Review: Seoulgyupsal

A not-so hidden foodie gem and a breath of life in the near empty Z Square Mall, that is Seoulgyupsal. It is a korean barbecue inspired resto that offers unlimited serving of various kinds and cuts of meat at an affordable price. For P399, you can choose 6 types of meat, pork and chicken, and it comes with unlimited serving of side dishes. Add an additional P50 and you add 4 types of beef to your options.

We didn't have breakfast or lunch, so seeing those side dishes already prepared before we were even seated was a treat to both our eyes and tummies. The side dishes consist of pickled cucumber, baby potatoes, nuts, and dilis drenched in sweet sauce, sweet mashed potato, chapchae, rice, spicy tomato soup, fluffy scrambled egg, and that delightfully sweet and spicy kimchi and radish. I enjoyed eating the kimchi a lot.

To avoid having leftovers and wasting food, you are limited to choosing 4 types of meat per order. We ordered the 3 samgyupsals, and the Dak Galbi Spicy Korean Chicken.

Out of all the 4, we really liked the Yangnum Samgyupsal and the plain samgyupsal. The yangnum samgyupsal is perfectly marinated in sweet sauce, very tender, and actually reminded me of pork barbecue while the samgyupsal is thinly cut and seasoned well with salt and pepper. Both are perfect pair with the lettuce, or ssambap. I was able to consume a tray of lettuce by myself, it's just so delicious.

Quality of food is just half the part of the experience, a good service makes that experience complete. I commend the excellent service that they deliver.

The quality of food, service, at an affordable price, what more can anyone ask for? A place definitely worth coming back.

Review: Ramen Yushoken

I'm declaring it right now and forever, this is the BEST ramen shop with the best ramen in the country!!! 

Okay, so I'll calm myself down first. 

Last January, a friend of mine invited us on a food trip to the south. We sometimes talk about ramen, that Ramen Nagi's was ranked first on my best ramen list, and she keeps mentioning that there's this ramen shop in the south that she really likes but she's unsure if I'll like it too. In short, I have been to a lot of ramen shops, and nothing came close or at par to what Ramen Nagi offers, so in my mind it's just another typical ramen shop. 

Ramen Yushoken apparently opens at 11 am and we arrived a lil bit early so we went to have a quick bite somewhere else. We came back at 11:10 and to my surprise, we were already on the waiting list. An hour or so passed by and we're finally seated. To my delight, they offer Tsukemen (dipping ramen)! I ordered the karai tokusei, spicy tsukemen, while my friends order the shoyu ramen.

Karai Tokusei Tsukemen -P460

Shoyu ramen

That first slurp of that glorious red broth brought all that feeling and sensation when I had my first tsukemen in Japan. It's a surreal experience that words are not enough to describe it. The broth is very flavorful and creamy, with a lot of pork fat bits, and pork meat at the bottom. Put in the half boiled egg and that perfectly grilled melts-in-your-mouth chashu, dip in that chewy cold thick noodles, and you're in heaven. You really have to eat it to believe it!

Meanwhile, the shoyu ramen does not disappoint as well. It has this rich, creamy and very flavorful broth topped with sliced shitake mushrooms, chives, bamboo shoot, and chashu. Some friends of mine said that it's quite overwhelming and a little bit on the salty side, but I find it perfect. Just don't eat all the noodles first before you finish the soup then you're okay. It's like comparing it to adobo and rice, it compliments each other but does not taste well without the other. 

Again, you would have to try it to believe it. I've been here 3 times already and I'm still craving and wishing that there's a branch near my place. 

Ramen Yushoken TIP:

They have a secret menu. They serve 3 variants of ramen, that are limited to a couple of bowls each day so be sure to ask for it. Here's one, the super chashu.

Super Chashu - P490