Yoogane's Famous Dak Galbi now in the Philippines!

With over a hundred branches in Korea alone and several branches scattered around Asia, Yoogane is finally here in the Philippines to bring Filipinos their famous dak galbi, a spicy stir-fried chicken with vegetables dish. While eating can be enjoyed by almost everyone, you can savor Yoogane's signature dish more by knowing a thing or two behind it.  Here's some information we found about the said dish and about other stuff Yoogane offers:

Dak galbi - Don't forget to add mozzarella cheese!

Dak galbi, dalk galbi or Chuncheon dak galbi is a popular South Korean dish. It originated from Chuncheon in Gangwon Province. In the 60's, it was usually eaten while drinking in small taverns in the outskirts of the city (sort of like hang-out and drink food). It was an inexpensive dish then, to replace the comparatively expensive gui dishes which are grilled over charcoal. In the 70's, it was sometimes called the "university student's galbi" because it was very affordable.

It is made by stir frying the chopped chicken in a special marinated sauce with chili pepper paste, green onions, scallions, sweet potato, sliced cabbage and cylindrical shaped rice cake in a cast iron pan. After cooking the dak galbi, you can opt to have rice stir-fried with the remaining sauce in the pan.

Yoogane Il Terrazzo opening day, August 13, 2012

The Place
The all-glass surrounding of Yoogane in Il Terrazzo (Tomas Morato) gives the interior a very roomy and light feeling. Even when full, it doesn't feel very crowded. It actually gives you a breathing space to relax and enjoy your food.

Bright and roomy

The tables are big enough for orders that is more than the capacity of the table.  

The exhaust fans are creatively positioned above and the design of the restaurant gives you an ambiance that feels "industrialized" -- Brick walls, cement floors, copper-colored exhausts and spray painted walls.

There are some areas that have brick-styled wood dividers. Perfect for a semi-private gathering or just hanging out with friends.

The Food

Complimentary Appetizers

A standard Korean fare, complimentary Korean appetizers differ from restaurant to restaurant. For Yoogane, they provide cabbage salad, marinated raddish and VERY spicy kimchi. Loved the cabbage salad! Forgot to ask if we can have refills. In Korea, they have a self-service station for these appetizers.

Chap Chae | Php 200.00

Since Chap Chae is my favorite, I order it in ALL the Korean restaurants I've been going to. The noodles they use here is of good quality.

Beef Bulgogi | Php 220.00

Another dish I order in all Korean restaurants, the beef they use is better than the one served in "Kaya" but Kaya's sauce is sweeter so the overall taste might be subjective. Don't forget to constantly move the beef around because they tend to stick and get burnt when remain untouched for some time.

AND, the dak galbi...
They cook it in front of you and here's how they do it:

Step 0: Here's where they will cook it. The dish will  be served uncooked in an iron pan

Step 1: Turn up the heat (See the flame on the side of the iron pan?)

Step 2: Leave it for a bit (They pull the exhaust fan closer to the pan)

Step 3: Stir-fry it (mix mix and mix)

Step 4: When done stir-frying, they will put the dak galbi aside and add rice then mix it again

Called Yoogane's Marinated Chicken Galbi (Php 210.00), this is Yoogane's signature dish. Don't miss this! Be warned though that this might be very spicy for some. As a spicy food lover, this is my favorite dish in Yoogane! To neutralize the spiciness, get some mozzarella cheese add-on (Php 80.00). If you really really want it to be less spicy, add 2 or 3 cheese add-ons. One cheese add-on was okay for me but I wouldn't mind adding more. One order of this dish might not be enough for two, depending on the other dishes that you order.

The cylindrical rice cakes are also good! If you want more, they have an option for you to add more for just 70 pesos! They also have  mozzarella-stuffed rice cakes as an add-on for 90 pesos. As per research, Koreans stir-fry rice after cooking the dak galbi with the remaining sauce. This is also a recommended option  to get here and for just 70 pesos, you can enjoy your dak galbi fried rice! Again, if you are not a fan of spicy food, just skip this and order plain rice. (Other add-ons in the menu below).

Complimentary Yakult to neutralize the spiciness

Since we visited the first day, desserts were not yet offered but Korean ice creams will be available for sale soon. Also, alcohol permits weren't issued yet so they still can't sell alcoholic beverages. The Yakult was complimentary but as per inquiry, they are still studying if they will keep that permanent.

Yoogane Menu:

Also, took a peek on what the covered parts were. I think this will be sooner or later available. Would want to try that next time I go back:

Service went well without any hiccups even though they were still in the "soft opening" mode. The servers were actually attentive and changed our water bottles when it's nearly empty or empty.

The usual water bottle in Korean restaurants

Verdict?

Overall, had a good experience dining here. Other than the good tasting dak galbi, the cooking was actually a good experience too. Their dak galbi was great and didn't disappoint. I will go back to Yoogane just to indulge in their dak galbi and make sure to add 2 or 3 orders of mozzarella cheese in it. Good ambiance and just a little smoke inside the restaurant. Very spacious and well-lit. Attentive servers.

Our friend Frannywanny and Tales from the Tummy actually visited a Yoogane branch in Myeong-dong, Seoul Korea. Now, you don't have to fly from Manila to Korea just to try out Yoogane! Their branch here in the Philippines is at Tomas Morato in Il Terrazzo Mall.

Yoogane
Address: Ground floor Il Terrazzo Mall
305 Tomas Morato Ave. Cor. Scout Mandrinan St. Brgy. South Triangle
Quezon City
Mobile: 0917 810 7179

Yoogane Philippines Facebook Page
Yoogane Philippines Twitter Account

Cheftonio
PS. Liked the post? Subscribe to my blog by typing in your email below. You'll get my posts in your inbox via email.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

-->