Restaurant Discovery: Yoree Korean Barbeque Dining

I still remember the days (or months) I stayed in Korea. I had a hard time eating as most of the really good dishes there are spicy. I was stuck with bulgogi, bibimbap and samgyeopsal. But after a while, I grew fond of the other mildly spicy dishes.

It is undeniable that the Korean community in Manila is growing. With the increase in the number of Korean restaurants and supermarkets, you’d somehow feel the Seoul vibe. And what I love about the restaurants here is that more often than not, you get close to authentic if not authentic food.

Hello, Yoree Korean Barbeque Dining!

I was a bit iffy to dine at Yoree as the B&B Italia principal I was with sure know his Korean food given that he is married to a lovely Korean lady. But R, another principal we were with, wanted to dine here as she loved the drinks.

What I like about Yoree is that it has set meals that are good for sharing. And since we were not exactly that hungry, we decided to go for Dwaeji Soot Bulgogi Set (PHP498 per person, minimum of two orders). The set includes usual Korean side dishes, Juk (rice porridge), Gyeranjjim (steamed egg on hot stone), Japchae, Kimchi Jjigae, Sikhye (Korean traditional rice punch), rice and Dwaeji Soot Bulgogi.

First served were the side dishes and juk.

The juk was delightful as it had a light taste and served as a great meal starter. The side dishes were your usual Korean side dishes.

The gyeranjjim was fluffy and had a lovely light taste which complements the other dishes.

Restaurant Discovery: Woo Galbi

I think I'm sick. I'm suffering from an ooh-a-new-restaurant-we-have-to-eat-there-NOW disease and I think I have reached stage 4. 

Lately, I haven't been going on hardcore food trips where I have to stop by 4 restaurants in one day. (Awww T3, I miss those days!) But one thing is for sure, if there's a new restaurant in Shangri-La or Megamall, I have to go there. True enough, when Woo Galbi opened, I begged my mom and sister that we hold one of our Saturdate lunches at the new Korean restaurant. And we did.

We arrived a bit past 1 p.m. as my sister came from school and I was trying to lead a healthier lifestyle by going to the gym for circuit training and studio for yoga. (Yeah~ <3)

The place wasn't packed so we easily got a table. I got slightly confused as there were Japanese dishes on the menu too such as tempura and sashimi. While reading the menu, the only thing in my mind was, "hey, the food here is pretty pricey" upon seeing the price of the bibimbap. PHP450 for a bowl?! Well, worth it, I guess.

It took us 10 minutes or so to decide on what to order and finally, we ordered a solo serving of Cucumber Prawn Salad (PHP176), Japchae (PHP298), Grilled Boneless Shortribs Bulgogi (PHP595) and Shrimp Tempura (PHP232 for three pieces and PHP350 for 5 pieces). 

While waiting, we feasted on the side dishes which I find okay. The serving though wasn't very generous. 

First to arrive was the salad. I must admit, it was pretty tasty! The dressing was superb. Slightly tangy and sweet. It somehow reminded me of the dressing Vietnamese restaurants serve. The greens were crisp and fresh though there were only two prawns included. I guess if I upsize it'll be four or more.

Restaurant Discovery: Matgalne

Korea has stolen the hearts of many Filipinos—from dramas to music to food. I’d say, I have this long-term serious relationship with samgyeopsal. Throw in the word “unlimited” and I am yours!

Eat-all-you-can samgyeopsal for only PHP299 for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and PHP399 for dinner (5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.), then throw in more than 20 side dishes, not a bad deal right? I was lucky to receive an email from A about this place called Matgalne that serves Korean dishes at friendly prices. Since curiosity got the best of me, I decided to pay Matgalne a visit during elections.  

It was rather hard to find the place if you’re not familiar with going around Makati but one landmark to remember is St. Giles Hotel and you’re almost there. I was lucky that I could read Korean as we totally didn’t notice the hotel’s signage. But for easier reference, here’s a photo of the façade. :)

When we arrived, I was surprised that the place was quite packed. Yes, the restaurant was slightly small, similar to how most hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Seoul are but this one could easily seat around 30 people and almost every seat is occupied by a hungry customer. Again, I was lucky as I instantly got a seat as I was in touch with A.

My only shot of the spread as I got too excited to eat right away!

Soon, I started to fill my plate with side dishes. First one I took was the Chapchae (or jabchae), one of my favorite dishes! I love that the sweet potato noodles (Korean 101: Sweet potato noodles is called dangmyeon in Korean) are not as oily and the vegetables included were fresh and quite crunchy. I just love it.

I also got some Jumeok Bap (Korean 101: Bap means rice). It was really yummy! I love the sticky texture and the saltiness of the seaweed.

See that little ball covered in nori? Yes, that’s Jumeok Bap!

There were also a lot of “jeon” available such as ham jeon, mushroom (Korean 101: Mushroom is called beoseot in Korean) jeon, and zucchini jeon. The key ingredients namely ham, mushroom and zucchini were [separately] batted in eggs and flour. If you adore fried oreos, pancakes or anything batted in eggs and flour, you’d like these.

I have mentioned several times that I do not like spicy dishes but some manage to be my “exemptions” and one of which is Matgalne’s Dak Kang Jung (Korean 101: Dak means chicken), sweet and spicy chicken. It was flavorful and it wasn’t very spicy at all. It was just right, and an instant love!

My First Bite: Kogi Bulgogi

It feels so surreal when you have to say goodbye to someone you get used to seeing almost every day. It never fails to make you feel that sharp pinch to the heart when you bid farewell and you know that it’s for good or at least for a long time. Despedidas are often organized to create last hurrah memories and S’s dinner/KTV night sure made her… legendary.

This is it. S’s last Friday with us. *upside down smile*

 

We decided to have dinner at Kogi Bulgogi after T2 recommended the place (because of its affordable menu and great tasting dishes).

 

The place was packed when we arrived and despite having a reservation, we had to wait for a few minutes before getting a table. While waiting, we decided to check the menu so that as soon as we get to sit down, we already know what to order. 

 

After 10 minutes or so, we finally got a table for a group of 5 which was positioned beside the ice cream freezer (oh temptation!). We quickly ordered as our tummies were about to get really angry. I ordered the following: Haemul Pa Jeon (PHP158), Salmon Sashimi (PHP218), Tuk Bulgogi (PHP298), Japchae (PHP218), and Bibimbap (PHP165). Before you judge me, I shared most of this with S and T1.

 

A Tummy Samba Day at Sambo Kojin

I was pretty excited when my dad finally agreed to have lunch with me and my sister at Sambo Kojin. I’ve always wanted to dine there as I heard that the food’s pretty good. Finally, I got to go there with my one and only dad (you see, we hardly eat out together so this is one special day for me). :)

As we entered Sambo Kojin (at the second floor of the Kamayan, Dad’s, and Saisaki building along EDSA), we were greeted by the waiters and they assisted us to three different tables (yes, my dad was very particular with where to seat).

Look. Select. Eat.

I was a bit disappointed with the variety. Well, I understand that it was a Korean and Japanese restaurant but I was somehow hoping that there would be more.

This looks pretty sad. :(

Anyway, my first pick was salmon sashimi. My dad asked for the newly sliced cuts and true enough it seemed to be fresher. It was the type that sort of melts in your mouth. Oh love~

The next ones I took were assorted maki and sushi. (I totally forgot to get some ebi sushi. I concentrated too much on salmon.) The makis were your typical makis. The salmon sushi felt a bit old and dry. And the one wrapped in kani was a mouthful (literally) but I liked it. 

My next plate was filled with all things fried or breaded. It was nothing special though. The tempura (from my sister's plate) and the ebi fry were well-cooked. Both were crispy yet the shrimp inside was not dry. The katsudon though was extremely dry and it seemed that it was cooked twice (not exactly how Bon Chon does it) and the meat was very tough.

I also had fish teppan which was yummy. I decided not to eat the green peppers though to give me more space for the other dishes I got. More space for seafood, gyoza and chapchae and another round of salmon sashimi. I loved the chapchae!

My dad took some meat and seafood to grill. I was a bit iffy about grilling though as it is the usual culprit of food poisoning. But my dad kept on giving me and my sister meat and seafood to eat. Oh well. I liked the asparagus wrapped in bacon. It was really good. It didn’t make me feel so guilty since it was somehow “half” healthy.

It was also my first time to eat sea urchin. Since I was a newbie, I was not aware that I had to eat it with soy full of wasabi to prevent food poisoning. Nonetheless, it was very interesting. (I had an upset stomach afterwards but I think it was because of overeating and not the sea urchin.)

We also had some fried rice which was really good. It was the sticky fried rice. (Don’t eat a lot of it though as it is a bit heavy.)

I was pretty excited with the dessert section. I did my very best to ignore it while getting my sashimi. And I was truly surprised when I finally stopped by for my sugar fix.

It was too few. :(

I had no idea where to start because I didn’t find any of the sweets appetizing.

I decided to get one piece of apple on a stick (and dipped it in chocolate), a cupcake, brownie, cookies, and chocolate ice cream. To make it short, I liked the ice cream. No comment on the other desserts.

Yakimix? Check! Sambo Kojin? Check! Next stop… VIKINGS.

Rates:

LUNCH (Mon to Fri) No Left Over Price is P 495 (with left over add P100 only)*Except for Holidays
LUNCH (Sat & Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
DINNER (Mon to Sun) No Left Over Price is P 595 (with left over add P100 only)
For children 4 ft below- No Left Over Price is P 295 (with left over add P100 only)

Sambo Kojin is located at 207 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City and Eastwood Citywalk, Quezon City.