I always go nuts over wrapping my freshly grilled marinated meats in veggies and having all the flavors hit my mouth in one go. But you know what's funny about my Korean craving? I hate Kimchi. I know that it's no Korean feast without that sour orange side dish of fermented vegetables but I really can't stand the taste. Serve me all the other side dishes/banchan (bean sprout, seasoned spinach, stir fried radish, braised potatoes) and I'll gladly polish them off in a heartbeat; but no kimchi please.
Okay, enough about my not-so-lovable relationship with kimchi, let's proceed with my review of one of our favorite Korean restaurants, Bornga.
Located at Alphaland Makati Place Mall, it's a place that you certainly have to make a special trip for. The mall looks a bit abandoned, with lots of empty spaces for rent. If this was your first time here, you'll feel anxious and a bit antsy (like we did the first time we went). But the Korean craving in us was too strong so we threw caution to the wind and ascended the escalators to the second floor.
Don't bother to wait for the receptionist to assist you, it doesn't happen. Just walk straight to the tables and pretty soon, a waiter will appear asking if you made reservations (we did). Ask to be seated by the couches, it's roomier and the tables here are designed with the grill on the nearest side to the waiter. This matters as your meal progresses because here at Bornga, they grill their meats for you table side.
After taking your order, they serve you some side dishes. Bornga's banchan selection, though limited, is refillable which is a plus since other Korean places we've been to were a bit stingy with theirs. Go for refills on their fish cakes, salad and watery cold kimchi soup (if you're a fan).
While waiting for our food to come out of the kitchen, their place mat kept me occupied. They've printed on it a short description on what Woo Samgyup is (more on that later); plus a mini-tutorial on how to eat it, which even comes with colorful illustrations.
Bornga's vegetables are the highlight especially when you see their big boat of selection greens for wrapping; which practically takes up half of the table. This was actually what pushed me to try this place. Aside from the fact that they dedicate two chillers to keep them fresh, it's how they serve it up to your table that leaves you speechless. I mean c'mon, just look at it!
And our meats have arrived. We were a bit wary of their serving size so we opted to order one of each and just add more if needed. Here's a shot of their Woo Samgyup (Php 450), which is thinly sliced beef brisket doused in Bornga's special sauce. One order is composed of several strips of beef with two slices of papaya and some rings of onion.
Here's a video of our server grilling up a storm. The pull-down exhaust pipe actually does its job pretty well. The server does leave the grill several times which made us pretty nervous; we were keeping a sharp eye on our beef, hoping that they don't burn. But it was all for naught, our Woo Samgyup was juicy and tender. He serves it in a small platter cut into smaller pieces for easier eating.
Time to wrap and we followed Bornga's suggestion to a T:
Lay the lettuce flat on your palm.
Followed by the napa cabbage.
Using your chopsticks, place a piece (or two) of Woo Samgyup (which has been generously dipped in the special Bornga sauce) on top of the greens.
And now for the kick of flavors.
Start with the thinly sliced green onions.
Next, add in some of the red radish slivers.
Don't forget to add in the raw garlic. Trust me on this.
Finish off with a spoonful of the soybean paste.
And now comes the hard part (if you can really call it that), carefully rolling everything up and getting all the flavors in one bite. :)
And now we move on to the Mansinchang Samgyeopsal in Soy Sauce (Php 390). Each order is composed of two slices of pork marinated in Bornga's special soy sauce. Oh and that white cube on the side? That's lard for grilling. This takes a bit longer to cook and same as the beef, the server cuts them up into smaller pieces. We eat it rolled in the same greens and sauces we used for the beef; and it works!
Our hang up on whether these two orders would not be enough to fill our tummies pretty much vanished into thin air. Halfway through the meal, we were on the verge of raising the white flag but we soldiered on. Bornga's fares were simply too enticing to give up on. After an hour and a half of dipping, wrapping and having them refill our boat of greens; we were happy campers.
*Food-Stars Side Note: If you're a carb eater, its best that you order rice to go with your meats. The two orders of meat were enough to fill us up because we loaded it up with veggies and had several refills of their fish cakes.
Time to wrap and we followed Bornga's suggestion to a T:
Lay the lettuce flat on your palm.
Followed by the napa cabbage.
Then the sesame leaf.
And now for the kick of flavors.
Start with the thinly sliced green onions.
Next, add in some of the red radish slivers.
Don't forget to add in the raw garlic. Trust me on this.
Finish off with a spoonful of the soybean paste.
And now comes the hard part (if you can really call it that), carefully rolling everything up and getting all the flavors in one bite. :)
And now we move on to the Mansinchang Samgyeopsal in Soy Sauce (Php 390). Each order is composed of two slices of pork marinated in Bornga's special soy sauce. Oh and that white cube on the side? That's lard for grilling. This takes a bit longer to cook and same as the beef, the server cuts them up into smaller pieces. We eat it rolled in the same greens and sauces we used for the beef; and it works!
Our hang up on whether these two orders would not be enough to fill our tummies pretty much vanished into thin air. Halfway through the meal, we were on the verge of raising the white flag but we soldiered on. Bornga's fares were simply too enticing to give up on. After an hour and a half of dipping, wrapping and having them refill our boat of greens; we were happy campers.
*Food-Stars Side Note: If you're a carb eater, its best that you order rice to go with your meats. The two orders of meat were enough to fill us up because we loaded it up with veggies and had several refills of their fish cakes.
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Bornga
2/F Alphaland Makati Place,
Ayala Avenue Extension corner Malugay Street,
Bel-Air Makati, Philippines
519-6980/ 0928-678-8282/ 0905-318-8282
Facebook: Bornga Makati
Instagram: @borngamakati
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