Despite Pasir Ris being located in the far East of Singapore, I come here often for a plate of satisfying Western food (Wild Olives fans, hello!) and comforting pao fan. It was only on one of my recent visits to Whitesands that I found Yakiniku OK! nestled on the 2nd floor of the shopping mall, conveniently located right behind the main escalator.

Yakiniku OK! is relatively new, having only opened in mid 2022. It specialises in yakiniku, with an emphasis on serving freshly sliced meat, and is now Halal-certified. The one thing I genuinely appreciated about Yakiniku OK! was its clean and smoke-free environment. Each table had built-in grills with easy-to-toggle buttons to control the intensity of the grill, which made for a fuss-free dining experience.

Yakiniku OK! offers 7 yakiniku sets covering a wide range of cuts and proteins. For example, there’s the affordably priced Toriniku Set which starts from S$13.80 for 200g, Truffle Karubi Set (S$19.80) and even the Premium Wagyu A5 Set (S$35.80). All sets come with rice, soup and your choice between kimchi or salad.

We started the ball rolling with the Premium Wagyu A5 Set, which uses wagyu beef flown in directly from Japan. Prior to grilling, Yakiniku OK!’s staff encouraged us to pour the accompanying sauce over the meat to add some extra flavour to the beef.

I absolutely loved the marbling on the thin pieces of beef. The lovely ratio of fat to meat made for a beautiful grilling experience, and each slice only needed around 10 to 15 seconds on the hot grill.

These were tender slices of wagyu beef that oozed juices when I bit into them. I wouldn’t say they were melt-in-your-mouth worthy, but they made for incredibly meaty bites. For the best experience, pair it as it is with a bowl of white rice, or dip it in Yakiniku OK!’s provided Thai green chilli sauce for a zesty burst of heat.

For those with friends who prefer chicken, go straight for Yakiniku OK!’s Toriniku OK Sambal Set (S$10.80 from). It features 6 flavours of the protein: BBQ, OK Sambal, Salt & Pepper, Garlic, Spicy Garlic and Miso, with chicken thigh.

Beef chuck eye roll is commonly used in stews or stir-fries because it’s usually tough yet fatty.

This particular boneless cut comes from the end of the rib, and though it contains the same few inches of tender muscle that gives us ribeye steaks, it’s also surrounded by connective tissue and fat.

This was a cut that I enjoyed immensely. The chuck eye roll was chewier than expected, but because it was sliced thinly, it wasn’t rubbery. In fact, it had a great bite and the more I chewed, the more the natural juices and flavour of the meat emerged.

Karubi has always been one of my favourite yakiniku cuts. This staple cut of beef is also known as boneless short rib, and it’s so popular because it has more marbling than most roast cuts. This grilled well, producing beautiful fat-dripping slices of beef that were soft and juicy. I loved how there was a good amount of meat and fat, which made for an all-rounded bite.

The last cut that came with Yakiniku OK!’s Zabuton Set was the chicken thigh. These bite-sized nuggets of chicken meat were succulent, and I loved how they had a slight crisp from its time on the grill. Super delightful!

While similar to the Zabuton Set in that it comes with 3 types of proteins or cuts, the OK Set comes with beef tongue, beef striploin and short plate. I’d say that Yakiniku OK!’s OK Set was one of the most well-rounded sets on its menu, as all its 3 types of meat gave a different mouthfeel and chew.

For example, the beef tongue was a lot chewier than usual but I loved how thinly they had been sliced, so that it turned out more QQ than I expected. The striploin was more meaty, making for much thicker bites, while the short plate or karubi acted as the perfect in-between, with a good balance of fat and meat.

For S$21.80, you’re truly getting your money’s worth with this 3-in-1 set. In fact, if you have the stomach space for it, I’d say go ahead and top up S$4 to get the full striploin!

There are plenty of ways to enjoy your yakiniku, and while the primary way is to simply have it with white rice, Yakiniku OK! offers side dishes such as Lettuce (S$3.90) and Onsen Egg (S$1.90) for a varied experience.

In the event that you’re not up for yakiniku, Yakiniku OK! also sells à la carte dishes such as Onsen Chicken Bowl (S$13.90) for a fuss-free meal. This item features grilled chicken on top of white rice, and is topped with an onsen egg, seaweed, spring onions, and a generous douse of teriyaki sauce. What I loved about this dish was how comforting it was— the rice was seasoned lightly thanks to the sauce, the chicken meat was tender and came in small chunks, while the onsen egg gave a touch of moisture to each spoonful.

You can also pick from its other à la carte options, such as Kimchi Chicken Bowl (S$13.90), Cheese Beef Don (S$13.90) and Japanese Curry Rice (S$12.90).