I am neither a self-proclaimed foodie nor do I have a background on anything culinary-related but I must say that one of my favorite pastimes with the boyfriend is eating out. Honestly, prior to meeting him, I didn’t really have a knack for Korean food. I’ve always had this impression that they’re either just bland or just spicy. No in-betweens. No gays.
But he has since introduced me to the wonderful world of Korean cuisine (but my mom’s Filipino dishes are still more amazing IMO) and because we really eat out A LOT and Jimmy has literally been to almost every single Korean restaurant in the metro, I thought, it might be a fun idea to review the restaurants that we have tried! Maybe other Pinoys or tourists would want to know more about those as well…
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and everything is based on OUR opinion and personal tastes.
And the lucky resto that we have chosen for our debut review is… PALSUN KOREAN CHINESE RESTURANT. Yup, you’re not alone. I didn’t know there’s such a thing as Korean-Chinese cuisine either.
Palsun Chinese Restaurant. Sorry but they don’t sell siomai and peking duck.
And for all the restos that I’ll be writing about here, I’ll be featuring a “featured dish” (redundant much?). Today, it’s none other than the famous 짜장면 (Jjajangmyeon aka black noodles).
Because when eating black noodles, it’s imperative that you try to look cute, even if it’s annoying. That’s like… tradition.
History tiemzzz! Most people (Chinese and Koreans alike) regard Kor-Chi cuisine as more Korean than Chinese though most of the dishes are derived from Northern styles such as Beijing and Shandong cuisine. These dishes developed in the port city of Incheon where the majority of Korea’s ethnic Chinese population historically lived.
Some of the Korean-Chinese dishes include: 짜장면 (Jjajangmyeon), 짬뽕 (Jjampong), 탕수육 (Tangsuyeok) and 군만두 (Gunmandu), all of which, we ordered for dinner because were were hungry pigs like that. Hahaha! Btw, the Krimmy Couple’s good friend, Fritz Tentativa also joined us for that “small feast”, the night before his birthday ^^ You’ll see the differences in our photos.
Fritz‘s jjajangmyeon looks tasty. ^^;; Mine looks… black.
One bowl of jjajangmyeon is Php250 in Palsun but I assure you, it’s for sharing. Jimmy said it’s the dish that he wanted so badly to eat whenever he would take a break from military service but I personally wasn’t a fan. Okay lang! Also, it’s what single people eat on April 14, Black Day so if you’re single within the next 3 weeks, well, why not try a bowl of jjajangmyeon? The Korean approves of Palsun’s jjajangmyeon. He likes it!
I cut the noodles with scissors. It was weird. Photo by Fritz.
짬뽕 Jjampong. Authentically spicy. Fuck that red coloooorrrr!!!!
Fritz and I had jjajangmyeon but Jimmy had jjampong. I had no idea it’s Chinese food at all! Anyway, I was never a fan of it because dear jeebus, it burns my tongue!!! A big bowl of jjampong in Palsun is Php300, which is good for sharing in my standards, unless of course the person you’d share it with is my boyfriend.. He has eaten a lot of jjampong in his life and if he says it’s good enough, it’s good. No need to verify anymore.
군만두 Gunmandu or fried dumplings. Photo by Fritz.
Gunmandu is actually served in most Korean restaurants, not just those that specialize in Chinese cuisine. An order is worth Php 200 and the price is actually quite average for Korean restos. It’s not a fast food, after all. You dip it in Korean soy sauce (without calamansi lol), which is more diluted than the Philippine soy sauce. The boyfriend claims it’s probably ‘coz our local soy sauce has more chemicals. Pauso amp!!!. Personally, I like gunmandu because they seem like healthy diet food to me.
탕수육 Tangsuyeok, the Korean version of sweet and sour pork or lemon chicken. Photo by Fritz.
That dish has got to be my favorite amongst the food that we ordered that night. I LOVE LEMON CHICKEN and tangsuyeok is very tangy and citrusy. Koreans generally don’t even eat it with rice! It’s quite pricey though, Php600 for the smaller size but the quality is EXCELLENT and the meat tastes very fresh! Jimmy said the sauce should be tastier but it was fine with me and Fritz.
The interiors. It’s more Chinese than Korean, right?
Reception area. No, she’s not an ahjumma.
All in all, we can safely say that Palsun is a good Korean Chinese restaurant that’s a must-visit. It’s fairly new and in fact, it was Jimmy’s first time to eat there (considering he has eaten in ALL Korean restos in Malate). I was more concerned if the food is up to par with Korean Chinese cuisine from Korea and surprisingly, he said they’re good.
MY KOREAN BOYFRIEND’S RATING (10 being the highest):
Food (ingredients/taste/quality): 7.5 / 10
Place (interiors/facilities): 8 / 10
Price (affordability/value): 7 / 10
The Krimmy Couple approves! Photo by Fritz.
Also, I kid you not. We ate our dinner with aprons on, just in case the jjajangmyeon spills on your shirt or pants or something. Not like we do this when we eat dinuguan. Cultural difference are… different indeed. Hahahahaha!
Palsun Korean Chinese Restaurant
Orosa Street, Malate Manila
ps: Whew! That was long and comprehensive. I just meant to talk about what I liked and didn’t like. But if you guys like this kind of review and would like us to do more, please comment and such. THANKS~
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do more reviews ate kring!! 🙂 may mga nakita rin kami na korean restos sa uhmmm…malapit sa intramuros?! basta sa manila din eh..puros korean, japanese, chinese restos… katabi mga night clubs…LOL. XD
nagugutom tuloy ako! XD tanong ko lang po, yung jjajangmyeon ba maanghang din?! O_O
-jamy
Nope! It’s like pancit canton. Only black. And on the sweet rather than the salty side. Actually, I can’t quite define the taste. ^^
ohyehyeh salamat naghahanap ako ng makakainan ng jjajangmyun! meron ba sa bf/alabang? XD
I’m sure meron, Tin! Will ask Jimmy. Basta Korean Chinese resto for sure meron yun! Also, next na na susuyurin niya BF. Pag na-conquer nya na BF, eh… baka pwede na kami mag-tayo ng sarili naming chorverloo.
aabangan ko yan!
ang layo naman nito. huhu. i love jjajangmyeon. waaah.
Hahaha I’m sure meron naman yan sa iba, atey~ Just so happened that we were in the area last Friday 😀
super like. go go go! 🙂
Lemme know when you wanna/are free to eat in a Koryan resto. Our treat!!!! ^__^
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Naumay ata readers nyo with the caption “photo by Fritz” amp. This is a really nicely put together review ah. In your words, “may puso.” I agree with the review and ratings. The resto is super clean and I like that Jimmy chose the table where we’re to sit down on the floor like that. Not as uncomfortable as I imagined it would be. First time kong mag-ganun. Promise nyo ha, isasama nyo ako sa next resto hunts nyo! Asahan ko yan!
Good job Kring and Jimmy!
Hay nakey, babe! Maumay na kung maumay. Credit needs to be credited (anudaooo? LOL). Anyway, I’m really happy you liked the post, Fritz! Wala kasi kong ibang skills kundi magka-puso kaya yan lang ang “benta” ko. Hahaha. Idol ko si Jessica Soho btw.
I didn’t know it was your first time to sit on the table like that! Dba sa condo ni Jimmy dati ganyan din table nya~ Hahahaha!
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Hi Kring,
ShinPhil wld always eat either at MinSok in Ortigas or I just tried Woorijib along Kalayaan Ave in QC and it is good as well.
If in case you’ll get to visit those places, I’d love to read ur blog about either one 🙂
Hahahah! We eat at Woorijib A LOT. I also bring my friends there because yanno, eat all you can is how we Pinoys roll. XDDD Wait, is Minsok in Ortigas? Because our fave is the one in K-Town! But of course, I’ll be reviewing those as well~ Thanks, Riel! Whoohoo!
YAY FOR REVIEWSSS ❤
This is really helpful!
I haven't had jjajangmyeon in a long time, hopefully we can try this out soon!
April 13 is the day, baby~ Although I do hope you won’t need to eat it by then! Graduate na. Pwede na mag-boypren. Hahaha!
Ma try nga kumain yan sa April 13. haha!
Can you review the Mr. Kimbob Korean Fastfood in Mega?
Para sayo, gagawin ko! Hehehehe!
Finally, a place where we could eat a decent jjajangmyeon. Woorijib’s jjajangmyeon is delicious too although bitin sa serving (or matakaw lang talaga ako.) 😀
I think also ‘coz Woorijib is not a Chinese resto so they don’t specialize on that. However, you can never go wrong with unlimited SAMGYUPSAL . ^_________^