Love At First Bite: Samsam Chikin

Happyfoods Group of Restaurants recently introduced its newest food concept, Samsam Chikin, two weeks ago. And it was nothing short of GREAT. 

With its recipes developed by the award-winning restaurateur, Mr. Sung Rah of Sariwon Korean Barbecue, Soban K-Town Grill, and Sibyullee Unlimited Korean BBQ expect rich and bold flavors in every bite. 

Guilt-Free Snack: K-Radish Pickled Radish

I used to think that all kimchis are made and taste the same. My first ever bite of kimchi was beyond appalling that I refused to eat kimchi for almost a decade! Talk about the saying 'first impression lasts'. But after discovering how great ssambaps are, I became open to the idea of having kimchi with my Korean BBQ. I even fell in love with kimchi fried rice to the point of having it for breakfast at least once a week. And one of my favorite snacks now is Kimchi Radish by K-Radish.

Hello, K-Radish.

K-Radish is the brainchild of two doctors who know their way in the kitchen. Drs. Harris and Marie Co came up with the idea of offering pickled radish during the nationwide quarantine and thought that it would be a perfect snack to have while watching our favorite K-Dramas. 

Food Delivery Favorite: Gang Gang Boneless Fried Chicken

I have a weak spot for fried chicken. Just thinking about its crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside texture makes me drool. And I'm so happy that I get to enjoy lemon fried chicken anytime I want. But a new food discovery, Gang Gang Boneless Fried Chicken, made me realize that there are other flavors out there that deserve love. 

Hello, Gang Gang Boneless Fried Chicken.

Gang Gang Boneless Fried Chicken is yet another brainchild of the creative individuals behind Boa Kitchen + Socials and Buwan. 

Food Delivery: Busan Kitchen

I surprised my family with flight tickets to Korea. But I was in for a bigger surprise when Covid-19 put a halt on all international flights. And even if flights pushed through, it was just too risky for us; especially when I'm expecting. Thankfully, we have pretty good Korean restaurants in Manila. A new one that claims serve authentic Korean fare is Busan Kitchen.

Hello, Busan Kitchen.

Busan Kitchen is one of the newest Korean restaurants in town. Founded by Mr. Kim Dong Jun, a Korean national born and raised in Busan, he is committed to serving authentic Korean cuisine to the Manila market. 

First Bite: Yoshimeatsu's Sushi Bake and Tebasaki

Manila's community quarantine gave birth to many home bakers, chefs, and first-time entrepreneurs. Every day, our social media feeds get filled with photos of baked goods, handicrafts, and items for reselling. It felt like a trap as I couldn't help myself from trying a lot. Sushi bake was no exception. Just hearing my friends gush about it makes me drool. And I was happy to be able to try the one from Yoshimeatsu a few weeks back.

Hello, Yoshimeatsu. 

Yoshimeatsu is one of the popular Korean-Japanese restaurants in Manila. Known for its wide selection of Korean BBQ meats and Japanese staples, it grew to multiple branches in just a short period. 

Gogiya Korean Barbecue Restaurant: A Korean BBQ and Sushi Restaurant

Korean BBQ joints are literally everywhere. And with most offering unlimited meats, choosing a place for a samgyupsal meal could be a daunting task. More often than not, I end up going to one of my favorite Korean restaurants. But I'm also down to try something new, especially if it offers more than your usual Korean fare. So when I heard that Gogiya offers some Japanese classics too, I was in!

Hello, Gogiya Korean Barbecue Restaurant.

Gogiya is a new addition to the long list of Korean restaurants that opened last year. But it is definitely more than just your typical Korean BBQ restaurant.

The Common Good Launches Lunch Sets

Enjoying a meal or two at a hotel always sound fancy and rather expensive. But more and more of these lavish establishments come up with options that appeal to yuppies and to those who want good value food with great ambiance to match. And this is exactly what I'm Hotel's The Common Good did with its lunch packages. 

Hello, The Common Good.

The Common Good is I'm Hotel's food playground which showcases different cuisines to satisfy everyone's palate. It has been one of the bang for the buck dinner buffet options in Makati and it has further pushed the envelope by offering lunch sets to cater to the Makati professionals. 

Delicious with a Purpose: L'Shef

In this world of entitlement, we often encounter people who are too focused on what they could get and barely put any thought on what they could give back. This is why businesses that have Corporate Social Responsibility or give back programs stand out so much. And I find it hard not to support these selfless brands. One new discovery is this online shop that offers bottled kimchi and gourmet tuyo which supports our local fishermen. 

Hello, L'Shef. 

L'Shef is a play of words between chef and Shela, the lady behind this socially responsible shop. It currently offers a short list of homemade products, all of which were made or cooked by Shela. 

First Bite: Wing's Lab

Food parks are designed to be a melting pot of different cuisines and dishes. Most would have the crowd favorites burgers, tempura, noodles, milk tea or shakes, butterfly squid and so on. One more thing food parks have in common is wings. These good ol' snack is often paired with beer for that chill night cap. But there's this wings place in Poblacion that made wing pairing its expertise.

Hello, Wing's Lab.

Wing's Lab is a new player in the competitive world of wings but it has established a pretty solid unique selling proposition by simply focusing and celebrating this messy dish. 

Quality over Quantity: Sariwon Philippines

Manila has turned into one big Koreatown (한인마을) with several Korean barbecue joints opening left and right. There are a lot offering unlimited meat which I find quite tempting. But if I were to decide based on quality, I have a few places I go to and top of my list is Sariwon. 

Hello, Sariwon. 

Sariwon has been around even before the boom of Korean barbecue in Manila. Located at the prime Bonifacio High Street Central, Sariwon became a favorite by professionals in the area and a family destination on weekends. 

SBS Inkigayo Sandwich is in Manila

KPOP fans would be familiar with the SBS music show Inkigayo which is a similar concept to KBS's Music Bank. But one thing Inkigayo has that Music Bank doesn't is a famous idol sandwich. Inkigayo sandwich became a popular snack thanks to the KPOP stars who seem to be fond of it. And though the coleslaw, egg salad and strawberry jam combination sounds as weird as the English translation to some of our favorite songs, it surprisingly works!

Hello, Inkigayo (인기가요) Sandwich. 

The hottest Korean Idol sandwich Inkigayo is finally here in Manila! 

First Bite: Wagyupsal

We can't deny that Korean culture and cuisine have seamlessly assimilated with ours these past years. With more and more of us loving Korean shows, music and food, it's not surprising to see pockets of Korea Town in almost every city. And just when we thought we've had too much of Korean BBQ, the newest joint in town serves wagyu! 

Hello, Wagyupsal.

Wagyupsal opened a few months ago in the foodie haven Kapitolyo. 

Now Open: Soban K-Town Grill SM Megamall

Soban has been one of my favorite Korean BBQ joints since 2016 and it keeps whipping up more delectable reasons for it to stay in my top 5 loves. And this April 8, 2019, Soban finally opens in Ortigas. 

Hello, Soban K-Town Grill.

Soban is one of the three Korean concepts under Happy Foods Group. With dishes developed by the talented  Mr. Sung Rah of Sariwon, Seoul, Korea, expect nothing but flavorful and succulent premium meats here. 

Beat the Heat 101: Honey Lemon

Living in the city could take a toll on the body. With traffic seemingly getting worse each day, I often find myself going for the short route when it comes to grabbing meals. Fast food, canned goods, you name it. As long as it's just a call or few clicks away, you got my attention. But I end up compromising health with convenience. However, not everything off the shelf is bad. In fact, a new product found its way to our shores and would make summer extra fun and healthy.

Hello, Honey Lemon.

R and I are big fans of honey. We'd often drink honey water to start up our day and to help boost our immune system. Though we'd enjoy honey with a wide variety of beverages (even food), we hardly have it with lemon. But who knew it is a winning combination and a very healthy one at that? 

Northern Chronicles: Kiss the Tiramisu opens its second branch in Trinoma

I always look forward to December as it means cooler breeze and sweater weather. But I don't think it's happening this year as it's still scorching hot despite being only a few weeks away from Christmas. Thankfully, there are cold treats to keep me sane. And I was thrilled to find out that the famous Korean dessert shop Kiss the Tiramisu finally opened its second branch. This time, in Trinoma!

Hello, Kiss the Tiramisu.

Kiss the Tiramisu is a popular Korean dessert shop that was born from a simple idea of combining two sweet favorites-- ice cream and tiramisu. Served a bit more "extra" by having it on a plastic gold-rimmed goblet which you can bring home, it became an instant hit, not just in Korea but in several countries as well, including Canada and the Philippines!

First Bite: Dokkebi Korean BBQ

The Korean food scene in Quezon City is insane. Maginhawa alone has Korean food joints left and right. Same is true in Banawe where the famous Samgyupsalamat has a branch and other players like Seoulgyupsal and Mokja can be found. Even Romantic Baboy is opening soon in the area. And one new player in town is Dokkebi Korean BBQ.

Hello, Dokkebi Korean BBQ. 

Located along N.S. Amoranto, you'd easily spot Dokkebi with its big signage and corner location. It is also on Waze so it won't be hard to find this new samgyupsal place. 

Keep the Fire Burning: New Ways to Enjoy Samyang

You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard of Samyang or better known as the spicy noodle challenge. This popular Korean brand definitely piqued our interest after seeing several famous personalities giving it a go. But the hype eventually dwindled down as soon as the fire in one's mouth disappeared. This is not the last of Samyang though as it introduces new ways on how to make your pack of spicy noodles more interesting. 

Hello, Samyang.

This well-loved Korean brand has been around for quite some time delighting foodies, especially K-Drama fanatics. 

Chicken Love: Bonchon's Soy Garlic Chicken

I can't get enough of fried chicken. Who can resist its crispy skin and juicy meat anyway? And when I got a bite of the twice-fried chicken glazed with rich sweet soy garlic, there's no way I'd give it up. 

Hello, Bonchon. 

I was so famished after a shoot that I decided to head over to Bonchon for its no fail, famous chicken. 

Beat the Heat: Bonchon's Ube Macapuno Bingsu

There's only one thing in my mind during summer. Cold desserts. I seriously think of ice cream, halo-halo and bingsu pretty much the whole time I'm awake (not counting the times when I dream about it). And one yummy and cool treat that caught my eye a couple of weeks back is Bonchon's Ube Macapuno Bingsu. 

Hello again, Bonchon! 

Visiting Bonchon is starting to become a habit. But this time around, I wasn't there for lunch or dinner-- I was there for dessert! 

First Bite: Vatos

With the crazy number of restaurants opening here and there, you must be bestowed with supernatural powers if you could keep up and visit all. First impression could make or break a restaurant and I often mentally give it a "deadline" on until when it'll stay open. But there are a handful of restaurants that impressed me and made me look at my calendar on when I could visit again. And one of the restaurants that tickled my taste buds with glee is Vatos. 

Hello, Vatos.