3+1 Unli Samgyupsal at Fantastic Chef Taft
I used to think that I can try most (if not all) of the KBBQ places in town, but there are just so many popping out in every corner of every city that I don't think it would be possible for me to do that. So, instead of having the eagerness to try all of them as soon as possible, I decided to take it slow and try them one at a time, which is working perfectly in my favor.
 |
| Photo from Fantastic Chef Taft's Facebook Page |
Fantastic Chef, a Korean restaurant from the same owners of Fantastic Baka, has recently opened their first, franchised branch in Taft Avenue.
Compared to the KBBQ restaurant that used to stand in this very same place, Fantastic Chef's interior is designed to serve way more customers. It is huge, so don't worry about lining up for too long just to get seated, as it is highly unlikely to happen.
 |
| Photo from Fantastic Chef Taft's Facebook Page |
They offer a variety of meats in different cuts and marinades, with the option of getting unli beef for an additional P50 per person. Fantastic Chef is probably one of the few Korean BBQ restaurants I've tried that offers a lot of meat selections, which we really came to appreciate.
SIDE DISHES
I do apologize for not being able to get better photos of the side dishes 😭 But nevertheless, here they are:
I don't know if I'm the best person to judge how a kimchi tastes like since I used to avoid it because of its weird smell, but I liked Fantastic Chef's kimchi as it was more flavorful. It had a heavier marinade/sauce, which made it more tangy and spicy. I also liked that it wasn't too soggy and that the crunch from the veggies is still there. Needless to say, I love kimchi even more now!
Their cheese is also different from the others I've tried since it was a combination of cheese, garlic, and I'm guessing a bit of mayo. It wasn't as thick and gooey as the others, but it certainly had a more distinct flavor.
MEATS
Fantastic Chef offers 8 kinds of pork on the menu. We've tried all of them, except the cheek and the thin pork belly.
 |
| Skirt Meat |
 |
| Seasoned Pork Neck |
The seasoned pork neck tasted a lot similar to the skirt meat, except that I found it to be more tender than the latter.
 |
| Beef Plate |
There are two beef choices available when we visited, although I think they added the beef bulgogi to their menu just recently. The beef plate is the thinly sliced beef without any marinade or seasonings.
 |
| Seasoned Beef Plate |
The seasoned beef plate on the other hand, is their beef plate lightly marinated in a sweet and savory marinade. I mentioned "lightly" because the flavor wasn't as strong and overpowering and something you won't easily notice upon first bite, which was great for us since other marinated beef plates from other KBBQ places have that "umay" taste after awhile.
Fantastic chef did give us a fantastic KBBQ experience on our visit, but they still need to work on their service. The staff were very friendly and courteous, but the serving time for our orders was a bit slow at first, probably because the place was packed and still on soft opening. It did improve towards the middle of our lunch, though.
TWill we come back for a second round of KBBQ with Fantastic Chef? YES, of course! Especially since we weren't able to try the pork cheek, and rumor has it that it's the best kind of pork meat there is! So we'll definitely be back for that one!
My Scores:
Pricing - 4/5
Service - 3/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 4/5
Hungry for more,
Address: 2472 Leon Guinto Street, Taft Avenue, Manila City
Operating Hours: 11am to 11pm daily
Conact: +63926 079 3425; +63919 262 8327
Operating Hours: 11am to 11pm daily
Conact: +63926 079 3425; +63919 262 8327
Budget: from P500 per person
0 comments