A premium Korean BBQ spot that’s worth your salt
With so many Korean barbecue restaurants in Metro Manila, how do you know which one is worth spending your hard-earned money on?
The easiest way to know is whether the most important factors are covered: a good selection of quality meats, variety of (unlimited) banchan, and an experience that won’t leave you smelling of smoke and wanting more out of the waitstaff service.
And if you find yourself in Sogeum by Soban at Opus Mall, you’d understand that this newcomer hits all the standards—and more—of a traditional Korean barbecue experience.
Sogeum by Soban arrives in the Bridgetowne F&B scene with little fanfare, but this fifth restaurant concept from Korean restaurateur Sung Rah in partnership with Diana Tan David, Donna Tan Ng, and Dotz Tan Dee of Happyfoods Group of Restaurants—the same group behind Sariwon, Soban K-Town Grill, Sibyullee Unlimited Korean BBQ, and Samsam Chikin Korean Cafe + Kitchen—is an exciting new venture that luxuriates the Korean BBQ experience for Filipinos.
Unlike most Korean barbecue restaurants, Sogeum by Soban’s interior is designed to be devoured. Shiny brass pillars function as the foremost design elements that lure the eyes; even the stainless steel exhaust pipes flanked on both sides by warm pendant lights are enclosed in the same brass cages for uniformity. Dark green and navy come to the fore via comfortable booths and loose seating. On the table, grays, blacks, and golds transform the generally casual communal eating experience into a lesson in simple decadence.
More than a grain of salt
Salt is also an intentional jumping-off point for the Sogeum philosophy—not just because the restaurant name translates to “salt,” but more so for the role this component plays in distilling the essence of great Korean cuisine. Here, three signature salt varieties set Sogeum by Soban from its competition: cheon ilyeom (thousand-day aged sea salt), nokcha sogeum (green tea salt), and Himalayan pink salt.
Each distinct salt possesses a complexity in flavors that draw out and harness the meat’s robust succulence, for instance on the USDA saeng galbisal (boneless beef short ribs) or the samgyupsal staple. As the servers pull down the shiny exhaust pipe and stoke the charcoal to cook the meat for you, slip back into the menu to find some assorted gems beyond the grilled mains.
Case in point: a warm bowl of mul galbi (US beef short ribs) swimming in a slightly spicy, collagen-rich both made from marrow bones boiled for over six hours. It rips through your taste buds (in a good way) as you sip, slurp, and bite into the medley of 11 fresh vegetables, mushrooms, glass noodles, and rice cakes. Here, it’s all about texture—compressing and cramming ingredients into a bubbling soup full of soul with a side of sweet vinegar dip.
Filipino pork lovers will have their hands and mouths full with Sogeum’s full-blown take on Bo Ssam. This Korean knockout flexes and hypes with its enormous spread of European pork slices—slow-simmered in soju and fermented soybean paste, then generously served with lettuce and cabbage wraps you can replenish to your heart’s content. Have it with a crisp musaengchae (radish kimchi) to pile onto and cut through the pork, and don’t forget the umami-rich saeujeot (fermented baby shrimp) to dip into for an extra salty punch.
Elsewhere on the menu are street food favorites betting big on familiarity and innovation. Springy and spicy rice cakes (tteokbokki) get a creamy and next-level rosé spin, while the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) and caramelized dak gangjeong (Korean fried chicken) both bank on classic flavors.
So, is the latest entry of another Korean barbecue restaurant turning up the heat on Bridgetowne’s bid to become Manila’s newest food neighborhood? Only time will tell, but Sogeum by Soban’s arrival at Opus Mall is a welcome addition for good reason. Recent years have shown that demand for Korean barbecue, including all-you-can-eat restaurants, remains popular among Filipinos, owing to the value for money such establishments provide.
Their popularity has also surged in large part because of the Filipino fascination with Korean pop culture—from music and entertainment to skincare and food.
And while plant-based alternatives are being considered by more Filipinos according to a 2024 Rakuten Insight survey (45 percent of those surveyed have tried plant-based meat alternatives for health reasons), meat still makes up a substantial amount of Filipino diets.
With such a carnivorous appetite for meat, particularly pork, Korean barbecue restaurants like Sogeum by Soban will always be appealing choices for meat-loving Filipinos.
Sogeum by Soban is located at 2/F Opus, Bridgetowne Destination Estate, Opus, Bridgetowne Blvd corner C-5, Quezon City. Follow @sogeumbysoban on Facebook and Instagram
