I'm Kim Korean BBQ

It's only the 2nd weekend of 2016 and the new year resolutions to eat clean were broken. All thanks to Kim. Located at the School of The Arts (SOTA), this place is popular with a young crowd for its pocket-friendly BBQ buffet priced at $29 after gst and service charge. 

Arriving at I'm Kim without prior reservations meant a waiting time. Just by standing outside, I already smell like a piece of barbeque meat on the grill. A bottle of Febreeze Fabric Refresher was placed at the cashier counter but no amounts can alleviate the lingering scent.

The place is a huge dining hall with separate tables. The atmosphere is rowdy and sizzling to the point that I thought the owners could just switch off the Korean pop MTVs showing on the TV screens since we can't hear them anyway. It's airconditioned but there are also ceiling fans to blow the choking smoke from the grills to your face. One can only seek respite by heading to the buffet counters more often. The buffet is self-help style which means it is more advantegeous to be seated closer to the buffet counters. 

The variety is reasonable and there are beef, chicken, pork, seasoned or non-seasoned. After the first round of sample tasting of various meats, my target for the night was narrowed down to the garlic/spicy marinated chicken. The meat was tender and flavourful even if the cook was mediocre (aka me), unlike the pork collars which were tough and not so tasty. A range of cooked food such as Korean ginseng soups, rice cakes, complement the meats and act as appetizers while we were cooking the meat. We loved the sweet crunchy garlic-glazed "irresistible Korean chicken wings" which required some stalking of the kitchen staff in order to acquire as they always run out within seconds after each refill.

Enjoying a Korean BBQ requires mastering the art of cooking food before it's burnt. It's a great way for big groups to socialize. Bigbang was showing their dance moves in an MV. In an interesting comparison, a group of four middle-aged uncles, sitting next to the TV, were waiting for one of their "bros" to arrive before they start the BBQ. The bro code is abided even if the clock is ticking (the buffet has a time limit of 1.5 hours). This place has no age limit. The only limit is one's stomach's ability to eat all you can within 1.5 hours.

Address: 1 Zubir Said Drive Singapore 227968