Whuchu Korean Dining: New restaurant at UE Square serving up ssambap

If you thought of dropping by the cave-inspired Gochu at Orchid Country Club or Drim Gold at Sentosa’s Weave, but have been deterred by the distance, the all-new Whuchu Korean Dining at UE Square could be your solution.

Whuchu, which is situated on the first floor of the Robertson Quay building, may have a name that sounds somewhat similar to its sister concept Gochu, but the concept is a tad different.

For one, the restaurant has two different menus, depending on the time of day: Ssambap for lunch and Korean barbecue for dinner.

Whuchu also has a stunning new Himalayan salt aging room, which houses the restaurant’s aging meats, fermented seafood, and side dishes. 

We’ve seen dry aging fridges, but this pink salt-imbued room is on a whole ‘nother level. 

Whuchu is also considerably smaller than Gochu — understandable given its prime location right in the heart of town — but it makes clever use of the space, even managing to squeeze side-by-side booths for two (or one voracious eater) near the entrance. 

Much like its sibling concepts, Whuchu doesn’t disappoint aesthetically, either. 

There’re cave-like elements reminiscent of the group’s earlier concepts, but Whuchu’s overall vibe is warmer, with plenty of daylight streaming in. 

The restaurant’s look is inspired by “hwangto” — a yellow-hued clay found commonly in Korea, used in Korean art, architecture, and wellness — and you’ll also notice the use of straw and clay motifs throughout the space.

Exploring Whuchu Korean Dining’s menu

Lunch at Whuchu is straightforward — the restaurant serves only a ssam-bap set at S$36 per diner — with a choice of soy garlic beef bulgogi, spicy pork, poached pork belly, and spicy chicken galbi.

Once you’ve picked your protein, you’ll be served pot rice, perilla seed seaweed soup, a wrap vegetable platter, and several small plates of side dishes and salted fermented seafood (known as “jeotgal”) served to you.

Ssambap essentially refers to rice wrapped in leaves, and that’s how Whuchu intends for diners to consume the meal: Just pick a vegetable leaf wrap, place rice and meat on it, embellish it with side dishes and jeotgal, and have it all at one go. 

There are many permutations of how you can have your meat, rice, leaves (Whuchu serves a staggering five types), and side dishes, which is great for those who love variety in their meals. 

We tried the soy garlic beef bulgogi and poached pork belly — the more popular choices among local diners. Meanwhile, the friendly crew at Whuchu tell us that Koreans tend to opt for the spicy pork, and we make a mental note to try that the next time. 

Off the bat, the beef bulgogi, made using wagyu rump, looks luscious and inviting, and also comes with a good amount of glass noodles, mushrooms, and onion. The marinade is savoury-sweet and the beef has a smoky hint to it.

It’s downright delicious, and so good, we almost forget to have it with the side dishes and fermented seafood, just because it’s already tasty as-is.

The poached pork belly, on the other hand, which arrives tender and lightly seasoned, gives more room for the accompaniments to shine.

On that note, we have to say Whuchu is incredibly generous with its selection of jeotgal, side dishes, and sauces. 

There are almost too many to name, but some standouts for us include the fresh kimchi, spicy salted squid, spicy fermented oysters, and the salted pollack roe, which also comes with a good amount of garlic. 

There was also seasoned sea squirt (or “monggae” in Korean) jeotgal when we dined there. It’s a dish that is quite divisive even in Korea, owing to its extremely briny taste and peculiar appearance — which is why I found its presence interesting, since I hardly see the ingredient outside of Korea.

Whuchu offers a refill of its kimchi dishes — the fresh kimchi, minari salad, and radish, for example — but the jeotgal is served once only, though you can opt for an add-on of four jeotgal for S$10. 

Come nightfall, the restaurant becomes barbecue-focused, and one of its star items is its aged bone-in pork belly (S$78), a hulking 600g of Jeju pork served with a bone in the middle. 

The staff grill this to a crisp finish, while ensuring the inside stays tender and moist.

I get that it looks very fatty and cloying visually, but the Jeju pork belly is clean-tasting and as oily as you’d expect — I’d probably have finished it, if not for two plates of ssambap proteins we’d polished off prior. 

The pork belly is one of two items on Whuchu’s menu that comes aged, with the other being its aged pork collar (S$58 for 300g).

Besides Jeju pork, there is wagyu beef on the menu, and a handful of a la carte dishes such as minari pancake (S$16), chicken gizzard popcorn (S$16), and stuffed fish cake fry (S$14). 

All things considered, if I were to return to Whuchu, it’ll be when I’m craving for Korean food, but want a good dose of greens, to go with it. The extensive seafood jeotgal selection is also a huge bonus, as is the gorgeous interior. 

We hear Whuchu has plans to expand seating outside, to allow for more diners to enjoy its fare — which doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me at all: Daylight, greens, and hearty proteins sound like a great combination for good health.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more Korean eats to explore, check out Noci Bakehouse which sells the viral butter tteok, and Joong San at Telok Ayer which serves up rustic Korean fare.