Bulgogi Brothers

I've always wanted to try out Bulgogi Brothers ever since I first heard there's now a franchise in Manila but traveling all the way to Greenbelt seems like a tiring and stressful task with all the traffic in Makati City.

Good thing they recently opened a branch in my second home, the Mall of Asia!

We failed to go on their launching day when they offered 50% discount on the total bill. How's that for a welcome treat right? And so, after watching The Bourne Legacy one afternoon, we decided to finally get a table and try it out for the first time.

The interior is nice and sleek. A modern version of most Korean restaurants in Manila.

Beautiful hand-painted ceramics

On the table

First to arrive is a unique platter of Banchan (Korean appetizers) which has quail eggs, boiled sweet potatoes and ultra sweet corn.

I really love this Korean sweet potatoes!

You can request for the refillable Tea of the Day, which at that time is the Bori Cha or Barley Tea. Served hot or cold, this is really a thirst-quencher!

Then came the Banchan I am more familiar with but Bulgogi Brothers' taste so much better.

Spicy Cabbage Salad

Kimchi

Spicy Eggplant

Pickled Radish

Looking back, it seemed like we were so hungry then because aside from the unlimited side dishes, we also ordered this appetizer which we rarely do whenever we eat Korean.

Haemul Gungjung Mandu (6 pcs.) - Php450.00

Haemul Gungdung Mandu are fried dumplings with seafood like mussels, shrimp and squid, served with spicy sauce. If you're not too hungry, you may skip this and proceed to the main course as it is a very filling appetizer!

Unyang Style Bulgogi (6 pcs.) - Php595.00

This heart-shaped Bulgogi patties also comes with some onions and sliced sweet potatoes. The Koreans really love their sweet potatoes with their meals, I bet we will all get along.

The waitress will grill/cook your orders on your table but no worries because Bulgogi Brothers has a state-of-the-art exhaust. Thank goodness I won't smell like grilled meat anymore!

Before.

After.

The Bulgogi Patty really goes well with rice. Just dip it to BB's special fermented paste, which by the way is the best I have ever tried in the numerous Korean restaurants I've been to, and I promise, you're in for a treat!

From top to bottom: Fermented Bean Paste, Salt and Pepper and very spicy sauce

Seoul Style Bulgogi (good for 2-3 persons) - Php595.00

Seoul Style Bulgogi is really DB's choice. I was leaning towards ordering Bibimbap but he insisted on trying this out. After all the Bulgogi Patties were grilled, the waitress left and came back with a pot full of sliced beef with vegetables which she placed on the induction stove in our table. She then poured the broth made from fruits, onions and soy sauce.

After letting it simmer for a while and the beef turned into color brown, the waitress told us that it's now ready to eat. I pour a some in my cup and for the first time, I felt the urge not to share this to anyone, not even with DB! It was so delicious and tasty and bursting with flavors! I didn't care if I was sweating or if the beef was still too hot that it numbs my tongue but I just ate and ate as much as I could.

If the Japanese has Sukiyaki, the Koreans did it better with this Seoul Style Bulgogi!

The long wait was so worth it. Bulgogi Brothers is really one of the best Korean restaurants in Manila. I would definitely come back for more!

~o~o~o~

Bulgogi Brothers

2L Entertainment Mall, Mall of Asia
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

World Food Expo 2012

DB and I love to eat. So attending a food expo for us is like an excited cosplayer going to Comic-Con. Does that make sense? No? Read more below to find out why.

The World Food Expo 2012 was held last August 01 - 04 at these two locations -- SMX Convention Center and the World Trade Center. After paying the Php150.00 entrance fee, we immediately went inside and checked out the booths one by one. Well, sad to say that there isn't much to look forward to this year. Same old booths with no new and exciting stuff.

We probably spent the most time in the Cold Storage booth having seen lots of Sushi and Sashimi, we both love Japanese food by the way.

As expected, most people flock the booths that offer free taste.

I liked this Spanish Sardine by Ulalammm. Perfect for people who are always on the go because there's no need to cook it, just open the pouch and it's ready to eat!

I was sales talked! I heard this coffee and hot chocolate making machine which retails for Php5.00 per cup is the IN thing today and with its minimal capital and quick return of investment, I now understand why. Hopefully the hype won't die soon because I plan to buy some in the near future.

Food options are also very limited so we decided to try this fast food Chinese booth called Let's Chow with the most number of tables occupied.

DB and I ordered Spare Ribs with Tausi Sauce for Php100.00 per bowl.

The pork was tender but lacking some flavors but all in all, we had a very filling dinner with this.

We also bought a tray of Salmon Maki at Cold Storage for about Php150.00 for 6 pieces.

This year's WoFEx is disappointing. We were expecting to see a lot of booths and new food discoveries but what we saw were empty and closed booths (we arrived around 630pm, still early) and those selling nearly expiring products.

As we were walking back to the Mall of Asia, I nearly jumped as I was taken by surprise of the first blow of fireworks! We stopped for a bit and admired the show for a couple of minutes.

Fireworks really make me happy, I can't help but sing.. 'Cause baby, you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth.. with matching holding hands. *wink*

Hottest Dessert Craze in Manila: Mochi Creme

I always pass by Mochi Creme at the 2nd floor of the Mall of Asia but got the chance to try it out just two weeks ago. DB likes mochi. Well, he likes it a lot and I'm surprised that he got on the bandwagon just recently. According to the lady behind the counter (I don't know if she has a day-off because it's her who mans the booth all the time), Mochi Creme has three branches all over the Metro (SM North, SM Megamall and Mall of Asia) and one in Abreeza Mall, Davao.

Mochi Ice Cream is a Japanese confection made from sticky rice with premium ice cream inside. You can choose from these flavors: Chocolate, Red Bean, Purple Yam, Mango, Green Tea Matcha, Black Sesame, Strawberry and Blue Vanilla.

All flavors are priced at Php60.00 a piece

All the flavors are delicious but two stand out among the rest -- Red Bean and Black Sesame!

You have to wait for a few minutes because the mochi is frozen.

Red Bean

Black Sesame

The price may turn you off at first but I guarantee you that its money well spent!

~o~o~o~

Mochi Creme

2L North Wing, SM Mall of Asia

Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines