BULGOGI BROTHERS

Been hearing some pretty decent comments from friends and relatives so I decided to check the place out. Their overall ambiance surprised me with a a more modern touch as compared to some of the other more traditional korean inspired restaurants. (too bad I forgot to take a shot of the interiors)

Another new touch here is that for each type of dish you order, the menu offers a type of soju or wine thats best paired with the said dish. Unfortunately for me, since I'm the only "drinker" in our small group, I guess I will have to skip the soju part and just concentrate more on the food.


TEA



We were offered a tea they call Oksusu Cha (or Corn Tea), you can opt for either hot or cold, and the said tea is now served in a more modern metal pitcher. While I really enjoyed the flavor of the corn tea (we opted for the cold one) I just find the label tied around the pitcher a bit of a distraction as it can sometimes get in the way when we are pouring the tea. Perhaps the friendly servers can just mention it to us upon serving and not having to rely on a tag.


BAN CHAN (Side Dishes)



Normally in other traditional korean inspired restos, we would be served from somewhere between 6 to 9 different kinds of Ban Chan. Here in Bulgogi Brothers, I'm quite surprisedd that they have only 3. And another surprising (and disappointing) part is they didn't serve us Cabbage Kimchi (which I assume is a staple in all korean restaurants)


They also served us some corn on the cob, boiled sweet potato and hard boiled quail eggs as part of their appetizers. Perhaps these 3 food items are served in some part or region of korea I'm not familiar with or I'm guessing the restaurant is just trying to offer us something different.



My personal guess is, its just part of their cost-cutting scheme as other types of korean Ban Chan might be more expensive to offer for free.


HAEMUL DOENJANG JJIGAE
Fermented Soybean Stew with assorted seafoods and vegetables



Flavor was nice without the fishy aftertaste, though I kinda hoped they would serve the soup/stew more piping hot. The "Heat" is a little on the tame side but thats ok since my Mom is not really into spicy stuff.


SOGOGI JAPCHAE
Glass Noodles, Beef,  Pepper and Onions seasoned with Soy Sauce



Overall, this korean sotanghon dish is alright as its nicely seasoned and does not come off overly sweet. My minor issue is that for a price of 350 pesos per order, its quantity is fit for only 1 person.


Kinda thoughtful on their part to keep the dish warm with a lighted candle below, but given the low quantity of the dish, it was "Gone in 60 seconds" before we even had a chance to see if the candle is actually effective in keeping the dish warm.




HANBANG SUYUK
Thinly Sliced Boiled Pork served with Kimchi, Roasted Garlic and Chives



When the pork dish arrived, I was surprised that there is no dipping sauce or condiments that came with it. I asked the friendly servers about it and he said that there is no need for sauces or condiments. And boy was he wrong because all of us in our table felt that the pork was completely underseasoned. (in fairness, the pork dish was cooked nicely and is quite tender to the bite)

We asked the server for some SSAMJANG which is a combination of Gocuchang (hot chili paste) and Doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) to help give the dish some flavor. I'm quite surprised that the reply of the server was to check if they have any ........ (in the years I've eaten in korean restos, this type of dipping sauce should be readily available much like soy sauce). Fortunately for us, they do have this type of dipping sauce but again it was surprising that it took all of ten minutes just to bring us our request.

Another issue is that we were given only 5 pieces of fresh lettuce leaves (to wrap the pork with). If we wanted more lettuce leaves, they are available with extra charge.


BULGOGI BROTHERS SPECIAL


The server showed us the big platter of beef strips and ground beef (plus some onions and beansprouts) before he brought the platter to a nearby table so he can cook it  (using a portable grill) so I didn't have the time to take a picture of it. Instead, I settled for a picture taken from the menu.


When the server came back with the cooked beef, we had this ......



They look like hamburger patties and they taste like hamburger patties, except these "hamburgers" were completely underseasoned.


The second set of beef looked like thay had been stir-fried with the onions and the beansprouts......



And much like the burger patties, these strips of beef really need some seasoning.

Again ...... no sight of any fresh lettuce leaves to wrap the beef with. (which I assume this is one of  the traditional way to eat bulgogi)


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Overall, the place looks nice, the servers are extra friendly but the food that they served us makes me want to go back to some of the more traditional korean inspired restos.

Bulgogi Brothers is located at the 3rd Level of Greenbelt 5