Bibimbap boom: Eateries offering the dish and K-style cai fan, with free-flow sides, are on the rise

SINGAPORE – Step aside, Hanwoo beef. All hail bibimbap.

South Korean premium beef may have dominated Singapore headlines since it became available here in late 2025, but it is the iconic bibimbap that is fast making inroads here.

A fixture on most Korean restaurant menus, the dish of rice mixed with meat and assorted vegetables is getting a new lease of life with the many value-for-money business models being rolled out here.

The newest player is Bibim Deli, launched on March 28 at Suntec City by South Korean chef Min Yohan – a contestant in South Korean cooking reality competition Culinary Class Wars (2024 to present) – in partnership with a local food and beverage (F&B) group.

Chef Min, 29, runs a network of casual restaurants specialising in banchan (side dishes) across more than 50 locations in South Korea. Drawing on that expertise, the Bibim Deli concept was created for Singapore – diners can pick from a rotating selection of 20 items, including meats, banchan and sauces. 

Think of it as K-style cai fan – with a plethora of dishes to choose from – meets the pay-by-weight system of mala xiang guo. Each bibimbap portion is priced from $3.88 for 100g.

Chef Min says the current price-conscious F&B climate made him think a lot about value and flexibility.

He adds: “It allows diners to control both their portions and their spending, depending on what they feel like having that day.”

Another Korean cai fan concept is OGOG, which established its first outlet one year ago at Marina One, followed by its second at CIMB Plaza in November 2025. 

Prices start at $9.90 for a base of multigrain rice, white rice or salad, and a choice of three dishes such as braised quail eggs, oven-baked soya garlic chicken and steamed egg. 

OGOG’s Singapore-based South Korean founder and chief executive Jihoon Bae, 34, calls its Korean-style build-your-own bansang – a traditional Korean meal with rice, soup and sides – the cousin to Singapore’s beloved cai fan. 

He says: “It takes a format that people here already know and love – with its variety, customisation and efficiency – and infuses it with authentic Korean flavours and identity.”

For buffet lovers, there is Muhan Sikdang at Jurong Point, which serves Korean hotpot and bibimbap from $22.90++ for lunch. 

Another two brands offering value options are two Korean-style Chinese chains – Mi Bibimbap and Mincheng Bibimbap. 

Both brands opened in 2024, hailing from Jilin province’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, which has the largest number of ethnic Korean residents in China.

These have gained traction in the past two years for their affordable bibimbap, as well as other dishes served in hot stone bowls that come with free-flow rice, seaweed soup and kimchi at no extra cost. 

Here is where to get bang for your bibimbap buck. 

Bibim Deli 

Where: B1-172 Suntec City, 3 Temasek Boulevard; open: 11.30am to 3pm, 5 to 10pm daily 
Info: @bibimdeli on Instagram 

Billed as a DIY bibimbap concept, Bibim Deli launched on March 28 at Suntec City. 

The process is straightforward. Start with a 150g mound of rice, then pick from a wide selection of dishes like Braised Pork Ribs, Braised Chicken and Spicy Stir-fried Squid, as well as seasonal sides such as Stir-fried Fish Cakes, Soy-marinated Eggs and Braised Tofu. 

Toppings include seaweed and furikake, as well as sesame oil and gochujang.

Finally, get your bowl weighed – priced from $3.88 for 100g a dish (rice is complimentary) – and wash it down with a free bowl of seaweed soup. There is a minimum order of 200g (without rice). 

A low-carb hack is to skip the rice and take what you want from the free-flow section instead. Japchae and jjajangmyeon (noodles in black bean sauce) are carb alternatives. 

A money-saving hack is to split your meal into two if you have piled on too much for dine-in. Transfer your ingredients into a takeaway container, add more rice for free and have it for dinner.

Pick up snacks and produce from the retail corner featuring chef Min Yohan’s brand in South Korea, called Dosigotgan, which features pumpkin yakgwa (Korean honey pastries made with sweet pumpkin powder, $1.88 a piece), fresh ginger extract ($28.88) and seasoned seaweed flakes ($4.88). 

Chef Min says the team will observe what is popular among local diners and tweak the selection accordingly. 

He adds: “With a library of over 1,000 recipes, I saw an opportunity to show how diverse Korean food can be – not just as one dish, but also as a full experience centred around banchan and bibimbap. It’s about making Korean food more accessible, customisable and something you can enjoy every day.” 

OGOG 

Where: B2-45 The Heart, Marina One, 5 Straits View, open: 11am to 2.30pm, 5.30 to 8.30pm, weekdays only; B1-30 CIMB Plaza, 30 Raffles Place, 11am to 3pm, 5.30 to 8pm, weekdays only 
Info: ogog.food

Local diners will be familiar with OGOG’s classic cai fan format – but it is Korean-style here.

The menu is conceptualised around an everyday meal in South Korea, with evergreen items such as kimchi pancake, japchae and oven-baked chicken in soya garlic or gochujang glaze. 

Founder Jihoon Bae highlights dishes that resonate with both Singaporean and Korean diners, such as steamed egg, braised quail eggs and seasoned choy sum – prepared in the traditional Korean namul style with sesame oil and soya sauce. 

Prices start at $9.90 for a base of white rice, multigrain rice (add $1) or salad, and a choice of three dishes. 

The selection is refreshed regularly, with new dishes introduced at least once a month. 

Meal sets are priced from $14.90, including a stew and a drink.

For an even more convenient rice option, go for the gimbap (from $5.90 for a half-roll) – original with fish cake and vegetables, beef bulgogi, black pepper tuna and vegetables.

OGOG is run by a team of Singapore-based South Korean techpreneurs and restaurateurs, three of whom co-founded elecle, recognised as South Korea’s first e-bike-sharing platform. Elecle was acquired by Socar, the country’s largest car-sharing company, in 2021. 

The product and culinary team, led by product director Minho Song, has experience in South Korea and Singapore across multiple food categories – from Korean food and pizza to fried chicken and speciality coffee. 

OGOG is their first brand built from scratch, says Mr Bae, who is working on expanding it here.

Muhan Sikdang 

Where: 03-34 Jurong Point, 1 Jurong West Central 2, open: 11am to 10pm daily 
Info: @muhansikdangsg on Instagram 

Have your fill of bibimbap and hotpot at this all-you-can-eat buffet at Muhan Sikdang, which opened in January at Jurong Point. 

Prices start at $22.90++ a person for lunch, $20.90++ for teatime (2.30 to 4.30pm) and $28.90++ for dinner.

While the bibimbap comes in four flavours – signature bulgogi beef, seaweed tuna, garden (vegetables only) and spicy chuncheon chicken – you can jazz it up with ingredients from the hotpot section. 

For the hotpot, choose between two Korean-style soup bases and help yourself to drinks, sides, snacks and ice cream. 

Solo diners can order the bibimbap as an a la carte option – priced at $14.90 each with free-flow drinks and cold sides. 

There is an ongoing $9.90++ bibimbap set promotion which includes a choice of bibimbap, two pieces of chicken karaage, one ebi fry and free-flow drinks. 

Mi Bibimbap

Where: Five outlets including B1-75 Nex, 23 Serangoon Central; and 01-13 Bugis+, 201 Victoria Street, open: 11am to 9pm daily 
Info: @mibibimbap on Instagram

Originating in Yanji City, Jilin province, Mi Bibimbap (MiCun Bibimbap in Chinese) boasts more than 1,000 outlets in China. 

Singapore is its first international outpost, with five outlets including at Bukit Panjang Plaza, Bugis+ and Nex.  

Prices start at $6.90 for a tuna, teriyaki chicken or vegetable bibimbap. The vegetable, chicken ($7.90), beef ($9.90) and pork bibimbap ($7.90) are served in hot stone bowls, which give the rice a crunchy texture and keep the ingredients hot. 

Hot stone bowls are also used in other dishes such as fish with pickled cabbage (suan cai yu, $10.90), classic sanbei chicken ($9.90) and claypot eggplant with minced pork ($7.90). 

Under the Stew Pot category, there is braised chicken with potatoes ($7.90), braised beef with potatoes ($11.90) and Angus beef bulgogi ($10.90).

Pair the dishes with free-flow rice, seaweed soup and kimchi. 

Mincheng Bibimbap 

Where: Eight outlets including B2-K6/K7 Westgate, 3 Gateway Drive; B2-26A VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk; and 01-25/26 AMK Hub, 53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3
Info: For the full list of outlets and opening hours, go to www.minchengbibimbap.com

Established in 2008 in China, Mincheng Bibimbap made its Singapore entry in 2024. 

It has eight outlets here – the latest opened at Tiong Bahru Plaza in September 2025 – and more than 400 branches worldwide. 

Here, its style of Chinese-Korean cuisine focuses on bibimbap and stir-fried dishes served in a hot stone bowl or on a hot plate. 

Prices start at $6.80 for a braised pork or grilled chicken cutlet bibimbap. 

Other options include pork bibimbap ($8.80) and beef bibimbap ($9.80) – both topped with a fried egg. 

Dishes under its Korean stir-fry category include hot-plate pork belly with sauerkraut ($10.80), hot-plate egg with tofu ($8.80) and spicy squid ($11.80). 

Soup options include seafood tofu soup ($8.80) and pork kimchi soup ($8.80). 

Every order comes with free refills of rice, seaweed soup and kimchi.