So I haven’t written a blog in a long while. I have been
incredibly busy with school. All hell ended a few days ago and as of now I am
relaxing and not even thinking about other academic matters. This blog won’t be
about my rants nor my dreams or goals. It would be about food.
I don’t wish to recall my stresses the past few months so
here is a blog about Korean food. My schoolmates and I are fond of eating at
this small Korean restaurant near our university for a year now. (I believe) We
visited quite a few times already and I must say I haven’t grown tired of
eating almost the same dish every time.
Santorini is the name of the restaurant. No, it’s not one of
the famous tourist spots in Greece, it’s a Korean restaurant. When I heard of
it, I never thought it would be a place serving Korean cuisine. I assumed it
was some kind of Grecian food fair. At first, I thought they were offering
Italian pasta. (Sorry I didn’t know Santorini was in Greece, it sounded more of
an Italian city to me, until I’ve done my research that is)
Anyway enough about that, let’s talk about the menu. I
wasn’t able to snap a picture of it, but all I could remember is that they have
Kimbap’s to Ramen, to Bulgogi to Spicy Rice Cakes etc. The price range is
around 100 pesos to roughly 200 pesos. All these meals are a la carte and good
for sharing. They also have canned soft drinks, bottled juices and specifically
Banana Milk. The beverages are priced I guess between 25 pesos to 45 pesos.
However if you are low on budget, they do serve free mineral water. Another
free item they offer is the ever so popular side dish, Kimchi. They have it in radish
and cabbage Kimchi, so if you want some, you need to let the helper know since
not everyone likes it. At least you are given the freedom not to have it.
Now, I never came out this small food establishment not stuffed. Since a lot can be for sharing, my friends and I order a couple of dishes and eat to our hearts content. I can say, it’s definitely worth the money since you get to taste authentic Korean food for I believe in somewhat reasonable prices. So here are the pictures of some dishes we ordered the last time we ate there.
Cabbage Kimchi (left), Radish Kimchi (right)
Note: I prefer the Radish Kimchi since it's more sweet and less sour
This dish is called "jjajangmyeon" or black bean noodles. When we first saw this on the menu we immediately wanted to try it since this is seen in almost all Korean dramas. I myself, was curious how it tasted like. It really couldn't describe its flavors but it came to my liking the first moment I took a bite. Now I am somewhat addicted to it.
Another thing I am probably in love with is the so called "bibimbap". It consists of vegetables, strips of cabbage kimchi, white rice, egg, ground beef, drizzled with red chili paste plus a dash of sesame oil and seeds. I remember seeing this in a Korean drama also. All I can say is that there is a right balance of flavors and textures, adding to that, it never fails to satisfy me. A warning to those who don't fancy vegetables, this Korean dish has a lot, so I advice you order a different meal instead.
Last but not the least, dessert! There is definitely more room for dessert every time we visit. Even if I feel full, I still find myself craving for sweets. Unfortunately Santorini does not serve Korean desserts like I guess "patbingsu" (it's like S. Korea's version of our own Halo-Halo) and the likes.
Well I do wish they would so the whole experience would definitely be complete. Anyway, what they do have is Korean ice cream. (Melona, Binggrae etc.) I always and will forever order Binggrae's Oreo Cheesecake Ice cream. Not only am I a huge fan of cheesecake I am also in love with ice cream. Combine them and I have one of my ultimate favorite desserts. I wish they make these things locally though.
All in all, I believe I spent around 300 pesos. We shared the black bean noodles and Korean pancake (which I sadly don't have a picture of). It's pretty pricey for me but the experience and the food is all worth it I tell ya. So if you want to try Korean food and live within UST or Manila, then drop by Santorini located at the busy street of Padre Noval. You may want to visit their Facebook page for more information. (Santorini Facebook page) Oh yeah, before I finally end things, additional information, the owners are pure Korean. I think. Anyhow, until my next blog! Annyeong!
