Fans of Korean dramas would agree: those charming shows appeal to the heart—and the appetite. The dewy actress and her dashing “oppa” often share servings of kimchi rice, fried chicken and cups of instant ramyeon, which leave the audience feeling both happy and hungry.
A sophisticated version of these Korean favorites has been recreated by chef Hyeon Cheol-joo for “Seoul-ful Gastronomy,” Spiral’s Korean-centric buffet available on March 12-17 at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.
From the same root
Chef Joo is the head chef at In Style restaurant at Seoul Dragon City complex in South Korea. He recently demonstrated how to cook traditional Korean dishes such as kimchi stew in hot stone pot, bibimbap rice bowl and gochujang red chili paste, and we had first dibs on his specialties.
According to “Hansik,” the guide book on Korean cuisine provided by the Korean Cultural Center, Korean cooking is all about the philosophy that “food and medicine come from the same root.”
The Korean kimchi, for example, is “now globally established as a health food, along with the great variety of fermented condiments such as gochujang, ganjan (soy sauce) and doenjang (soybean paste),” which are all key ingredients in Korean cooking.
Korean food does make us, Filipinos, feel better—by giving us the K-drama star feels.
Chef Joo’s creations are done fresh. We sampled his appetizers such as the Bulgogi Salad with Mustard Dressing, and Cold Jelly Fish and Crab Meat Salad which prepared our tongues for the yummy mains.
The La Galbi is sumptuous sweet-salty grilled short rib with toasty fat. It is best eaten with the two kimchis: the usual cabbage kimchi and the semi-spicy Diced Turnip and Fruit Kimchi.
Other notable meat dishes are Grilled Soy Marinated Pork Neck, Steamed Pork Belly with Soybean Paste Sauce, and Beef Bulgogi with Mushroom. Those who like more heat can have the Spicy Sauteed Small Octopus and Spicy Braised Chicken.
Sweet, salty, spicy
“Korean food is a mix of sweet, salty and spicy,” chef Joo explained. His favorite would be the “KFC” or glazed Korean fried chicken paired with soju.
Chef Joo also served an interesting set of Korean porridge—different from the soup selections (Seaweed Soup with Beef Brisket, Spicy Pork Rib and Kimchi Stew).
Some porridge variations are savory such as the Abalone and Guts Porridge and Chicken Porridge with Medicine Herb, while the Pumpkin Porridge is sweet and thick.
For dessert and drinks, we had Chestnut Balls, and Sweet Rice with Nuts and Jujube (Korean dates), plus Cinnamon Punch.
“Seoul-ful Gastronomy” is part of Sofitel’s Flavors of the World culinary series. Aside from highlighting the Korean Atelier at the Spiral buffet, a K-Pop Party featuring Korean pop music and free-flowing soju will be held on March 16 at Snaps Sports Bar.
Le Bar French bistro will also be serving Beef Bulgogi, Spicy Braised Chicken and Seafood Pancake all month.
Spiral buffet lunch is priced at P2,750, March 12-17; dinner is at P3,200 on March 12, 13, 16, and P3,500 on March 14-15. Sofitel Philippine Plaza is at Pasay City. Call 8326988; e-mail [email protected].
