Monday, August 1, 2016

Love at First Bite: Soban K-Town Grill

I have been hearing a lot of good words about this Korean grill place in Eastwood. Aside from its delectable wide range of options, I read that this place offers value for money meals (PHP135 for bibimbap!!!) making it an ideal place for lunch break or treat after work. And after weeks of drooling over its photos on Instagram and food review apps, I finally managed to visit... Soban K-Town Grill! 

Hello, Soban K-Town Grill
We were greeted by hues of grey, a bunch of exhaust tubes and friendly staff who assisted us to our table. 
We browsed through the menu and decided to order Green Iced Tea (PHP65, single | PHP110, bottomless) and Lychee Shake (PHP105). For the food, we tried Kimchi Fries (PHP199), K-Taco (PHP75, 1 pc| PHP145, 2 pcs | PHP220, 3 pcs) and Premium BBQ Combo Set (PHP2,120). 
First served were our drinks and both were sweet but still refreshing. 
We figured that it would be the perfect drinks too for the savory (and slightly salty) dishes we were about to enjoy. 
The kimchi fries was served a few minutes after our drinks and it was L-O-V-E! To be honest, I wasn't excited to try this as I'm not a fan of kimchi but it was love at first bite! The kimchi taste was evident but not overwhelming. 
You would still get that characteristic tangy and spicy taste but for some reason, it was magical with those crispy fries. Serving size was generous too and definitely great for sharing. 
The K-Taco was served right after and it was awesome too! The taco filling was very generous that we had to lessen it first before we get to roll the soft tortilla over it. 
I just love how flavoful the K-BBQ was. It was sweet and was well complemented by the lettuce, kimchi, cheese and cream cheese. I was told that this is one of Soban's bestsellers as even solo diners could enjoy this as it is available in one, two or three pieces per order. I would definitely get this one again soon!
The highlight of our meal was up next and I was not ready for it (hence the lack of flat lay). 
The price of this set might be a bit steep to some but the heavy set of 180g premium marinated beef, 180g pork belly in two flavors, 2 japchae, 180g boneless fried chicken, salad, soup, egg rolls and unlimited kimchi fried rice for four was enough to satisfy our tummies for lunch AND dinner! 
The premium marinated beef had a lovely sweet taste. It was also tender and was well complemented by the kimchi fried rice. If you do not like your meats sweet, you could accompany your spoonful with some egg rolls to offset the taste. 
As for the pork belly, you could choose two (out of six) flavors to be included in the set. Our wonderful hosts, Dotz and Donna of Soban chose for us and picked Original and Fruity. 
The original pork belly (samgyeopsal) is something purists would choose. It's your plain pork belly which would go well with the salt and pepper dip for taste. I liked it more with the ssamjang though for more depth and flavor.
The fruity pork belly, which was marinated in selected fruits, had a sweeter taste that would remind you of our local version of barbecue. It was actually flavorful enough to be enjoyed as is but it would taste even more delightful with ssamjang. 
We enjoyed both pork bellies wrapped in lettuce with kimchi fried rice, a slice of garlic and ssamjang. 
The japchae was also pretty good. It was light in taste and was not overly oily as the ones you get from other Korean restaurants. It was a good side dish to be paired with the meats.
The boneless chicken was something else! It was an improved version of the typical twice fried chicken! It was flavorful all throughout and it was so crunchy that the kid in me tumbled with joy. This dish is a must order if you're with fried chicken loving kids. 

Before our meal ended, Dotz and Donna offered dessert. And we simply could not resist such a sweet offer! They chose Coffee Prince (PHP120) to cap our meal. 
Coffee Prince or the combination of homemade coffee ice cream on top of soft graham and Korean red beans was a winner! You could definitely taste the coffee flavor but it was toned down to be enjoyed as dessert. It went well with the sweet soft graham which, at first, I thought was jelly. The red beans added texture to the dessert and made it even more addicting. And for PHP120, we found a winner! 

While enjoying our dessert, Donna mentioned that they are planning to add more dessert dishes in their menu. And guess what they plan to include? Bingsu! I can't wait! 

Overall, it was a lovely and filling meal! Every dish served was great and service was impeccable. I also noticed that throughout my 2 hour stay in the restaurant, Soban never ran out of customers. I see that I'm not the only one charmed by this Korean grill. 

I will definitely pay this restaurant another visit soon! 

Soban K-Town Grill is located at 2nd Floor, Eastwood Mall, Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City.

Soban K-Town Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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