Delivery Drivers Open Yakiniku Hawker Stall, Muslim-Friendly Meats Like Wagyu Striploin From $4

Since last year, there’s been a steady crop of new stalls offering affordable yakiniku, or DIY Japanese-style grilled meat. The newest kid on the block is Muslim-owned Yugo Yakiniku (“fusion yakiniku” in Japanese), which opened on October 1 at a Jurong West kopitiam. The coffee shop also houses popular joint Fei Zhu Lok Lok and Ipoh curry mee stall Wang Cai. 

As its name suggests, Yugo offers a fusion menu with a small selection of meats marinated in southeast-Asian flavours like satay marinade. You can also get donburi, available all day, while yakiniku is only served during dinner on weekdays and all day on weekends.

All the ingredients used here are halal and there are plans to apply for halal certification, says its young owners.

Yugo is opened by Carol Ting, 34, and Mohammad Aryaan, 24, both formerly delivery drivers. Carol was with UrbanFox and Aryaan, Redmart. Though they only got to know each other on the job a few months ago, they became fast friends and decided to go into F&B together as they both enjoy cooking. 

While Carol isn’t Muslim, Aryaan is. However, Carol says the both of them ensure that they adhere strictly to halal requirements, right down to how they cleanse the shop before opening each day. 

“I left my job in insurance in 2020 at the start of the pandemic and became a delivery driver as the income then was more stable, but it’s not the case anymore. Furthermore, it can’t be my career, so I decided to start my own business,” shares Carol. Despite not knowing much about yakiniku, they decided to give it a go ’cos of the low barrier to entry. 

“It is the simplest option ‘cos we need minimal knowledge in terms of cooking. We just need to get good cuts and grades of meat, and know how to handle it to bring out the flavour,” she reasons.

Together, the pair invested less than $10,000 to start the business and opened shop in two months.

The menu

The concept

Similar to other yakiniku joints, after placing your order, the meats are delivered to your table where you grill them on a little portable grill yourself. While we haven't tried the nosh, Carol recommends having the meat with their house-made “fruity” tare sauce.

Have your dendeng to go

If you like dendeng, you can also get them ready-grilled from $3.50 for a 100g box.

“While bak kwa is mainly eaten during Chinese New Year, dendeng is enjoyed all year round, so I suggested we sell it ready-made so people can buy and snack it at home. We will wrap and box it like bak kwa,” says Carol.
 

Yugo Yakiniku is at 557 Jurong West St 42, S640557. Open daily except Wed, 11am-10pm. More info on yugoyakiniku.com, Facebook and Instagram.

Photos: Yugo Yakiniku