K-Drama Hunk Hyun Bin Had Supper At This Korean BBQ Restaurant In Singapore

Hanjip Korean Grill House @ Clarke Quay 

The locally-owned Hanjip Korean Grill House is a rather popular K-BBQ supper spot with a sleek, modern vibe. It’s known for its premium meat platters featuring cuts like Kurobuta Pork Jowl and USDA Prime Rib-Eye. There are also classic Korean dishes such as kimchi stew and seafood pancake. 

Hyun Bin ate in private dining room called ‘Mr Park’s Room’

According to assistant manager of Hanjip Korean Grill House, Janjira Anurak, 25, Hyun Bin dined there with two men and two women on 3 Oct. They were accompanied by two bodyguards. The group booked a table through Chope and were seated in one of Hanjip’s seven private dining rooms. The bodyguards waited in the main dining hall with soft drinks. 

“They came around 9.45pm and left around 11pm,” Janjira recalls. With the F1 practice sessions happening that night, we suspect Hyun Bin made an appearance at the Ferrari VIP lounge before leaving for some good old Korean comfort food. Guess you can take the man out of Korea, but you can’t take Korea outta the man. Or perhaps Hyun Bin’s companions simply craved K-BBQ. 

“He walked very quickly”

“Hyun Bin was polite but he didn’t talk much. When I asked how the food was, he simply nodded — but he did tell my colleague that the food was nice,” she shares with 8days.sg, adding that the group polished off everything they ordered. 

By the time Hyun Bin and his group arrived, only a few customers were left in the restaurant. “No one seemed to recognise him. Actually, he came and left very fast — he walked very quickly,” Janjira laughs. 

She tells 8days.sg that her request for a photo towards the end of the meal was politely declined, ’cos, er, the star insisted he didn’t look his best by the time supper was over. Can’t blame the man for wanting to eat in peace.

Here’s what oppa and gang ordered:

Kurobuta Platter, $108 

Hyun Bin and pals ordered three servings of this pork platter. A plate features 150 grams each of Kurobuta pork belly, pork jowl, and marinated pork collar. Kurobuta (“black pig” in Japanese, in reference to the breed’s colour) refers to pork from the Berkshire breed, which originated in Berkshire County, England. However, the animal is also now reared in other countries such as the United States, where Hanjip gets its supply.

Nope, they didn’t order any beef.

Gourmet Mushroom Platter, $38

The group added some shrooms to their meaty barbecue, featuring oyster mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, and lion’s mane mushrooms. 

Spicy Chicken with Cheese, $35

We guess even a buff actor can’t resist spicy chook and oozy cheese. This dish features a pile of stir-fried spicy chicken and tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) surrounded by a ring of melty mozzarella. 

Seafood Pancake, $25

Pan-fried savoury pancake studded with chunks of squid and prawn. Served with a soy-based dipping sauce. 

Chives Pancake, $22

This version highlights fresh chives as its filling instead.

Seafood Bean Paste Stew, $26

Known in Korean as doenjang-jjigae, this stew is made with fermented soybean paste and simmered with assorted seafood, plus mushrooms and tofu.

Spicy Seafood Handmade Tofu Stew, $28

Hanjip’s sundubu-jjigae, or Korean soft tofu stew, features their handmade tofu and seafood such as shrimp, mussels and clams, all cooked in a spicy, savoury broth seasoned with gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes). 

Kimchi Stew with Pork, $26 

Oppa and his squad sure love their stews. They also ordered this spicy kimchi stew, bubbling with aged kimchi, pork, tofu and rice cakes.  

Ginseng Chicken Soup, $38 

This traditional dish features half a chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, and broth enriched with ginseng root and jujube (Korean red dates).

Glass Noodles, $25

Carbs with K-BBQ go so well together. We’re told HB and friends slurped up some jap chae, stir-fried sweet potato starch noodles with julienned seasonal vegetables. 

Cold Noodle, $26

More carbs followed. Such as these Korean buckwheat noodles served in an icy, savoury beef broth, with grated radish, beef slices, and half a boiled egg. 

Spicy Cold Noodle, $26 

This rendition stars noods in a sweet and spicy gochujang-based sauce instead of clean beef broth.

What did Hyun Bin and his fellow diners wash down their hearty barbecue feast with? The classic pairing of soju and beer (by the brands Bohae and Sapporo), of course.

Hanjip Korean Grill House is located at #01-11 CQ @ Clarke Quay, 3C River Valley Rd, Clarke Quay, S179022. Open daily 12pm-2.30pm; 5pm-12am. More info via Instagram or Facebook. 

Photos: Hanjip Korean Grill House

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