Have you heard of Seoul Barbecue?

Location: Libis

I was introduced to this place by my boss in 2007, when we opened iHooked Katipunan. I had such a good experience that I never forgot it and vowed to come back. Finally, I was able to last Saturday after my Korean class.

Dol Kim - Seaweed snack from Korean language teacher

Seoul Barbecue is special because it is the only place that has Yeongyangsotbap.

Yeongyangsotbap

Yeongyangsotbap means rice cooked in a stone pot with healthy ingredients. Actually, the one in Seoul Barbecue's menu might have been Ogokbap, but Yeongyangsotbap is more likely. The rice is cooked with fresh ginseng, jujube, shiitake mushrooms and gingko nuts. After the rice is cooked, remove it from the pot and eat it with any pot stew soup. There will be burnt rice encrusting the bottom of the stone pot. The waitress will add water to the pot, cover it and the remaining rice will cook again for 2 minutes. Then you can enjoy roasted rice, and even drink the water which will taste like roasted rice tea. Mashisseoyo! Delicious!

On my first visit, I remember being given a hot towel before the meal and using metal chopsticks. The plates are now plastic (I can even tell where they were bought), the chopsticks disposable and the wait staff below satisfactory. I have a feeling the recession has something to do with this, but in any case, it is still attracting all sorts of crowd from Koreans to Filipino barkadas. The restaurant owner, a Korean woman in her 40s, is always ready to give guests a smile whether you are a Korean or a local. Then again, maybe she thought I was Korean.

In Makati Ave., there are hordes of Korean restaurants, some of them holes in the wall offering authentic cuisine at cheap prices. But Filipinos are discouraged from exploring the Korean restaurants there because the servers tend to prioritize them Koreans, not to mention some don't have English menu. Compared to Little Tokyo where Filipinos (and other nationals) are as common as Japanese expats, maybe Little Korea is alienating.

I love the complimentary pineapple and cinnamon drink that Korean restaurants (Kaya, Seoul Barbecue and Ara, anyway) give for desert. Seoul Barbecue doesn't serve the cinnamon drink anymore.