Where To Get the Best Korean BBQ in Metro Manila!

Hey guys, it's Jessica here and welcome back to another episode of me introducing the best authentic Korean restaurants here in Metro Manila. Today we're gonna be doing an ultimate K-BBQ tour. I know K-BBQ is so famous that there are a lot of franchise chains here in the Philippines then right like Samgyeopsal Lamat, Romantic Bar Boy, and you can easily find K-BBQ restaurants just in a nearby mall. But again, those ones are pretty much localized. And again, I'm not saying that the localized ones are bad, it's good. But in this video, I'll be introducing the OG ones like how you would have it in Korea. Let's go! Our first stop is Janggeum Kitchen in Pasae. It's a Korean restaurant that offers a wide range of traditional Korean dishes including Korean barbecue. They are especially known for their fresh Samgyeopsal or pork belly and it's one of the go-to spots for many Korean locals living in the city. All right guys, here we are at our first K-BBQ place. I've been saving this place for later episodes of this series to introduce the Korean comfort food because they have a variety of other Korean dishes aside from K-BBQ and they sell very comforting Korean dishes that you can't easily find elsewhere such as Samgyetang. It's a specialty food but then they also have really good K-BBQ and specifically they're really good with their Samgyeopsal. K-BBQ is not really a certain dish. It's more like a whole eating experience. It's the way we Koreans eat barbecue and there's no specific meat. It can be beef, it can be pork, it can be chicken but the most common ones are pork because pork is the most affordable. Although K-BBQ in general, it's not like an everyday kind of experience for Koreans too. It's like once in a while when you hang out with your company or with your friends, you go out to drink or some people sometimes go to K-BBQ alone. That's also possible but then it's not so common because in Korea, when you go to K-BBQ place, you can only order minimum two servings. What's special about this place is that they serve a la carte. You can have this whole K-BBQ by just ordering one serving. Although if you do that in Korea, it's luge for the restaurant but then they do it here. So we got two servings of their Samgyeopsal. As you can see, they also serve their banchan. It's also refillable in the delivery K app that I was talking to you about. This place is top two. This is a very common grill you see also in a K-BBQ place in Korea. When you eat Samgyeopsal, there's a lot of oil, right? So the oil gathers in the middle and then in the middle, you can cook kimchi. You have to try the grilled kimchi, guys. So how long have you been running this restaurant? Five years. This is the fresh Samgyeopsal we like. For me, this is the best cutting. Not too thick, not too thin. Do they teach you how to grill it? It's part of the training. You know, this kind of stuff where they also grill the garlic and then the mushroom in. It's not so common to find here in the Philippines. It's really OG style. This looks so good. So they also have the Ssam. This is a perilla leaf. This is like perfect size, perfectly grilled. Let's try with the classic Muna. So the grilled kimchi, one piece of garlic. This three combo for me is the best. A lot of the meat juice, it oozes out. It's like steak. This is the Korean steak. So those people who can't try the fresh kimchi, try the grilled one. Because the flavor totally changes. They grilled it so well. The griller really matters. When the server from the restaurant does it, no need to fight with your company because the server will do it. Because we have that culture of the youngest has to do it. So I also remember when I would go to KBBQ places with my company people before, I was grilling. And I was like so young. But then because of that experience, now I'm the best griller. You can also request for them to grill the meat separately and then just serve the finished product for you. But then I suggest doing it on the spot so you really see. Because it's part of it. You have to eat it with your eyes. The next order is Daepae Samgyeopsal, which is the thinly sliced frozen pork belly. And it's this type of pork belly that you commonly see in the unlimited KBBQ places. But they said this was frozen but it doesn't look frozen. It looks like fresh. And you might think, so the thinly sliced frozen ones, is it cheaper? Usually in Korea, they're like about the same price. It's just a different experience. Because sometimes people don't crave the fresh version. They really crave the thinly sliced version. Because sometimes that goes better with soju. The good thing about this place is that it's 24x7. That's like a very very good thing. Most fans that come to the concert after concert, they come here. So J-Hope was here in the Philippines? Really? Oh so you know who's coming? Yeah, I saw. I saw. That's also very Korean style, the autograph. Because here they do pictures in the Philippines. But in Korea, they do the autograph and they put it in the wall. Thank you! I forgot to get the apron guys. But this is a very common practice too in Korean KBBQ places. Because the smell, it really lasts. So this is a pretty common combo in Korea. When we think of daepae samgyeopsal, it's like this. There's other veggie toppings and then you kind of like stir fry them together. So that's one way of having daepae samgyeopsal. Thank you! Doesn't it look gorgeous? I won't have it with ssam. Some kimchi and usually you have it with these kind of bean sprouts. It smells so good. From the whole samgyeopsal waldo, it's more like there's more parts that was burnt with the grill. So it's more umami. So authentic Korean style. With the price, because this whole set was 800 and it's for two people. And then with all these side dishes on the side, I think it's very sulle. With the price and the quality, it's hard to find another place that's better than this place. OJ. Guys, I'm not a K-pop. I don't belong in this lineup. But if you guys come, you can look for this guys, okay? Our next stop is Bonga, located inside this mall in Makati. It's actually a well-known KBBQ franchise in Korea, but there's only one branch here in the Philippines. This place is spacious and neat, and giving off that classic Korean restaurant vibe. Their signature dish is usamyeop, which is a thinly sliced beef brisket with a special house marinade. And that's what we are here to try. All right guys, here we are at Bonga. I really miss this water. You have the option to choose from mineral water and the corn tea. So this place was actually our family's go-to KBBQ place when we were in Korea. I didn't know that they opened up a branch here in the Philippines. When did you guys open? It's already 11 years. 11 years? It's expensive. The signature place about this restaurant, even in Korea back then, was the ssam set. This very design. After they came up with this idea, a lot of different KBBQ places started serving this way as well. So it became a common thing. It's actually the banchan is better than Korea. Let's try the side dishes. And then this one guys, is the main thing that I really want to recommend from this restaurant, is the usamyeop. Basically the beef brisket that you see in those unlimited samgyeop restaurant places. But then this one, I feel like it hits different. And I would say this place, I think, really introduced the marinated thinly sliced beef. I also got the other option here. And another good thing about this place is that the grill is on a charcoal grill. So let's just try the galbisal, the fresh one that's non-marinated. It's actually one of my favorite parts of beef too. Actually I can grill it too. I think that's like one thing that's better here in the Philippines, that they grill it for you. Also in Korea, sometimes some places, they also grill it. But it's not a common practice. Usually you grill it yourself. And another good thing about this place is that these are their signature sauce, the red sauce. And then this is ssamjang. These two are the very common, like everywhere they serve. But this one is the special sauce. But I'll try the classic first. Fresh galbisal. So good! This charcoal grill really elevates it. This garlic, guys, you can request it. Galbisal is the more chewy part of the beef. And then this red sauce. My favorite topping. Like that. And of course, we cannot forget the ssam. Garlic. Can we ask to grill this one now? Also you change every different kinds. Working at a K-BBQ restaurant is the toughest job. Really, because you have to keep changing the grill. Wow. So the reason why I really wanted to introduce this place and this specific dish as the main, because I feel like all the unlimited K-BBQ places that you know, I think was inspired by their beef brisket. So this is what I'm talking about. The highlight. And this one, it goes best with this sauce. And usually you know that I'm not even a big fan of any marinated stuff, but this one is really good. One. Garlic. Again, patae. The quality of the beef is very good. And then the sauce is not too strong. It's very fruity. Not just like sugar sweet. It's like the sweetness is coming from fruits. Kind of marinate. And then with this red sauce and the charcoal grill. So good. The quality of their ssam is so good. I can just have this alone. I'll make you guys a ssam. My style of ssam. And then this red sauce. Garlic. I love the spice. It's a perfect pair, really. This, this, garlic, and this. Unlimited is not so common. You know, right? I told you guys already, when you have ssam, you have to have it in one go, okay? Our last stop is Cheongnam Bistro in Malate. It's located in the heart of Manila's official Koreatown. They offer a premium selection of meat, but their highlight is the charcoal grilled pork or beef galbi, using their own in-house charcoal for that extra depth of flavor. All right guys, here we are at our last KBBQ spot. So this place actually has three branches, and I came here into the Malate branch because they have this open kitchen space, which I think makes you feel like you just came inside a K-drama set. Here in Malate branch, how they run it is it's divided into two floors. On the third floor, it's more social style. So there are like rooms there and a menu with wider variety of options. But then here in the second floor is this Cheongdam Bistro, which is a restaurant ran separately from the third floor. So the menu is different, but then same owner. Here we have their banchan. So the part of meat that I wanted to introduce for this last place are these two. This is pork and this is beef. They're called galbi. What is galbi for you? So galbi, it means rib. It's like Korean version of liempo. You know the liempo, the red one? It's a similar vibe. And this is the very famous part for unlimited KBBQ in Korea. So here as well, they use the charcoal. And the galbi really goes well when the grill is charcoal. So the full name of this dish is sootbul daejigalbi. This charcoal means sootbul in Korean. Charcoal grilled pork rib. And then guys, this is what I wanted to talk to you guys about. This is like doyo a little bit, but it's not the same as the doyo we have in the Philippines. It's a bit sweet and sour. Do you see like the cuts? That's really a characteristic of this dish. It allows the marinade to seep through the meat. It's so hard to wait. This sauce and then the doyo. But it's actually the onions that's a highlight of this. This is the flavor that you will tell in the Philippines this will really be a hit. Guys, that's love. When you feed someone ssam like that, it's an intimate move actually. You don't do that to strangers. Okay, what do you think? The best ones don't work. Really? So this is one type of KBBQ. They do it so good. You know the marinade is also a lot of fruits. It's very fruity also, the marinade. And then because it's charcoal, it really becomes like a barbecue like this like burnt part. Like liempo. It's so good. Wow. So this is a more premium or social part, which is beef rib. It's not the most common, of course, but it's more social. All their other side dishes look really good. And then this one is doenjang jjigae. This one is gyeranjjim, the steamed egg. Your favorite. This one. It's got cheese. Wow, look at that. I'm having a feast alone. I'm sorry. I'll tell you how to do somaek after this. Thank you. I really feel like I'm home. You know, my parents just went to Korea today. I feel like I'm there with them. I want to try it just as it is with this onion. They call this like chamsosu in Korean. So good. The price of the beef one is twice the pork one, but then the flavor tells that price difference is valid. So tender. It melts in your mouth. As you noticed, I did not have the KBBQ I had today with rice because usually they eat the meat first and then the rice usually comes last, but then it depends on the person. Sometimes you order the rice along with the barbecue and eat it with barbecue, but sometimes they do meat first and at the end, rice, and then they eat it with soup. Should I show somaek? Somaek, somaek. Okay, okay, somaek, somaek. San Miguel is way better than Korean beer. It's so famous, San Miguel, outside of the Philippines. It's so sad though if they never know it's from the Philippines. Will you do a performance? I don't know how. I'm not a trendy person, so I don't know the... I don't know. Thank you, Paul. Oh, nice. This is like ice cold. So my ratio, guys, is usually just one. The ratio, it really depends on me. Okay, that's enough for me. And then this is the crucial part, guys. You have to kind of blend it together. And then, by the way, another TMI, guys. So you guys know that my Korean name, Iseul, is the name of this famous soju brand. It's called Chamiseul. When I was in elementary school, every single person teased me. Chamiseul, Chamiseul, Chamiseul, Chamiseul. So I asked my mom, I'm gonna change my name because I got teased so much. But then now, I love my name. It's a very unique name. I can, I can, I can. When you think of soju and then beer, you will imagine it to be very, very, very strong because soju is strong. And then this is like, the acidity is strong. But then, when you mix them, it becomes so smooth, the flavor. Usually in K-barbecue, aside from rice, the other carbs-based dish that pairs together with the meat is the cold noodles. When we say cold noodles in Korea, we usually have two kinds, the mul naengmyeon and the bibim naengmyeon. Mul naengmyeon is the one with broth. Bibim naengmyeon is soup-less. So it's just red sauce-based. Naengmyeon usually pairs perfectly with galbi. So guys, this is the bibim naengmyeon. Usually it comes with two condiments, mustard and then sugar. If you can't eat spicy, you get the mul naengmyeon, the one with broth, with this broth. So sometimes you can actually mix it here Tender meat, the cucumber. It's really distinctly Korean dish. It's like spicy and sour and sweet. By the way guys, you have to be careful when you eat this noodle because you might choke. I know you guys are always asking what happens to the leftover food. Don't worry guys, we always pack home or my team finishes it. We all eat together, guys. Yeah, that sums up our best K-BBQ restaurants in Metro Manila video for today. Honestly speaking, it was really hard to come up with three options only out of all the amazing K-BBQ places here in the Philippines. There are a lot of authentic places, but I really hand-picked the options today based on obviously the quality, price, and the vibes. I thought these So I hope you guys enjoyed this K-BBQ in Metro Manila tour video. Please let me know how you guys found the BBQ if you guys happen to go and try it. And yeah, thank you so much for watching today's video and I'll see you guys in the next one!