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May birthday 2019 at Locavore

by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 26, 2019 | Yummy Reviews

We love to eat. On my in-law’s side we find every occasion to meet up and just eat. When it comes to places to eat we like to try new places that are not too expensive and are reputed to serve delicious food.

For my mother-in-law’s birthday (May 25), Erika (my daughter) and I searched online and decided to try out Locavore. As half the family is from the south and half from the north we opted to try out the branch at BGC.

Appetizers

While waiting for the others to arrive we ordered the Street Food Platter, the Singkamas, Mangga, at Bagoong, and the Pulutang Lamang Dagat. Unfortunately, no pictures of these as we were so hungry we just dived into them. 😀 Taste-wise there was no surprises here but the presentation was beautiful.

The street food platter had squid balls, fish balls, kikiam, and kwek kwek and there were 3 dipping sauces to choose from – manong’s sauce (which is the standard sauce made by tusok tusok vendors), sweet chili sauce, and honey vinaigrette sauce.

The singkamas, mangga’t bagoong had three slices of green mango, 5 slices of singkamas and three dipping sauces to choose from – bagoong alamang, and two others I can’t recall.

Main dishes

There were so many things we wanted to try and with 12 people in the group it was easy to order anything we wanted and just pass the dish down the table. But we did exercise some restraint and ordered the following with a couple of platters of rice:

Gising gising

I knew that everyone was going to order a meat dish so the first order I placed was gising gising (sigadillas, french beans, shallots, and garlic) cooked in gata. The flavor just exploded in my mouth! The vegetables were crunchy and the sauce was just delicious! I am sure to order this again.

Oyster sisig and sizzling sinigang

While technically an appetizer we ordered the oyster sisig as a viand along with one of their best sellers, sizzling sinigang. The sizzling sinigang is Locavore’s reinvention of the Filipino staple sinigang. Instead of a tamarind based soup, they made a tamarind gravy instead.

The oyster sisig may take some getting used to for some as oysters (as you know) are slimy, but it was really good!

The sizzling sinigang, however, deserves all the praise it has been getting online. Muy delicioso to the last drop of sauce and to the last bite!

Beef Pares Stew (sorry for the blurry pic)

We know what beef pares tastes like but we wanted to taste what their take on this Filipino breakfast dish was going to be like.

We also ordered the Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken but again, like before, we were too hungry to take a photo of it. 😀 Personally, I didn’t like it. I found it too salty but they seemed ok with it so maybe it was just me.

Dessert

Turon con Leche

At first, Erika was iffy about trying this because she isn’t a fan of banana but when I read the ingredients out to her and she discovered there was no banana she decided to go ahead and order this. Have you ever tasted a Portuguese Egg Tart? That’s basically what it tastes like. It is flaky and filled with custard and flan. Yum!

Torta Mangga

So many restaurants have their own version of this delicious dessert. Think of it as a sans rival with sliced mangoes on top. It is difficult to go wrong with ripe mangoes 😀

Other food orders

Champorado ni Speedy

We ordered Champorado ni Speedy because we were curious about how champorado would taste with cream cheese in it. Champorado is comfort food so we were curious how they could make it different and their own.

I personally loved this one. Chocolate rice pudding topped with powdered milk with a dollop of cream cheese and both evaporated and condensed milk served on the side. After mixing it up we all got a serving of this and I opted to take it without the additional milk. Perfect! I prefer the slightly bitter taste of dark chocolate so this suited me to a tee. I admit I went back for seconds. 😀

We also ordered Duck Lugaw (also no picture) which was lugaw with foie gras. As this arrived late I didn’t even get to taste it anymore but I am assuming that it tasted good.

All in all, we loved Locavore! While the price of the food items is a bit on the high side, it makes up for it in taste. Twelve people ate, all that food less senior and PWD discount and our total bill were a little over 6k. That isn’t too bad for a birthday dinner.

Locavore has more than just the BGC branch. If I am correct there is also one in Makati and another in Kapitolyo, Pasig. Find the one nearest you and try it out for yourself.

My All Things Hair Refillery Experience

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 23, 2019 | Product and Service Review

Earlier today Erika, Bubu, and I went to Trinoma to check out Unilever’s All Things Hair Refillery. Finding it was a bit of a challenge because Trinoma’s shops go around in a circle so it is important to know that the All Things Hair Refillery is a kiosk found between the Nike Store and the Melissa Pop-up Store.

I went to the All Things Hair Facebook page for the specifics and this is what I discovered:

If you have an old/used container of any of their products (Dove, Tresemme, Sunsilk, and Cream Silk) that match the variants they are refilling, just wash it out and dry it and they can refill it.
If you do not bring an old/used container then they can provide reusable / refillable bottles at P10 each which could be used immediately. Each bottle can contain up to 200 grams of product.
Cost of the product is computed based on weight.

Refills

The Refillery can refill the following brands: Dove, Tresemme, Sunsilk, and Creamsilk. Each of those products has several variants but they only provided for refills of the most popular variants.

All Things Hair Refills

Those variants are as follows:

Dove Straight and Silky Shampoo
Dove Straight and Silky Conditioner
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo with Argan Oil and Keratin
Tresemme Keratin Smooth Conditioner with Argan Oil and Keratin
Sunsilk Creations Smooth and Manageable Shampoo
Cream Silk Standout Straight Conditioner

How to get your refills:

Step 1: Register at the booth

It is a simple form. It asks for your name, shampoo brand, cell number, and email address.

Step 2: Bottles

All Things Hair Reusable Containers on the display shelf

If you have your own bottles and the staff have approved it you should give it to them so that they could weigh them. The bottles they approve are those of their own products, also, that matches the variant of the refilled content. Those are the variants listed above.

If you do not have your own bottles then they will provide you with their refillable bottles that cost P10 each. Their refillable bottles have a fixed weight of 0.22 grams.

You will need to let them know which product you will get as they have corresponding labeled bottles for each.

When I was refilling they made the mistake of giving me a Sunsilk bottle. We didn’t notice until the bottle was half full. No harm, no foul … they just took the bottle from me and gave an empty one of the correct bottle.

Step 3: Refill

If you want them to refill the bottles for you they can do it, of course, but that is no fun! The point of the exercise (in my personal opinion) is to refill the bottles yourself.

Dove Straight and Silky Shampoo and Conditioner Refill

If you opt to use the refillable bottles they provide it is easier to fill because the bottles are clear and the maximum quantity for each is 200 grams.

Note, that there is no requirement to fill your container all the way to the top, but it would, of course, make sense to do so. When I filled the bottles I tried to fill it as close to the top as I could without spilling.

Of all the products they provided the only one that we use regularly is Dove and more conditioner than shampoo, which is why I opted to get 1 bottle of shampoo and 2 conditioners.

Step 4: Weigh and Cost

All That Hair filled bottles

Once you have filled the bottles as far as you want, just cap the bottles and give them to the staff for weighing. After they weigh each bottle the scale prints out a tagged that they attach to the back of the bottle. Each tag indicates the following:

the product
the variant
the cost per kilogram
the net weight
the net cost
date the product was dispensed
the batch code
the product code

Is it really cheaper?

As you can see from my bottles above, I spent approximately P100 for each bottle, each one almost 200 grams. The shampoo costs P0.53 per gram. The conditioner is slightly more expensive at P0.57 per gram.

Let’s do a comparison table:

	Dove Straight and Silky Shampoo (350 ml.)	Dove Straight and Silky Conditioner (335 ml.)
Price from Watsons	P220.00	P210.00
Price from All Things Hair Refillery	P185.50	P190.95
SAVINGS OF	P34.50	P19.05

Is the amount of money saved worth the extra trip to the refillery? I will leave it up to you to decide. Personally, if I have to go to the refillery more than once a month it might not be worth it. But a bigger container means bigger savings and fewer trips so it would be worth it by then. 🙂

Commercial product containers do not come in 200 ml. containers so, perhaps, the math would seem different. 🙂

Where can All Things Hair Refillery be found?

You can find All Things Hair Refillery in three mall locations:

Trinoma (in Quezon City)
Glorietta (in Makati)
Alabang Town Center (in Alabang)

This service will be available from March 23 to April 14, 2019. For more information you may visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AllThingsHairPH or their official website at https://www.allthingshair.com/en-us.

One Fab Pooch, A Review

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Mar 19, 2019 | Family and Pets, Product and Service Review

Anyone who follows my personal account would know that when it comes to pictures I post I usually only have 3 subjects: food, my grandchild Star, and my furbaby Princess. This post is about the latter.

Princess is one pampered pooch.

Princess, Lhasa Apso

She drinks pet milk every morning and eats dog food at night. She goes on walks almost every day either with me or my mom.

Princess is a 7-year-old Lhasa Apso. The Lhasa Apso is often confused with the Shih Tzu as they look very similar. This is not unusual, really, as the Shih Tzu was supposedly bred from the mating of a Lhasa Apso and a Pekingese.

Because Princess is of the long-haired variety of dogs taking care of her hair can be challenging. Part of our daily routine is brushing several times a day which both my mom and I do with her. Because her hair tends to get tangled she often does not have the patience to sit through the entire process.

Whut?

During the summer we often have her hair cut really short (not shaved) so that she does not suffer from the heat and we don’t have to worry about brushing her so often.

This is important because in the summer she tends to jump into the tub filled with water to cool off and, that makes her daily grooming difficult.

Once a month I take her to the groomer for a bath, haircut, nail trimming, and ear cleaning. 3 out of those 4 I cannot do for her so I leave it to the professionals. For many years I have gone to three pet grooming places (in the area) on rotation and in each one Princess would react adversely even before we went in. I thought this weird because she loves bath time but chalked it up to an instinctive reaction.

One Fab Pooch

And then one day I saw this pet grooming salon at the corner of Scout Tobias and Gandia Streets in Quezon City. I’ve passed it many times and didn’t stop because they don’t have parking and their frontage (which is on Scout Tobias) is a Mabuhay Lane so I really couldn’t park without risking getting towed.

One Fab Pooch QC Reception Area photo was taken from a Google Maps contribution

Today, though, I woke up and decided that I was going to bring Princess to One Fab Pooch. I was just curious enough to try their service finally.

As we walked into the reception area, I noticed that Princess was calm. This was a first. I don’t know what it is but seeing her reaction put me at ease. The reception area is roomy enough and everything is white. I put Princess on that little ledge and she just sat down, weird. I put her on the floor to explore, and she walked around and then just sat by my feet, doubly weird. When one of the groomers came out to pick her up and to ask for my specifications she allowed him to carry her and even raised all four paws in that funny way and was just … chill, triple weird! But I went with it and was happy.

Princess’s journey from fuzzy to fab!

I waited at McDonald’s down the street and their receptionist, Monica sent me updates via Viber. Here is Princess’s fab experience.

Trimming her nails. It’s been three months since her last grooming so they’re pretty long.

Here they are trimming the fur on her feet. Good thing, too, as she sometimes slips when she steps on her fur.

Time to take a bath! Princess loves taking baths.

blowdry

Blowdrying time. In the past, she HATED this part. I think it is the sound she hates. Most blowers are really loud. Theirs seems to be fairly quiet. Look at her cuddling her groomer, how sweet!

Look at her now, fully groomed … and with teal ribbons on her hair! Awwww, cuteness! She is definitely One Fab Pooch!

3-minute massage time. Look at her, so zen!

Rates

If you think the service is probably expensive, let me show you their rates. They are as follows. Note: all rates are in Philippine peso.

SERVICE	DESCRIPTION	S	M	L	XL	ALL
Grooming	Simple Pamper Wash: Bathe + Dry + Tidy	250	350	450	550
	Ultimate Pamper Wash: Bathe + Ear Clean + Nail Cut + Shaving Around Genital Area + Face And Paw Trim + 3-Minute Relaxation Massage	350	450	550	750
Express	Teeth Cleaning (With Toothbrush)					150
	Ear Cleaning					100
	Nail Cut					100
	Nail Cut (Extra Short)					180
	Relaxation Massage (45 Minutes)					280
Add-Ons	Creative Styling					280
	Detangling (Regular)					450
	Detangling (Severe)					650
	Relaxation Massage (45 Minutes)					220
	Coat Enhancement					280
	Anal Sac Cleaning					120
	Tick And Flea Removal					280
Daycare Services						220

Personally, I found their rates reasonable but others may find it steep, especially if they recommend additional stuff like severe detangling if your furbaby’s fur is very matted. To sweeten the deal, though, they also offer discounts via the VIPooch card.

VIPooch

The VIPooch card gives us furparents (and fur-guardians) discounts on all goods and services purchased from One Fab Pooch.

5% discounts are the standard
A 15% discount is given on our furbabies’ birth month

That is reasonable enough for me. Note: VIPooch number is hidden but it is right there in the lower left-hand corner.

Before, Princess already looked beautiful. After, even more so. <3<3<3 We are trying to grow her hair out.

One satisfied customer

One satisfied customer

I am definitely one satisfied customer. If Princess is happy then I am happy, too. If I had to guess, part of the reason she liked it there is the air conditioning. The reception area, for one, was cool and comfortable. Another was the place didn’t smell of anything. Most other pet groomers I have gone to have an antiseptic smell that Princess just hates.

And as we were leaving Monica says, “bye Ma’am, bye Princess, have a fabulous day!”

Satisfaction rating? 5 stars!!!

If I had one suggestion to make … maybe they should have a coffee shop right beside them exclusively for furparents (with power outlets and wifi) so that furparents can wait in comfort nearby and work (or not!) at the same time.

Next month, same time, same place. 🙂

One Fab Pooch

One Fab Pooch can be found in Davao, Cebu, and Metro Manila. The Quezon City branch is located at the corner of Scout Tobias and Gandia Streets in Barangay Laging Handa, QC.

They do accept reservations but walk-ins are very welcome especially early in the day.

For more information about One Fab Pooch visit their Facebook and Instagram pages by clicking on the links.

For reservations and inquiries, you may also call (02) 275-9572 or on their cell at (0917)850-9572.

Yoshimeatsu is perfect for sharing

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 5, 2018 | Yummy Reviews

In the past several months most groups enjoy eating out at places that serve food that are perfect for sharing. The mst popular trend is to go to places that serve Korean barbeque at a reasonable price. Just a month ago I reviewed one such place. Today I am posting my review of Yoshimeatsu, a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant located on Tomas Morato at the corner of Scout Fernandez, Barangay Sacred Heart, in Quezon City.

A couple of days ago, a few bloggers got together to try this restaurant at the invitation of Ross del Rosario of Wazzup Pilipinas.

Most of us were familiar with korean barbeque restaurants so there was no need to show us how to use the equipment or prepare the food. So the question was … what makes Yoshimeatsu different from other unlimited Korean barbeque restaurants in town?

Grilling selection

Yoshimeatsu offers more grilling options than others I have been to. One place I’ve been to offers a different just pork as it’s least expensive option, then chicken and pork as it’s second, and chicken, pork, and beef at its most expensive.

Yoshimeatsu offers all that (pork, beef, chicken, PLUS tofu, wiener sausages, and seafood cheeseballs) for the same price.

Pork

H1, H2, and H4 are the same as what you would find at other Korean barbeque restaurants. H1 (herbed pork) is basically a pork steak that is seasoned with salt and pepper. I honestly do not know what herb they used to season it but it is delicious. 😀

H2 (spicy sliced pork bouquet) is pork cut bacon style but seasoned in salt and pepper. My palate might be desensitized, though, because I really didn’t taste any spice.

H4 (Yangnyeom pork) is pork cut sukiyaki style (which means superthin) and is marinated in a special sauce.

Other restaurants offer the same number of choices but most do not offer my all time favorite isaw! Tagged as H3 in their menu this one dish that my family is wont to order from our corner barbeque vendor very often. Only the cholesterol conscious is wary of it but even they would try it out once in a while. They even serve this with a vinegar sauce on the side.

Beef

The beef selection at Yoshimeatsu is not as extensive as some places I have been to but what they lack in selection they make up in flavor.

G1 (sliced beef) is just that … sliced. No salt, no pepper, just the meat, which is perfect for those who want to season their meat themselves. That is what condiments are for. 😀

G2 (sliced beef with curry sauce) is for those who want a little more spice to their beef. Because it is curry it has that tang of cumin and turmeric that is reminiscent of Indian cuisine.

G3 (spicy beef yakinuku) is flavorful and the spice is just a hint so people who would usually not like spicy food will be able to enjoy this.

G4 (sliced fatty beef yakiniku) is sliced sukiyaki style and premarinated in yakiniku sauce. It makes this meat dish similar to bulgogi but is not as sweet.

For those with a bigger budget and are eager to try something different you can also choose from the ala carte premium grilling options. If you are eager for ox tongue, sirloin steak, prime meat, or the ultimate wagyu beef then this is the menu for you.

One of these days (if the budget permits) I am eager to try the Royale Hida Wagyu Set. All I will need is a windfall. 🙂

Chicken

I will be honest, I didn’t really try this but it is good to at least have the option.

I don’t eat liver so C1 didn’t appeal to me. At a guess C2 is made from chicken breast and I don’t usually eat chicken breast because I find it too dry. I am more of a chicken thigh person myself. But don’t take my word for it! If you love chicken (any part!) then try this yourself.

Others

I called this section OTHERS because they don’t really fall under pork, chicken, or beef.

F1 (sakana tofu) is tofu (soy) so vegans have an option. However, you may not want to cook your F1 with your carnivore friends or it would defeat the purpose. 😀

F2 (wiener sausage) is pork? chicken? beef? The meat is a mystery, it might be a composite of all three. 😀

F3 (seafood cheese ball) is squidballs with cheese inside. Yummy! I often order this when we eat at Shabu-shabu restaurants.

Side dishes

Again I could not help but compare. Some I’ve been to offer just 3 or 4, another offers 8, but perhaps because of the fusion with Japanese cuisine, this restaurant offers THIRTEEN (13)!

R4 (lettuce) not included in the pic below but is always immediately served. R3 (cheese) and S2 (seasoned egg) are also served immediately and is already on the table when customers are brought to the table.

My personal favorites are M3 (spicy tuna), M2 (california maki), and R1 (gohan, plain rice).

Ordering system

Their ordering system is probably the most unique feature of Yoshimeatsu. Rather than trying desperately to catch the attention of the server just to give them your next order, Yoshimeatsu has this.

On every table is installed a tablet on a stand. On this tablet you just tap your choices then click SEND. This will send the order to the kitchen and just moments later (depending on how many customers are being served) your order will be brought to you.

So far this ordering system is good. They only failed us once when they failed to deliver our order of S1, S3, and M3. 🙁

Price

Definitely there are others that are less expensive. From now until the end of the year (December 31, 2018) their unlimited yakiniku costs P549 (tax included). Thereafter the price will be P899 (tax included) unless they announce otherwise.

As per one of the owners, since the current price is already discounted, Senior Citizen and PWD discounts do not apply except on drinks and ala carte dishes. I found this strange because in most places, they would honor senior citizen and PWD discounts even for set meals and promo meals.

That aside, though, P549 is a reasonable price for this much food. Keep in mind that the minimum number to eat here is two because, like I said in the beginning, their food is for sharing. 🙂

Meal ender

Don’t forget to end your meal with their special soft serve ice cream. The flavor changes from day to day as they make it in-house. Don’t forget to ask your server what flavor is available for the day. So far I have tried vanilla, chocolate, stawberry, and taro.

The next time you and your family and friends are looking for a good place to eat in Quezon City, keep Yoshimeatsu in mind. You won’t regret it and you will surely enjoy it. 🙂

Crimes of Grindelwald: A Review

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 16, 2018 | Video reviews

Crimes of Grindelwald (pronounced grin-del-vald) is the latest installment in JK Rowling’s wizarding world. It continues where Fantastic Beasts (that appeared in 2016) left off. As many reviewers can tell you, it is difficult to write a review without spoilers but I will do my best to make as little spoilers as I can. 😀

The story begins with the audience seeing Grindelwald (played by Johnny Depp) imprisoned within the Ministry of Magic is America. We learn that he has been there for several months and is to be transferred to the London Ministry of Magic. We then get to witness his eventual escape which establishes the conflict in the story.

The story then shifts to Newt Scamander (the hero of our story, played by Eddie Redmayne) in the Ministry of Magic in London. It is here we are also introduced to two new characters to the story: Lita LeStrange and Theseus Scamander (he’s a hugger), Newt’s brother. These two new characters play an important part in the story.

Theseus Scamander, Lita LeStrange, and Newt Scamander; photo credit to eonline.com

We are also reunited with characters from the first Fantastic Beasts movie. Keep in mind that Fantastic Beasts was set in New York and, therefore, the primary characters are American.

Before watching the movie my daughter and I were speculating if George’s presence in this movie means his memory will be erased every time. And Queenie is not an Auror so how does she and George get involved in this installment of the story?

Tina (American auror), Newt, George (American muggle), and Queenie (American witch) photo from vitalthrills.com

We also discover that Credence is still alive and that he meets Nagini (who appeared in the Harry Potter series) in her human form. At the end of Fantastic Beasts, it was implied that Credence died, that his special ability as on Obscurial. I was glad to know for sure there was more to his story than that.

Nagini (played by Claudia Kim) and Credence (played by Ezra Miller) photo from eonline.com

Nagini’s participation in the story is more of a supporting role while Credence served as the person the story revolves around.

By the way, before this movie, I didn’t know that Nagini was a person, not a regular large snake! We only learned this in this movie (not a spoiler) which makes me think that she remained a snake much as Peter Pettigrew remained a rat (called Scabbers by the Weasley family) to hide in plain sight. Or maybe she got stuck in that form? I guess we will find out eventually.

In the story, Credence is on a quest to find out who he was. The importance of his character in the story is hinted at several times but does not fully reveal itself until you reach the end of the movie. We know he is a powerful wizard because he was an Obscurial (this was mentioned in Fantastic Beasts 1), so we presume he came from a powerful wizarding family, but which one? What is your guess?

What are the story plots of The Crimes of Grindelwald

Credence searches for his identity

Who is he?
Where did he come from?
How did he end up being adopted and raised in America by that wicked woman?

Grindelwald’s mission and/or motivation

Why is he such a big baddie in the stories?
What did he really do?
How is able to get so many followers?
Why does he kill indiscriminately?

Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald

Since Albus Dumbledore is supposedly the only one who can defeat Grindelwald why doesn’t he just do it?
Where Dumbledore and Grindelwald involved in some way?

Newt’s involvement

Does he work for Dumbledore?
Is he very powerful magically or is he powerful because of all the knowledge he has?
Why does he have a travel ban?
How does he end up working with

My thoughts as I watched the movie

New creatures, yey! Some lovable, some scary, and some are both. We’ve met some of them in the original movie series (Harry Potter).

Niffler

Old creatures, we loved from the first movie. I have to give Niffler a special mention because … well, he is just so darned cute! He’s an incorrigible thief (reminds me of Tasselhoff Burfoot) but it is hard to take offense since he does not do it out of malice. Tee hee, and the babies, aww, the babies!

Johnny Depp as Grindelwald – Reading other reviews online, some loved it and some hated it. I don’t care what anyone else says, I think he did great! The way he flicks his wand you’d think he’d been doing it all his life. 🙂

Jude Law as Dumbledore, perfect! I thought he nailed the part. I also thought it was good to see Professor Dumbledore in his youth. He displayed the gentleness, the sense of humor, and the power we have come to expect from watching and reading Harry Potter.

Possible spoilers:

Lita LeStrange is engaged to Theseus, but why do I get the feeling that it is Newt she is in love with?
When faced with a Bogart:
- Lita’s greatest fear is a white sheet? Is it a ghost?
- Newt’s greatest fear is inanimate?

The cast of Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Gridelwald is fast-paced and exciting and, at times, can leave the audience breathless. It is a must-watch for Potterheads everywhere and family-movie kids of all ages can enjoy.

Samgyupsal King Unli Korean BBQ: A Review

by Penny Angeles-Tan | Nov 12, 2018 | Yummy Reviews

Korean BBQ places have become popular for several years now here in the Philippines. Quite close to where I live I can already count at least 5 places, all just on one street!

Korean BBQ

Why do Filipinos love Korean BBQ?

There are many reasons to fall in love with Korean BBQ:

the quantity – most Korean BBQ places offer unlimited servings of the main and side dishes
the variety – choose from several types of raw meat to cook and many side dishes to eat!
the speed of service – dishes are brought out quickly so hungry diners do not need to wait long for their food
the experience – you cook your meat yourself at your table! While this is not a new concept, per se, it gives people who normally do not cook the opportunity to do so in a safe, judgment-free environment.
the taste – if it tastes good, we’re interested!
the price – if it won’t break the bank then we’re interested! 😀

Before I go further I feel the need to make a statement: I’m a home cook, I don’t pretend to be an expert in the kitchen. I am not a chef, I have not taken any course in culinary or baking. But I do know how I like food to look and taste and for my faves I look for a particular taste and, usually, I know how to prepare it as well. What this boils down to is I tend to really be critical when it comes to food – how they look, how they taste, and how they are served.

Just saying. 🙂

And now, without further ado …

What is samgyupsal?

According to Wikipedia, samgyupsal (or samgyeopsal as it is actually supposed to be spelled) is a Korean word referring to grilled pork belly. Despite that description, though, most Korean BBQ establishments serve more than just pork. Case in point is Samgyupsal King.

What is Samgyupsal King?

Samgyupsal King Unli Korean BBQ menu

Samgyupsal King is one of many restaurants that have jumped into the Samgyupsal trend.

Just like their contemporaries in the business, they, too serve unlimited Korean BBQ. But what makes them different?

They serve pork, beef, and chicken

Not all Korean BBQ places do this. Some serve just pork and beef.

Unli meals are less expensive than some

Unli meals at Samgyupsal King range from P350 (for pork and chicken) to P399 (for pork, chicken, and beef). This makes sense as beef is quite expensive.

Other Korean BBQ places charge the same or even more. One place I went to charged P500, and that was just for pork and chicken. They made up for it, though, with the sides.

They have set meals at affordable prices

In general, Unli Korean BBQ places keep it simple … just unli meals. Samgyupsal King has four ala carte offerings to choose from: beef bulgogi, pork, bulgogi, chicken bulgogi, and grilled salmon – all accompanied by side dishes.

How’s the meat?

Raymond Que, Chef and co-owner of Samgyupsal King

The meat is well prepared. Chef Raymond Que told us that they used prime meat and they are meticulous in their preparation.

The pork and beef are sliced thinly (sukiyaki cut) which makes them cook faster. Flavor-wise I thought they were flavored well. Of the pork cuts the one I enjoyed was the one that looked like bacon (I mean, who doesn’t love bacon, right? hehe)

If I had to complain it would probably be that there was a limited selection of meats as we were only presented with 6 options (that is for all pork, beef, and chicken combined) where other establishments offer as many as twelve or thirteen varieties combined.

Also, I like my spice so I was hoping that at least one of the beef cuts would be spicy. Maybe it was, but just wasn’t up to my spice level. 😀

As for the chicken, I am not a fan of white meat as it tends to become dry, especially when overcooked. My personal preference would have been chicken thigh fillet, and also cut thinly.

Are there many side dishes?

Samgyupsal King side dishes – missing from the photo are the egg roll and

There were six side dishes … that’s it. Six. There were some staples I find in other Korean BBQ places I go to that they did not serve such as the steamed egg, fish cake, and candied peanuts. The radish I felt was not cooked enough in the vinegar before it was served but was adequately crispy.

The marble potatoes and (I heard) the kimchi were good. The kimchi, in particular, is their own recipe. The egg roll is essentially the Japanese tamago without the sugar.

And that is all of it.

Do they serve beverages?

No, they don’t. But I think, perhaps, this was a decision of the concessionaires at the food park so that patrons would get their beverages only from the bevarage concessionaires such as Fruitas.

Is there adequate seating?

Le Village Food Park is located at the corner of Cordillera and E. Rodriguez Sts. in Quezon City

This is, perhaps, where Samgyupsal King has a distinct advantage over other Korean BBQ places. Since they are located in Le Village Food Park they have more than enough seating which is shared with the other food establishments in the food park. The only real question, I suppose, would be if they have enough gas burners to service everyone.

I therefore conclude …

Overall I would say that Samgyupsal King is probably not yet the king of Samgyupsal in Metro Manila but what they serve is well thought of and well-seasoned. I especially admire their openness to suggestions of improvement which means that their meals can only get better and better!

Bloggers with Mr. Willy Que as he tells us all about Samgyupsal King

One day soon I will surely bring my friends over to sample Samgyupsal King at Le Village Food Park. Someday, who knows, they may become the King they aspire to be.