Whenever I see or hear "Kogi Bulgogi", I always think of my friends in the campaign. They LOVE this place. Whenever we would have a reunion, they would always choose this Korean Restaurant in Eastwood.
So why is Kogi Bulgogi our staple restaurant for our reunions?
Kogi Bulgogi serves authentic Korean food without breaking the bank. I love having reunions with friends but I don't like how expensive it can get at times. This Korean Restaurant allows us to share stories, enjoy good food and avoid worrying too much about the bill. I know, it's fantastic. :)
I also like the fact that you can watch the chefs cook your food. They can even serve the food straight to your plate. Too bad my friend didn't want to smell like food so we decided to wait for the table farthest away from the open kitchen.
Just a tip, make sure to make reservations. The waiting list tends to be long during dinner time even on weekends. We had to wait more than 30 minutes to be seated since we were third on the waiting list.
By the time we were finally seated, they immediately served the traditional complimentary Korean appetizers. Good thing they served these right away since I was starving.
The appetizer set includes Crispy Dilis or Anchovies. They're full of flavor and a great meal starter.
There's also Okra drizzled in spicy sauce. They're okay, they just taste like regular okra with a hint of heat.
There's Bean Sprouts or mongo which I use to water down the taste of the very spicy Kim chi.
As you can see, it's blazing red in color. It's really spicy! Even I could taste it given that I can barely taste spicy flavor in most dishes. I really enjoyed this Kim Chi since it had the right amount of heat for my liking. I think it was too spicy for the others since there were only two of us touching this appetizer.
My favorite appetizer was the sweet mini potato balls. I really have a sweet tooth. :) This was a favorite on our table so much so that it was gone in just a minute! Probably because it's the most filling among the other Korean appetizers. Yes we were that hungry!
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| Bulgogi (Php248) |
Finally our orders arrived! First up was their famous Bulgogi - marinated beef with mushrooms. I love its unique Korean taste with its subtle hint of sweetness. I read in nomnomclub.com, that the Kogi Bulgogi's beef are all imported US Prime. Nice! No wonder they take so much pride in their Bulgogi.
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| Nude Kimbap (Php148) |
The Nude Kimbap was another winner this evening. It's so good that it has been elevated to the status of becoming one of our staple orders in this Korean restaurant. My friend Cheenee even claims that it is "the best Kimbap I've ever tasted...this is probably the closest I'll get to deliciously Korean. I want more and am craving for more."
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| Kalbi Ssambap (Php188) |
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| Ssambap Sauces |
Since we also wanted to try other food from the menu, we decided to try two of their Ssambap dishes: the Kalbi Ssambap and Sam Gyup Sal Ssambap.
"Ssam" literally means "wrapped". It's a Korean dish that uses leaf vegetables to wrap around beef or pork. Eating this dish can be pretty messy but that's what makes it fun.
I was a little intimidated by the dish. Good thing they had instructional posters on how to eat this dish. :)
Here's my first attempt at eating the Kalbi Ssambap. (I added some of the sauces after I took this shot.) I had a hard time biting into it without the rice crumbling away. So just a tip for future eaters, cut the rice in half before rolling it up. This makes the roll smaller for that perfect bite size.
I liked this dish since the beef was once again flavorful and I enjoyed eating it with the lettuce in one bite. Perfect healthy combination. :) This is great for diners who like to eat fast.
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| Sam Gyup Sal Ssambap (Php178) |
Among the two Ssambap dishes that we tried, I must say that I liked the Sam Gyup Sal Ssambap better since it was easier for me to chew. Haha. Too bad my other friends almost finished this up before I got to try it. In terms of taste, the Kalbi Ssambap wins big time but in terms of ease of eating, I like Sam Gyup Ssambap more. Don't get me wrong, Sam Gyup Sal Ssambap is also tasty but I just found it a bit oily for my taste.
To be honest, I have tried better Korean restaurants than Kogi Bulgogi. However, most Korean restaurants have outrageous prices! Kogi Bulgogi provides us the same authentic Korean food experience with a price range that makes it accessible for young professionals like me.
Here are some group shots from this reunion. Yes I also take pictures of people, not just food. Hahaha.
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| People do tend to smile even when they're the one taking the photo. Haha look at me. :P |
I'm definitely coming back to this Eastwood restaurant. I'll try their other dishes next time though since we almost always order the same ones (Bulgogi and Kimbap) every reunion. Haha. I'm looking to more reunions in the future! It was great to see you again friends! It was definitely another fun reunion. I missed you guys!
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| Awwwww :) I miss the old days :) |
If you want more information on Kogi Bulgogi, here are other food blogs about it: click here, here, here, here and here. Don't you just love reading about food? I do. <3
More Info On Kogi Bulgogi:
Address: 2/F Eastwood Mall Veranda, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 470-6884 to 85
Store Hours: Su, M, T, W, Th: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
F, Sa: 11:00 am - 12:00 mn
~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~
6 comments:
Such yummy food! There's nothing like good food and great friends :)
Hi Ayan! :) Yes really delicious food. I love how spicy Korean food can be especially when you see your friends slightly tearing up from the spice. hahaha :))
hey Smarla!
Visiting Kogi Bulgogi tonight :-)
Yepee! My first time.
Janey
Hi Janey!
Kogi Bulgogi is my friend's favorite resto in Eastwood since it's cheap but the food's good. :)
I'll be in eastwood later too but to watch the Gary V show.
Hope to bump into you later and I hope you enjoy your meal in Kogi Bulgogi :)
Hi! Thank you so much for this recommendation. I will definitely visit Seoul Barbecue. I really appreciate the tip. :) I must admit I haven't tried Seoul Barbecue yet.
Hi! If you're looking to try really good AUTHENTIC Korean food, try Seoul Barbecue along Libis, Fusion Seoul near Ortigas Home Depot, and Woorijib along Kalayaan Avenue in QC. My husband and I are foodies and have become Korean food junkies since 2008. Getting recommendations from our Korean friends have led us to these places.
Re: Kogi Bulgogi, we were very disappointed when we ate there. Inspite of warnings from Korean friends to NOT try the place, we just had to as it is the only Korean resto in Eastwood Mall which we frequent. And true to the warnings, Kogi Bulgogi IS NOT KOREAN FOOD.
If you've ever tried authentic Korean food or have been to restos in Korea, the side dishes served to the customers almost immediately upon arriving (kimchi and various sauteed or marinated vegetables,seaweed, sometimes even meats) are UNLIMITED. It's a cultural thing, I've been told. Something about the generous nature of Koreans. It's very true, especially if you've ever eaten in their homes. Also, you won't find these "rice balls" for your meats and lettuce. Instead, you can opt to just wrap your samgyupsal, galbi sal, or even bulgogi in various leaves of lettuce, cabbage, and even sesame leaf, with or without rice. If you choose to add rice into your wrap, you basically just estimate how much would fit into your mouth.
More than the above though, the dishes at Kolgi Bulgogi are just not that well-cooked, authentic or not. Coz at the end of the day, it all really boils down to taste, right? Also, a lot of the dishes on their menu are Japanese, haven't you noticed? I think that they tried so much to adjust their menu to the Pinoy palate, to their detriment. They underestimated how a lot of us have very discerning tastes that are very much exposed to international cuisine.
As a lover of Korean food, sitting there at that resto trying to at least enjoy the experience and looking at all these people eating what they think is Korean food made me want so much to tell them that there is better Korean food out there. And chancing upon your blog, seeing that you are a foodie yourself, I was so compelled to leave this novel of a comment in the hopes of opening people's eyes to better options.
Thanks and more power to you!
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