No Kimchi

Back when everything and anything Korean wasn’t BIG in the Philippines yet, I remember that there was a lack of Korean restaurants around. My friends and I would eat at Kaya because it served Korean food and it’s inside the mall. I used to love it and my family eventually did too. It actually became one of my family’s favorites, and lo and behold, my least favorite “Korean” restaurant.

Don’t get me wrong. Kaya does serve good food. Their dolsot bibimbap, ramyun, kimchi bokkumbap, bulgogi, pa jeon, and an addition to their menu – jajjangmyun (which is one of my favorite Korean foods) are all good. Not the best, but theyre still great. So why exactly don’t I prefer eating in Kaya?

I actually don’t know. It could be because I got tired of eating there cos my family always eats there. Or it could be because I find it “unauthentic”, or, for lack of a better word, too “Filipino-infused”. Or because they don’t really have a wide array of items on their menu (like dukbokki or naengmyun). Or because they use wooden chopsticks and normal spoons.

Or maybe (or most probably), because they don’t have all those free appetizers that you get in a typical Korean restaurant. Yes, they don’t have those. Not even kimchi. You can order them though, if you really want them. Call me weird or petty but those things actually matter to me. It’s not because they are free food. It’s more the fact that those or what makes it “Korean”. Banchan is part of the Korean cuisine, and it’s one of their distinguishing features (aside from the food itself).

This entry really isn’t anything. I’m just voicing out my opinion. LOL. Cos i did enjoy the jajjangmyun. Though I’ll still prefer to go to the authentic Korean restaurants that you would find in Malate or Makati or Kalayaan or even along Ortigas Center. Do visit Kaya though, if you have a craving for Korean food.

                   

                   

                   

                   

Orchard Road

2/F Bridgeway, SM Megamall (Visited: March 14, 2010)

Has anyone noticed the “Singapore food” themed restaurants that have been sprouting all over Manila lately? Or maybe I just started noticing recently cos I’m missing my mushroom minced pork noodles, something I frequently ate in NUS. haha I was in SM Megamall a few weeks ago and was so excited when I saw this resto a couple of weeks ago when it just opened cos it kinda looks just like a small Food Republic! 8D I wanted to try it and finally had my chance today. Sadly, it wasn’t what I was expecting?

The place is really nice, it’s spacious, there’s an open kitchen in the middle, and it has its own restroom inside.

This is the order slip that also serves as their menu. You tick whatever you want to order, then bring it to the counter. After paying, they’ll give you a number and you have to go find a table and wait for your food to arrive. Waiting time isn’t really that long, but the food didn’t come out quickly either.

milo dinosaur

teh tarik

Drinks… shobe had the Milo Dinosaur which tasted like…. Milo. I had the Teh Tarik. It was good, but it wasn’t as hot as I wanted it to be.

hainanese pork chop rice

bah kut teh

black pepper pork

rojak

Food… eh. Since it’s Lent and I can’t eat meat, I didn’t get to try the other dishes. The pork (Hainanese and black pepper) was tough according to my family… maybe cos it was fried beforehand. The fried items (pork and chicken i think) were just displayed there, waiting to be re-cooked with whatever seasoning/sauce that was ordered. The bak kut teh was too salty and the meat wasn’t soft. The rojak, which was what I ordered, was disappointing. I thought it was very tart, the sauce was runny and pooled around the fruits/vegetables intead of sticking to them, and was lacking some fried dough fritters to give it more body. Some of the pineapple pieces were sweet though. :))

Dessert… we ordered ice kachang. It was like a snow cone with some sweet corn and gulaman and a few pieces of kidney beans? It would have been better if they also had different varieties of ice kachang. Both SG and the Philippines are tropical countries so fruits like mangoes, peaches, and even durian are available here. :/ Sayang.

Prices are kinda expensive for the small servings. Snacks are around Php40+ while meals are approximately Php140 – Php185 (anything with prawns = more expensive). Mas mura pa nga ang one meal sa Singapore, and malaki pa servings dun!

We asked the cashier about the place and we also overheard one of the managers(?) talking to Chef Tony (who I’m assuming is the only Singapore chef in the resto kasi sabi ni casheir one chef from SG eh haha) about the good/bad blog reviews about the establishment. Since they were seated behind us, the manager(?) asked my dad and I about the food. My dad told her na ham-ham yung food and super salty yung bak kut teh so she said she’ll tell the cooks. Sabi ko maasim and sauc-y yung rojak. Sabi ni Chef kasi 3 kinds daw yung rojak and Chinese rojak daw kanila. I don’t really know the difference but I think that all kinds of rojak should have sticky sauce? But what do I know, I’m not Singaporean hahaha.

If they’re planning to add more stuff to their menu, may i suggest chili/black pepper crab and nasi lemak for the meals… kasi I think those things are famous for being Singaporean so parang may kulang pag wala. Yung crab I understand kasi it’s expensive, but yung nasi lemak! :o Maybe they forgot or I didn’t see? I’d like yuan yang too! :) And more ice kachang flavors *coughduriancough*.

As of today, I’m giving Orchard Road 3/5 stars, which is actually pretty high already (I originally gave it 2.5). But yes, 3, mostly for the ambience and because most of the staff are approachable and knowledgeable. I can also see that they’re making an effort to improve the place (i.e. the manager(?) who asked us about the food and her giving feedback to the chef). Food definitely needs improvement. But maybe it’s because there’s only ONE Singaporean chef. Sana namanat least 3 to oversee all the other chefs? Kasi madami sila nagluluto, but they’re not Singaporean (as far as I know). I don’t know if they have been trained by SG chefs or if they studied in SG or something though.

Will I visit Orchard Road again? Ummmm… why not! Hahaha. They just opened so they may still be having some difficulties as of the moment. I’ll visit a few months from now and see if I like the food. I still have to try the kway teow, laksa, hainanese chicken rice, and my minced pork noodles hahahaha. For now, I shall go try other SG-themed places like Makansutra (Manila Ocean Park) and the one in Robinson’s Galleria~