Sorabol

I know very little of Korea and seen very little of Korean novellas to be interested in Korean food. But after watching "Attic Cat" on DVD, I was suddenly intrigued by Bulgogi and Bibimbop. It certainly sounded way more sophisticated than kimchi and instant noodles, which I used to have at a Korean convenience store during my Trends stint in Globe Tower.



And so, after Gabby lost interest in arcade rides and games at Worlds of Fun in Mega Mall, and after almost having dinner at McDonald's (due to Gabby's prodding), I convinced Leo to try a Korean resto called Sorabol at the lower ground of Mega B. Sorabol (named after the capital of the Shilla Dynasty in 57 B.C.), established its first outlet in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1979, and then some more in Southern California before it reached Manila.

Naturally, we ordered what already sounds familiar to me - Bulgogi and Bibimbop. I was never a fan of anything pickled, so I let Leo feast on Kimchi while I contented myself with the bean sprout appetizer, which they served free of charge. When our orders arrive, they didn't make much impression on me.

Bulgogi is thin slices of seasoned beef usually cooked on charcoal grill and served with lettuce, spinach or other leafy vegetables. We ordered a variation of Bulgogi that includes squid, pork, and chicken meat apart from the usual beef, which we were told is good for 3-4 persons (P250+). However, there were scarcely meat on the hot plate when it arrived. To boot, the meat were all pre-cooked, hence, there was no table grilling for us (we should have asked first!). We were also waiting for the greens with which to wrap the meat before eating, but not a lonely leaf ever came. I'm not sure if the greens weren't included in the whole shebang or the waiter just plainly forgot about it.

Dolsot Bibimbop (P180+) is rice with mixed vegetable, beef and egg. It wasn't much of a let down since the waiter was honest about the serving being good for only two persons. Although I actually expected a little more veggies and beef.

Yes, Gabby had a great time with the chopsticks, but all in all, Sorabol is just another one of those forgettable fastfood, or at least in my experience. There was a little scrimping on ingredients here and there, and it was just too obvious to go unnoticed. Even the bottomless iced tea tastes bland.