First off, I want to get it out there that I’m not a big fan of Korean food. I would even dare say that I actually dislike it. But today, my sister (who’s been swallowed whole by the KDrama system) wanted to celebrate her birthday with Korean so I had to set aside my own preferences. I loved the experience though.
We took an Uber to Ye Dang in Ortigas after getting recommendations from foodie friends Art and Michael. (Praise P80 off maynilaride promo)
Ye Dang is located in Meralco Avenue in Ortigas near Metrowalk. They serve Korean food and have individual grills and exhaust on each table. Different from some blogs mention, they do not serve buffet style. Their market is actually the weekday office crowd so it was a little quiet because we went there on a Saturday.
They have, however, a huge selection of food, from different marinated and raw meat for grilling, to meals that extends to stir-fry and soup. We went for 2 types of marinated meat for grilling, and 3 variety of meals to go with them.
Starting it, there was a number of side dishes served as ‘freebie’ when you order food. I believe this is a common Korean restaurant staple.
The beef and chicken were not the best I’ve tasted, nor is is it anything special. I was a little disappointed since their restaurant name has the words ‘korean bbq’ in it, making me assume it’s their specialty. It’s not bad, but not something I would look for either.
Japchae is a staple food in our family. I personally love Ye Dang’s Japchae, it’s tasty, but would agree with my sister that it wasn’t anything special.
The Squid Bokkeum has a mild spicy taste that makes someone like me who has low tolerance with spicy food enjoy. The squid is a little chewy but it’s exactly how I want it to be. The subtle spice complements the overall balance of sweetness and savoriness.
Our mutual favorite from the selection was their seafood hotpot. I’m a sucker for seafood next to Italian food so it’s possibly also a little biased. But even my brother who loves copying dishes fully admits he can’t recreate the soup. It’s composed of a number of seafood- shrimp, mussel, clam, squid and crab. Despite all of it, each ingredient only completed the taste of the dish and nothing overpowered another. The mild spiciness, again, made the food much more delectable than I’m imagining it without.
The seafood served to us weren’t really fresh catch, but they’re not exactly an old freezer buddy, which is completely understandable. Rice was delicious though a little overpriced for it’s serving size at P50 per cup.
Service was also great. All their staff are attentive and food was served within a short 5 minutes. There’s no service charge, but tips are well-deserved by the crew.
This is only the second time I’ve eaten Korean food, but I definitely enjoyed it. Today isn’t the day I convert my love for Italian to Korean, but surely I don’t dislike it as much as before I tried. I do recommend this to people who want to change their POV of Korean food. PS. Tables near the window gets a really nice natural lighting for Instagrammable shots! lol.
Ye Dang Korean Barbeque Restaurant
Contact no: 631-9086/ 636-1461
88, Meralco Commercial Complex,
88 Meralco Avenue Corner Julia Vargas,
Pasig, 1604 Metro Manila
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