If cocktails hadn’t piqued Uno Jang’s interest, the award-winning South Korean bartender might have become a mechanic. And that probably explains the exacting precision found in his latest venture BOP (Bartenders of Pony).
Opening on Jan 31 (Sat) in Tanjong Pagar, BOP is Uno’s first independent venture developed with the support of Jigger & Pony Group, of which he is the creative director.
In this concept, the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award at World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 has channelled everything he loves about Korean drinking culture and music — among BOP’s library of mostly 1980s and 1990s house and disco vinyl records is a rare DJ-Kicks album by Korean DJ-singer Peggy Gou — and “bopping” to a jolly good time.
(Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Vinyl turntable at BOP. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Step through the front door and you are immediately greeted by the team, led by assistant principal bartender Betty Sim and assistant hospitality manager Kimberly Cheng, at the bar counter, which has been deliberately positioned at the front of the 76 Tras Street shophouse unit.
Flax linen flap overhead, the same material from which the staff’s hanbok-inspired jackets with red cuffs are made. The interiors subtly echo the five colours — white, black, blue, red and yellow — found in the traditional Korean colour spectrum “obangsaek” and “dancheong” patterns. The classic palette of honeyed wood, soft beiges and earthy terracotta gets a modern, cheery edge through pops of colour in the decorative vases, wooden shelves and eclectic range of stools and armchairs with jewel-toned cushions.
Strawberry Cheong & Tonic with Cucumber and Squid Muchim. (Photo: Grace Ma)
BOP Iced Somaek. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Perilla Smash. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Uno’s vision for BOP, which was a five-year project in the making, was a place for guests to experience the essence of Korean drinking culture: food and drinks are mishmashes of whatever you want, served with heartfelt hospitality and joyful energy throughout the night. The space was designed to facilitate the natural rhythms and human interactions in a bar, such as casually chatting while leaning against a wall with a folding table to hold your drinks, sitting around a turntable enjoying the music, or huddling with friends in a quiet corner.
The cocktail menu is anchored in familiar Korean ingredients such as rice, perilla and nuruk (fermentation starter) alongside traditional spirits like soju, takju, cheongju and makgeolli.
For BOP’s launch, there are 12 signature cocktails inspired by South Korean pop culture and drinking rituals. There is the fun Bokbunja Pop (S$23 or US$18), which layers bokbunja (wild raspberry wine) on a concoction of soju, tequila, Sprite, Korean plum wine and hops. Insert a somaek twister into the drink and activate the bubbles for a visual tickle. Or park yourself at the counter and watch soju ice flakes flutter from an ice kacang machine onto Iced Somaeks (S$16), designed with a local touch and Japanese kakigori take on the quintessential Korean soju-beer cocktail.
The BOP Martini (S$23) delivers clean, savoury hits from the house-made makgeolli vermouth infused with roasted seaweed and topped with a soy sauce-pickled olive. Even the relatively basic Cheong & Tonic (S$23) sparkles with Jinmaek wheat soju mixed with seasonal strawberry “cheong” (sweetened fruit syrup), soda and tonic. During Happy Hour from 6pm to 7.30pm, drinks start from S$11 for a Cass draft beer to S$16 for the Strawberry Cheong & Tonic.
Bossam with pork jowl. (Photo: Grace Ma)
The food is equally a winner. Group executive chef David Tang worked alongside South Korean chef Jason Oh, an alumnus of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and owner of Seoul’s Namyeong Chicken, to create everyday Korean dishes with bold flavours. For example, the Cucumber & Squid Muchim (S$14) has an appetising dressing of gochujang and sesame oil drizzled over cucumber, squid and radish for a crunchy bite that you want to dig into many times over.
Crispy Fried Chicken with mala jang, peanut and barbecue sauces. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Tuna gimbap. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Unsurprisingly, the star is the Crispy Fried Chicken (S$18), made by dipping boneless kampung chicken thigh in a secret batter for extra crispiness and served with mala jang, peanut and barbecue sauces. Coming in a close second is the Bossam (S$37), which uses pork jowl boiled in beef bone broth and served with daikon kimchi wrapped in Napa cabbage, ssamjang (thick spicy paste) and salted shrimp. At first, I baulked at the thick layer of fat on the pork jowl. Eventually I succumbed to a second helping as the entire piece melted in my mouth, clean and buttery smooth without a greasy aftertaste. Leave room for the indulgent Banana Milk Tiramisu (S$16), which is topped by shavings of Banana Kick corn puffs and subtly reminds of the popular Binggrae banana milk.
Banana Milk Tiramisu. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Uno is adamant that dishes need to be “kickass” before they end up on the menu. He said: “I want to do good Korean food and not just barbecue options. There must be a punch, not only in terms of being spicy, salty, sweet or sour, but in the textures as well, like the crunchiness of the fried chicken.
And we made the drinks to go well with them. There is no particular pairing; it’s about having fun mixing and matching, like how we’d pick an iced coffee here and a meal there in convenience stores in Korea. You create your own culture here.”
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Opening on Jan 31 (Sat) in Tanjong Pagar, BOP is Uno’s first independent venture developed with the support of Jigger & Pony Group, of which he is the creative director.
In this concept, the winner of the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award at World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 has channelled everything he loves about Korean drinking culture and music — among BOP’s library of mostly 1980s and 1990s house and disco vinyl records is a rare DJ-Kicks album by Korean DJ-singer Peggy Gou — and “bopping” to a jolly good time.
(Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Vinyl turntable at BOP. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Step through the front door and you are immediately greeted by the team, led by assistant principal bartender Betty Sim and assistant hospitality manager Kimberly Cheng, at the bar counter, which has been deliberately positioned at the front of the 76 Tras Street shophouse unit.
Flax linen flap overhead, the same material from which the staff’s hanbok-inspired jackets with red cuffs are made. The interiors subtly echo the five colours — white, black, blue, red and yellow — found in the traditional Korean colour spectrum “obangsaek” and “dancheong” patterns. The classic palette of honeyed wood, soft beiges and earthy terracotta gets a modern, cheery edge through pops of colour in the decorative vases, wooden shelves and eclectic range of stools and armchairs with jewel-toned cushions.
Strawberry Cheong & Tonic with Cucumber and Squid Muchim. (Photo: Grace Ma)
BOP Iced Somaek. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Perilla Smash. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Uno’s vision for BOP, which was a five-year project in the making, was a place for guests to experience the essence of Korean drinking culture: food and drinks are mishmashes of whatever you want, served with heartfelt hospitality and joyful energy throughout the night. The space was designed to facilitate the natural rhythms and human interactions in a bar, such as casually chatting while leaning against a wall with a folding table to hold your drinks, sitting around a turntable enjoying the music, or huddling with friends in a quiet corner.
The cocktail menu is anchored in familiar Korean ingredients such as rice, perilla and nuruk (fermentation starter) alongside traditional spirits like soju, takju, cheongju and makgeolli.
For BOP’s launch, there are 12 signature cocktails inspired by South Korean pop culture and drinking rituals. There is the fun Bokbunja Pop (S$23 or US$18), which layers bokbunja (wild raspberry wine) on a concoction of soju, tequila, Sprite, Korean plum wine and hops. Insert a somaek twister into the drink and activate the bubbles for a visual tickle. Or park yourself at the counter and watch soju ice flakes flutter from an ice kacang machine onto Iced Somaeks (S$16), designed with a local touch and Japanese kakigori take on the quintessential Korean soju-beer cocktail.
The BOP Martini (S$23) delivers clean, savoury hits from the house-made makgeolli vermouth infused with roasted seaweed and topped with a soy sauce-pickled olive. Even the relatively basic Cheong & Tonic (S$23) sparkles with Jinmaek wheat soju mixed with seasonal strawberry “cheong” (sweetened fruit syrup), soda and tonic. During Happy Hour from 6pm to 7.30pm, drinks start from S$11 for a Cass draft beer to S$16 for the Strawberry Cheong & Tonic.
Bossam with pork jowl. (Photo: Grace Ma)
The food is equally a winner. Group executive chef David Tang worked alongside South Korean chef Jason Oh, an alumnus of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and owner of Seoul’s Namyeong Chicken, to create everyday Korean dishes with bold flavours. For example, the Cucumber & Squid Muchim (S$14) has an appetising dressing of gochujang and sesame oil drizzled over cucumber, squid and radish for a crunchy bite that you want to dig into many times over.
Crispy Fried Chicken with mala jang, peanut and barbecue sauces. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Tuna gimbap. (Photo: BOP Bartenders of Pony)
Unsurprisingly, the star is the Crispy Fried Chicken (S$18), made by dipping boneless kampung chicken thigh in a secret batter for extra crispiness and served with mala jang, peanut and barbecue sauces. Coming in a close second is the Bossam (S$37), which uses pork jowl boiled in beef bone broth and served with daikon kimchi wrapped in Napa cabbage, ssamjang (thick spicy paste) and salted shrimp. At first, I baulked at the thick layer of fat on the pork jowl. Eventually I succumbed to a second helping as the entire piece melted in my mouth, clean and buttery smooth without a greasy aftertaste. Leave room for the indulgent Banana Milk Tiramisu (S$16), which is topped by shavings of Banana Kick corn puffs and subtly reminds of the popular Binggrae banana milk.
Banana Milk Tiramisu. (Photo: Grace Ma)
Uno is adamant that dishes need to be “kickass” before they end up on the menu. He said: “I want to do good Korean food and not just barbecue options. There must be a punch, not only in terms of being spicy, salty, sweet or sour, but in the textures as well, like the crunchiness of the fried chicken.
And we made the drinks to go well with them. There is no particular pairing; it’s about having fun mixing and matching, like how we’d pick an iced coffee here and a meal there in convenience stores in Korea. You create your own culture here.”
Continue reading...