woosamgyup – Page 2 – Jellybeans in the City

Family Korean Food Feast at Soban K-Town Grill, Eastwood Mall

Whenever the fam is in Eastwood Mall and is in the mood for Korean BBQ (which is quite often), Soban K-Town Grill is our go-to place.

This resto boasts of clean and modern interiors, warmly lit and giving that casual yet cozy vibe.

We were ushered to a table that can seat our family of four, but had trouble accommodating all the food brought to our table.

Since we prefer unmarinated meats over flavored ones so we ordered a Classic BBQ Combo Set (Php1,780). Good for our group of four, it is composed of 180g fresh beef belly, 180g pork belly, 180g boneless fried soy garlic chicken chops, one japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables), one pajeon (savory Korean pancake), half a serving of gimbap (Korean version of sushi rolls) and four refillable cups of either plain or kimchi rice. Adding to our table’s load are the refillable side dishes which include my favorites: egg cakes and sugared peanuts.

The meats that we grilled were of good quality, and I loved dipping slices of them in salted sesame oil and ssamjang paste, then wrapping them in crisp lettuce leaves together with some kimchi rice before taking a bite.

The soy garlic chicken, on the other hand, was tender and yummy; it suited the tastes of my little boy just fine!

Plus, since I presented one of their flyers from one of the take-one boxes at the parking area, we were each given a free coffee jelly dessert!

It was a wondrous feast for our family of four, one dining experience we wouldn’t mind repeating.

This Soban K-Town Grill branch is located at Second Floor, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm, Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 11pm and Sundays 10am to 10pm.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Level 3, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City
Level 2, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, 28th Street Corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Ground Floor, ATC Corporate Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Third Floor, Bridgeway, SM Megamall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City

Unli Korean BBQ Buffet at Saram, Sikatuna Village

Let’s face it: the Pinoys’ love affair with all things Korean will not be going away anytime soon. (And, truth be told: do we want it to?).

Case in point: the proliferation of restaurants offering unli Korean barbecues all over the metro.

One such eatery is Saram Korean BBQ Grill Buffet. Located along V. Luna Extension in Quezon City, it provides unlimited meats for grilling as well as a wide array of banchan (small side dishes) that you can munch on while cooking or can add to the lettuce wrap along with your grilled meats for added flavor and texture.

Here’s what you can expect to enjoy at Saram:

Plain Meats
Samgyeopsal – thinly sliced pork belly
Woosamgyup – thinly sliced beef

Flavored Meats (available in regular and spicy variants):
>Dwaeji Galbi – marinated pork ribs
Bulgogi – thinly sliced marinated beef
Dakgalbi – marinated chicken pieces

Banchan:
Kimchi – fermented vegetables; no self-respecting Korean resto will find itself lacking this dish
Namul – steamed, marinated or stir-fried vegetables usually seasoned with minced garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, chopped green onions or dried chili peppers; my favorite among these are the Sigeumchi Namul (spinach) and the Kongnamul (bean sprouts)
Gyeran-jjim – mixed and season eggs steamed in a hot pot; already great by itself but do try adding a bit to your meat lettuce wrap. I’m sure you’ll love it!
Pajeon – thin and slightly soicy pan-fried pancakes flavored with scallions
Japchae – Korean glass noodles sauteed in a slightly sweet garlic sauce along with chopped vegetables

(You can get all the banchan you want from the buffet table, while the meats will be served at your table upon request.)

Well here’s some great news: Saram has an ongoing Christmas promo which allows diners to enjoy unli grilled meats and banchan at very affordable buffet rates.

Check out the options available:

Set A: unlimited plain meats at Php249/head for lunch and Php299/head for dinner

Set B: unlimited plain and flavored meats at Php299/head for lunch and Php349/head for dinner

Set C: unlimited all-beef meats; add Php100 to the lunch or dinner rate

You can also get a Pork/Beef Ramen at Php220 or a Seafood Ramen at Php249. Both are good for two people.

So if you find yourself in Sikatuna Village and want to satisfy your Korean food cravings, head on to Saram.

Saram Korean BBQ Grill Buffet is located at 109 V. Luna Extension, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City (beside Mercury Drug), open daily from 11am to 3pm and 5.30pm to 10pm. For inquiries, call +63 2 7443817 or +63 917 8852185.

Loud Dinner at K-Pub BBQ, Trinoma

Now I can say that I’ve seen everything when it comes to Korean BBQ.

As our despedida blow-out for one of our office barkada who will be moving on to greener and less stressful pastures, we decided to have dinner at K-Pub BBQ in Trinoma. We figured that the group will bond over our shared love of Korean food and of chismis.

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Well, the Korean food we had plenty. Our group availed of the Beat the Clock Eat & Run meal package wherein we can get unlimited refills for an hour at Php599 per head. The set includes:

Chadol Baki (Beef Sukiyaki)
Tong Samgeopsal (Whole Pork Belly)
Yengnyem Samgeopsal (Marinated Pork Belly in Sweet Spicy Sauce)
Dwaeji Galbi (Marinated Pork Chop)
Dak Galbi (Marinated Chicken in Sweet Spicy Sauce)
Fried Spring Roll
Japchae

The set also comes with side dishes such as steamed egg, kimchi pajeon, steamed rice, kimchi fried rice, soup, lettuce and house salad, as well as Melona ice cream bars for dessert.

I am not a fan of these timed Korean BBQ. Instead of leisurely enjoying your food and time with your friends, there’s the sense of trying to stuff your face before the hour for refills run out.

With its hefty price tag, the value proposition of this arrangement is also dependent upon the efficiency of the wait staff for refills. That efficiency is already compromised by the number of diners and the loud background noise.

And oh, that noise! (Yeah, I’m having a #TitasOfManila moment.)

For one thing, being a Korean resto and having K-pop decor, somehow, playing mainstream pop is off-strat. Furthermore, there’s a stage with an an open mic segment during which diners can sing if they so choose. (Well, one among us did choose, hehehe!)

Still, the noise precluded most of the chismis to the point that as soon as we finished the refill hour, we hung out at the cafe next door to recover and chat.

Note to self, and to you, dear readers: this place is not one for languid dining. But a great one for boisterous fun. Unfortunately, not for a tita like me.

Unli Samgyeopsal at Korean Palace, Baguio

Similar to the phenomenon in Manila, Korean restaurants have sprouted across Baguio City, spurred no doubt by the growing appreciation for the gastronomic pleasures brought by Korean cuisine.

On our second night in the City of Pines, the fam braved the cold and drizzles and made the drive to this Korean restaurant which is quite near the apartelle where we were staying.

The resto has grown considerably since our last visit three years ago. The eating area and the parking space have been expanded. Still the place was already quite packed with the dinner crowd by the time we made our way there at 6pm.

At Php399/head, our group was able to eat out fill of samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), woosamgyup (thin beef brisket slices), pajeon (vegetable pancakes) and all sorts of side dishes. (We did have to do our own grilling, though.)

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On our second night in the #cityofpines, the fam gave in to our craving for #koreanfood at King Jeon Korean Palace. At only Php399/head, we’ve got all the #samgyeopsal, #woosamgyup, #pajeon that we can eat and more. #allyoucaneat #eatallyoucan #lamonfest #jellybeansinthecityofpines

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The staff were polite and accommodating but due to the sheer volume of diners, refill requests did take some time.

By the way, if you ever had that desire to have that photo opp while dressed up in traditional Korean, this place can accommodate you. You can borrow the costumes on display for picture taking purposes.

Korean Palace is located at No 38 South Drive, Baguio City. For inquiries, call + 63 74 4467557.

For tips on surviving an eat-all-you-can setup, view my blog post here.

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Birthday treat at All4U, SM East Ortigas

All-you-can-eat Korean barbecue joints have sprouted up all over the metro, spurred no doubt by the proliferation of K-pop and other Korean what’s-its in Filipino pop culture.

At SM East Ortigas, another of these joints opened its doors to cater to those craving for unlimited Korean-style grilled meats: All4U Unlimited Grill & Shabu Shabu.

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When I ate at All4U’s Century City Mall branch, I didn’t appreciate it so much. To be clear, this is not wholly the fault of the restaurant: I had lunch earlier that day in another all-you-can-eat Korean joint and samgyeopsal was probably coming out of my ears.

This newly opened branch near my place allowed me to rediscover the resto and its offerings while sating my Korean barbecue cravings.

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At only Php599 (on promo rate from Php699), one can enjoy all the shrimp, chicken breast, pork belly and beef brisket that you can grill on your table and eat. This also comes with bottomless iced tea, refillable rice, side dishes and sauces, refillable soup that you cook using the shabu shabu also on your table, as well as a packet of ramyun (Korean ramen) per table and a bar of Melona ice cream per customer for dessert.

Our group always ends up ordering multiple refills of the pork belly and beef brisket slices which I like wrappping inside the Korean ice lettuce together with garlic slices while doused with ssamjang sauce. I’m not partial to grilled shrimp and the grilled chicken breasts often end up too dry.

When we dined here during my birthday, I got half off the regular rate of Php699 plus the service staff served me a small chocolate cake while singing the Happy Birthday song. 🙂

To make the most out of this all you can eat restaurant, check out my buffet survival guide.

This All4U Unlimited Grill and Shabu Shabu branch is located at 2nd Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Pasig City (Tel: + 63 977 6005945).

Other branches are located in:

Makati: 4th Floor, Century City Mall, Poblacion, Makati (Tel: + 63 2 8092881)
Ermita: 3rd Floor, SM City Manil, Ermita, Manila (Tel: + 63 917 2781758)
Novaliches: UG Ayala Fairview Terraces, Maligaya Road cor Quirino Highway, Novaliches, QC
Muntinlupa: GF Water Garden, Festival Mall, Filinvest, Muntinlupa (Tel: + 63 916 4263221)
Tagaytay: Al Fresco Area, LGF Fora Mall, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay

Unlimited Korean BBQ at Samgyeopmasarap, Greenhills

During our Christmas Day foray into Greenhills (because we knew the holiday crush of people would be gone by then and also because we didn’t want to eat Noche Buena leftovers for lunch), the family discovered the newly opened Samgyeopmasarap. It offers unlimited Korean barbecue pork (Php399/pax) and beef (Php499/pax), both with marinated and unmarinated variants.

Being Korean food lovers, we welcomed the opportunity to dine here.

The place is clean and quite big with the signature table-top Korean grills with exhaust tubes leading to the ceiling. Oddly enough, it is furnished with Tiffany chairs which are at odds with the Korean aesthetic (but what do we care! Unlimited Korean barbecue!!!).

Our group of four ordered 2 sets of unlimited beef BBQ (bacon slice and beef ribs) and 2 sets of unlimited pork (bacon slice and pork belly). These come with unlimited side dishes as well.

My daughter and I also split an order of Bibimbap (Php250) which, sadly, though served in a clay pot, was not dolsot style since the clay pot was not heated. We would have loved the resulting toasted rice in a dolsot bibimbap.

The resto is still on soft opening so there are a few kinks that the staff would have to solve at some point such as being prompt with orders for refills or requests for utensils.

Other than that, I’m pretty satisfied with our experience here (although Hubby isn’t).

This Samgyeopmasarap branch is located at the Connecticut Carpark Arcade in Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan.

Unlimited Korean BBQ at All4U, Century Mall

My problem with unlimited Korean BBQ restaurants is that you expend so much time and attention to cooking your food that you don’t get to enjoy and savor it as you should.

In All4U, a Korean restaurant located in Century City Mall in Makati City, you can get unlimited beef, shrimp, Korean-cut pork and rice all for Php699/head (reduced to Php599 thanks to an ongoing promo) as well as several refills of side dishes. You also get a some ramyun which you cook shabu-shabu style, as well a Melona ice cream to cap your meal.

My family, together with my in-laws, went here on Christmas Day so the place was packed and we had to wait for around 20 minutes for our table. The staff was also a bit overwhelmed and was not able to immediately address a lot of our requests for refills.

I would suggest taking turns with someone from your group when cooking so that everyone will get a chance to enjoy the food. Also, be sure to bring a hearty appetite to maximize all the inclusions in the buffet package.

All4U is located at the 4F Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati.

Korean barbecue craving satisfied at Arariyo

Arariyo, named after the endearing lyrics of the popular Korean folk song “Arirang,” has brought a delightful taste of Korea to the Q Plaza in San Isidro, Antipolo. This charming restaurant serves a variety of Korean dishes, including braised meats, noodles, and seafood. However, its true claim to fame is the Unlimited Korean Barbecue offer.

For just Php399, indulge in all the samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) and chadolbagi (grilled beef short plate) you desire. This makes Arariyo the perfect spot when your family is craving a Korean food feast. The grilling is a fun, DIY experience, and you can enjoy a range of delicious side dishes while your meat cooks. To round out our meal, we always order a dolsot bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables served in a hot stone pot) and treat ourselves to some refreshing Korean ice cream for dessert.

Keep in mind that lunch and dinner times can be quite busy, so you might need to wait for a table. Given the unlimited barbecue offer, guest turnover tends to be slower. To avoid long waits, it’s best to arrive at least 30 minutes early to get your name on the list. You’ll be called as soon as a table is available.

Visit Arariyo at Q Plaza, Felix Avenue, Barangay San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal, and satisfy your Korean barbecue craving!

My Korean Food adventure continues at Masil

My love for Korean food is well-known by my family and friends. In fact, I have dined again and again at various Korean restaurants in various places in Metro Manila.

I was happy to discover that Masil has opened in Tiendesitas, which I find very convenient. Before or after grocery shopping, I can bring my family here to satisfy our Korean food cravings.

Weekend lunch and dinner times do get crowded and we sometimes have to wait for our table, but there is a waiting area inside which serves fragrant tea while you wait.

We usually order the samgyeopsal (grilled pork – Php330), chadolbagi (grilled beef a Php390), along with dolsot bibimbap (rice mixed with veggies served in a clay pot – Php350). The grilled meats are handled by the wait staff (so we can focus on enjoying our food). Our orders are also complemented by generous servings of side dishes which include kimchi, soy peanuts, green salad and steamed egg.