Totally refined, delicious and reasonable. These are the reasons I have been to Masil three times between Christmas and New Year.
Masil is a Korean charcoal-grill restaurant that offers a wide, interesting assortment of ban chan (side dishes) to go with its food. In the mix are the kimchis; myulchi bokkeum (stir fried anchovy); namul (sautéed sayote and spinach); tangkong jorim (stir-fried peanut in soy sauce); dubu (steamed tofu with house sauce); and green salad with a dressing made of bananas.
Other side dishes are added if you order char-grilled meat, like mussam (thinly sliced radish wrap); jangachi (pickled cucumber and radish); a spicy soup with tofu; and my favorite, tasty steamed egg—an airy scrambled egg-like custard with a broth.
Aside from the ban chan, there are many other reasons to love Masil. It has an efficient exhaust system, clean and grease-free floors, and the fact that from the time you set foot in the restaurant, you know that it aims to please.
The times I was there, it gave me more than what I expected—occasional surprises such as little dishes made from fresh finds found in the market that day.
Not only is the resto generous with its side dishes, the food is also of high quality, with utmost attention given the process and the detail. From the way the food looks and tastes, there is no doubt that it is carefully prepared.
Authentic taste
Credit should go to Korean lady cook JS Yoon-Lim, who moved to the Philippines with her family in 1997. It was her friends who noted her culinary prowess and urged her to open a restaurant.
Now, every member of her family is working at Masil. The cooking, of course, remains the woman chef’s sole responsibility.
According to Sarang Lim, JS’s daughter and Masil’s manager: “From a dipping sauce like ssamjang (soybean paste) to our main dishes such as yangnyeom galbi (premium beef short ribs marinated in sweet house sauce), everything is controlled by my mom to keep the authentic Korean taste of our food.”
The restaurant’s menu seems typical, but there’s nothing ordinary about dining in Masil. When it comes to the galbis (barbecues), the flavors are simple and clean, prepared with the intention to enhance the meat rather than mask it.
The yangnyeom galbi (premium beef short ribs), though marinated, is so beef-y.
The samgyeopsal (pork belly) is sinful, though not much is done to it. It is the careful selection of the meat and the proper cooking that make it magical.
In my opinion, Masil has one of the best tasting kimchis, perfectly balanced and visually appealing. It is exactly how I want my kimchi to be—fermented yet fresh-tasting.
Sarang described their food as “conservative when it comes to taste and yet very creative in finding the right flavors, making use of a variety of cooking methods. This makes us unique.”
An example is the ingenious execution of the potato salad called heokimja gamja—thinly shredded raw potato served with black sesame seed dressing.
Another interesting dish is jokbal, pork leg simmered in an herbal sauce for almost three hours. It is then thinly sliced and served with ssamjang and shrimp bagoong. The best way to enjoy it is to wrap the thinly sliced pork leg in lettuce with sesame leaf. If you wish, add mustard sauce and naengchae (assorted pickled vegetables). Eaten this way, jokbal is a culinary delight.
Also on the menu is grilled mackerel. Even if this is all I had, I would be so satisfied. The fish is good, but with the dipping sauce, it is excellent.
An interesting culinary feast I wish to try soon is han jeong sik (a full-course Korean meal with savory side dishes, which used to be served in the royal palaces or homes of aristocrats). The simplified fusion version of han jeong sik served with charcoal-grilled meat is Masil’s specialty. But this should be after I grow tired of its regular fare, and that might take a while!
Masil’s recipe for bulgogi
Prepare 300 g of thinly sliced sirloin, further sliced into bite-size pieces. Leave the beef on a kitchen towel to drain off the blood.
Mix the following ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl: 2 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 1 ¼ tbsp sugar, 2 tsp minced garlic , 1 tbsp minced spring onion, 1 tsp sesame seed, ½ tbsp sesame oil, pinch of black pepper.
Put the prepared meat in the bowl with the marinade and mix well. Marinate the beef for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
Cook the beef in a frying pan with a little oil over high heat and serve.
Sarang’s tips:
To fully savor Korean barbecue, grill it on your table. The smell and sight alone whets the appetite.
Korean barbecue is best wrapped in lettuce, sesame leaves, even petchay Baguio. You may add pickled vegetables such as radish for a twist in taste.
“We simply love vegetables. So everything we eat, we add fresh veggies to, not just for better taste but for good digestion.”
Thanks to my dear friend Vivian Go for taking me to this Korean food haven.
Masil Charcoal Grill Restaurant is at 100 Oranbo Drive, Barangay Oranbo, Pasig City. Call 6342010, 6312173.
