Try Korean and Japanese treats that fit your palate

Following the success of Wee Nam Kee, Osaka Ohsho, and Kumori, The Relish Group introduced in 2015 their first homegrown concept: Rock and Seoul.

A play to 'rock and roll,' Rock and Seoul incorporated three concepts into one restaurant: the growing fondness of Filipinos for K-Pop, the increasing awareness for healthy eating, and the consistent love of Filipinos for rice.

"Innovation is very key to the group. We’ve come up with strong concepts over the years and we continue to stay relevant by coming up with new products and new concepts," said Linfred Yap, managing partner of the Relish Group.

Rock and Seoul is a 'make your own bibimbap' fast-casual restaurant, which serves Korean-fusion meals. Yap explained, 'rock' was for the rock dish the bibimbap is cooked in and 'Seoul' is in homage to Korea.

He said they had a consultant on Korean cuisine who is also knowledgable on different foods around the globe.

Before launching the restaurant, Yap and his partners first had to test their food and the branding they were to execute. They also settled into a fast-casual food concept to reach a wider base of customers.

Meanwhile, Relish Group's Kumori offers traditional bread with a Japanese spin as well as the famous half-baked Japanese cheesecake called Juku.

"Bread is a staple part of our everyday life in the Philippines—people have it for breakfast, people have it for merienda, snack and some have it also for light lunch," Yap said.

Kumori was so well-received by Filipinos that the Relish Group is already mulling opening it for franchise.

Yap attributed their five years of steady success to a strong team, starting from his partners to their management teams on ground. Awareness of customer feedback, he added, also helped them fix problems immediately.

But with more and more competition going into the market, he maintained "it’s gonna be the survival of the fittest and we’re really going to have to stay on top of our game to make sure that we can continue to stay productive."

He noted that while they're not as fast in expanding as other restaurant chains, they see new opportunities in bringing fresh concepts into the Philippine market, like Peruvian-Japanese cuisine.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Food shorts: Mooncakes, dim sum, sukiyaki

MANILA -- Here are some restaurant deals and new food offerings that you may want to check out.

These are not endorsed by ABS-CBNnews.com.

Sukiyaki at Osaka Ohsho

 Osaka Ohsho at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall offers new sukiyaki offerings to its diners this rainy season. The “New Sukiyaki Festival” delivers three different versions of the Japanese one-pot meal classic. And since Osaka Ohsho is the “King of Gyoza” with over 380 stores in Japan, these creations also include a topping or three of their famous steamed and pan-fried dumplings.

Called the Asari Gyoza Sukiyaki Soup, asari which means “clam” in Japanese is the star of this soup. A generous helping of clams, vermicelli noodles, vegetables, nori, as well as three pieces of Osaka Ohsho’s Nori Gyoza swim in a fragrant miso-clam broth. This sukiyaki while being full of ingredients still is very light and refreshing.

Chicken is highlighted in the second sukiyaki. This dish was reminiscent of chicken noodle soup, but his time with vermicelli instead of macaroni or spaghetti. A medley of mushrooms, carrots, as well as three pieces of Original gyoza, joins the chicken and noodles in a miso soup base. Ideal for those that might want something more conventional to the palate, or seemingly ideal for those under the weather.

Then there is their version of the classic Beef Sukiyaki. Coming in a bigger serving compared to the two, the Osaka Ohsho Beef Sukiyaki can easily feed two people, and has all the essentials of the one-pot meal -- beef, vermicelli noodles, Japanese tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, and a raw egg. While this is not cooked tableside, as it is traditionally done, a big bowl comes to your table with boiling hot beef broth that is sweet and rich, mix fast to cook the raw egg. Perfect for cold rainy days or whenever. -- Joko Magalong

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Hand-crafted mooncakes at New World Manila Bay Hotel

New World Manila Bay Hotel celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival by featuring handcrafted mooncakes, packaged in red and metallic ladies faux leather handbag boxes.

Each box contains either four large or six small pieces of mooncakes. A box of mooncake costs P2,588. But if you want to buy in individual pieces, small mooncakes cost P288, while the large ones cost P588 each.

The mooncakes are available in different flavors, such as Double Yolk Lotus Paste, Double Yolk White Lotus Paste, Double Yolk Red Bean Paste, Five Seed and Crispy Milk Cream.

Guests can purchase mooncakes at the Lobby Shop of New World Manila Bay Hotel in Malate, Manila until September 27.

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White lotus mooncakes at Edsa Shangri-La, Manila

 Edsa Shangri-La, Manila brings the legendary white lotus mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This handmade delicacy has a lotus paste filling with salted egg, wrapped with a thin golden brown crust. They are also available in traditional flavors, such as red bean, mixed nuts, green tea and chestnut.

Imprinted on the mooncakes are the Chinese characters for harmony and longevity. They are packaged in elegant boxes designed with gold touches.

The square box contains four large pieces of mooncakes, while the rectangular box contains eight small pieces. The price starts at P2,388+ per box.

Available until September 27.

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Deals at Cucina, Lung Hin of Marco Polo Ortigas

 For P888, guests can enjoy traditional Cantonese dim sum delights like Steamed Pork Siomai in Truffle Sauce and Steamed Barbecue Pork Bun from Lung Hin's resident dim sum chef Ka Ming Pun from Hong Kong.

A wide selection of fried and steamed dim sum is available, along with various soup, noodles or rice and congee. After the main course, you can complete the meal with sweets like the Masachi Black Sesame Dumpling and Chilled Osmanthus Jelly.

Meanwhile, the hotel's Cucina restaurant brings back its "7 Days, Seven Reasons to visit Cucina" promo.

Every Monday, guests can savor the Grilled Foie Gras with Chicken Jus or the Mango Chutney and Brioche paired with Roasted Prime Rib.

A variety of the Spanish delicacy paella will be served on Tuesdays. Wednesdays will feature Italian recipes, such as Classic Milanese Risotto, Four Cheese Pizza and Beer-battered Spiced Aubergine.

On Thursday, authentic Catalan dishes are prepared by the hotel’s executive chef, who is a Catalan local. Guests will surely cry T.G.I.F as they will be serving lechon, sisig, and kare kare, among other Filipino comfort food every Friday.

Various Valrhona chocolate-infused sweet treats will delight Saturdays, while Sundays will be full of seafood wonders.

Wines, cocktails, and other beverages will be served to complement the flavor of the main dishes.

The buffet starts at P1,500+ per person. Children aged 7 to 12 years old are charged half the price, while those aged from 6 years old and below can eat for free.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com