Saturday, January 21, 2012

Korean Kravings

panda-penguin.deviantart.com
So I finally gave in to the temptation of eating anything Korean.... Yes, when 2012 opened, I haven't gotten any kimchi on my mouth nor any ramyun or kimbap... but I just can't continue with it.

this was my dusk shot of the place
So with just one cycle after the first work-week of January, and after a grueling gym session (my instructor said I need to pay back all the holiday calories and missed gym sessions), my foot led me to our city's very own Korean town, specifically to Hyun Jeong.  Described as one of Angeles City's first ever Korean themed restaurant and boy, I was not disappointed and would definitely add this to my 'regular' places to be from now on.  That is if one is craving for an authentic, decently priced and yummy treat from working your ass (pardon the word) out to earn a living.


Ok, I was not completely honest there.  Nope, I did not do the 'zombie-like' walk from the gym to Hyun Jeong.  I actually researched about it for a week and the web and fellow bloggers gave me decent information enough for me to finalize the plans of hunting for this place.
a better night shot from balibago.org

The address is #190 Friendship Highway, Angeles City.  They do have telephone number (045 893 0579) but I do not know if it is working. Opens from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm and can sit, according to Balibago.org up to 100 people.  There are five (5) staff waiting to serve you.

Now for those new to Friendship Hi-way's Korean town.  Go look for other famous places such as Jun-Jun's and AC1 Gym (ehe that's me promoting my gym) and Hyun Jeong is at the same line as these.

Aptly describe as a pioneer, yes, the place looks and feels dated from outside-in.  But do not be discouraged by these because the place is clean (which is what's important I think) and we saw senior Korean people eating (a good sign for foodies as it indicates, and confirms authenticity of the menu options).

The dining place is lined with sturdy wooden tables and chairs and there is a portion with about chest-level partitions for more intimate groups (privacy, anyone?).  There is no lingering smell considering that there was another group already eating when we came in to eat.  I chose the table with partition as I am a bit intimidated with the other guests (very Korean looking and speaking). Ehe, plus I was bringing with me a 'cheat-sheet' of what to order (go laugh now).

Their menu is one of a kind and it's rather classic on the outside but relatively modern in terms of the content.  It is one heavy menu folder also, ehe.

The offerings are organized very well so as to guide the readers/eaters perfectly on what options are available.  There are a lot of dishes mostly starting at 200 to 250.  Hold your horses for a while as these orders can already be split into 3-4 I think.  Don't worry about appetizers as being a Korean Restaurant, you won't be disappointed to the quality and quantity of side dishes that they offer.  Plus, they are very much refillable, Yey! Although for this particular visit, we did not even had the chance to refill because there was so much! Speaking of side dishes, these were served to us (I hear bells ringing now...)



dried fish, sweet and spicy

Bean sprouts, spicy and earthy

Sauteed veggies, savory rich
Potatoes and veggies, mildly spicy
Potato salad with egg --- cool and refreshing
Kimchi ol time fave

For the main event, we got Dolsot Bibimbap which is basically bibimbap (mixed rice and veggies) in hot pot, Ohjimguh Dulbap which is a spicy sauteed squid with rice and Gochujang Samgyuosal (with lettuce and the works).  Yup, the meals we got a pretty minimal since we were still testing the waters.  AND WE WERE WRONG.  With just three meals, they were uber more than enough to fill us in.



Bibimbap
Gochujang Samgyuosal
Ohjimguh Dulbap
There were also the usual set-up, water, soup (made of miso from the taste), cold towels for your hands and that yummy gingery-cinnamon tasting last drink they offered us but was not able to ask for the name (so please, discreetly tell me that it isn't a hand wash-thing that Koreans do, my friend and I have been arguing about it since).
Metal chopsticks, cold towels, ever reliable water, ehe
Partner to the Samgyuosal... the paste was superb!
Miso-like soup

Refreshing after-meal drink


Over-all, it was a worthy try.  Glad researching hasn't failed me yet.  Note to self, eating in an authentic Korean set-up requires time.  I think with all the side dishes and the large servings meant long eating time.  I highly recommend this for large group of friends who will have to catch up with many stories, for family gatherings and after work unwinding.


Enjoying every chopstick bite of it...

My friend and I fooling around with food --- Bon apetite!

14 comments:

  1. I love Korean food!! My fave is doenjang chegue and samgyetang and kimbap! I learned eating them from my students :) And this resto is in Angeles... kinda far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. which one was that? Yes, luckily our city hosts of its own 'korean town' so-to-speak... being in a place where expats choose to stay allows for many type of resto offering international cuisine to flourish..

      Delete
  2. I luv to eat Korean food too, espclly the Bibimbap and Kimchi. But too bad, I didn't found yet the best Korean restaurant here in my current location... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yup, visiting this place made me have my first Bibimbap and was not disappointed... hmmm.. ul find one soon! Keep visiting my site..thanks

      Delete
  3. Kimchi...Kimchi...Kimchi... oh i miss eating kimchi! its been ages since i had my last eating experience of korean dish... I will surely go to this place soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes, it's highly recommended... one of the pioneer and koreans frequent the place so it must be good

      Delete
  4. These are really interesting Korean dishes...actually i am only familiar with Kimchi...but it looks some dishes are similar in the Philippines too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I highly encourage you to expand from Kimchi... the food are good and very flavorful and what I like about the Korean cuisine is that there are lots of veggies... do grab a bite soon!

      Delete
  5. I love korean restaurants' appetizers and bibimbap! Yummy! :) too bad this place is far from ours! :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. I haven't tried a lot of Korean food yet, but all these look so yummy! Appetizers pa lang mukhang satisfying na! :) Angeles is really far from the Metro though. But when my mom and I visit the area, we'll definitely try Hyun Jeong.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my god that's mouth watering! I haven't visited any korean restaurant, but I'm planning to visit one. The thing is Angeles is quite far from me. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kimchi is the ultimate of the ultimate. I miss eating korean food. It's been more than 5 years since my last Korean feast.

    ReplyDelete
  9. isnt much to korean food. judging by the pics of the resto's interiors it looked like dated. they could invest more in making the place more modern

    ReplyDelete
  10. these are mouth-watering! gotta try this too

    ReplyDelete