house-made ban-chan – side dishes – and soup offered on the side.
In the evening, Sagye transforms into an indulgent hot stone BBQ restaurant specialising in aged meat such as Aged USA Boneless Loin Hanging Tender, Aged NZ Wagyu Boneless Oyster Blade, Aged USA Creekstone Finger Rib – all exquisite and tempting choices.
Guests can expect two types of dips for heightened flavour. The well-known Mel-jeot sauce from Jeju Island, South Korea, is made of salted anchovy and its briny, savoury notes go perfectly with grilled pork. The slight spiciness tingles the palate, cuts through the richness of the pork and has none of the fishiness one might associate with a fish-based dip. A robust beef dip that teases all senses has been created with premium soy sauce, aged for a day flavour and sweetened with fruits to match Sagye’s premium cuts of beef.
Aside from Sotbap and BBQ, Sagye has a wide variety of popular Korean classics such as cold noodles, Tteokbokki, stews, hotpot and even fried chicken that are as delicious as the Sotbap and BBQ.
In the spirit of replicating the dining experience in South Korea, diners are welcome to order slushy, icy soju – complete with icy shot glasses – from its -12°C fridge. The soju ranges from the mainstream to the obscure, including the less commonly-seen Bohae Original Sea Salt made from three different types of salt.
