Korean food - Gangnam Style

I have many dreams in life - and after watching Korean rapper's Gangnam Style music video for the seventy sixth time, I'm adding another one to the list: Being able to do Korean rapper PSY's horse-dance with a flash mob in the middle of Edsa. Because really how awesome would be to spontaneously break into synchronized fake galloping in the streets of Manila?

Also, because of K-Pop fever, my hair kind of looked like this for six months:

Thanks Tony & Guy! That was a poorly made life decision.

Fortunately there's not much to be confused about with a steaming bowl of bibimbap. With Filipinos' ongoing infatuation for all things Korean, it's no surprise that Korean food - hearty, exotic, and often spicy - have many smitten. From family-run groceries that make their own kimchi to barbecue dens all over to chains like Bon Chon, Sariwon, and Bulgogi Brothers, the culinary floodgates are wide open.

Chef's Noodle, one of Korea's celebrated restaurant chains has finally arrived in Manila. Taft Avenue to be exact, and pioneering it is no less than the founder, Chef Choi In Sun:

Why does Chef Choi In Sun always wear a fedora? I'd like to believe it's because he moonlights as a gumshoe detective. Or archaeologist. You'll know him because he also shows up in your tamago.

How egg-cellent! . . . Shutting up now.

Their specialty, the aptly-named Chef's Noodle (P150) gives a potent kick of flavors with every slurp. This salty and peppery broth is chock-full of tender beef slices, tofu puffs, scallions, and beansprouts (giant togue that's a recurring theme in Korean cuisine). The noodles themselves have good 'bite' - not too flimsy or soggy. For most, a bowl is more than enough, but then again, there's more to Chef's Noodle than - er - noodles.

Chef's Noodles by Chef's Noodles

What makes it the restaurant's bestseller? Until Chef Choi tells us, we'll just have to assume only the most delicious of ingredients...

No, Po's father. Just no.

For starters, the Wanja Steak Jun (P175) reminds us of breakfast, the hearty kind had by high schoolers who pound their tables for more rice and egg in their meals. This Korean-style burger steak is topped with egg and cheese and comes served in a dimsum basket. Imagine a a deconstructed cheeseburger sans the bread buns. The meat as you'd expect is tender but with crisp, burned edges. It's slathered with a salty-savory-syrupy sauce that goes well with rice.

You've also got Ddukbokki (P150)- a dish that sounds like a special martial arts move in Street Fighter. But it's in fact a Korean favorite. And while sapin-sapin drenched in chili sauce gives me pause, it is in some ways the best description of Ddukbokki. Tube-shaped chunks of chewy rice cake will give your jaw muscles ample exercise. It looks and tastes spicy, but the heat is steady and never reaches scorching levels. Fruit juices add some measure of sweetness too.  

(For the stubbornly ravenous among us, Chef's Noodle has a Ddukbokki-eating challenge. Eat the most, and you can be part of a meet-and-greet with Chef Choi and Grace 'I-dated-the-president' Lee. Plus you get some sweet swag and bragging rights. I imagine a shirt that says "I Ddukbokkick Ass!")

Left: Hearty Wanja Steak Jun. Right: Ddukbokki rice cakes

Though Korean, there's sushi to be had too including raw beef on rice. Your order comes in a neat row of glossy, pink Australian strip sirloin and - because anything on fire is double the fun - is subjected to a constant flame by someone wielding a kitchen blowtorch. (Also, this is a bad ass method for lighting cigarettes.)  Dubbed the Starking Fire Sushi (P160), Chef Choi demo'd this first in South Korea's Star King talent show.

Several seconds under the flame renders the meat medium rare while leaving it raw beneath. The glutinous rice has a vinegar element that perks up your taste buds.

Fire: It makes everything taste better.

Seafood Pajun

Filipinos will find two other dishes surprisingly familiar: Torta's distant Korean cousin, the Seafood Pajun (P99), is an omelette pancake filled with chopped squid and vegetables. Leek Shrimp Twigim (P99) are crunchy, deep-fried shards of shrimp and leeks in tempura batter somewhat like ukoy.

Exotic yet homey, comfort food with a touch of K-Pop coolness, Chef's Noodle just might be Taft's answer to students craving all things Korean.

Oh, and it's almost as addictive as that Gangnam Style song.

Chef's Noodle
2nd Floor, University Mall, Taft Avenue, Manila (facing College of St. Benilde)
Tel. 09328715560
www.chefsnoodlephils.com

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The Times They Are A-Changin'

We know, we know. It's been a quiet past few weeks - okay months - and you're probably wondering, "Where'd they go? Are they still alive?" We've been right here all along folks.

At our Pampanga food trip with Chef Jam Melchor (far right) of Villa Cafe.

But caught between blogging and the demands of real life, we've opted to keep mum for the time being until we could sort out our lives. And my how we've sorted them out. Here's what we've been up to lately:

Bianca just finished her Master's Degree in Multimedia Journalism in Columbia earlier this May, and after months of investigating crime scenes, interviewing guys who sell M&M's on the subway, and yes, exploring a monster makeup convention, she's finally ready to make good use of her newly minted degree.She'll be interning with Mashable starting June. For now however, she's vacationing in Austin, Texas, sampling tacos, slow-cooked beef brisket, barbecue, and giant doughnuts. We have never been more jealous.

Our resident baker Twinkle has also moved up the ladder of luxury, doing PR and marketing for no less than Bulgari and Hermes Philippines. Can you expect hundred thousand peso-handbags and purses next to homemade key lime pies during our shoots from now on? Probably not yet - although we've come close. Last month Twinkle (or should we say 'Angelina'?) teamed up with swimsuit designer Twinkle Ferraren for a Twinkle-Twinkle shoot. 

     Jon continues to wow crowds with his superb knowledge of pop culture during Trivia Night and Geek Fight. Lately though he's taken on a bigger role, helping run Burger Boys. By day he scours the metro for cheap foodie finds and buffets, and by night he, uh - well he's been caught up playing Diablo 3. Last April he returned to his home province of Pampanga with us in tow to do a Kapampangan food trip. 

  And as for Ryan? He's all over the place these days - shooting, writing, and attempting to be a grown adult. On some days he hikes off to Makati in a dress shirt and tie, other times he's in jeans and sneakers. He still dreams of visiting Europe, but in the meantime, has to deal with a dozen flavors of homemade ice cream in his freezer he has to rate. Check out his monthly restaurant review in Yummy magazine. And speaking of Yummy...

Oh yes. A whole day of eating this Saturday! See you there!

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EAT IT UP: Probiotic Pops by Sugarleaf

POP CULTURE: Beat the heat with these homemade healthy pops with flavors (left to right) like Spirulina, Baguio strawberries, and freshly-squeezed oranges. Sugarleaf owner Angelo Songco (rightmost) comes up with new flavors each week.  

Bring up popsicles and I revert to my nine-year old self fussing over his Twin Popsies. These were (are - they're still around) bright orange sheets of ice the color of road construction cones that tasted of sugar, syrup, and maybe a drop or two of citrus. In short, sheer magic for the blistering hot summer of '93. Nineteen years later and I still love popsicles though time has made me a little more choosy.

So when Angelo Songco who owns healthy-leaning cafe Sugarleaf came out with his own line of homemade pops, it seemed that nine-year old me and his yuppie, slightly jaded counterpart could finally agree on something. So far there are three flavors - a glowing blue Spirulina that's mildly tastes of sea, Mountain Province-picked strawberries, and orange, awfully reminiscent of the kiyat-kiyat I had snacked on earlier that day.

Each tastes fresh in a way usual frozen desserts don't, and though not as creamy or sweet, they're pretty satisfying too. Try them or other kooky flavors at a Sugarleaf near you.

Sugarleaf
Ground Floor, Health Cube Building, 226 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel. 385 0387
Ground Floor, MEDICard Lifestyle Center, 51 Paseo de Roxas corner Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue, Makati City
Tel. 891 7323

Visit www.sugarleafph.com

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Diwal-icious at the Mandarin Oriental

by Ryan

Sometimes one good thing leads to another: While tracking down a baker from Ilo-Ilo known for her homemade yema cake, Twinkle and I ended up with invites to a Visayan-themed luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental. As it turns out, the baker in question was also guesting at Paseo Uno for this week's Diwal-icious Visayas: Bounties of The Sea. Not only did we have our fill of yema cake (flown in from Bacolod no less), but also of Chef Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing's other specialties inspired by Ilo-Ilo's thriving culinary scene.

Just this week: Diwal-icious at Paseo Uno

Expect a variety of shellfish including diwal
'Angel Wing' clams (upper right)  during the week-long festival

The food fest revolves around diwal or Angel Wing clams - succulent, juicy shellfish flown in from Capiz. Placed in the endangered species list years ago, diwal has made a bold comeback thanks to the concerted efforts of Capiz locals, the government, and the scientific community. So serious are they about seafood that they hold a yearly seafood festival in Roxas City to celebrate the return of diwal.

Personally I've never been much of a seafood fanatic past the occasional fish and chips. (Which is a shame I know given that I live in a country of over 7,000 islands.) Live shrimp and lobster at Chinese restaurant aquariums intrigue and horrify me, and when cooked and served whole, impress me more as subjects for dissection than potential dinner.

Mmm... Can somebody say facehugger from Aliens?

Bring on the Filipino flavors. Clockwise from upper right: Shrimps in aligue, tuna kilawin, fresh lumpia

Still, it's hard not to resist Mandarin's current seafood buffet (even though diwal's scientific name, cyrtopleura costata, still unnerves me). Expect baby lobsters, shrimp cooked with crab fat, blue marlin, seaweed salad, and pink salmon among the cast. As for the famous clam, you'll be surprised by how much meat there is in each shell. Found fresh, it's already surprisingly sweet. But at the buffet, a little garlic and rock salt adds some welcome contrast. Abroad, diwal is called Angel Wing clams; a prettier, gentler name taken from it's long, oblong-shaped shell reminiscent of angel wings.

Sweet, delicate, juicy Adriana Lima -er, Angel Clams

And while you dine on Visayan seafood, God forbid this be an Ilonggo buffet without all-stars like chicken inasal, chicken binakol, and batchoy.

I'm only happy when it rains...and I'm eating batchoy

Chef Pauline's Chicken binakol has subtler flavors

After what seemed like endless trips back to the buffet table, Twinkle and I finally sunk our forks into Chef Pauline's winning yema cake. Part of The Philippine Daily Inquirer's list of 25 best desserts for 2010, the yema cake will spoil you from first to the last mouthful. Texture-wise it's very dense with layers of meringue icing and yema spread that, as a whole, surprisingly, isn't as sweet as you'd expect. There's a welcome sprinkling of cashew on top as well. Last holiday season, Chef Pauline received a total of 113 orders a few days before Christmas, prompting her to fly from Ilo-Ilo City to Manila on board with more than a hundred boxes of yema cake. Now that's dedication.

The infamous yema cake

Thankfully, she's found an easier way since then: Manileños can order 5 days ahead from Chef Pauline and expect their cake flown over and made available for pick up at her family's restaurant, Freska, at the Promenade in Greenhills. In the meantime, you can savor as much of it as you want the whole of this week, or hoard taro-based toffee bars and servings of ibo (a type of local suman) drizzled with molasses and slivers of Guimaras mango.

Twinkle trying to pry the yema cake recipe from Chef Pauline...

Diwal-icious Visayas: Bounties of The Sea is available at Paseo Uno, The Mandarin Oriental, Makati City from September 19 to 25. Buffet starts at Php 1,800.00++. For more information contact +63 (2) 7508888 ext. 2412/2413.

To order Chef Pauline Gorriceta-Banusing's yema cake contact +63 (2) 7443446, +63 09209039603, or e-mail paulineiloilo@yahoo.com.

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InDinePendence Day Part 1

Street vendors have started selling Philippine flags once again which could only mean one of two things: Either the symbol of our nation can also double as a handy pranela or Independence Day is coming up. Whether or not you paid attention during Araling Panlipunan class, June 12 combines two important milestones in Philippine history – the start of the hot-blooded rebellion against Spain, and later on, graduation from American colony to nation of jeepney-honking, balut-eating patriots. There's no denying our heritage is rich and vibrant, and you don’t even have to go textbook thumping to find out why. Just ask esteemed national historian Professor Yoyoy Villame:

So in honor of Independence Day 2011, Forkplay celebrates our liberation from the drudgery of bland food with 12 of our favorite Filipino dishes (in 2 parts) as redone by some of Manila's top chefs and restaurateurs. Whether it's Claude Tayag's scrumptious pan de bagnet or the deconstructed adobo of KYSS, we've been lucky enough to sample some of these bites, and lived to tell the tale. So we hope you celebrate this Sunday as 'InDinePendence Day', which we admit is blatantly corny, but still, it's a great opportunity to check out how Filipino cuisine has evolved in a globalized world. Let's get started!

Forkplay's Top 12 Favorite Modern Filipino Dishes (in no particular order)

Bacon chicharon. Good things St. Luke's ER is only a few blocks away.

12. BUFFALO BACON CHICHARON

Where: 2nd's, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Claim to fame: 2nd's plush interiors might look like the snazzy set of Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire, but this is undeniably comfort food at its most posh. Their irresistible bacon chicharon, whether served in a pile or with the Brutus (Caesar) salad, is a broad, crisp strip of fried pork that comes with a muscovado mustard and spiced vinegar dip. 

Always order at least two of Chef's Bruce's buko pie martini.

11. BUKO PIE MARTINI

Where: Chef's Table, Infinity Tower, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig   

Claim to fame: Chef Bruce Lim just might be the Indiana Jones of local cooking. He's traveled around the country, picking up peculiar lambanog flavors from Quezon or kilawin from Tabon-Tabon, and possibly eating cooked bat on at least one occasion. Chef Table's buko pie martini is a hot, sweet, and creamy concoction that's made on the open counter of Bruce's kitchen. One is never enough.

Claude Tayag's pan de bagnet. One of the few reasons  to wrench yourself from bed
on a lazy Saturday morning and drive all the way to the Fort.

10. PAN DE BAGNET

Where: Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig / Bale Dutung, Angeles City, Pampanga

Claim to fame: There's an ongoing debate among the Forkplay bloggers whether it's better heading to Mercato Centrale on mornings or evenings. If there's one reason to opt for morning's though it's Chef Claude Tayag's pan de bagnet - a Kapampangan homage to porchetta that combines delicate slices of fried pork with lettuce, tomatoes, and bagoong, drizzled with a zesty Asian sauce, in a crusty ciabatta bun. It packs quite a punch for lunch or a mid-morning heavy snack.

This bold-flavored pizza is almost as racy as Rizal's 27th girlfriend.

9. FILIPINO PIZZA

Where: Gourdo's, The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Claim to fame: Longganisa bits, farmer's cheese, slices of green mango, and salted egg - these are the last things you'd expect to describe a pizza, and yet for all its unusual ingredients, Gourdo's patriotic pie paints a good picture of how Filipinos eat. Big on contrasts, each bite can be sweet, salty or sour, gooey or grainy. Some will find it amazingly versatile, others, quite schizophrenic. Bold and creative, this pizza is a must for the more adventurous diners.

Sisig and noodles. Fat and carbs. Heaven and hell.

8. SISIG PASTA

Where: Hyphy's, The Veranda, Robinsons Galleria, EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City

Claim to fame: Hyphy is San Francisco slang for 'hyperactive', which describes much of the menu: a frenetic, gastronomical whirlwind tour through SanFo's many districts and cultures as put together by Chef Bruce Lim. Their sisig pasta will raise a few eyebrows: Pork maskara and a tangy cream thrown in with chilies, cheese, and calamansi. Every forkful is potent with flavors, but it can get cloying after a while so make sure to order other dishes as well.

Gratifying and guilt-free: Pino's kare-kare will make you think twice about vegan cuisine.

7. VEGAN KARE-KARE
Where: PIPINO, 2nd Floor (above Pino restaurant), 39 Malingap Street, Teacher's Village, Quezon City
Claim to fame: Sure, PIPINO is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, one of several that orbit around UP and the Loyola Heights area, but if you're expecting folk music, faux meat, and the scent of patchouli, think again. Chef Ed Bugia, Alessa Libongco, and their partners have come up with solid, satisfying vegan fare that anyone can appreciate. The homiest of the dishes has to be the house kare-kare, a heart-warming stew of vegetables served with brown rice and black bean-based bagoong. Perfect for rainy weather, and days you want to detox from the week's binge without cutting back on flavor.
   

Where to next? Check out bibingka soufflé and leche flan turon in part 2 of the list on June 12th.

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