Korea’s latest culinary sensation ‘Korean Seafood Tower’ arrives in Singapore

An engineer-turned restaurateur is behind Captain K.

120-seater restaurant Captain K opened a few months ago at Prinsep Street. It specializes in Korea’s latest culinary sensation called the ‘Korean Seafood Tower’, a cuisine also known as nine layers of steamed shells in other parts of Asia.

“Being a considerably new and fresh idea in the F&B industry, the different layers of intricacies involved in delivering perfectly cooked seafood tiers distinguishes the cuisine apart from the traditional ways of enjoying such delicacies,” said 33-year old founder Kenneth Koh.

According to Kenneth, by steaming the seafood and allowing the essence to condense into the “seabed” - the steamboat broth at the bottom of the seafood tower - it allows patrons to fully experience the natural flavours of the crustaceans. In addition, the sauces, he said are specially tailored with a twist of Singaporean flavours, to go along with the steamed seafood dishes.

“This further enhances the freshness of the concept of the Korean Seafood Tower, both in taste and in experience,” he added.

Kenneth is an engineer turned restaurateur, who decided to leave his career as a marine engineer with Neptune Orient Lines and pursue his passion for food. Kenneth used to manage the operations and maintenance of the engine room of the container ships. In his experience with NOL, travelling to many regions of the world exposed him to the different local cuisines, and sparked inspirations for the restaurant.

According to Kenneth, the acumen for the business originated from his passion for food and a strong interest in the F&B industry. Kenneth shared that growing up in a big Teochew family, steamboats and seafood dishes were not to be missed during their family occasions and steamed fish in particular was his personal favorite. Putting together the ideas of great food and fun with family and friends gave rise to Captain K.

Being a complete novice to the F&B industry, every day is a learning journey for Kenneth, from the training of service staff to the marketing of the brand.

According to Kenneth, the possibilities of expanding this cuisine is infinite. “Due to the versatile nature of the Korean Seafood Tower, we look to spice things up by extending the range of choices, bringing in exotic and less commonly available seafood to provide a fresh dining experience for the ultimate Singaporean foodies,” he said.