Of yogurt sojus and unlimited jjampong

There are moments you just proceed with the relatively unknown and hope you end up with a damn fine time. Through the magic of that social media application that sounds like the band behind Lips of an Angel, I'd say I had one of those instances on a certain Friday night. It was a casual invite for a Korean-themed dinner, one I wouldn't say no to given my love affair with ramyun.

Given the horrific traffic at that time (payday Friday, ugh), we had to walk a good kilometer or so on our way to what I will later know as "The Batcave", passing by an assortment of bright lights and scantily clad women (or men?). Upon arriving at the place, I immediately noticed how authentic it seemed: a wooden sliding door; slippers and shoes being taken off (which gave me a view of her red panda socks); a chest freezer full of Korean goodies; and an authentic Korean guy as the authentic manager/owner. We proceeded to the dining area which featured tables over a recessed floor creating the illusion that we were sitting on the floor itself. Cool stuff.

Commercial #2: While she hovered over the menu, I glanced at an assortment of posters of K-Pop artists on one corner. On the far left was an image of Big Bang, apparently one of the hottest KPop idol groups around. She was a super fan, a VIP, a Big Banger - a term she totally invented that night. I told her she should get a picture beside the band's poster. She told me she already had one. Why am I not surprised? Haha!

On to the main course! She ordered a good variety of Korean stuff -- the mandatory side dishes, a spicy vegetable salad, the ever-reliable ssamgyeupsal, and the visually appealing vegetable kikimbap. She was also supposed to get some silken(?) tofus but unfortunately they were unavailable. Oh well. Huhubells. Still, everything tasted good so tummy approves!

 

Unlimited side dishes. Just add water.

The pink flower adds to the visual style and presentation. #artsy

Needless to say though (and as indicated by the post title), my favorite items for the night were the jjampong and the yogurt soju! Funny story about the jjampong. We requested the staff to re-heat the soup since it had already gone cold along with the added expectation that the soup base will also be refilled. When the bowl went back to our table, lo and behold, not only did we have a bowl full of hot, steamy soup but it also seemed as if the contents (noodles, veggies, seafoods) were also replenished! Hooray. I hope that those "added ingredients" weren't leftovers from the #titasofmanila table on our left though.

Bottomless jjampong.

And then the yogurt soju! She ordered a pitcher and I swear it was sooooo good as we shared several shots throughout the night. I learned it was quite easy to make too as she discussed the confidential recipe for that mind-boggling mix. I tried making one the day after at home and well yeah, I think she got the ingredients accurately.

Why are you sooooo good? *cries*

Good food becomes better when you have good company and that night was a prime example of such. From conversations that ranged from the goofy and entertaining (player efficiency ratings, wrestling, 90s music, KPOP, exotic things, two  million pesos worth of Jollibee GCs) to some serious shit (love, heartbreak, career, happiness), I'd say I definitely had an amazing time and the proof was that we barely noticed the time passing by. By the time we left the place, it was already around 1 AM. Wowza.

Commercial #2: After saying I had an amazing time, she quipped that she had an "ok lang" time. I  quickly downgraded mine to "good" afterwards. I swear, these conversations. Haha!

On the way home, we realized we forgot to munch on some Korean ice cream. Maybe that means there should be a second visit? So that I can also try the bibimbap? Yes, please.

/overwritememories