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| Tagalog words on a menu at Jovy's Grill. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
Written By Lee Han-na
Video By Lee Min-young, Kim Kang-min
For my last six months in the Philippines, I bid farewell to all the things I love ― the walls of Intramuros in Manila, pedicab bicycle transportation, the beautiful sky, sunrise and sunset and, above all, Filipino cuisine.
Who can describe or say anything about Filipino dishes when they have not tried the delicate and savory meals. I am definitely not talking about the golden decorated fancy dishes but the normal ones we, as students, employees, teachers etc., enjoy in everyday life.
Thankfully, there a few Filipino restaurants in Seoul that I can go to whenever I feel homesick, and the nearest to me is Jovy's Grill.
| Korea Times video by Lee Min-young, Kim Kang-min |
What comes to mind when we hear the words "Filipino food?" For me, grill and meat. Filipinos are meat lovers and many meals are grilled. Jovy's Grill serves the grilled dishes I love so much. So I decided to introduce these amazing foods to colleague Lee Min-young.
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| Inihaw na liempo, or grilled pork belly. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
We ordered (although it was hard to decide because everything is so good) liempo, manok inasal and sisig with garlic rice. I wanted to introduce everything, the sizzling pusit, sinigang, crispy pata and kang kong, but we were the only two on the table.
First, we tried liempo, a Filipino version of samgyeopsal. There are two types of the dish: roasted ― lechon liempo, and grilled ― inihaw na liempo. Lechon liempo has crispy skin with soft, tender and juicy meat on the inside, while inihaw na liempo has chewy meat, giving a stronger flavor and scent as you keep chewing, with the tender, oily juice filling your mouth.
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| Lee Min-young, left, tries chicken inasal for the first time. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
The next dish was chicken inasal, which on the menu they wrote as manok, a Tagalog word for chicken. Inasal is everybody's favorite. Most of my Korean friends who have traveled in the Philippines always talk about it, especially how the franchise restaurant Mang Inasal kept giving them rice and how the combination of soybean sauce and chicken oil were so good with rice.
Chicken inasal is tenderer compared to pork and beef dishes. Usually the size of the chicken is bigger in the Philippines but the taste is the same, the grilled and juicy soybean sauce flavor on the tip of the tongue. The best part is the sauce-soaked skin with the soft meat of the chicken.
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| Sizzling pork sisig is usually made from meat from a pig's head, with chicken liver. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
Lastly, we went for the sizzling sisig, which is my favorite. At first I didn't tell Min-young that it was made of meat from a pig's head, and at times with chicken liver. This might give her the wrong impression.
It is a perfect meal that gives you a full, happy stomach and it goes well with a fried egg, usually cooked sunny side up, and minced onion, which adds up the crunchy and chewy texture. I enjoy putting soybean sauce on it, as well as calamansi, before I mix them up. But sadly in Jovy's Grill there is no calamansi.
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| Red Horse, a strong, heavy beer from the Philippines. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min |
Just like my expectation, Min-young loved Filipino food. We also tried some Filipino beers ― the two favorite and well-known beers: San Miguel and Red Horse. I recommended Red Horse because it is known for its strong taste and alcohol among my Filipino friends. She loved that too.
The food will never bore me; thinking of it, seeing it, and writing about it makes me want to return to Jovy's Grill.
How about you? What are your favorite Filipino dishes? Those planning a trip to the Philippines must give it try. You will not regret it.
Lee Han-na is Korea Times intern.
