Cebu is home to a number of Korean restaurants maybe this is because of the presence of Korean tourists, students and those who decided to do business and live here. Cebuanos have also been hooked to Korean food because of their curiosity and influence of Korean pop culture.
One of the newest Korean restaurants in town and has been trending lately is Samgrupsalamat. It’s a restaurant brand from Manila that trended on social media because of it’s location below a fitness gym. The restaurant opened in 2012 and currently has over 30 branches in Luzon, and they recently opened their first branch in Cebu.
Samgyupsalamat was coined from the Korean word “samgyupsal” which means pork belly and “salamat” which means thank you in Filipino. They offer unlimited Korean barbecue, side dishes, rice and soup. Their meat selection includes 5 kinds of pork and 5 kinds of beef. Customers have the option to choose from Unlimited 1, which comes with unlimited pork or Unlimited 2, which comes with unlimited pork and beef. Both options already comes with unlimited side dishes, rice, soup, and a pitcher of iced tea. Minimum of 2 person is required to dine unless you are willing to pay for 2 if you are dining alone.
Pricing
Unlimited 1
Happy Hour* (11am-3pm) : Php399
Regular Hour (3pm-2am) : Php449
Unlimited 2
Happy Hour* (11am-3pm) : Php449
Regular Hour (3pm-2am) : Php499
*Happy Hour prices are not applicable on weekends and holidays.
Review
The first time we tried dining at Samgyupsalamat was during dinner time on a Friday night. We were number 16 on the list, waited for some time, and decided to back out because the queue moves really slow and we’re already hungry. There’s no time limit so customers can stay as long as they want. I came back with my friend Doyzkie of TastyCebuPH, this time during their slow hours. We arrived at 4pm and there were only few people dining so we got a table right away. We chose Unlimited 2 option which cost Php499 per person.
They first served the side dishes, which are 10 kinds in total. The selection includes 2 kinds of soup, iceberg lettuce, sweet potatoes, kimchi, egg soufflé, salad, rice, and 2 kinds of radish. The setup also includes 4 dipping sauces.
We first tried Yangnyum Beef and I was blown away! It was really good! The meat is juicy, sweet and creamy at the same time. We also tried Boolgogi and Gochujang which are lighter version in terms of flavor of Yangnyum Beef. We then tried Sarsa Beef which is sweet and has a kick of spiciness. For the pork selection, we only got to try Dae-Pae and Yangnyum Dae-Pae. Dae-Pae is your regular samgyupsal cut into strips. It doesn’t have a seasoning so it’s the best part to dip in the sauces. While, Yangnyum Dae-Pae is a little sweet and comes in thick cut.
Staff are generally friendly at Samgyupsalamat but they can be more attentive. Asking for refills is also quick as soon as you get their attention, and the portion that they serve is a lot. Make sure you don’t have any leftovers though because you might get charged.
Samgyupsalamat is located at the 2nd Floor of The Ridges in Mabolo (besides Sykes). They are open from 11am to 2am daily. I suggest going before the peak hours to avoid the line. Going during happy hours will also save you some cash. They accept credit card and cash payment and service charge is already included on the prices.
