Looking for cheese, premium meat, and all things Korean? Then Sibyullee is the perfect place for you.
Sibyullee Flavors of Seoul is the third restaurant of HappyFoods Corp. in partnership with restaurateur, Mr. Sung-Rah. In this latest venture the owners wanted to elevate the Korean dining experience. They wanted something in the middle, a meeting of the beloved traditional dishes from Sariwon and the trendy fusion-type cuisine of Soban K-Town Grill. They figured, what better way to achieve that than to give their patrons a taste of modern Seoul?
Sibyullee is a “a return to our roots in Seoul,” as Dotz Tan Dee, one of the managing partners puts it. More specifically, it’s a revisiting of the famous street food of Myeongdong and the innovative barbecues of Itaewon. The result? One of the heartiest and cheesiest cheese bbq menu you’ll ever find in the country.
The star of this show is the volcano kimchi fried rice. It might be because it’s the first in the Philippines. It might also be because it’s the most glorious amalgamation of rice, cheese, and kimchi that could ever bless anyone’s palate. The rice is perfectly fluffy and sticky, and the flavors of the cheese and the kimchi makes every spoonful enriched with spice and flavor.
Sibyullee is also the first in the Philippines to offer a complete line of grilled cheese bbq. They offer all of three meats, the dakgogi (Chicken) cheese bbq, the dwaejigogi (Pork) cheese bbq, and the galbi (Beef) cheese bbq. I had the pleasure of tasting their Beef short ribs cheese bbq. The premium beef practically melts off the bone and into your mouth. Dipped in a sea of mozzarella, it’s one hell of a cheesy and meaty concoction.
Each cheese bbq dish is served with vegetables and rice cakes on the side. So, not only is this a fiesta for the eyes and for your belly. It’s also a relatively complete and healthy meal. Emphasis on relatively.
Another specialty to take note of is their haemul pajeon or seafood pancake. Commonly served as breakfast in Korea, here the restaurant is serving this pancake like a scrumptious pizza. Savory with just the right hint of saltiness, every bite will make you want to grab more.
Everything is best eaten when it’s hot. After the server prepares the dish for you, do not hesitate to just dive right in.
For dessert, they have bungeoppang. It looks a little like a taiyaki, and a lot like Samanco, the fish-shaped ice cream sandwich of Melona. The restaurant took their liberty and made a fish ice cream of their own. Both the ice cream and the bread are exclusively made by Sibyullee.
Still in their soft-opening, Tan Dee tells us of their plans to add another combo set in the menu. It’ll be called Heritage BBQ Combo set, and it will cater to those who want a lighter meal. This set will focus more on the traditional bbq, and have a little less of the cheese. Instead of Volcano kimchi fried rice, it’ll be served with Dolsot bibimbap.
‘Sibyullee’ is actually the name of a village in Sariwon, Korea where Mr. Sung Rah’s mother would buy vegetables to make her recipes. Taking inspiration from the traditional Korean houses found in the village called the Hanok, the restaurant’s interiors emulate a modern Korean household.
They kept the warm and inviting house feel, and they also have a lot of natural wood because the Hanoks of before had a lot of wooden beams. It was known for its very natural look.
Last but not the least is their playlist. Tan Dee admits that she and her sisters, co-owners of HappyFoods Corp., are unabashed fans of K-pop and K-drama. Hence, customers can enjoy k-pop music in the restaurant all day, everyday.
Writer: ANTHEA REYES
PHOTOGRAPHY DANICA CONDEZ
