Because food, after all, is one of life's pleasures. With my recently acquired Koreanophile status, I had been wanting to taste some of those foods I kept seeing in K-dramas. Finally got the chance when I met my friend and erstwhile roommate Eva for our annual birthday food trip.
There's this new place along Araneta Ave. that I'd been noticing, but it was kind of an inconvenient stop for me because it's only two blocks away from the jeepney terminal and it would be kinda hard for me to flag down a jeepney afterwards. So having a friend to walk with afterwards would make the walk easier (and kinda safer). I guess it's that factor that makes the place attract only a few people, plus, it's kind of a small place and you have to watch for it-- we overshot it by a block and had to walk back.
All that aside, I can now cross bibimbap and banchan off my bucket list. :D I had the bibimbap and Eva had the yukgaejang, which is a spicy veggie and meat stew. Food was hot (in more ways than one), yummy and filling. We wanted to try persimmon tea, but it was not available, so we opted for the Ceylon iced tea instead. Just the way I like my iced tea, strong, balanced between sweetness and tartness, and ice-cold. Also, must mention the lemon-water. Quite refreshing. Eva made a note of it. She also insisted on trying to figure out how to make the different kinds of banchan... kimchi, of course; jeon (little pancakes); sukjunamul (bean sprouts); some sort of green leafy veggie and cucumber combo (please tell me what that was!) which we liked very much; and tofu with some sort of spicy sauce (dubu kimchi?).
As we left, Eva said, let's try the kalbijjim or yumyum chicken next time. We probably will. :D And they deliver, too!
There's this new place along Araneta Ave. that I'd been noticing, but it was kind of an inconvenient stop for me because it's only two blocks away from the jeepney terminal and it would be kinda hard for me to flag down a jeepney afterwards. So having a friend to walk with afterwards would make the walk easier (and kinda safer). I guess it's that factor that makes the place attract only a few people, plus, it's kind of a small place and you have to watch for it-- we overshot it by a block and had to walk back.
All that aside, I can now cross bibimbap and banchan off my bucket list. :D I had the bibimbap and Eva had the yukgaejang, which is a spicy veggie and meat stew. Food was hot (in more ways than one), yummy and filling. We wanted to try persimmon tea, but it was not available, so we opted for the Ceylon iced tea instead. Just the way I like my iced tea, strong, balanced between sweetness and tartness, and ice-cold. Also, must mention the lemon-water. Quite refreshing. Eva made a note of it. She also insisted on trying to figure out how to make the different kinds of banchan... kimchi, of course; jeon (little pancakes); sukjunamul (bean sprouts); some sort of green leafy veggie and cucumber combo (please tell me what that was!) which we liked very much; and tofu with some sort of spicy sauce (dubu kimchi?).
As we left, Eva said, let's try the kalbijjim or yumyum chicken next time. We probably will. :D And they deliver, too!
Oh, BTW, I like the restaurant's name. Hwarang. If you're a sageuk fan, you probably already know that the Hwarang were elite warriors in ancient Silla-- see the sageuk Queen Seon Deok for future reference. Alcheon Rang, Yushin Rang, remember? So tell me the connection between the K-dramas Queen Seon Deok, Boys over Flowers, and Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. :P
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| No, Eva, you are not a model for Korean food. |
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| Still trying to figure out what's in the banchan. |
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| ...this banchan. |
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| Bibimbaaaaaap.... |
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