I recently had a mini reunion with some HS classmates. We decided to have dinner at Yedang Korean BBQ restaurant which my friend Len Len highly recommended. Another friend Tisay also said it was good.
This is what Yedang looks like from the fly-over. It's where Minggoy's and Brother's Burger used to be. It's near Metrowalk on Meralco Avenue.
This is what Yedang looks like from the fly-over. It's where Minggoy's and Brother's Burger used to be. It's near Metrowalk on Meralco Avenue.
An indication of whether a foreign restaurant is good is if their local countrymen patronize it. The place was filled with Koreans. The restaurant is also owned and operated by Koreans. So it must be good and authentic.
Each table had its own grill cooktop and exhaust which can be pulled down for maximum suction of the smoke. We just loved this exhaust. We didn't leave smelling of barbecue.
After ordering, someone places a container of hot charcoal in the grill's belly. No electric grill here. That's what makes the food taste more earthy and smokey.
An assortment of cold appetizers are brought out. I loved the sweet dried anchovies, fish cakes and sweet peanuts.
We also ordered some dishes that don't need to be grilled. Everything was good and reasonably priced. Next time I want to try the Pajon seafood pancake and mushroom w/ beef in casserole.
kimchi pot stew w/ rice
spicy pan fried squid w/ vegetables
beef short ribs soup [sic] w/ rice
noodles with chop suey (Japchae)
Now to the main event -the barbecued meats. I prefer the marinated meats better. The Kalbi beef ribs and dak-Kui chicken were spectacular. I didn't care so much for the roast pork belly which didn't have any taste until you dipped it in one of the 3 sauces provided. The beef ribs and chicken didn't need any sauce at all.
Someone is assigned to cook your food and serve it to you. So all you have to do is concentrate on stuffing all the delicious food in your mouth.
roast pork belly (Samgyupsal)
grill chicken (dak-Kui) P250
grill sweet beef ribs (Kalbi)
The beef short ribs were sliced thinly around the bone. After the beef was placed on the grill the cook unrolled the beef. When it was done she cut the beef into small pieces and placed them on a small plate. She continued to cook the bone until done. There was precious meat still left on the bone which I gladly liberated.
The cook said these were mint leaves. I've never seen such big mint leaves before. According to Len Len these are shisho leaves which are a member of the mint family. They are also known as purple mint or Japanese basil. The Koreans call it deulkkae or tŭlkkae.
shiso leaf
You take a mint leaf and top it with some meat, rice and sauce then roll it and eat. The leaf brought an unusual and fantastic flavor to the meat. It's not really minty but more like Thai basil with a hint of mint. Whatever the leaf was I loved it! It's the best way to eat the Kalbi.
The plastic bottle on the table below contained pandan water. It had a natural sweetness to the the water. It was very refreshing. Whenever I took a sip I imagined I was eating buko pandan salad.
Every inch of the table was filled with food and we finished it all. The price was very reasonable considering we ordered 2 of each dish. Our total bill was P500 per head and that included softdrinks and beer. I'm definitely going back. So classmates, anyone up for part 2? Roll call in the comments section :-)
Yedang Menu
grill meats 1, 2, meat dishes, soups & stews 1, 2, drinks
Yedang Korean BBQ Restaurant
88 Meralco Ave., Pasig City
telephone: 636-1461
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