Unlimited Samgyeopsal & Buffet @ Woori-Gohyang (formerly Woorijib)

After our frozen adventure with liquid nitrogen (which you can read about here), we felt the urge for something salty or savory that would fill us up. Since we were in the neighborhood, we immediately thought about Woorijib and their unlimited samgyeopsal promo. Unfortunately, our unlimited pork fantasy was almost smashed to bits when we went to the restaurant's 'known location' in Kalayaan Avenue. Apparently, it wasn't there anymore!

Luckily, we asked the guard on duty for that building if the restaurant closed out (which seemed apparent to us at that time). He told us that they simply moved a few blocks away in Matalino Street and that they changed their name to Woori-Gohyang. (Tears of joy... our pork fantasy is saved! Happiness!)

Photo taken from Google Maps

In hindsight, the new place is somewhat better. In a sense that they have more parking space, brighter/wider dining space, and a veranda where you can eat 'al fresco'. The downside, however, is that the place is now almost hard to find. Which probably explains why they have fewer 'new' customers that come in.

Their new sign...

New 'Hole-in-the-Wall' place (2nd floor)

Water fountain upon entrance

Private room for large groups

Brighter/Wider dining space
(sorry, I didn't get a shot of the al fresco part. It was raining a little.)

The place offers Unlimited Samgyeopsal + All-You-Can-Eat Buffet for only Php299/person (roughly US$6-7). If you want to step it up little, you can also opt to get Bottomless Iced Tea for an additional Php49 (roughly US$1). Of course, we got both... we were hungry AND thirsty!

The buffet consisted of mostly Korean side dishes like the traditional kimchi, kimchi pancakes, bulgogi (grilled marinated beef), japchae (stir fried sweet potato noodles), kimbap (Korean sushi rolls), ddeokbokki (spicy rice cakes), spicy potato balls, eggplants, bean sprouts, spinach, tofu, soups, salads, rice and a lot more which frankly I don't have names for. Honestly, you'd have to be really hungry to eat all of these in one seating (unless of course, you'd just get a spoon for each dish... but seriously, right?).

Buffet from one end of the table...

...and from the other end

So let's talk about what we came here for... Samgyeopsal. It's basically uncured pork belly slices similar to bacon but a little thicker. They're served to you raw and you get to cook it in these circular griddles similar to a Japanese teppanyaki. If you know how good bacon tastes like, then you'll have an idea what these baby can do for your taste buds. ;)

It's cooking time!

You can add some garlic for flavor

Hungry and ready!

BTW, you can either eat the meat straight off the griddle or you can do the suggested method:
(1) Dip the cooked meat into some sesame oil (with salt and black pepper if you like)
(2) lay it in the middle of a lettuce leaf
(3) add some soybean paste
(4) add other stuff like sprouts or any side dish of your fancy
(5) make it into a lettuce leaf ball by folding the sides over (lettuce wraps!)
(6) enjoy the awesomeness!

Sesame Oil and Soy Bean Paste

Lettuce leaves!

Oh, and for those who are health conscious, the oil from the meat is actually channeled out of the griddle and drained into a bowl right beside it. After cooking just 1 batch of meat (about 7 or 8 pieces), you can see just how much oil has been drained. (makes you feel a little less guilty about eating a lot) ;)

Away with the oil!

Now some of the bad things, there were times that we felt like we were just left alone by the staff here. We literally had to stand up and look for them whenever we needed something (like utensils, water, refill of iced tea, etc). Another thing is that the place doesn't have any exhaust fans/vents for all the cooking. You're clothes will really smell like grilled meat when you go out. Also, because of the lack of exhaust, the temperature in the place tends to be on the warm-hot side. Sure, they've allocated stand fans for each table but then again, it could've been simpler.

Overall, we've seen Korean buffets that are much more posh than this place. Even serving a bit more food than what this place offers. But if you're looking for an authentic, more 'traditional home cooked style' of Korean food (and when you're somewhat in a budget), this is definitely the place to go. A place worth coming back to over and over again. We give it 3 out of 5 stars...

Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

The last bite...

Woori-Gohyang
2nd Floor, Matalino Street
Quezon City, Philippines
Phone: (+63 2) 926-7685
Hours: Mon-Sun Eat-all-you-can from 11:30AM - 10:00PM
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Woorijib




(Date of Visit: July 29, 2013)

Dragon's Breath S'more @ The Iscreamist

"Molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine is the science of cooking but it is commonly used to describe a new style of cuisine in which chefs explore new culinary possibilities in the kitchen by embracing sensory and food science, borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry and concocting surprise after surprise for their diners." ~ from Molecular Recipes (http://www.molecularrecipes.com/molecular-gastronomy)

Quite a lot of words... However, I think I can simplify that and define Molecular Gastronomy as "Food + Science = A New Fun Way Of Eating!"

The Iscreamist is an ice cream shop that practices this 'food art' (or should I say 'food science') by making use of Liquid Nitrogen and 'flash freezing'. We've actually heard about the place a couple times and didn't really have time to visit. But then after helping my big brother move to their new place and we thought that we deserved a reward for our hard work, we decided to drop by on the way home.

Photo taken from Google Maps

This is a very small ice cream store located in Magiting Street near Maginhawa Street. In fact, it's so small that it can only accommodate about 10-15 diners at a time so a line of people waiting to be seated is inevitable. On the plus side, the place looks like a miniature laboratory where Pillow Legs (who is a chem grad) instantly felt at home. It also 'pumps you up' for the upcoming science-infused desserts.

The 'Tron-like' neon sign of the place

A fair warning...

Hours: 1:00PM - 10:00PM

Like I said, people tend to line up for this...

So what do these food scientists serve? Well, first off, they serve 'flash frozen' ice cream (Php110 - roughly US$2-3 - per serving). These are basically ice cream that are frozen using liquid nitrogen. Yes, you read this right, they flash freeze the yummy delights right before serving. The downside though is that they melt REALLY fast. And I don't mean the 'enjoy-the-moment-and-have-a-leisurely-talk-while-eating' kind of fast... rather the 'OMG-eat-quickly-it's-melting' kind of fast. That goes without saying that they serve a very delicious variety of ice cream though.

The Periodic Table Of Frozen Treats

Huge liquid nitrogen tanks... smoky! XD

What we decided to try the Nutella ice cream first. The only way I can describe this is it's 'heaven in a cup'. It wasn't too sweet, nor was it bland. It was just right. And since the treat was flash frozen, it instantly melts in your mouth once you take a spoonful in. Coupled with little hand-torched marshmallows, this treat is definitely one of the best ice cream treats that I've tasted so far. It didn't matter that the ice cream was quickly melting in our cup as we couldn't stop eating it! We almost didn't notice that our first serving was empty... seconds please! :P

Hand-torched marshmallows

He looks so happy making them

Nutella Ice Cream
(Php110 - roughly US$2-3)

Next up was the Red Velvet Cake ice cream. PillowLegs is a fan of anything Red Velvet... cupcakes, cheesecakes, cakes, pretty much anything that says red velvet, she wants it. Anyway, the ice cream really caught the 'Red Velvet' concept. It has these bits of what I think are real Red Velvet cakes that adds texture to the frozen delight. Also, the cream cheese like base seals the deal. Everything just instantly melts in your mouth when you taste it!

Since the ice cream experience has been so good here, we decided to try a third one. We got the Malted Caramel ice cream. No, that is not a typo of 'melted'... it actually says 'malted'. Why you ask? Well it's because the ice cream comes with a Maltesers like flavor. Add caramel to that and you have a heavenly day care center for your sweet tooth... I'm not kidding. It has that creamy, little salty flavor from the base but when the caramel kicks in... it's all sugar party baby!

Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream (Php110 - roughly US$2-3)

Malted Caramel Ice Cream (Php110 - roughly US$2-3)

After all the ice cream delights, we decided to try what The Iscreamist is known for... the Dragon's Breath (Php65 - roughly US$ 1-2). This interestingly intimidating, medieval sounding treat is actually a collection of small snacks that get dipped into a cup of liquid nitrogen before being eaten which causes you to breathe smoke like a dragon. Hence, the clever name.

Unfortunately, the only available snack for this treat at the time of our visit are the S'mores. They're cutely served in an ashtray stuck with popsicle sticks. Also, they gave us instructions on how to eat these treats before serving. They said that we're supposed to dip the s'mores in liquid nitrogen for about 7-10 seconds and eat it immediately after. So we did... and it was really fun! =)

S'more - Dragon's Breath (Php65 - roughly US$1-2)

The liquid nitrogen is in that styro cup...

Smoky treats cleverly served in an ashtray!

Besides being fun, I bet you want to know what it tastes like. Well, I'll start off with what the s'mores are made of. They're basically marshmallow and wafer sandwiched between a pair of graham crackers. Very normal in a sense that it's not really the type of snack that you'll drool over on a Sunday afternoon. However, all of that changes when you dip it in the liquid nitrogen...

First off, the 'cracker sandwich' freezes to the point that it would shatter into pieces when you bite into it (really, it brings new meaning to the word 'crunchy'). In addition, once into your mouth, it almost instantly melts which is interesting as it gives off a sort mushy, marshmallowy texture to it. Oh, you have to be careful, the treat tends to stick into parts of your mouth at first as it is super frozen so you would basically end up juggling it a bit before it melts (which I think is part of the fun).

Before Liquid Nitrogen...

After Liquid Nitrogen...

Dragon in 3... 2... 1... ;)

Dragon's breath indeed...

Overall, The Iscreamist provides you with a new way of experiencing an all time frozen favorite. It also brings out the kid in you by using science AND sweets. However, due to the fact that we've tasted other ice creams from other shops that rival the flavors that this shop offers at a cheaper price (plus the fact that there is virtually NO parking space at all for anyone who brings a car here), we can't really give it a high rating. So if you want to experience something new and are willing to shell out a bit for it, then we would definitely recommend you to try what this shop has to offer. Other than that, we give them a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.

Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

After the carnage...

The Iscreamist
46D Magiting Street, Teacher's Village
Quezon City, Philippines
Hours: Mon-Sun 1:00PM - 10:00PM
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/TheIscreamist




(Date of Visit: July 29, 2013)

Unlimited Pizza @ Leona Art Restaurant

It was a fairly boring afternoon so we (PillowLegs and I) decided to go out and - you guessed it - go food tripping! But then we were stomped. We asked ourselves… what are we going to eat? And where are we going? We didn’t have any particular craving that day… hence, we didn’t know where to go.

The search was on. We went up and down Maginhawa St. in Teacher's Village (home for undiscovered, unique, gastro-orgasmic restaurants) to find out what our ‘tummy-sense’ will tingle for. We saw Japanese-inspired places, burger joints, coffee places but nothing. We didn’t feel anything. But then we made a wrong turn somewhere in Magiting St. and Matimtiman St. when I happen to spot this poster hidden from plain sight (really, it was being covered by a parked car which I happen to be admiring while we were passing by). What did the poster say? “Summer Promo: P199 Pizza All You Can Everyday!”. I stopped the car, stared at the poster and said to myself: “This is it!”. And so, our pizza pig-out adventure began…

Location map for Leona Art Restaurant
(Courtesy of Google Maps)

Leona Art Restaurant is a quaint little pizza/chicken/pasta joint that’s almost naturally hidden because the place looks like one of those residential places that are converted to become a restaurant. In fact, I think it actually IS a residential place that had the ground floor converted to a restaurant (but then again, I may be wrong). My point is, if you’re just ‘passing by’, you’re most likely to stay on Maginhawa St. and not notice the hidden jewel that this place is. After all, this is maybe why we consider this as a ‘hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant in the first place. =P

Not so spacious (but cozy) interior	The counter with food display (oh, and there's an LED TV!)
	Various pieces of art displayed all throughout the place (After all, it's an Art Restaurant!)

Inside, they also have this section where they display various pieces of art decorations, accessories, and other stuff that are up for sale. We didn't get much photos of these are we were hungry and were eager to be seated.

Various pieces for sale (Like I said, not much of a photo)

PillowLegs and hungry me (oh, and that mask is also for sale)

Besides the promo, we decided to try one of the items that they have on the menu. My dearest compatriot (and forever adventure buddy) set her eyes on their 'Mozzarella Chicken' (Php180 - roughly US$4-5). This little baby is sauted with garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes topped with a generous portion of melted mozzarella cheese. Makes your mouth water by just reading, right? Anyway, this is usually served with rice but we opted to have it with bread instead (they didn't have mashed potatoes available - too bad).

Mozzarella Chicken (Php180 or roughly US$4-5)
Leaning tower of mouthwatering chicken goodness	Dr. Pepper - Cherry (to aid us in our pizza conquest)

On to our adventure... As the poster described Leona Art Restaurant has an on-going promo that lets you eat as much pizza as you want (all day, everyday) for a measly Php199 (roughly around US$4-5).

The rules are simple...

(1) The promo is only valid for selected types of pizza only. This includes their famous 'Three Cheese Pizza', 'Pepperoni Pizza', 'Onion & Pesto Pizza', and their 'Hawaiian Pizza'.

(2) The kitchen will choose which type of pizza will be served to you depending on the availability of the ingredients. In my opinion, this makes it exciting. :)

(3) There will be NO sharing (at least, only to people who are not availing the promo), and there should be NO leftovers once the pizza carnage is done. Otherwise, you will be charged DOUBLE.

and the kicker...

(4) Unlike other pizza places that offer the 'all-you-can-eat happiness', the kitchen won't serve you a slice of pizza at a time - not even 2 or 3. They will serve you a whole 10-inch pizza AT A TIME (or at least every time you say "More pizza, please!"). So you better be hungry...

This says it all	Their famous 3 Cheese Pizza
I don't even know why I need to put a description for this...

Right off the bat, they served us with 2 of their thin crusted delights. The famous '3 Cheese Pizza' and their 'Pepperoni Pizza'...

Their '3 Cheese Pizza' has a thin layer of tomato sauce beneath a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, and blue cheese, topped with freshly chopped basil. A beautiful combination that anyone would appreciate. The saltiness of the cheddar goes well with the creaminess of the mozzarella and the texture of the blue cheese. Adding the flavor and aroma of the basil, I can assure you that 1 slice of this cheesy devil won't be enough for anyone.

The 'Pepperoni Pizza' doesn't fall behind the pizza line-up as well. There's a generous amount of thinly sliced pepperoni lain on a bed of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The thinly sliced pepperoni is savory, crunchy and not too oily which goes perfectly with the thin crust of the pizza. Interestingly enough, they also added fresh chopped basil leaves to the mix which gave this classic a fun twist. And if you like it spicy, a dash of hot sauce makes every bite of this Italian delight a blast.

Three Cheese Pizza

Pepperoni Pizza

After devouring the pizza duo, we were surprised as to how much we wanted more... So then we said the magic words ("Isang pizza pa, please!") and they introduced us to our 3rd pizza victim - The 'Onion & Pesto Pizza'.

This little baby is a simple cheese pizza topped with red onions and pesto mix (chopped basil and olive oil). Mind you, they used red onions as opposed to the usual white onions that we're accustomed to use in pizzas. So instead of the sweet hint that we get from white onions, you'll be getting a spicier, more flavorful kick out of every slice. What's cool about it is that the pesto mix goes well with the red onions. Every bite gives you a 'herby', sort-of-edgy, and crunchy satisfaction that you won't find in other type of pizza.

Onion & Pesto Pizza

PillowLegs slowing her pace a bit (her tummy is almost full)

After the 3rd round, we were almost full. This is what Adam Richman (host of Man vs. Food from the Travel Channel) describes as 'hitting the food wall'. We weren't sure if we could finish another plate of pizza. But then we thought, why not? We then entered our 4th pizza round with the classic 'Hawaiian Pizza'...

This sweet baby is a simple cheese pizza topped with cooked ham and pineapple chunks. This one has been dubbed a classic for a reason. The saltiness of the ham dances with the sweetness of the pineapple chunks like a hula dancer on a yellow golden cheesy beach of mozzarella. And as a twist, they also added fresh chopped basil leaves to the mix which completes the whole 'Hawaiian Hula Beach Party' image in your mouth. Aloha!

Hawaiian Pizza

After the pizza filling madness, we emerged victorious. We finished 4 whole pizzas, emptied 4 cans of Dr. Pepper, savoured the 'Mozzarella Chicken', and had a wonderful time talking about (and looking at) the art pieces. Our tummies were happy and most importantly, our pockets were happy too. The only thing we didn't like about the place is how we sometimes needed to stand up and go to the counter to ask for more pizzas or anything else that we needed as the staff tend to be inside the kitchen most of the time. Oh, and they don't have a reasonable parking lot so you have to sharpen your 'ninja car parking skills' to secure your vehicle. Overall, this place is a must try for anyone who loves good pizza, chicken, and/or art. 'Til our next pizza craving adventure! =)

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Leona Art Restaurant
45 Matimtiman Street, Teacher's Village
Quezon City, Philippines
Phone: +63 2 929 7490
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00AM - 10:00PM
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leona-Art-Restaurant/188391141238275




(Date of Visit: July 15, 2013)