OJEJE Tonkatsu Boss Closed Original Seoul Outlet ’Cos It Was Too Crowded, Now Opens S’pore Shop

OJEJE founder started helping out at his mum’s restaurant at 15

OJEJE founder and chef-owner Kim Ji-hoon, 33, grew up in Jeju, where his family has been running a gukbap (Korean soup with rice) restaurant in a market since his maternal grandmother’s time.

After his father died when he was young, Ji-hoon’s mother continued to run the restaurant for more than 20 years. Ji-hoon started helping out when he was in middle school. 

“I think that environment had a huge influence on why I work in F&B today,” he tells 8days.

He studied Hotel Culinary Arts at Cheju Halla University in Jeju, but jokes that he “played hard” at school and only really learnt to cook after graduating and moving to Seoul. He has worked as a server, chef, floor manager and sommelier, and even took on jobs at a petrol station and road construction site.

Why specialise in tonkatsu and udon?

While working in Seoul, Ji-hoon started developing the concept for OJEJE. He describes it as an organic process: he simply wanted to make “really delicious food”. He began experimenting with tonkatsu, while his business partner, who prefers not to be named, researched udon.

As the pair went deeper into their respective dishes, the two naturally became the heart of OJEJE. On his days off, Ji-hoon would fly back to Jeju to test dishes in his mum’s restaurant. He photographed interiors he liked, took notes and sought out artists to create the tableware he envisioned.

Today, OJEJE has six outlets in Seoul. Ji-hoon is the sole founder, with the business backed by silent investors.

The brand OJEJE was inspired by “O!” from “O! LEICA”, the name of a Leica exhibition, combined with “JEJE”, a variation of Jeju, his hometown.

Despite Jeju being an inspiration for the brand, the brand has yet to open an outlet there. Ji-hoon says the island’s relatively small market was one reason he chose to expand elsewhere.

“Jeju is a relatively small market, and I’ve always wanted to challenge myself in bigger markets,” he says. “That’s why I went from Jeju to Seoul, then to Singapore.”

Cried at home after closing the original OJEJE outlet in 2023

In June 2020, they opened the first OJEJE restaurant in a small 711-sq ft space near Seoul Station. For its first two years, an average of 60 to 80 groups waited each day.

On one particularly busy day, 110 groups joined the queue at opening, forcing the restaurant to stop taking names. “The road in front of the store was so packed with people waiting that it was hard for others to pass through,” Ji-hoon recalls.

With customers waiting up to two hours, he felt their expectations naturally increased – and the longer they waited, the harder OJEJE had to work to make it worthwhile.

“We tried to prepare earlier and check more carefully, to give an experience that made the wait worthwhile,” he says.

With no parking and limited space for waiting customers, Ji-hoon eventually decided the inconveniences were too much and closed the outlet in August 2023.

The closure was one of his most emotional moments. “The Seoul Station outlet is the space I poured the most love into. I’m usually not someone who cries much, but I remember crying alone at home after closing it,” he says.

Tonkatsu in a ‘first class lounge’, anyone?

OJEJE Singapore will occupy a 2,000 sq ft space at Raffles City and features 76 seats. It’s designed around the concept of a first class lounge – a first for the brand. Ji-hoon declined to disclose how much was invested in the Singapore outlet.

“In Seoul, every OJEJE outlet has a different interior design,” says Ji-hoon. The Singapore outpost will combine contemporary Korean art with vintage furniture and cabinets, including pieces that are over 100 years old.

Around 60 per cent of the tableware is custom-designed and produced, including pieces by Korean ceramic artists.

“We also opened up the noodle-making room, where udon is made in-store, so customers can see it,” he says. “I hope customers can experience not only eating the food but also how OJEJE makes it.”

Singapore kitchen team trained by Korean chefs

To ensure quality and consistency, Ji-hoon has been staying in Singapore since around 40 days before the outlet’s opening, and plans to remain for about 15 days after. He is personally overseeing everything from construction and equipment to food, service, space and staff training.

Three other Korean chefs are also in Singapore to train the local kitchen team and oversee the handover until the restaurant stabilises: Kim Jun-hwi, head chef specialising in tonkatsu and udon development; Jang Hae-sang, sous chef and udon production lead; and Ha Sung-woon, R&D chef and culinary director.

May open more outlets in Singapore

Ji-hoon says he has been “very excited” rather than nervous about entering the competitive tonkatsu scene here, having visited regularly since 2025 to develop dishes using local ingredients. He has also fallen for Singaporean food during his visits, counting laksa, kaya toast and chilli crab among his favourites.

If the Singapore outlet is well-received, Ji-hoon hopes to eventually make OJEJE a brand that can be found at various landmarks around the city, “like Din Tai Fung”.

For now, there is just one thing he is looking forward to. 

“I’m really curious which menu item will be loved most by Singaporean customers,” he says. 

What’s on the menu

There are three types of pork katsu available on the menu, including Tenderloin ($28), Loin ($28), and Special Loin ($32). All use fresh air-flown pork sourced from various countries, although Ji-hoon declined to specify where, saying OJEJE prioritises meat quality over origin. Jeju black pork is also in the pipeline, pending a consistent supply that meets the brand’s standards.

The pork is also wet-aged – sealed in airtight packaging and chilled for a period to allow natural enzymes to tenderise the meat – but there is no fixed ageing period. Instead, the team assesses each cut based on its condition, texture, fat-to-lean ratio and how it changes during ageing.

Chicken Tenderloin Katsu ($24), a Singapore exclusive, features a particularly tender cut – only two pieces are available from each chicken – and comes with OJEJE’s Signature Spicy Sauce.

All katsu comes with free-flow rice, soup and cabbage.

For the udon, the noodles are made fresh in-house every day. OJEJE even uses water that has been purified and softened with equipment brought from Japan, as water hardness and mineral content can affect the texture and elasticity of the noodles.

“We believe good udon starts with water,” says Ji-hoon.

The Premium Matcha Zaru Udon ($17) features house-made chilled matcha udon served with a refreshing tsuyu dipping sauce. Another Singapore exclusive, the Carbonara Udon ($22), coats the chewy house-made noodles in a savoury creamy sauce.

OJEJE Singapore is at #B1-12 Raffles City, 252 North Bridge Rd, S179103. Open daily 11am - 10pm (last order 9pm). More info via Instagram.