Kiwa Korean Grill Dining at Solaire is beautiful, especially if you are fortunate to sit at a table with a breathtaking view of Manila Bay.

 

The interiors are a mix of traditional and modern Korean elements, with wood used predominantly. Like in many restaurants in Korea, the design brings the outdoors in, so to speak. At Kiwa, a running stream under a tiny wooden bridge cuts through a portion of the restaurant.

 

The entrance is like that of a traditional Korean home, with a grandiose kiwa roof (kiwa is traditional Korean roof tile).

 

It is a luxurious yet homey setting where diners can savor Korean fare, prepared as meticulously as a mother would, but with professional flair.

 

Longevity soup

 

Kiwa COO Eddie Park and his three chefs order the dishes for me. Mr. Park introduces me to Korean culture through its food.

 

Miyeok Guk Seaweed Soup comes with banchan (side dishes) such as Jeon (pancakes), Kimchi, Namul (seasoned poached salad), Jangjorim (egg boiled with special soy-based sauce).

 

Seaweed soup is traditionally given mothers right after childbirth. It is believed to help blood circulation. It is also a longevity soup, served those celebrating their birthday, a toast to long life. At Kiwa, Miyeok Guk is given instead of a birthday cake.

 

Rightfully so, seaweed soup is healthy. Perhaps if people had a bowl of this regularly, they would live to a hundred.

 

Park says the proper way to eat soup is to add rice, nibbling on it while trying other dishes. After the soup, I try the Yang Nyeom Gal Bi course and it’s worthwhile.

 

 

The assortment of dishes is great.

 

The hefty set meal is for two persons and consists of:

 

Gobachi—a platter of scallop sashimi, steamed shrimp, salmon sashimi, steamed octopus and marinated tomato, served with sweet pickled onions that are so addicting, alongside fresh horseradish;

 

Pyeonchae Mal I—salmon and vegetables sticks wrapped with thin radish with balsamic sauce;

 

Baebaek Kimchi—rolled white kimchi placed inside a whole Korean pear. Categorized as an appetizer, it may be had with rice. It is ideally paired with meat because it is refreshing and is a good contrast to meat.

 

Unforgettable

 

One of my personal favorites is the Tomato Yangsangchu Salad, a huge, juicy salad tomato that is boiled, peeled and chilled.

 

Before serving, it is stuffed with marinated seafood and served with greens that have been drizzled with balsamic and sesame seed sauce. Sweet, slightly tart, citrusy, nutty, cold, crunchy!

 

The Yang Nyeom Gal Bi grilled marinated beef rib with Kiwa’s special sauce is excellent. The meat is both tender, tasty and grilled to perfection. Even without dipping it in the house’s flavorful samjang sauce (made from red chili pepper paste and fermented soy bean paste), it is already divine.

 

I try other dishes, too, that are not on the set menu. The Chadolbaki Salad is too difficult to resist: assorted greens, alfalfa sprouts and Korean pears topped with seasoned pan-fried tender beef brisket, drizzled with yuzu dressing. This is the perfect meat lover’s salad.

 

 

The japchae is not soy- or sugar-laden. It is easy to eat, light and delicate.

 

What I love most about Kiwa is how all its dishes taste so clean and fresh with a refined quality to it.

 

Park says Kiwa’s food is authentically Korean with modern touches and, though it does not deviate from traditional flavors, at times it has to change service sequence.

 

In Korea, the rice, soup and noodles are served after the grilled meat because it is believed that if rice is eaten with meat, you cannot fully savor the meat.

 

Filipinos, however, demand that their rice must be served with the main course.

 

 

I happily leave the restaurant satisfied and without a stench (this impressed me the most).

 

I do not have to watch my step to avoid slipping on grease-coated floors. The place is clean!

 

Kiwa takes pride in its state-of-the-art exhaust system that is built under the restaurant so the smoke from the grillers are sucked directly underneath, allowing guests to enjoy the barbecue without the slightest smell of smoke. Now, this is yet again another reason Kiwa will figure on my “I shall return” list.

 

 

Kiwa at Solaire Resort & Casino, 1 Aseana Ave., Parañaque City; tel. 888-8888