My Favorite Korean Restaurant - Makchang

4.30.12

Lately I've been indulging a lot on food. I've sworn to myself that I would be a lot more adventurous this 2012 and I feel like I've been pretty faithful to that endeavor :) Discovering new tastes, exploring new diners, I feel this year is bound to be pretty fantastic.


About two weeks ago, my friends and I visited a local Korean hole-in-the-wall shop along Adriatico. The place is called Makchang and was first introduced to me by my good friend Lea a few months back. It has a huge orange signage with white bold Korean letters. Can't really read Korean but the smaller posters did read "Makchang". The place became my instant Korean favorite.


The place is usually packed with people. The patrons are mostly Korean so you know that it's ought to be one fine Korean restaurant. It's also packed with college students since the place is near St. Paul University and UP Manila. But even though the place is packed with people, you're still bound to have a great time since the waiters are very attentive. In fact, I think this is the edge Makchang holds against all other Korean places I've been to (I've been to a lot, maybe I'll post reviews of those one day). The waiters are always ready to serve you and are very attentive to your needs.

Look at that teeny little buzzer : ) Buzz away for all your little needs :D

Makchang is actually a quant little grill. The place has a limited menu but you won't really feel that since it offers the best cuts of meat around.

Volcanic Rocks!
Burn, baby, burn!

Here's the Menu.
The place is named after their best dish, the beef cuts "Makchang".
Unfortunately, when we went there, the dish wasn't available.

We bought the Pork Galbi and the ever popular Samkyupsal. The Pork Galbi has a distinct sweet flavor, very reminiscent of our local barbecue. The Samkyupsal, as how our attendant put it, is the Korean version of bacon. It's unseasoned, but when it becomes crispy, it gets so yummy and amazing :9

The smaller pieces are the Samkyupsal. The larger pieces are the Pork Galbi.
Pork Galbi is a definite favorite and I order this cut whenever I stop by. 

If you're worried about the smoke, you'll find that they have a handy dandy little exhaust vacuum. This vacuum keeps the heat and smoke at bay and you need not worry about leaving the resto smelling like barbecue.

My resident Korean food expert of a friend, Ross, told us that it's usually the host who does all the cooking. Sometimes, the "Maknae" or the youngest does the cooking too. However, since we were all giddy little foodies, we just definitely had to do a bit of cooking. If you're not a fan of all the grilling, the waiters will be very happy to help. 

That's Ross in white and me ready with the meat shears, haha.

Almost ready!

Looks really good now *q*
If you look closely, you'd see that we're grilling peppers and garlic as well.
Those ones are for the wrap. It helps intensify the flavor.

You get a lot of other goodies as soon as you order. You get free soup, usually miso or seaweed, which are Korean meal staples. You'll also get a plate of sweet bean kimchi, another plateful of the usual kimchi, a bowl of beautiful fresh greens, and a bowl of sweet potato.

Our table's looking really bountiful right there : ) Excuse my Wintermelon tea, lol.

The bowl of greens is full of lettuce leaves, mint leaves, green chili peppers and garlic. These leaves are used for wrapping and you grill the peppers and garlic for extra flavor. I'm not really big on the mint leaves since it makes my throat itch a bit, maybe that's just me, or maybe it's some acquired taste?

What we have here is some miso paste (at least that what the waiter said) and more garlic. I didn't get a shot of the sauces but you'll get one small saucer of sesame oil with salt, sugar and more garlic and another of what tasted like sweet vinegar and soy sauce.

Definitely a favorite! This one is sweet bean kimchi. I've never had anything like it in any other korean restaurant.

And here's the usual kimchi :3 I'm a big fan of their kimchi, it beats the one we have at home.

And here are the sweet potatoes. You can eat it raw but it gets a lot softer and sweeter when you roast them.

When the meat is finally cooked, you can eat it with rice or wrap it with the leaves. I don't really wrap my meat with rice but that's how my friends usually do it. The usual formula for me is meat dipped in sauce, a lot of sweat bean kimchi, a piece of roasted garlic, and lastly, a piece of roasted pepper. Then eat it in one big mouthful!

This is a wrap by Trixia. She likes rice in her wrap and a lot less Kimchi.

 We also ordered some soup, just to try it out. We ordered some Bibim Naemyun.

So pretty. One of the things I love Korean Food is just how good it always looks no matter rough they put everything together. 

Bibim Naemyun is actually a cold soup dish. My ramen loving tongue was quite surprised by this. It needs some getting used to.

Just look at that color. Contrary to its intimidating facade, this soup is actually refreshing. It's like a sweeter version of Tom Yum. It's sweet, a little sour, and cool. The noodles are very chewy and the flavor is a little rich. They'll give you a small bowl of Gochujang, which is a red hot pepper paste and another bowl of what looks like mustard - that one has a lot of kick. You'll feel the intensity of the spiciness once you've taken one nice gulp. Smashing!

Over all, Makchang provided us with a very memorable experience. The food is great, the service is just as great and you get great value for what you pay for. My only wish? They add some Bibimbap to their menu. Definitely going back!


Makchang is located along Adriatico, right across Robinson's Place, Manila.
It's open from 11:00am up to 4:00am

Wedding Season! The Villanueva-Mangrobang Nuptials

 04.28.12

Man, I feel old. Hahaha,
The gang at the Villanueva-Mangrobang Nuptials.
Groom Robbie looks dashing, channeling his inner Jeremy Renner.
Bride Maybel shines with her Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, inspired gown.

If the opening photo doesn't give it away, I just attended my first wedding this year. Hahaha. And for a change, I attended as a guest - as a friend of the groom here, groomie Rupert Francis Mangrobang :]

The date was April 28, 2012, about twenty months prior, Robbie - as how I call Rupert - shared that he was keen on his plans on marrying Maybel. When he told me this, I thought it was super awesome that a young man like him had a set plan for the future. Apparently, he promised her that they'd get married before they reach the age of thirty. And that he did!

Robbie has served as a dedicated class beadle for our quite lively law school class. He's very diligent so I know and trust that he will make a good pillar. Maybel was equally endearing. They surely made a lovely couple.

It was an awesome wedding held at Malabon Meeting Hall where Robbie and Ate Maybel's brothers and sisters celebrate and praise. The ceremony was a proud proclamation of the marriage, much unlike the weddings I am used to. It was a refreshing sort of change : )

Anyway, more photos!

Mirror Shot. As always, lol. Before tweaking the camera settings, haha.
[Aza, left, Me - Center and Garrie, Right.]
That's one half of the full VerusMen gang, hahaha.

Me with Garrie minutes before the ceremony started.  Mara Panda doing a cameo behind us haha. 
Dolly eye contact lens courtesy of Soigne Amore : )

Photobooth?
Me with the ever animated Aza, haha.

Some stairs shot, hahaha.

Sporting nudes for my pointers. I always go nude when it comes to formal occasions like these : )
Nude polish by BNC Nail Color by Daewon Cosmetics

The bridal car :D

And, finally, photos with the rest of our class : )

Anime Opening Scene-ish hahaha.
(Top) From Left to Right Garrie, Mara, Dexter, Rena, Martin, Rollie, Eric and Richelle.
Then there's Aza and Me : )

I'm not sure what I was trying to do here, haha.

And one last final cutesy shot : )

Surely, it's the season for weddings and it's not even June yet! In a few I'll be attending a friend's bridal shower too. I've never been to one, haha, so I'm not sure what to expect. Well, still, exciting things!

*All photos by Ann Garrie Lapuz : )

Handy Dandy Rabbit! Rabito Cases for Phones

04.22.12

I am quite old fashioned when it comes to gadgets. In fact, all of my gadgets are in black, and the cases are too.

With my cams, I opt for sleek black carriers. The same goes for my laptop. All of my phones are also confined in their black leather casing. However, there are times when I find casings that are just too cute to pass up.

Enter Rabito.

Argh. So cute.

Rabito cases are like the usual cartoon cases on the market. They have ears too, only a lot cuter – and a lot less cartoon-y. Bunny ears, how can you resist? It’s made out of silicone and very durable. This particular design also comes in many different colors of purple, baby blue, black, white, pink, baby pink and yellow. I wasn’t able to take a proper photo of the other colors since I snagged the last piece of the purple one too fast.

I will probably get another color or two. Well, definitely!

Adding another wonderful thing to my collection. 

Life sure is wonderful!

Boxing It Up! Cooking and Bentos

4.21.12






I love food. I mean, who doesn’t?!


Eating out and discovering new places is sort of a family hobby. While my parents stick well to our Filipino food and Chinese cuisune, my sister and I are quite adventurous with food. Which is why we love exploring new places (which you’ll read much about later on). But more than eating and taking photos of food, I absolutely love cooking. It’s one of my most favorite things in life! In fact, when I feel down and out of it, I just check out the fridge and whip something up, works every time!


I cook by feeling, if that makes sense. Baking for me – is more like an exact science. With cooking, you put a dash of this, a pinch of that, mix it up however you like it – however you love it. And after everything, you look at it – your own piece of art, take a photo or two for memories and enjoy it.

My typical Bento. It's a Gamer Bento!
It's a ps3 controller, it just doesn't translate well, haha.

When I started picking up blogging again, I thought I’d have a hard time thinking of food-centric things to write about, but I remembered how much I love eating and making food. And I thought, what better first post than bento?

Another Gamer Bento. Does it look like Demyx from Kingdom Hearts?

Bento making is a kind of Japanese household art that centers around the crafting of a beautiful lunch. And when I say beautiful, I mean, stunning. (Mine, not really, but I try! Haha.) If you search around the net, you’d  find that these things are really quite intricate, well decorated and most of all, well balanced. You’ll find supplies on the internet for just about every detail of this specific art.

These Red Sakura Bento boxes are from Saizen.

This bento is a simple Orange Chicken and Chicken Teriyaki Bento

plus the 'mandatory' eggs and octopus sausages.

Back in the day, I’d have to look around Duty Free or order elsewhere to get some of my bento boxes, and the like. Luckily, these days places like, Saizen, Japan Home Center and Cent Shops now carry these little pieces for everyone to enjoy.

Lastly, my Vocaloid Bento of the Kagamine twins.

Has two kinds of sausages and rolls plus Vanilla Chicken. 

It was a hit last time I brought it to a picnic : )

Practice does make things perfect. My friends have been asking me to document the process, I will probably do that in the future when I get better at it. Maybe one day, I will have enough experience to create the most intricate bento ever. Hopefully, I’d remember to blog about it too : )










Life sure is wonderful : )

Here Comes the Spring

04.20.12

First Dress-up Post!

Probably one of my favorite dresses, ever. : )

 Rakuten Chiffon Floral Dress | Accessorize floral head piece |
Tomato bangles | from Korea fluffy wedges :3



x x x

The world sure is wonderful : )

Wonder Wanderer

04.19.12

Hi I'm Ein, and this is my little space!

I've had a lot of short attempts at blogging but I keep trying anyway. This is my nth time now but I'm quite hopeful!

If I keep track of something, I will most definitely get things done.

Motivation is the key.




x x x
Life sure is wonderful : )