Tikim53: The Art of Bulgogi at Sariwon (Superbloc, Fort)

There's a new mall in the area and the shopping girl in me wants to check it out...and so I did. If you are into high-end brands and luxury watches go to Superbloc! After roaming in the soon-to-be completed mall, I craved for Korean food and so I had my dinner in Sariwon.

One thing you should take note, even on a weekday night, go early to Sariwon because food here is cooked in front of you! I had to wait around 30-40 minutes to be seated inside. 

Sariwon Korean Barbeque

Check out Sariwon's Menu I liked it there's a background/story behind the restaurant; it's concise and it had pictures to showcase their specialty.

Origin of Sariwon

Menu

After ordering, appetizers were served. There were about 8 varieties of veggies that can tickle your tastebuds...some were spicy, sweet, and salty. You can  ask for a refill if you want more! My 2 favorites appetizers were the roasted anchovies and the sweet pumpkin and potato.

Appetizers

Roasted anchioves

A must-order for me is the Dolsot Bibimbap! I super love this because rice is served in piping hot stone!

Dolsot Bibimbap P380

Yummy and hot!

Ggot Galbisal, boneless USDA choice ribs (130g) freshly grilled at the table . The meat is tender and tastes great with the sauce. I will definitely recommend this!

Ggot Galbisal P595

Ggot Galbisal P595

Of course, I wouldn't miss Sariwon's specialty...Bulgogi. Ordered a Deungsim Yangnyeom bulgogi from their selection. It' honey marinated slices of USDA choice beef (150g) grilled at the table. It is served with freshly made sweet potato noodles. In fairness, this was my first time to eat Bulgogi in this kind of cooking. Before Sariwon, I did not know about Bulgogi being served with soup and noodles. The soup is a special mixture blended with red wine and boiled over high heat, taking over 3 hours to create. Taste is slightly sweet, tangy, and flavorful! It is a truly Bulgogi experience!

Deungsim yangnyeom bulgogi P495 

Up close when cooked

After the food service, there was a complimentary drink that I initially thought of as a cold tea. To my mistake, I drank it and tasted sweet; checked the menu and realized its a dessert drink. Sikhye is a nutritious and refreshing traditional drink made from malt and rice. I ended up, liking the drink!

Sikhye P60

Don't forget to come to Sariwon earlier than dinner time so you won't have to wait :) But then again, if you are craving for Korean BBQ, Sariwon is the only one in the Fort Area!

Taste: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Ambiance and Service: 3/5 

Sariwon
Address: East Block, Bonifacio High Street Central,
               7th Avenue corner 29th Street, Taguig City
Telephone: 02-6213205
Website: www.facebook.com/SariwonPhilippines

Tikim41: Freshly baked at Tous Les Jours (Alabang Town Center,Muntilupa)

Maybe you've heard about Tous Les Jours or you have seen it somewhere in the mall. Tous Les Jours is the newest bakery franchise from Korea. The first branch of Tous Les Jours opened in SM North, Manila last November 2011but I haven't been to any Tous Les Jours bakery but I did receive a good looking cake from bakery on my last birthday. Luckily, I have been invited to a food tasting for the opening of Tous Les Jour's third branch in Alabang Town Center. When I arrived, the first 2 things I noticed are: the bicycle displayed outside the store (sooo french!) and the cake display that are too pretty to eat!

A Day of Indulgence Invite :) Thank you Ms. Debbie <3

The Bicycle that can be used as a marketing gimmick

Too pretty to eat cake displays

First, what is Tous Les Jour? It's a French word that means "Everyday". their name suggest the bakery's philosophy and ambiance. They provide FRESH baked goodies everyday with natural ingredients (some cakes even have low sugar content and some are imported from Korea!). It is best to consume their cakes and breads within 3 days to maintain the freshness. For the interiors of the bake shop, the name suggests it all...a place where it is warm and friendly, where you can go to, "tous les jour"!:)

Fresh bread everyday

Inside the bakery

Inside the bakery

Below are the pastries that I tasted during the Day of Indulgence event:

Sweet Black Rice Bread w/Cream Cheese P48.00

See the filling ooze

This bread has a mochi-like texture. It is sweet, soft, and gooey on the inside. Why gooey? It has a yummy cream cheese filling! This is definitely in my top3!

Almond Croissant P68.00

Zooming in...

This croissant's top part is drizzled with cookie batter with creamy custard filling inside. You'll like this if you are a croissant lover coz this is definitely different.

Milk Bun P48.00

More Milk Buns

The milk bun reminds of Singaporean coffee bun but it's different because it isn't crunchy. It has custard filling again with chocolate cookie crumble on top.

Pumpkin Muffin P58.00

See the pumpkin bits

This is their best seller in their SM North Edsa branch because it's a healthier bread. It is not sweet that's perfect for those who are dieting. What's good is that the muffin has real pumpin bits!

Chocolate Castella P248.00

Pure sponge cake

This is their chewy dark chocolate sponge cake, no icing, no filling, just the cake itself. I m not a chocolate eater but those who like chocolates will appreciate this; it also comes with a nice packaging thats perfect for Christmas give-aways. Oh FYI, they have a plain version of this one which, according to the store, is dog friendly! :)

Can't get enough of this so I took a photo souvenir in my phone

Strawberry Inspiration P596.00

Oh no its bleeding! kidding!:)

I m not a cake person, my close friends know this, but GOSH...I really like this cake. It has dehydrated strawberries from Korea, topped with strawberry powder and matcha! I m not a fan of sweets, I like this because the icing looks sinful but its has NO BUTTER for the icing! The best part of the cake is actually the icing on top with the strawberry powder!:) Another reason why I like this, it's not too expensive for a cake; priced right with the presentation and taste!:) A must try!

Rose Inspiratiom

Oh for those who want a smaller version of this, they have a cake called Rose Inspiration with the same strawberry and matcha powder on top that is shaped like a real rose! They are too pretty to eat!:) This cake is perfect for those anniversary and valentine celebration dates.

New York Cheesecake P1280.00

Just look at the top filling...so rich!

The cake is so rich and heavy! A slice can make your tummy full. I think this can be paired with blueberry jam or some strawberry filling so there'd be variety in taste...not just the cheesecake!:)

All in all, I have noticed 4 things to differentiate it to Breadtalk and other upscale bakeries:

1. Great ambiance

2. Cakes presentation is excellent ~ comes with a free plastic knife too!

3. Korean drinks are available in the store 

4. Their breads has a lot of custard filling inside

5. They have promos:

Chaley's Top 3 from the food tasting:

1. Sweet Black Rice Bread with Cream Cheese P48.00

2. Strawberry Inspiration P596.00

3. Almond Croissant P68.00

Tous Les Jours

G/F Alabang Town Center 

Website: http://www.facebook.com/touslesjoursph

             : http://www.tlj.ph

*Thank you to Tous Les Jours and Abi Mercado for providing me some of the photos used.

Tikim26: Authentic Yedang (Ortigas, Mandaluyong)

I see alot of korean restaurants,groceries, and other korean-related establishments (face shop, etude house, missha...etc) popping up here and there there's one restaurant that stood out amongst the few known korean restaurants in Manila. Ye Dang, which means a "an official title name", is a shortened version of 예조당상(禮曹堂上). Ye Dang is a Korean BBQ restaurant which serves marinated meat [pork or beef] before grilling. They serve vegetables [take note: Yummy and healthy vegetables] in small plates as their appetizer. Do know that these veggie appetizers are refillable. My favorite appetizers include mini pancakes [동그랑땡(dong gu rang ddang)], the sweet sauced potatoes, and the garlic spinach [시금치(si gum chi] while Evan likes the kimchi [김치]. Thank you chloe for the Korean food names :) Aside from the appetizers, I also love the taste of their water; tastes like roasted rice which by the way, also smells so good!

Yedang 

I had eaten here for about 5 times already and on my latest visit I noticed they did some improvements :). They already installed extra ventilations (electric fans) to prevent smoke from clogging the restaurant. This made the place unfoggy and clearer to the eyes. 2nd, they added new appetizers like their green salad and dilis. What is great abour these appetizers is that you csn ask for a refill! 3rd, their yedang beef special is now sliced into pieces (better than cooking the wahoke thing)  which made eating it easier.

               Before: Appetizers                       After: More to taste

On the table we ordered the following...
The Yedang Special Angus beef [P600.00] is a must try, tasty and blends well with the sauce. The beef they now served are again sliced into smaller pieces, plus points for convenience! Evan usually wraps the cooked beef in cabbage and puts chili sauce with it while I like it partnered with rice.

Before: The beef was rolled



After: The beef sliced into bite size pieces! :) Yey

How to eat

Also ordered their Usamgyup, Grill beef belly [P300.00]; Dak Kui, Grill chicken which I thought has some chili marinated with it. If you can't take the spiciness of the chicken, I suggest you eat it together with the vegetables from the appetizers!  

Usamgyup

Dak Gui

Can't miss the Dolsot Bibimbap, vegetable hash rice in hot stone bowl [P280.00] I always make sure I order this, it is actually a mea in itself. It has veggies and meat that reminds me of fried rice! :) Don't forget to mix the egg with the rice while it's hot or it will be a fried egg yoke.

Dolsot Bibimbap

Taste: 4/5

Quality: 4/5 

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Ye Dang
88 Meralco Avenue, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Contact: 636-1461