Bam and I, together with our friends, Fritz and Osche decided to get together for dinner earlier. Since I'm an avid fan of The Pickiest Eater, upon reading his recent post, I decided to take his lead and found ourselves in Makati---on the lookout for his recent hole in the wall find, Matgalne Korean Restaurant.
I'm not really familiar with Makati. I know a few places but I haven't been around much ever since I left my last company, which was along Ayala Ave. Makati Ave. was an area I'd go to only when I'm off to visit Bam (he works somewhere there). When he read that it was near St. Giles Hotel, he said he knew how to get there. So off we went! :)) Looking for Matgalne was a bit difficult since they didn't post their English name outside. What caught our attention their poster of their grilled meat buffet! We went inside, still unsure whether it was the right restaurant but Bam reassured me that it was the one and the same Matgalne we read about earlier.
We ordered the grilled meat buffet (slices of pork belly and beef brisket) for 399/head with a buffet of Korean side dishes. I was a bit surprised since the poster said that it was only 299 only to be told by our waitress that it was for their lunch promo. Still, a buffet for only 399 is relatively cheap compared to the other buffets I know so it was a good deal. My ability to retain foreign names, in this case Korean food name, was a bit slow. Heck, I even forgot about the proper Korean name of the meat buffet we had! :)) (It was Sam-something...I later googled it and the correct name is
Samgyeopsal (pork belly) and Chadolbaegi (beef brisket)).
Oh yeah! Meat all the way! Yummy!!! :) The meat was not seasoned. It was up to you to make your own dipping sauce. I was okay in eating it cooked well and crispy, unseasoned and without dipping it in any sauce. Bam, however, requested for some soy sauce. It didn't exactly change my mind about eating it the way it is but adding soy sauce did make the meat yummier. :)
Aside from the unlimited supply of meat, there was an array of Korean food. From what I read, the dishes served there were a reflection of how Korean mothers cook for their children and guests. In short, Korean homemade dishes. The restaurant was owned and run by a Korean national so the dishes were prepared the authentic way. I think the restaurant was run by the owner and her husband ( I THINK, hehe). I just got this idea 'cause when we dined there, there was a middle-aged Korean couple inside, later joined by an older Korean woman, who later thanked us warmly with their smiles for dining there.
The food served in Matgalne was okay. The Kimchi was perfect for me. It was not too spicy but season just right. The kimbap was ok (the maki-like Korean dish). I loved their chapchae and sweet and spicy chicken. I would have eaten more of them but I wanted to try at least a bite of all of their dishes! In a buffet setting, a little goes a long way! hahaha Besides, you can always go back if you want a refill. I also make my own bibimbap! Again, a little goes a long way! :))
Here are some of the dishes we tried:
The chicken that I loved.
DIY Bibimbap
Kimbap
Tofu jeon
Since I read some writeups about this restaurant earlier I was excited to try some of the dishes that I found on other foodie blog like the mushroon jeon (a pancake-like Korean dish made mostly of eggs and flour with beoseot---mushroom), Odeng bokkeum (stir fried fish cake), jumeok bap (dried seaweed riceball), and the pancake dipped Kimbap to name a few but sadly those dishes were not available during our dinner. None the less, the dishes there at the time were all good. :)
I actually got too much food. It was the last call already before the
take away the side dishes. I was expecting my friends to share a bit of
the food I'll get since only Fritz and I stood up to refill our plates.
I didn't really get TOO much but just enough for me and a little to
share, but still I wasn't able to finish all the dishes that I got. :'(
I'm really sorry for that. I would have taken them out and eaten them at home if it was allowed. The food in my plate did not deserve to be left unfinished. huhuhu
In this battle between food and I, food won!!! :'(
I'm sorry, food. :'( I'll stick with the "little goes a long way" next time! I swear!!!
Just before leaving, my hand was acting up again. I actually burned my hand before dining there and due to some unforeseen event my blister popped. Since it was really bothering me (open wounds are more prone to infection that closed ones), I summed up some courage to ask if they have alcohol for my burn (I know, kinda weird asking for something for my burn in a restaurant). Good thing they have some and I was really grateful for their concern. They were really friendly and accommodating.
All in all, our experience with Matgalne was so nice that I'm looking forwards to dining there again. :) And in case the 399 price tag is still too much for you, you can avail their lunch promo price at 299/head until the end of June. :) Or you can check out group buying sites for an extension of their lunch promo. :)
Found this in
Ensogo. Enjoy! :)
Been there? Tell me about your Matgalne experience. :)
Matgalne Restaurant, Main Branch
4768 Kalayaan Avenue Corner Mariano Street, Poblacion, Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel #: (02) 890 – 2949, Operating Hours: 11:00 am to 11:00pm, Monday to Saturday
Ortigas Branch
2F Millenium Place BIdg., Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio, Pasig City, Metro Manila
Tel #: (02) 632 – 9714, Operating Hours: 11:00 am to 11:00pm, Monday to Saturday
- See more at: http://www.kitchencow.com/2013/06/07/matgalne-restaurant-korean-all-you-can/#sthash.2bKKgbX8.dpuf
You can visit Matgalne Korean Restaurant at:
Makati Branch
Address: 4768 Kalayaan Avenue Corner Mariano Street, Poblacion Makati City,
Metro Manila
Phone: 890 – 2949
Pasig Branch
Address: 2F Millenium Place Bldg., Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, San Antonio,
Pasig City, Metro Manila
Phone: 632 – 9714
Also, you can try reading other bloggers' Matgalne experience. Here are links to some of my favorite food bloggers:
The Pickiest Eater in the World
The Purple Doll
The Pigout Session
PS: Photo credit to my friends, Fritz and Osche. :)
