Lunch at Namoo House | Great Food with Great Company

It's been a while since I got to tag along with one of my sister's events. (You can check out here blog here) Thanks to my 2-week break, I joined her in experiencing the newly-opened Namoo House at Uptown Parade! Originally named Maple Tree House, the Korean word for Maple Tree, Namoo, was used instead since the name had already been registered in the Philippines. It's a premium Korean barbeque restaurant that promises a relaxed environment where you don't need to be all fancy to enjoy, which I really think they've achieved!

Gorgeous warm tones and Soju bottles make up the interior!

Now, onto the food we got to try! :D

The barbeque meats are served with these side dishes. From left to right starting from the top, you get Spring Onion Salad, Kimchi Radish, Kimchi, Salad with Truffle Sauce, Sesame Leaves and Lettuce Leaves, Sliced Garlic, Ssamjang (Spicy Barbeque Sauce), King Oyster Mushroom, Spinach, and lastly, Pickled Garlic.

The first was the Aged USDA Prime Striploin (795PHP for 150G) - a premium slab of beef aged to improve flavor and texture.

When you order their meats, it is grilled for you by their friendly staff and you can tell them the level of doneness you prefer. According to the owner, Mr. Jun Park, the meats are best at Medium so you can still taste the premium flavors of the aged meat.

You can either eat the meat just as is and dipping it in the toasted rock salt and sesame oil sauce they provide you, or you can also wrap it in the lettuce leaves or sesame leaves with the other side dishes like in the photo above.

I personally love eating them with just the meat and the toasted rock salt and sesame oil dip because the quality of the meat is just so good! It really is very naturally flavorful, but it isn't in-your-face like bacon. So hard to explain but it's very good! :)

Next up is the Kurobota Pork Belly. (595PHP for 150G)

When grilling pork, they use a different type of grill. It isn't a crisscross mesh like when they cook beef, they use this slightly convex broad grill so that any excess fat from the pork drips to the side and doesn't create a big flame in the middle of the grill.

The pork itself is really flavorful as well. Even more flavorful than the Aged Striploin! But then again, this is probably because of the fat of the pork. Hehe. On the upper right of the photo above, you can see the toasted rock salt & sesame oil dip. It's really so perfect for dipping grilled meat!

I also tried the Kurobota Pork with the Sesame Leaf with a slice of King Oyster Mushroom and Spring Onion Salad. It was my first time trying Sesame Leaf and I was expecting a sort of toasted flavor. Instead, it really reminded me of mint leaves and had a strong herbal flavor. I personally prefer the lettuce leaf but you guys should definitely try this as well!

Saving the best for last, they served the marinated short ribs as the final grilled dish. (750PHP for 150G)

The short ribs are marinated for at least 24 hours so I was especially excited for this one! Not only does the pineapple marinade make the meat super flavorful, but it's sure to make it even more tender. :D

Mr. Park encouraged us to just eat it as is because it's too good to eat with anything else and he was *so right* :O

I'm not too keen on food with pineapple but I can definitely say that I fell in love with this so much! Tender and sweet! I'm still not over this dish! It's perfect when you eat it with a piece of pineapple and then dipping it in the rock salt dip.

After all the grilled amazingness, we were served the Stone Bowl Bibimbab. (395PHP)

Their Bibimbab uses brown rice, cucumber slices, carrots, beansprouts, ground beef, spinach, mushrooms, and a raw egg served on a bed of fish roe. You can mix it with either the soy sauce and the gochujang or spicy sauce. We mixed it with the Gochujang because this was the true Korean way. Taste-wise, it doesn't really differ from the other Bibimbabs I've tried, even when I was in Korea! So you can expect a great classic bibimbab when you visit Namoo House. Personally, I would enjoy this with twice the amount of Gochujang to make it more flavorful and I think it would be better if the rice was bit drier.

One of my personal favorites was the Special Beef Rib Soup! (475PHP)

Seriously one of the best bowls of comfort food I could ever imagine, this soup is meaty and hearty and apparently, a great hangover cure. Haha! The meat from the beef rib falls off so easily and tastes absolutely amazing on its own, but you can also dip it in the light sauce that comes with the soup. Perfect soup for sharing! :)

Next is the Bean Paste Stew (195PHP for Small, 350PHP for Large)

It's a simple clear soup made with spicy bean paste. There are spring onions and silky cubes of tofu. I really love spicy soups so this was great for me. It's a great soup to enjoy with barbeque or actually on a rainy day. Very comforting as well! :)

After a hearty meal here at Namoo House, they offer their customers a complementary cup of Cold Plum Tea which is good for digestion. It's sweet and tart and refreshing! I actually enjoyed this more than their House Blend Iced Tea. Haha! Definitely going to go the nearest Korean market to get me some plum tea! :D

And that pretty much wraps up my experience at Namoo House. I had so much fun, the price range is fair, and your food is promised to be cooked with so much care. So many good things to say about this restaurant and it's definitely worth a try. I know I'm definitely coming back here when I get the chance!

Namoo House is located at Uptown Parade, 38th Street cor. 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines.