Um Yong Baek Boon Tat Street Review

Um Yong Baek at Boon Tat Street

27 Boon Tat St, #01,

Singapore 069623

I remember when Um Yong Baek first opened at Boon Tat Street, it arrived with the force of a cultural event. Lines wrapped around the corner for hours, locals rubbed shoulders with Korean expats and the air carried a distinct scent of a Busan specialty - dwaejigukbap (pork and rice soup). The restaurant's Singapore debut introduced many to what Koreans consider the ultimate comfort food, especially beloved after a long night of soju and karaoke. Um Yong Baek is perhaps the first dedicated dawejigukbap shop to open in Singapore.

Interiors at Um Yong Baek, Boon Tat Street

The brand's origins trace back to Busan, South Korea's southern port city and the undisputed capital of dwaejigukbap. The original Um Yong Baek shop in Busan became famous for elevating this humble worker's soup into something refined without losing its soul. The founder, a Busan native trained in traditional soup techniques that demand long, slow simmering of pork bones to extract clean flavours and creamy textures. That became Um Yong Baek's hallmark, attracting crowds from Seoul and beyond.

Refillable Ban Chan

At the Boon Tat branch which we visited, things feel a little different now. The once crackling lunch rush has mellowed, perhaps a sign of time passing of simply the comfort of familiarity. The all-Korean kitchen and service team who once ran the show have since been replaced by Filipino staff. There are now 2 branches in Singapore, the original at Boon Tat Street and another a 4 mins walk away at Telok Ayer Street. One the saturday morning that we visited, it seems like securing a seat no longer requires hours of waiting. I made a queue reservation when the queue system opened at 10 am and that was enough to guarantee a table and by the time we left, the restaurant was calm rather than crowded.

The meal still delivers that deep, dependable warmth. We had both the clear UYB dwaejigukbap, known for its light clear broth as well as the UYB thick dwaejigukbap where each sip feels rich and restorative. At 22 SGD a bowl, you get generous slices of different parts of pork, tender, clean tasting and perfectly portion. While we noticed a slight dip in intensity compared to the early days, the soup remains hearty and deeply comforting.

Each table is served with a spread of banchan, including kimchi, pickled radish and a vivid side of korean chives. Our server suggested sesoning the thick broth with salt and the clear broth with saeujeot (preserved shrimp) but we found that the saeujeot worked best across both, adding a punjent, briny aroma and deep umami rich flavour that rounded the soups beautifully. The fun part of having dwaejigukbap is that you define the flavours you want, we started without any additions, then the saueujeot came in and then as we made our way towards the end of the bowl, we added the punchy korean chives banchan to give it a nice boost.

Dawejigukbap has long held a place in Korea's hangover cure list of must have foods. Known collectively as haejangguk, or a soup to chase a hangover, dwaejigukbap is nourishing, hot and slightly restorative, and exactly what one needs after an excessive night of drinking. On our visit, my significant other was trapped in the fog of a rough morning and this broth delivered quiet salvation - warm, hydrating and grounding.

Look at these pork slices

Booking

At the time of writing, there is still availability of tables on the same day. If reservations cannot be made, you can also join the live queue of the restaurant and they will provide you with updates on queue number so you don't need to make your way down until you know what time you will get your table.

Accessibility

Um Yong Baek Boon Tat Street is only a 3 min walk from Telok Ayer MRT Station and can be easily reached.

The Damage

Our 2 bowls of dawejigukbap set us back around 50 SGD with services and taxes.

Would we recommend?

Yes, particularly for those who appreciate consistency and comfort over spectacle. Even if the broth doesn't quite carry the electric intensity of its early years and the Korean Oppas are no longer around, Um Yong Baek remains an anchor of Busan style dwaejigukbap in Singapore. It is rich and quietly healing and one which we will return to every so often.