Chingu @ The Oval: Mouthwatering authentic Korean BBQ hidden within a colonial bungalow in Seletar

Looking to escape the hectic city and enjoy some great food while you’re at it? Chingu @ The Oval is the perfect place to unwind with your friends and family while digging into fantastic authentic Korean fare.

Chingu @ The Oval, located within the beautiful Seletar Aerospace Park, is housed in a refurbished colonial bungalow. The restaurant’s offerings consist of KBBQ platters with meats including A4 Wagyu steak, Black Angus beef, pork belly and even ox tongue! Of course, you’ll also find your classic Korean dishes like kimchi pancake and bibimbap on the menu.

The Weekend Korean Brunch Menu is another one of their unique must-try options, with fantastic fusion dishes to indulge in.

Entering the space unveils an elegant interior adorned with ample booth seats situated next to windows that offer a picturesque view of the Seletar greenery. To make your experience even more fruitful, all tables are equipped with non-smoke grills, ensuring that you won’t leave the establishment smelling of meat.

If privacy is important to you when feasting, Chingu @ The Oval also has 2 private dining rooms available for booking, as long as you hit their minimum spending requirement! 

What I tried at Chingu @ The Oval

Chingu @ The Oval’s crowd-favourite KBBQ platter is The Emperor Feast (S$238), which consists of 3 types of meat, mozzarella squares, pineapples and king oyster mushrooms, plus a Ban Ban Stew and a Steamed Egg Fromage.

The first meat in the platter is the Hokkaido A4 Wagyu Rib-Eye Steak, which has been dry-aged for 7 days. The large piece of steak is marbled beautifully, with a good ratio of fats to meat.

After being grilled, the Hokkaido A4 Wagyu Rib-Eye Steak adopts a tantalising brown shade on its surface, while the meat within is a little pink, with a nice medium rare doneness.

I couldn’t get enough of this steak as it was super tender with a glorious melt-in-the-mouth texture. The soft fatty portions blend harmoniously with the aromatic meaty parts, and the steak as a whole was delectably buttery and delicious.

You can also make your own lettuce wraps by combining the grilled meat with Chingu’s fresh greens and assortment of banchan. The crisp and refreshing raw vegetables balance out the richness of the meat beautifully.

The next meat in The Emperor Feast is the Black Angus Hanging Tender Steak, which is much thicker than the previous Hokkaido A4 Wagyu Rib-Eye Steak.

The Black Angus Hanging Tender Steak is the perfect pick for those who enjoy the beefier flavours. Each piece of meat is slightly chewy, yet still very tender and not tough at all. Plus, every bite is bursting with a lovely smoky aroma and a wonderful savoury profile.

The final meat rounding up the platter is the Pork Belly, which contains a good amount of gelatinous fats and tender meat.

After being grilled, the Pork Belly dons a stunning golden brown crust, while the meat within remains succulent and tasty.

As The Emperor Feast platter contains squares of mozzarella cheese, why not pair them with the Pork Belly? Simply warm them up on the grill and wrap them around the pork belly slices when they’re warm and gooey, and enjoy the delightfully cheesy creation.

Chingu @ The Oval’s Ban Ban Stew is also included in The Emperor Feast. This stew is essentially the Korean version of a Yuan Yang hot pot, with types of stew being served within the pot. Choose from 3 options, the Kimchi Stew, Soybean Paste Stew and Tteokbokki — we went with the first 2 choices for ours.

The Kimchi Stew is packed full of ingredients like kimchi, tofu and pork. The tofu is silky smooth while the stew is piquant and robust without being overly salty.

The Soybean Paste Stew, on the other hand, is perfect for seafood lovers. Within, you’ll find seafood elements like crab, prawns and mussels to feed your shellfish cravings.

The final dish in The Emperor Feast is Chingu @ The Oval’s Steamed Egg Fromage, a steamed egg dish topped with melted cheese and finely-chopped scallions.

Compared to steamed egg dishes from other restaurants, Chingu’s eggs have a distinctive and unique smokey aroma throughout. The dish is super fluffy, and the addition of cheese elevates the gustatory experience of savouring the egg.

If you’re planning to drop by Chingu @ The Oval on a weekend, be sure to check out their Weekend Korean Brunch Menu, which is available from 10am to 2pm. Their Kimchi Cheese Pancake (S$26) is perfect for sharing — this huge dish combines zesty kimchi with stringy cheese.

The centre of the pancake is thick with a generous amount of cheese within, which balances out the piquancy of the crunchy kimchi. The pancake’s edges, on the other hand, are slightly thinner and satisfyingly crispy. I love how the Kimchi Cheese Pancake caters to both lovers of thick and thin pancakes!

Next, Chingu @ The Oval’s Kimchi Pork Ragu Linguine (S$22) is an Italian-Korean fusion linguine dish with spicy kimchi pork ragu on top.

Every strand of linguine is well-coated in kimchi sauce, ensuring that each bite is super flavourful. The kimchi aroma is pretty intense — lovers of this fermented vegetable definitely won’t be disappointed! The salty and sour flavours balance out pretty nicely too. I’d recommend sharing this dish with your friends and family as the strong flavours may get overwhelming after some time, especially given how big the portion is.

My favourite dish at Chingu @ The Oval is undoubtedly the Confit Pork Jowl (S$25). This beautiful dish consists of crispy pieces of pork jowl served with the Chef’s signature grilled kimchi romesco and perilla chimichurri. 

The pork jowl is incredibly crispy on the surface, with a stunning melt-in-the-mouth texture once you bite into it. The crunchy skin juxtaposes the soft and chewy meat within. The grilled kimchi romesco and perilla chimichurri are perfect too — the kimchi romesco is creamy and bright while the perilla is slightly tangy, complementing the richer romesco beautifully.

Final thoughts

Chingu @ The Oval is the perfect place for a delicious sit-down meal with your loved ones. The vibrant ambience and stunning views of the natural landscape outside make it a relaxing spot to catch up with friends and family, and the quality of the dishes are super commendable too.

There are plenty of Korean BBQ restaurants in the country, but I must say that Chingu @ The Oval has some of the most unique yet delicious food I’ve tried. After enjoying the views of Seletar Aerospace Park, why not unwind nearby at Chingu @ The Oval?

Expected damage: S$20 – S$100 per pax

*This post was brought to you in partnership with Chingu @ The Oval.

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