korean barbecue – Jellybeans in the City

Good times and good eating with Hodai’s newest Daebag Set

With all we’ve been through during lockdowns and quarantines, one can’t help but hold out hope for better times ahead.

At the same time, we can’t help but look back on all the things we used to enjoy, like dining out to savor our favorite and spending fun times with family and friends.

Personally, I miss going out for Korean BBQ (or “mag-samgyup” as we Pinoys like to term it). The sheer adventure of grilling our own food as we talk, laugh and banter with our companions always proves enjoyable.

A prime destination for this experience is Hodai Restaurant in Quezon City. Located in a remodeled two-story house along Examiner Street in Barangay West Triangle built in the 1960s, it lives up to its name (“Hodai” translates to “all you can” in Nihongo), it’s where you can get your fill of unlimited meats and side dishes.

To mark its recent re-opening, Hodai Restaurant celebrates the good times ahead with its Daebag Set. For just Php599 per person, this set brings together everybody’s Korean BBQ and yakiniku favorites, plus more, into one table for everyone to enjoy.

Seafood. Includes salmon sashimi, assorted sushi rolls (California Roll, Kani Roll and Mango Roll) and Salmon Sushi (Torched Salmon Sushi with Spicy Sauce, Salmon Maki with Mustard Sauce and Salmon Sushi) as well as fresh shrimp.

LA Galbi. Barbecued beef short ribs cut thinly along the bone usually served during special occasions.

Cheese Spicy Ribs. Tender pork ribs marinated in gochujang sauce with stringy mozzarella cheese.

Five kinds of pork. Includes Herb Pork Steak, Daepae Pork, Plain Pork, Yakiniku Pork and Gochujang Pork.

Five kinds of beef. Includes Enoki Beef Roll, Plain Beef, Herb Beef, Yangnyeom Beef and Gochujang Beef

Side dishes. Includes Beef Tteokbokki, Galbi Fried Chicken, Potato Marbles, Kimchi, Japchae, Fishcake and Sour Radish.

Did you know that “daebag” translates to “Awesome!” in Korean? In Korean dramas. it’s usually uttered as an expression of surprise at a positive situation. No doubt you will echo the same sentiment when this sumptuous spread is laid before you and your companions.

Such a delicious bounty sure seems like a portent of great things to come, doesn’t it? Well, invite more good fortune into your life by gathering your nears-and-dears and celebrating being alive and being together over good food. (While practicing physical distancing, of course!)

If you feel that luck is on your side, here’s your chance to win a free Daebag Set. From September 27 to October 10, paying adults ordering the Daebag Set can play a fun game wherein they can choose one out of four boxes containing a dalgona candy with an imprinted shape. They will be tasked to trim away the candy outside the imprinted shape using just a toothpick. Any customer that successfully accomplished this feat will be awarded a free Daebag Set.

(You might be getting flashbacks to similar scenes in the Netflix Show Squid Game, but this activity is actually a favorite pastime of Korean kids.)

So if you feel that you have been without fun times with family and friends over good food for too long, go meet up at Hodai Restaurant and feast over the Daebag Set.

Hodai Restaurant is located at 14 Examiner Street, Barangay West Triangle, quezon City, open daily for dine-in from 12 noon to 10pm. Note: Al fresco diners is available for all customers regardless of vaccination status while indoor diners are required to present their vaccination cards.

To reserve your table, call +63 956 4605848.

Disclosure: Together with fellow foodies, I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant. Food items were served to facilitate this feature and were not paid for by the attendees.

Unli premium meats and Jap-Kor dishes at Yoshimeatsu

If you love unli grilled meats like I do, I’m sure you’ve been missing your yakiniku or samgyup adventures too.

There’s something about cooking meats on a tabletop grill as you take the time to catch up with your family and friends.

Well, actress Arci Munoz recently opened a branch of Yoshimeatsu in Greenhills where foodies can enjoy unlimited yakiniku premium meats and other tasty dishes for just Php599 per person (minimum of two diners).

These include:

Meats for grilling such as beef (plain, curry, spicy, shoyu, fatty), enoki beef rolls, sakana tofu, seafood cheeseball, pork (herbed, yangnyeom, spicy, shoyu), enoki pork rolls and tebasaki teriyaki and chicken yakitori.

Side dishes such as gohan (steamed rice), buttered kimchi rice, cheese dip, lettuce, sushi (yoshi ebi maki, California maki, spicy tuna maki, Kyoto beef roll), ebi tempura, kani salad, seasoned egg, aji tamago, pamuchim, kimchi, and shitaki (garlic butter, teriyaki).

Plus, dessert!

For an additional Php49, you can quench your thirst on unlimited Nestea Iced Tea and Nestle Pineapple drinks!

You might be wondering: what exactly is yakiniku? This Japanese term refers to the style of cooking bite-sized meat on gridirons or griddles over flames fueled by charcoal or a gas/electric grill. While its precise origin has been the subject of some debate, it is generally considered to have been inspired by Korean barbecue.

Wherever it came from, I’m just happy it made its way to our shores, and, with the opening of Yoshimeatsu in Greenhills, is all the more accessible to foodies like me.

Excited to try Yoshimeatsu’s premium meats? Here are more reasons to hie yourself over there stat:

It’s Let’s Eat to Win BTS Fiesta promo has been extended until July 25, wherein BTS fans will get freebies and a chance to win cool merch and a trip to Korea!

You can also present your vaccination card to enjoy free bottomless iced tea!

Sushi platters are also available for takeout for Php499 (good for four), Php799 (good for ten) and Php949 (good for twelve).

So give in to your yakiniku craving and book your table at Yoshimeatsu Greenhills now!

This Yoshimeatsu branch is located at Second Floor, O-Square 1 Building, Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Avenue corner Wilson Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila. It is open for dine-in Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 9pm and Fridays to Sundays from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries, call +63 915 8988148. To reserve a table, fill up this form. It accepts cashless payments via GCash and Lyka.

Korean BBQ Lunch at Geonbae, Tomas Morato

The battle for supremacy among Korean barbecue joints rages on and Geonbae Modern Korean Bar and Grill puts up quite a fight.

Considering my affinity towards K-BBQ, it’s ironic that my foray here was by accident. My coworkers and I were planning to go to another restaurant nearby which happened to be closed for lunch on that day.

We scouted the area for another place to eat and found ourselves walking to Geonbae.

The restaurant’s name was coined from the Korean term for “cheers” or “bottom’s up.” From its dimly lit interiors with spotlights on the grill and the vibrantly colorful accent decor, Geonbae presents itself as a hip n’ happenin’ place for friends to hang out together while indulging their cravings for Korean barbecue.

Given our brief lunch hour, we decided to just go for Geonbae’s Php499 package which include unlimited refills of meats such as samgyeopsal (plain, spicy yakiniku, ginger, gochujang), smoked pork belly, spicy yakiniku pork ribs, spicy yakiniku moksal, herb pork jowl, pork bulgogi, pork intestine, sausage, woosamgyeop (plain, oyster, gochujang) and ginger chicken breast. To be honest, the sheer number of meats was already quite overwhelming and we found ourselves gravitating towards tried-and-true variants such as plain samgyeopsal and woosamgyeop.

The package also includes unlimited refills of banchans such as fried and steamed mandu, fried takoyaki and kimchi, as well as soup, rice and cheese.

I just have to say: Geonbae really holds up well in comparison to other Korean barbecue joints in the area in terms of ambiance, variety of offerings and value for money. It also does well when it comes to service: the dishes are served and refill requests are seen to quite promptly.

And since my coworkers and I availed of a Booky Prime privilege that gave us a Buy 3 Get 1 deal on our meal, we ended up paying leas than Php420 each for our meal. Not bad, huh?

This Geonbae Modern Korean Bar and Grill branch is located at 115 Scout Delgado Street, Bgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 10pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 4298549.

Other branches will open at Maria Clara Street, Bgy. Sto. Domingo, Banawe, Quezon City and at Third Floor, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.