Restaurant Review: Bento & Snack in Adriatico Malate

My mom has been craving for Bibimbap for days and kept asking my younger sister to cook her some. But my sister said she'll just treat my mom out instead so we searched for a nearby Korean Restaurant. We thought about going to Haru in Malate and found out it was closed so we ended up trying Bento & Snack instead.

It was a small restaurant with a take out counter beside it. At first, we thought it was a Japanese restaurant but we observed that the pictures posted at the shops wall were composed of both Korean and Japanese Cuisine. Out front, we saw its delivery bike which looks similar to the ones we've seen in Korean Dramas.

The staffs were very friendly. All of them accomodated us as soon as we entered. The place was small having a seat capacity of 20 at most but it was neat and decent. We were handed out the menu which was identical to the menu hanged at the wall of their counter and we started to order.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap after mixing

Ganma Jorim, Bean Sprout and Kimchi

Stock Soup

My mom and sisters ordered Bibimbap (Mixed Meal) (250 php). Now, this was ordinarily only served for lunch but the staffs were so considerate that they allowed us to order. Where their bibimbap came, we noticed that it was actually vegetable Bibimbap. Sliced carrots, beansprouts, eggplants, lettuces, cucumbers, and gosari (bracken fern stems) surrounded the fried egg on the center which covered the gochujang (chili pepper paste) underneath it. A fun fact about Bibimbaps is that the ingredients are not mixed out of random. Each of the vegetables included have their own nutritional benefits to provide a healthy dietary meal. Eager to eat, they mixed it until the gochujang was spread over all the vegetables and rice. Their version was very delicious. The carrots, beansprouts and cucumbers were crunchy and fun to chew. The gochujang was a little bit spicy but the rice and vegetables were able to neutralize it to an adequate amount. They also served this with a complementary bowl of Stock Soup and three kinds of side dishes: Ganma Jorim (potato with soy sauce), Bean Sprout and Kimchi (fermented cabbage). The soup was too salty so we couldn't drink it.

Kimchi Stew with Mackarel with side dishes

Kimchi Stew with Mackarel

My brother ordered the Kimchi Stew with Mackarel (200 php). It was served in a bento tray with four side dishes: Ganma Jorim, Bean Sprout, Kimchi and Jeon (deep fried pancake-like dish with sliced vegetables). The stew was dark red in color which explains it extreme spiciness despite him requesting for the milder version.

Korean Ramen

I ordered Korean Ramen (200 php). It came in a big bowl. As I saw the orange color, I knew it was spicy. But I don't mind at all. I enjoy spicy foods. It had sliced of potato, bits of mushrooms, sliced onions and green leeks. It was delicious. It was flavorful and the texture of the potato goes well with the noodles. The noodles were adequately cooked. They did not have the dough-like taste as if undercooked nor were they soggy.

Kimbap

Spicy Rice Cakes

For our center dish, we ordered Kimbap (similar to Sushi in Japanese Cuisine) (100 php) and Spicy Rice Cakes (200 php). The Kimbap was delicious. It had yellow raddish, cucumber, egg and luncheon meat. Though, you may have to try it out for yourself since I love this korean dish and may be biased towards it. Their Spicy Rice Cakes were mixed with fish cakes and topped with sesame seeds, sliced carrots, raddish, green leeks and cabbage. The rice cakes rolled like sticks had a smooth, soft and chewy texture. The fish cakes which were thinly sliced were a good complement to the rice cake in case you want to chew on something a bit lighter to chew.

Overall, the food and the service was excellent. The cost was average for Korean Cuisine. The venue was decently clean and homely. You can even watch TV or read Korean Books. They are also good with take outs and deliveries. They also have lunch menus and Filipino dishes. It's definitely worth trying for. Try it out and let me know what you think. If your not fond of spicy foods, we suggest you ask first whether it is spicy or not because the spicy ones are really hot.