Love at First Bite: BBQ Chicken

(Continuation of the Hunger Games day) Archery sure is a tiring activity. Our arms were stretched out and we were hungry. We were planning to go to Brotzeit for some sausages but something else caught the eyes of T and K while we were at Pearl Drive... a small Chimek (Chicken and Mekju [beer]) place. We just had a Korean dinner a night ago but that didn't stop us to check the place out.

Hello, BBQ Chicken!

The place was empty when we arrived. T guessed that perhaps they do better with deliveries than dine-in as the delivery guy comes and goes the whole time we were there.

We were torn between Spicy Chicken and Rice Syrup Chicken (both PHP320) but the server told us that the Rice Syrup tastes better so we chose the latter. We also ordered Spicy Dduk-Bokki (PHP220) and Cream Chicken Pasta (PHP255). Then we all ordered a glass of beer for a chimek restaurant experience but I also ordered a can of cola (as I really am not fond of beer).

Service was pretty quick as our orders arrived in less than 15 minutes.

We were glad that we were given an option to have the chicken deboned so that eating it will be less messy as it was covered in sauce (think Bon Chon). 

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!

Black Day Lunch at Jang Ga Nae

I just adore my Dongguk friends. (Note: Dongguk is one of the universities in Seoul, Korea where I studied for 5 months with some students from UA&P and UP.) Without them, I won't be able to spend the fun Korean "traditions" or events such as Peppero Day (11-11) which is similar to Valentine's Day and Black Day (4-14) which is celebrated by those who did not receive any chocolates during Valentine's Day and White Day (3-14--which is when the guys give the girls they like chocolates).

Happy Black Day! Well, I am not sure if I said it right as if you reword it, it'll be "Happy Single Awareness Day!" For some reason, it sounds... wrong. 

Anyway, channeling the Korean in us, we thought of eating at Jang Ga Nae, a popular Korean restaurant along Escriva. We all decided to meet up at 12:30 p.m. but ended up meeting a bit later. 

I was the last one to arrive and to my surprise, T, K, and D were a NOT IN BLACK. *shocked*

Oh well. We were too hungry to be bothered with the lack of color coordination and decided to order. We chose ultimate favorite Bulgogi (PHP300), Gal Bi Jim (PHP300) and Dak Gal Bi (PHP350) as to avoid us looking too addicted to beef.

 

First served was the side dishes. K's eyes went from (-.-) to (o.o) as one of the side dishes was her favorite peanuts with sweet sauce (it tasted like sweet soy sauce). Other side dishes were kimchi, macaroni salad, greens, and bean sprouts (one of the side dishes I finished myself without offering a single strand... oops).

My First Bite: Kim N' Chi

I have practically been away from CS for almost a month and since the scheduled laser tag was on the weekend of my favorite bazaar, we decided to cancel it and move it two weeks after. (It may sound a wee bit selfish but most CSers were also not available then. Promise!) My friend N (different N from previous posts) and I decided to go food tripping at Glorietta before hitting a bazaar.

Since we were in a hurry to have lunch in order to be at World Trade before 4 p.m., we decided to have lunch at the food court. (Hey, we need to save some money to be able to buy more fashion finds.)

 

N ordered Indian food at New Bombay and while I’m not really the person fond of Indian food, I skipped around and saw… Kim N’ Chi. Cute name, I thought.

 

The menu was very simple and the Ramyon (PHP85) and Seafood Omu-Rice (PHP119) captured my attention.  The ramyon was nothing extravagant. I just wanted soup. :D

 

I waited for my little alarm to buzz and light up while looking for a table for me and my friend. After a few minutes, the little cute convenient gadget lit up. My food’s ready!

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.