Hawker from Sri Lanka sells authentic Korean dishes like hot stone bibimbap at Bukit Batok

Recently, 8days.sg happened to come across upon a Facebook post raving about Sagol Korean Food, a hawker gem tucked within a coffeeshop in an industrial building in Bukit Batok. 

The stall, which opened in February 2023, serves “restaurant standard” Korean fare like jjajangmyeon and soon tofu (spicy soft tofu) soup sets from just S$5.50.

Delicious yet affordable Korean food? We had to check it out. 

When we dropped by the small coffeeshop at 2pm on a weekday, we were surprised to find Sagol run by a Sri Lanka-born hawker. 

Friendly lady boss Upeka, 46, tells us that she has always loved cooking and picked up Korean cuisine from her chef husband, also Sri Lankan. He specialised in Korean cooking after working in a K-eatery in Singapore and is now an executive chef at a Korean restaurant in Tanjong Pagar. She declines to tell us the name of the establishment, only saying he has about 22 years of experience in the field.

Upeka, who is from the Sri Lankan city of Kandy, came to Singapore more than 20 years ago to work at cha chaan teng chain Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe where she prepared beverages and desserts.

After marrying her husband, whom she met at church in Singapore, she became a homemaker raising their two kids aged 13 and nine. 

In 2022, at the suggestion and encouragement of her husband, Upeka started Sagol. She invested S$10,000 to open the stall.

“He knows I love cooking. I can cook many different cuisines, but my Korean food is the most popular with friends, so he suggested opening a stall selling authentic Korean food that is accessible to the masses,” shares Upeka, who admits she prefers Korean food to Sri Lankan food due to the variety of flavours.

“He’s the brains behind the business. He taught me how to cook these dishes and he helps me with the preparation each day before going to work.” The couple start their day at around 4am and would take turns to shuttle between the stall and home to check on their kids.

The stall is named after her husband’s nickname, Sago. “But we can’t use Sago as it means accident in Korean, so we added an ‘L’ to become Sagol, which means beef bone,” says Upeka.

CUSTOMERS THOUGHT SHE'S A TRAINED CHEF

It is unusual to see a Sri Lankan hawker running a Korean stall so it’s not surprising that Upeka has had her fair share of questions from curious customers about how she learned to cook such authentic Korean fare.

“I told them I learned from my husband, but they don’t believe me because they said my food is better than those served in restaurants. They thought I am trained in Korean cooking and have many years of experience,” shares Upeka.

Being a professional chef, Upeka’s husband, whom she calls her pillar of support, upholds high standards in the kitchen. He insists on serving quality food using Korean ingredients, and everything from sauces to broth and even banchan (side dishes) are made from scratch.

“We make our own kimchi as those from suppliers are too sour,” notes Upeka. She ages her kimchi for about a week, so it is crunchy, crisp, and not overly sour, and according to Upeka, it is similar to those served in eateries in Korea.

“Customers like it. Some regulars have asked to buy kimchi from us which we sell at S$8 for a 650g container,” she adds.

CUSTOMERS SNEAKILY TAKE HOME HER BIBIMBAP SAUCE

Customers have also asked for recipes for her bulgogi marinades and bibimbap sauce, but Upeka remains tight-lipped about them.

“They like our sauce a lot. Sometimes customers ask to take the full bottle of sauce to their table and when they return it, it is empty. They [bring home] the sauce without telling me,” she laughs.

At lunchtime there’s always a long queue for Upeka’s food; there were around 10 people in line when our friend visited another day. Upeka says the response has been overwhelming since their opening day, something the humble hawker never expected and is very grateful for.

“I was very slow when I first opened ’cause I couldn’t manage. People said they were angry but continued to wait in line as they wanted to try my food,” she says with a laugh.

“I made S$500 to S$600 on my first day and this was just during lunch service. Now business is even better.”

STALL ONLY OPENS ON WEEKDAYS FOR FOUR HOURS

Upeka runs the stall alone and only opens on weekdays for four hours, from 10am to 2pm, as her kids are still her priority. To prevent food wastage, only about 20 servings of each dish are available each day, and she is usually sold out by around 1.30pm.

Most of her customers are workers in the area but she does have regulars who are Koreans visiting around three times a week.

“They read reviews or found out about my stall through word of mouth. Korean customers tell me my food is authentic and that they love it. They want me to close later so they can [bring the] food home,” she beams.

While Upeka doesn’t intend to extend lunch hours, there are plans to offer Korean BBQ at the stall in the evenings.  

“We target to start in the first half of 2025. My husband and I will prepare the meats and get a part-timer to run the stall. This allows me to still be home for my kids,” she says.

Would it be too taxing for her, we ask.

“I really enjoy being a hawker, there are no words. I get to talk to people and my customers are really friendly. Some cheeky boys call me ahjumma (auntie) and show me the heart sign. I say no problem, I am happy to hear that,” she shares.

Sagol offers a small menu featuring familiar Korean fare like kimchi soup, jjajangmyeon and japchae. Prices start from an affordable S$5.50 for soon tofu soup with rice to S$7.50 for beef bulgogi rice set. All dishes come with three types of housemade banchan like kimchi and beansprouts.

SPICY CHICKEN BULGOGI, S$6.90

We were surprised by the generous portion when we were presented with the chicken bulgogi hot plate but Upeka reassures us that this is her usual serving size.

Tender chicken thigh chunks are coated in a spicy gochujang-based sauce and fried to juicy perfection with onions and cabbage. The sauce offers a perfect balance of sweetness, saltiness and heat.

Very appetising with the accompanying fluffy rice.

SOON TOFU SOUP, S$5.50

Also very good value for money is the spicy tofu soup which is served brimming with silken tofu chunks, zucchini, onions, egg, as well as a side of rice. If you’d like some protein, add S$1 for sausage and spam, like we did, or seafood. 

We are fans of the spicy, robust soup which is bursting with beef flavour. It’s a little on the salty side, but very appetising. This is Upeka’s best-seller so head down early if you want to try this.

JJAJANGMYEONG, S$5.90

The delightfully messy jjajangmyeong is good too. Slurp-worthy noodles drenched in thick, umami black bean sauce loaded with minced pork. Upeka makes the sauce from scratch, frying minced pork, onions, and cabbage with black bean paste from Korea. The noodles are cooked just right by default so do let Upeka know if you prefer it chewy and al dente. Also available with rice.

Sagol certainly lives up to the hype. The homely dishes hit the spot and hearty servings and affordable prices are the cherry on top. Being noodle fans, we came for the jjajangmyeon but were more impressed by the tasty dolsot bibimbap and comforting soon tofu soup. Sure, its location in the Bukit Batok industrial estate might be a little far out, but it’s worth a visit if you are a K-food fan.

Sagol Korean Food is at #01-01, The Elitist, 25 Bukit Batok Crescent, Singapore 658066. Open Mon to Fri, 10am to 2pm.

This story was originally published in 8Days.