We’ve just been seeing it on television, on everyone’s favorite kdrama series. They look yummy over the grill and even yummier when dipped in that red hot ssamjang, topped with toasted garlic, onion, sprouts and later wrapped with Korean lettuce. I guess you know now what I’m talking about… Yes…the mouthwatering samgyupsal!
Samgyupsal or grilled pork belly or what we call in the Philippines barbeque has now become one of the biggest food trends in the Metro. Well, actually, it’s popular in other parts of the country too. Major cities have at least 5 restaurants serving this Korean cuisine. And for the first time in my life, I’m trying it!
I was invited recently to experience the unlisamgyupsal of SamgyupKing at the Fisher Mall in Quezon City. I was thrilled since it was my first time and I had a lot of expectations as I’ve seen Koreans on television eating grilled pork very enthusiastically. I’ve also heard a couple of colleagues talk about how it tastes so good so I really skipped the afternoon snack to prepare for this big feast.
Samgyupsal King – Price, Menu and Experience
Samgyupsal King is one of many restaurants that have jumped into the Samgyupsal trend.Just like their contemporaries in the business, they, too serve unlimited Korean BBQ.
They have the edge over other Korean restaurants though as their unli offer comes with a little more free treats that are not available on other restos’ packages.
For one, Samgyup King don’t serve pork and beef alone. Most of the Korean restaurants I heard about serve only pork and beef for their samgyupsal buffets. But Samgyup King went a bit further in experimenting variants of this popular dish by adding chicken in the menu.
Actually, I never thought that chicken would be a good meat alternative. It doesn’t blend well with the lettuce but having something unique to offer to the customers is what I am impressed with.
Second, their unli meal only costs P499 per head. It is a common rate for unlisamgyupsal restaurants but like I mentioned, Samgyup King has more treats that comes with the rate.
SamgyupKing unlisamgyupsal comes with a 1 time milk tea and 1 time ramen servings. Others would only offer free tofu soup as a complementary treat.
When it comes to side dishes, SamgyupKing is also a winner. They serve the usual partners of samgyupsal like kimchi, sweet potatoes, ssamjang, radish and carrots, egg roll, and unli Korean lettuce wraps.
My friends who are regulars on Korean restaurants told me that the kimchi is the most important side dish. So they told me that a good kimchi shouldn’t have a bitter after taste, shouldn’t be too sour, shouldn’t be too sweet and it would be nice if the leaves are still a bit crunchy (meaning it’s fresh). Kimchi, they said, is what makes for a good appetizer when eating a samgyupsal wrap and being a good judge of good food, I have to say, Samgyup King served a good batch of kimchi when we visited.
One more unique feature of the restaurant is their grill. Instead of the regular round grill placed on top of portable stoves, they have a custom-made grill where skewers can be positioned easily so cooking won’t be a hassle and for the meat to cook evenly too.
We had a chance to have a little chat with Operations manager and son of the owner Raymond Yuloque. He shared a bit of the restaurant’s history, saying they just started on food parks and later decided to expand hence opening their first restaurant just last October 5.
He assured us that they only use top quality meat which are actually still imported from Australia. He also told us that their kitchen staffs are meticulous in their preparing all of their ingredients.
Apart from their unlisamgyupsal, SamgyupKing also has ala carte offerings like beef, pork, and chicken bulgogi. They have grilled salmon too for all of you who love fish. An like their unli meal, all of these dishes come with side dishes too.
Finally, it’s time to taste this samgyupsal that’s much craved by many Pinoys. , The meat was finely seasoned but they were very thinly sliced so I had to place two or three in a wrap so I can taste it. The wrap was bulgy so it’s a bit awkward to fill it all in my mouth so I prefer eating the meat separate from anything else.
The beef was especially delicious. It’s a given since red meat is really juicy. As for the chicken, it tends to get dry so I didn’t really appreciate it.
Overall, my first samgyupsal experience was wonderful. The meat is the most important ingredient of any samgyupsal buffet and Samgyup King has one of the best seasoned pork and beef for grilling that I’ve tasted! I wasn’t a kimchi lover until I tasted their recipe. The food is definitely worth more than the price! Anyone in the Metro should try dining in here!
With the Owner of SamgyupKing, Mr. Willie Yulo Que,, Operations Manager of SamgyupKing, Mr. Raymond Yuloque and the members of the Bloggers Association of the Philipines led by Mr. Ver Garcia.
For those who want to try “the next generation samgyupsal experience,” Samgyup King is located at the 4th floor of Fishermall, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.
