Ambience
Fav.grillbar positions itself as a deliberate departure from the rustic, utilitarian aesthetic that has long defined Korean barbecue dining in Singapore. Where establishments like Wang Dae Bak lean into an old-school, no-frills sensibility, Fav.grillbar cultivates something more considered and atmospheric. Exposed concrete walls — cool, grey, and intentionally raw — provide the structural backbone of the space, offset by the quiet luxury of black marble tabletops that absorb and reflect the ambient light in equal measure. The effect is industrial without being cold, contemporary without being sterile.
Indie Korean music drifts through the background at a register that encourages conversation rather than competing with it, and the standout architectural feature — a sunroof positioned above the bar — promises something genuinely special on a rainy Singapore evening: the sound of rainfall above, the warmth of charcoal and company below. It is a space that understands the difference between a meal and an experience.
The Banchan — A Prelude Worth Noting
The complimentary banchan arrives as a quiet but confident statement of intent. Presented on sleek metal plates embossed with miniature Calcifers from Howl’s Moving Castle — a charming, almost whimsical detail — the spread covers the expected bases while elevating several of them. Kimchi and soya-braised black beans anchor the selection in familiarity, while sweet-salty fish cake adds textural contrast: yielding, subtly chewy, with a gentle brininess.
The two standouts are the Korean cold tofu and the pickled perilla leaves. The tofu departs markedly from the silken Chinese varieties more common to local palates — it is firmer, more structurally defined, with a pronounced soy aftertaste that lingers at the back of the throat in a way that feels purposeful rather than residual. The pickled perilla leaves, meanwhile, are intensely herbaceous — reminiscent of basil but earthier, more vegetal, carrying a deep savoury brine that makes them genuinely difficult to stop eating. Together, the banchan functions less as a distraction before the main event and more as a calibration of the palate.
The Fav Set — Beef Short Ribs ($98+)
This is the centrepiece, and it earns that designation. The short ribs here are not short in any conventional sense — they arrive as a substantial, well-marbled cut that has first been charcoal-grilled in the kitchen before being sliced into manageable pieces and brought to the table on a live grill. The wet-ageing process, carried out over a week, is perceptible in every bite: the connective tissue has softened without dissolving entirely, lending the meat a tender, almost yielding resistance that pulls cleanly away under the teeth.
The marbling distribution is generous and even — not the aggressive fat-to-meat ratio of an A5 Wagyu, but something closer in spirit to it. The natural beefy flavour is front and centre, clean and deep, unmasked by heavy marinades. At the table, a brief second kiss of heat on the grill introduces Maillard browning to the cut surfaces — caramelised, slightly crusted edges that provide textural contrast against the soft interior. The colour deepens from a rosy, wet-aged burgundy to a rich amber-brown at the grill’s contact points, the fat rendering visibly at the margins into small, glistening pools.
The Pork Set — Belly, Jowl, and Collar ($65+)
The Duroc pork selection offers three distinct textural and flavour profiles within a single set. All three cuts are pre-seared in the kitchen — a technique that locks internal moisture while imparting a distinctive smoky char to the outer edges, visible as a deep mahogany crust against the pale interior of each slice.
The belly is rich and fatty, its layers of muscle and fat rendered into something gelatinous and silky at the edges while maintaining a firmer chew at the centre. The collar carries more connective complexity, a denser, meatier bite with fat distributed less uniformly. The jowl, however, is the revelation: finer in grain, more evenly marbled, with a tenderness that surpasses both its companions. Its fat-to-muscle ratio produces a clean, almost sweet porcine flavour that coats the palate without overwhelming it.
The Steamed Egg — An Unexpected Highlight
The complimentary steamed egg — seasoned with soya sauce and sesame oil — is one of those deceptively simple dishes that reveal the kitchen’s broader sensibility. The texture is uniform and silken, closer to a savoury custard than a conventional egg preparation, with a surface that trembles slightly and a pale gold hue deepening at the edges where the soya sauce has pooled. The sesame oil provides a fragrant, nutty top note that lifts the dish. Served alongside plain white rice, it transcends its complimentary status entirely.
The Seafood Pancake ($32+)
The pancake is visually impressive — large, golden-crusted at its well-seared edges, generously studded with plump seafood and aromatic spring onions. The colour gradient across the surface is appealing: a deep tawny brown at the perimeter giving way to a paler, more muted gold toward the centre. Texturally, however, the centre does not quite deliver on the promise of the edges — it leans doughy, insufficiently cooked through, lacking the structural crispness that defines the best iterations of haemul pajeon. It is a dish with excellent periphery and a softer, less resolved core.
Closing Assessment
Fav.grillbar operates at a price point that demands justification, and for the most part, it provides it. The beef short ribs are the clearest argument for a visit: technically sound, ingredient-led, and served with genuine care. The ambience rewards those willing to linger, and the small details — the Calcifer-embossed plates, the sunroof, the pickled perilla — suggest a kitchen and front-of-house team that has thought carefully about what kind of place this should be. The seafood pancake remains the one dish that does not quite resolve itself. Everything else makes a compelling case for return.
63 Neil Road, Singapore 088896. Mon–Sat, 5pm–11pm. Not halal-certified.