One of my favorite Bistro Group restaurants is definitely Bulgogi Brothers. The servers there are always really friendly and accommodating, the portions are good for sharing, and the food is just really, really good! I would be a regular haunt for me to bring friends to, and we'd discover their dishes together.
Heck, when my dog turned one, we went to celebrate at Bulgogi Brothers' Mall of Asia branch, and they even had a cute water bowl for the very happy Mr. Wiggles Fluffybottom. Yes, he had so much Korean food that night I'm thinking of changing his name to Bulgogi Baby.
Before Bulgogi Baby's birthday bash, Jericho and I visited Bulgogi Brothers at the Mall of Asia to try all the New Barbecue Specials. Of course, the rest of the gang were there, and then some, so we were in for a fun night.
Upon arriving, we were served with little plates of corn, quail eggs, and sweet potatoes. Jericho, for some odd reason, is a kamote freak, going through most of the kamote on the plate. Weirdo.
We nipped at the ban chan that was composed of kimchi, sweetened anchovies, and mushroom slices with a spicy sauce, and the spicy lettuce salad, drowning the spice out with their complimentary Oksusu Cha or corn tea. It tasted like freshly boiled corn husks, which was surprisingly refreshing. And addicting!
We enjoyed the dishes while sipping on refreshing libations while enjoying dinner. I enjoyed my Citrus Mint (P150) - basically kamalansi with chopped mint, a virgin mojito if you will. Our friend Mich had a Watermelon Shake (P120), and Jericho opted for a Kiwi Juice (P120), which was a thick, fruity kiwi shake. Later on in the night we tried the Raspberry Tea Mint (P150), which had a fruity berry flavor with mint muddled in - these all go perfect with the spicy kimchi and spiced dishes we were about to try.
Dinner started off with gloriously sticky, Spicy Boneless Chicken (P350). The boneless chicken leg quarters are marinated in sweet garlic soy sauce, seeping in under the skin and onto the meat, coating everything with it's sweet garlic soy flavor. The glaze just makes the chicken glisten in the lamp light.
I was surprised when our friend Spanky said he'd only stick tot he corn tea that night. Alcohol was always a staple on the table when Gerry and him were around. I thought he was just being sentimental, with Gerry not being there, but nope, out came the Soju - Chamisul (P225), the most popular liquor in Korea to pair with anything edible - fruits, beef, dried leather... Check out the innovative soju decanter.
We tried the Boneless Beef Ribs (P450), or Kkotgalbisal, next - boneless beef ribs flavored with a fruity bulgogi sauce. I was surprised at how much beef was in one serving - this is a lot of meat for the price point. The sauce is thrown into the grill and coats the whole dish with a glorious, brown glaze.
Hearing them sizzling in the pan got my mouth watering, watching them as they went from a pinkish red to a deep brown color. This was gobsmackingly tender and sweet.
The L.A. Style Short Ribs (P495), or L.A. Style Galbi, we next. The strips of bone-in beef short ribs are marinated in a special bulgogi sauce before being tossed into the grill.
These delicate strips of beef have a lot more flavor to them than the Boneless Beef Ribs, and I found myself going through piece, after piece, after piece. It was so hard to stop! I would sprinkle my pieces of beef with a little bit of salt, put a bit of red bean paste on it, and pair this with some kimchi and their lovely sticky rice.
If you don't find this just amazeballs, it is a serious character flaw on your part. What's wrong with you?!
One of my favorite dishes that night was the Seafood Special (P745) - a delicious combination of Salmon and the local Apahap fillet served with a lemon-butter sauce.
What can I say, you can never go wrong mixing butter and salmon. Making the already fatty fish even richer, this salmon almost melts in your mouth, caressing your tongue with its buttery flavor. The Ahapahap is a lot firmer than the salmon, but it also seeps up all the butter, leaving you with a rich aftertaste. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the fillets before having your fill, and you're golden.
The Korean Pork Belly (P245 - Solo, P395 - To Share) or Tong Samgyeopsal, a Korean favorite! I never realized Bulgogi Brothers never had samgyeopsal until now - all their other dishes are just so good, I didn't notice how my Korean staple wasn't even on the menu! The Pork belly is sliced into thin, bacon-like strip, and marinated with a citrus bulgogi sauce. The flavor just jumps off the plate! The familiar dish is given a Bulgogi Brothers twist, and the price point isn't all that bad either.
We ended our night with Korean ice cream. I initially wanted to go for the strawberry Melona popsicle, but the huge chocolate drumstick was just too big not to pass up! Check out my big chocolate drumstick (
When mucking around Bulgogi Brothers, there's always a new reason to celebrate! Enjoy your old Bulgogi favorites and discover your new barbecue favorites while you're at it. If you don't believe me, just look at that very satisfied customer.
Just mucking around Manila,
www.muckingaroundmanila.com
Follow @_muckingaround on Twitter and Instagram.
Like the Mucking Around Manila fan page.
Images taken by Jericho San Miguel
Bulgogi Brothers
+63 2 823 2778
SM Mall of Asia, Entertainment Mall,
Southwing, Seaside Blvd
Manila Bay Reclamation Area, Pasay
Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
