Though I eat Korean food once in a while, I'm not particularly fond of this cuisine and I don't go the extra mile to get it, as I would do for my favorites. And so it came as a surprise to myself that I suddenly had a bad craving for the Korean mixed rice dish called Bibimbap. So bad, yes, that I ate Bibimbap three times last week! Two of those times were in one and the same restaurant at the SM San Lazaro in Manila, and the other at Rock & Seoul, which I decided to blog about first.
Rock & Seoul at The Block of the SM North Edsa is so much different from all the other Korean restaurants I've been to, which all have a somewhat formal setting and ambiance. In contrast, Rock & Seoul has a unique, fun and modern concept, as shown in its unconventional menu and bright, colorful store design. The main entrée is Bibimbap, but with some innovative variations. They have World Baps - international food served Bibimbap-style. Imagine having American breakfast or salpicao, or tacos.. even shawarma, assembled on a bowl the way they do bibimbap.
Meanwhile, the store itself makes one feel young and vibrant with the dominance of red and blue colors on a white background and the use of bright lights. There's a feeling of nostalgia, however, evoked by some music-themed antiquated items that are placed on a shelf on one side of the store such as vinyl records and a turntable
and cassette tape player plus some album jackets.
Meanwhile, the store itself makes one feel young and vibrant with the dominance of red and blue colors on a white background and the use of bright lights. There's a feeling of nostalgia, however, evoked by some music-themed antiquated items that are placed on a shelf on one side of the store such as vinyl records and a turntable
and cassette tape player plus some album jackets.
Anyway, I had three friends in tow and these were our orders:
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| Bibimbap original, P190. |
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| Pork salpicao bibimbap, P245. |
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| Beef bulgogi bibimbap, P245. |
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| Dalandan juice, iced tea |
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| Cute t-shirts on display, possibly for sale |
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| Rock & Seoul at the ground floor of The Block, SM North Edsa |
I could only share about how my Bibimbap was as I didn't get to taste my friends' orders. I liked that there's a generous inclusion of a mixture of pork and beef to go well with the mounds of veggies - cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts and green leafies. There's an exciting cacophony of flavors that blended seamlessly from all these plus the bibimbap sauce but for me, it was the zing from the chili that was very dominant and I regretted asking for 'medium' level of hotness. I wished the rice wasn't drowned in the spicy sauce. In fact, I would been happier without any sauce. Also, I thought that I would have liked my Bibimbap better if the veggies were sliced smaller than they were. Anyway, I asked my dining mates how their order was and
they gave me the thumbs up. All orders of Bibimbap came with a side dish of Kimchi but unfortunately, it was made too salty on that day, and the server apologized for our small misfortune. Apology accepted 'cause there was
nothing we could do about it. Hehe..
they gave me the thumbs up. All orders of Bibimbap came with a side dish of Kimchi but unfortunately, it was made too salty on that day, and the server apologized for our small misfortune. Apology accepted 'cause there was
nothing we could do about it. Hehe..
But all in all, we had a good first time at Rock & Seoul and found this place worth coming back for. For my next time, I want to try their World Baps,
especially the Mexican Taco and Shawarma.
especially the Mexican Taco and Shawarma.
Rock & Seoul is worth a trip, folks! Hope to see you there!
Happy eating!
NOTE: This place has been permanently closed
NOTE: This place has been permanently closed
