January 20, 2014

SMOKE HOUSE Charcoal BBQ ~ A New Retail Cum Self-Service Dine-In Japanese BBQ Concept At Great World City



One of the favourite activities of BFF and myself is to go 'window-supermarketing'. BFF always say the basement of any shopping mall is the best because that's where the supermarkets and food outlets are usually located. The rows and rows of food products never fails to inspire and excite, especially when we see produce which are so fresh that we feel the urge to just purchase it, go home, cook and eat it. It seldom materialize as we lived too far apart and hunger can't survive the distance, but now with the opening of Smoke House Charcoal BBQ at Great World City, problem solved! It offers us the chance to shop and do our own barbequing, all under one roof!


Not quite a supermarket, but Smoke House competently houses a display refrigerator of premium and rare cut meats, a delicatessen counter with a wide variety of dishes, and a retail section with specially imported Japanese products.

Diners pick up whatever they want, pay for the items and cover charge (lunch $8 / dinner $10 which includes free-flow DIY salad, pickles, rice, garlic rice and miso soup) at the cashier counter, before heading into the restaurant and enjoy a do-it-yourself barbeque session at their table.

Brought to us by the same company behind Japanese eateries Kuriya Dining and Ichiban Boshi, Smoke House could be the first of its kind in Singapore with this chic retail cum self-service dine-in Japanese barbeque concept.


The novelty of the idea kept us excited for awhile, but when laziness sets in, it may be a slight hassle involving multiple trips up and down to the selection, cashier and table. Still, having said that, what attracted us to Smoke House is the wide variety of quality meats available.

We are spoilt with choices from premium cuts such as Japanese Wagyu Ribeye, Dry Aged Beef - US Angus to rarer parts like the Japanese Wagyu Chuck Flap and Flank Steak. I also tried the Australian Premium Beef Tongue for the very first time! Though essentially beef-centric, Smoke House also offers pork, lamb, poultry and seafood to cater to the wider public.


Prices are inclusive of GST and reasonably affordable considering that these are premium meats specially imported from Japan and Australia. We liked it that we can purchase the meat by pieces and thus allowing us to enjoy many different cuts at our desired quantity. But I tend to fall easily into the temptation of over-ordering, so if you're like me and afraid of losing track and bursting the wallet unintentionally, my suggestion is to be on the safe side and get the Assorted Platter ($48).

Comprising of 5 kind of meats, Japan Wagyu Karubi, Australian Short Rib, Today's Beef, US Kurobuta Pork Jowl & Chicken Wings, along with some corn, onions and capsicum, it's great value-for-money and sufficient for two people to share. Smaller platters in cozier portions are available too.


Now comes the fun part of barbequing! We seasoned the beef lightly with the provided salt and pepper before giving it some brief moments on the heated charcoal grill. Number one rule is never overcook the beef, so as to fully appreciate the melting tenderness of a well marbled cut.

The BBQ sauce in soy sauce and salt flavour, both original recipe by Kuriya Dining's masterchef, makes excellent accompanying dips as well.


We did not smell of any unpleasant smokiness despite the 2 hour barbeque session, probably due to the special retractable exhaust ducts at every table. The outlet also serves as a convenient one-stop solution for every barbeque need, simply pick your meats, condiments and barbeque gear (net, charcoal, fire starter, tongs, skewers etc) to go.

Even though there is no service charge, we still received very good service from the staff who assisted with our queries on the different meats and cleared our table of empty plates very promptly. Overall, it was an enjoyable dining experience at Smoke House.


Thanks to Smoke House for their hospitality.


Smoke House Charcoal BBQ
Address: Great World City #01-37, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Singapore 237994
Contact: +65 62352185
Website: http://www.smokehouse.com.sg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smokehouse.sg

Business Hours
Retail Counter: 12pm - 9.45pm
Lunch: 12pm - 3pm (last order 2.30pm)
Dinner: 6pm - 10.30pm (last order 9.45pm)


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