It didn’t take long for three young sisters to convince the owners of Sariwon, a renowned 77-year-old bulgogi restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, to open its first franchise in Manila.

 

After sending a business proposal, the sisters pursued negotiations through e-mail and personal meetings with Sariwon Korea president Sung Rah.

 

Sariwon opened in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, in 2011. A second branch opened in Promenade, Greenhills, in 2013.

 

Sung Rah said he couldn’t say no to sisters Diana Tan-David, Donna Tan-Ng and Dotz Tan-Dee of Happyfoods Corp. (The Tans are second-generation members of the clan behind fast-food giant Jollibee.)

 

“We said yes because we found them very professional,” said Sung Rah during a brief media tour of Sariwon facilities and restaurants in Seoul, arranged by Happyfoods. “In fact, they are much more professional than we do business here in Korea. I think we chose the right partner.”

 

Sung Rah is married to Yoo Chang, granddaughter of Sariwon founder Bun-Im Koo, who first developed an extraordinary broth recipe (made from 12 different kinds of fruits and vegetables) for Korean beef bulgogi that made Sariwon a success.

 

 

“We also get inquiries and franchise offers from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Vietnam, and even from Seoul,” Sung Rah said. “But we couldn’t tell if they were really serious about it, unlike Happyfoods. We want to be assured of the consistency and quality of our food.”

 

The Tan sisters, who said they have always been partial to Korean cuisine, had sent the Sariwon family an impressive, highly structured business plan.

 

“We were really looking for a good Korean restaurant to franchise,” said Tan-Ng. The sisters’ search even took them to Vietnam and Taiwan, and finally to Seoul, where they met Sung Rah and his wife and became friends with them. The couple have three young daughters, too.

 

“Everything went smoothly,” said Tan-Dee. “The couple were educated abroad, and easy to deal with. Everything just fell into place, considering this is their first franchise internationally.”

 

 

‘Best Korean restaurant’

 

Sariwon—one of Korea’s oldest and most popular dining places—is actually the name of a town in North Korea, where the original restaurant was built in 1938. The business moved to Seoul after the Korean War.

 

It’s been awarded Best Korean Restaurant by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and has earned accolades from the New York Times, which proclaimed its beef galbi “the most tender and succulent in Seoul.”

 

Currently Sariwon has nine branches in Seoul and will open its 10th store this month.

 

Its main branch in Seocho-gu has, so far, been the biggest and busiest outlet, having over 500 square meters and 350 seats spread all over the three-story building with several function and private rooms. It’s a favorite go-to place of Samsung executives and employees whose building is just a few steps away.

 

Inquirer Lifestyle had a chance to visit the restaurant’s commissary at the building’s basement. It’s one busy place with walk-in freezers as well as several huge, long stainless steel tables where the Sariwon staff do the prepping, cutting and chopping of meat, veggies and other ingredients.

 

The kimchi is made fresh every day in one corner of the room by a long-time female employee who rinses, strips and gently massages the cabbage leaves with a thick paste.

 

Sariwon uses only premium US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-choice beef for its grilled beef dishes. This ensures the high degree of marbling for tenderness, juiciness and flavor. Using a special cutting machine, Sariwon slices the bulgogi silky thin. The USDA-choice beef chuck eye roll is selected for its perfect balance of marbling and lean meat.

 

For its galbi, Sariwon uses only short ribs and has created a signature cutting technique for the raw beef, called the diamond cut, to guarantee just the right texture, tenderness and flavor when grilling.

 

The marinade and sauces are prepared in a gigantic vat blending pears, apples, pineapples and radish with other ingredients like Korean sea salt and spices.

 

 

Consistency, quality

 

When Sariwon opened in Manila, the Tan sisters and their business partners made sure they brought in the same technology and standard of Sariwon Korea, including the same exact machines such as grinders, meat cutters, noodle makers, etc.

 

But the most expensive equipment Sariwon Manila’s owners shipped in was the Shinpo special ceramic charcoal and smokeless roaster with a built-in exhaust system. They have invested more than a dozen of these built-in charcoal-fueled tabletops that help vacuum the smoke downward into small pipes.

 

Sung Rah and his Korean chefs flew to Manila to personally train the local chefs in preparing the authentic bulgogi dips, kimchi, sweet potato noodles and the right way of cutting meat.

 

The only difference between the local franchise and its principal in Korea is that Sariwon Manila offers an expanded menu to cater to the discriminating taste of the Philippine market.

 

“We allowed the Philippine branch to extend its menu because we know Filipinos want to try different dishes and flavors in one place,” said Sung Rah, adding that in Korea, each restaurant specializes only in one product, like beef or chicken or pork, but not served all together in one place.

 

Sariwon Manila serves additional Korean dishes such as Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake) and Gyeranjjim (fluffly egg casserole).

 

“The pancake and casserole are just two of our best-selling dishes,” said Tan-Dee, who handles the marketing side of the business. Tan-Ng takes care of the franchise and leasing, while Tan-David runs the daily operations.

 

“These recipes were also developed in Korea,” Tan-Dee added. “We know Filipinos can easily relate to Korean food because it is quite similar to ours. We love being together and enjoy eating barbecue on our table.”

 

 

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