a bite of brownie

Apgujeong Korean Restaurant

This Korean Restaurant is located at the side entrance of SM City Cebu near the Philippine Airlines ticketing office. From the outside, it looks like a place where mafia members congregate and scheme their next plan, but inside, it looks like a typical dining facility: semi private booths where guests can eat barefooted with tables and chairs outside for dining.

We ordered a plate of Boolgogi jeongol (beef stew), Chapchai (Korean noodles), Samgyeobsal (grilled meat with fresh lettuce and mints) and Dok Bek Suk (rice cooked inside the native chicken). Accompanying the order of Boolgogi, were a number of refillable side dishes! Yum! (Yay kimchi!

I've been to quite a few Korean BBQ places in Manila and Vancouver, and this definitely can't compete in the taste department but it does make up for it with the very attentive service. I feel that if I drop a pin here, every member of the staff will try to look for it under the table. Yes, they are that attentive - my glass was never half full, it was always filled to the brim and the banchan was always replenished whenever we finished a dish.

Verdict:

A: 4.5/5

N: 3.0/5

We didn’t see any mushrooms in the Chapchai or the Boolgogi though. >_<>

Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC) is located in the outskirts of the Ayala Center Cebu, a few feet away from Marriott Hotel. The view of Ayala Terraces is encompassing and vibrant, making it a complete relaxation spot for tired guests or a good meeting place for business purposes.

The Restaurant is nicely kept with polite staff and well lighted surroundings. The menu is composed of an assortment of Asian and Western dishes from salads to pancakes to coffee and cakes, all of which, I have to admit, look and sound delicious. To order, customers will have to press a buzzer located on top of the table. Doing so will send a signal to the staff that service is required at which table. A quaint lady of her 20s came to take our order by first giving us their menu. After much consideration, we said we would like to have smoked milk fish salad, tea and a glass of orange juice.

Service was good; it came around 10 minutes from the moment we ordered. Before us was a dish of salad with real filleted smoked fish tossed with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and oranges. Tea was served with intricate boiling paraphernalia. Everything was heavenly.

The only thing I can complain about is the price of Ueshima’s assortment of food. A small glass of tea priced around the hundreds? Outrageous! I’d rather buy a box of tea and boil it at home.