Long lines are usually a good sign that the food is worth the wait. While the line to be seated…read morewrapped around the building, we couldn't leave the area we were exploring without partaking in this Korean BBQ experience! Once the waitstaff understood that we were there to eat our hearts out, they kept the bottomless accouterments coming! At one point, we had 4 different waitstaff stopping by our table every five minutes to bring us more of something delicious. Everything was fresh and good quality. Know before you go: 1. Make sure you know what's included in your order and what's extra. The waitstaff is more than happy to help make sense of it all. 2. Come wearing stretchy pants! You will undoubtedly eat more than you intended! 3. Bring your own hand wipes. The paper towels provided just don't cut it! I mean, it's BBQ! Plan on getting messy. Between the healthy portions, attentive waitstaff, and the casual atmosphere that teeters on gritty, we had an amazing culinary experience! I would definitely come back to this restaurant.

I love Korean BBQ but I honestly love it more in the Philippines. Why? Restaurants get their meat…read morestraight from the butcher shop so it's guaranteed fresh and never frozen. This is the reason why meat tastes better and tastier. We are glad to have a host family while I'm visiting the Philippines who knows good food, like honest to goodness must places to eat. One day, we were brought to this place right in the heart of Manila. The place might be small but the dining experience was gigantic. We enjoyed an AYCE for Php 580 with unlimited choices of pork and beef. The choices were so many that we just opted to get all beef. So many also were the banchans. When the server brought them out and laid in our table, there was no space left uncovered with these tiny plates and bowls of side dishes. Aside from that, we also requested for the steamed egg and tofu soup. Best part of the meal? You don't do the grilling because the server cooks all the meat for you. Ha! That's nothing unheard of here in the US. Overall, excellent service not just by the server but the entire staff. Definitely worth more than the money you pay for. I will definitely come back on my next trip to the Philippines.

It took us awhile to forgive Samgyupsalamat. At their Kapitan Tikong branch months ago, we were…read morevery unsatisfied with the tough meat they served us. We used to be regular customers there so we knew our meat. Our visit at this new branch redeemed us as regular customers again. We were so happy to be surprised by the extra space they have at the back; you'd think the branch is small if you only took a peek from the outside. It was a bit warm at first but they adjusted the aircon later on. Walls were painted black even in the restroom. Overall place looked simple and had that hole-in-the-wall vibe. Cleaning the front windows looks necessary though it amusingly matches the restaurant vibe. Service was good since they always got what we needed at fair waiting times. Refills came back loaded with food and the water pitcher really kept the service water cold. The free veggie leaves, dips, side dishes, steamed egg, and soup were impressive to the eyes and tongue. Be careful with the steamed egg because the bowl was insanely hot! We ordered two meats ala carte and they were excellent both in texture and flavor! To the management team: Thank you for impressing us, and we can only hope and wish you maintain the good quality of your food and service. Forget what I said about the windows; they still pass! :p

The food was good, meat were fresh, service is good. Could…read morestill be improved though on varieties of meat

I went to Lau Chan and ate a bowl of Shabu-Shabu by myself. I'm not even sorry. The secret to great…read moreShabu-shabu is soup, and my God Lau Chan has some of the best soup I have had the pleasure of experiencing EVER. I kinda wish I had this with someone else because there was no way I could have finished this stock by myself. I also wish I was a bit more adventurous with my selection, but then my order would become too expensive to enjoy. Still, I was happy with what I had. If you're coming over, make sure to bring friends. Lau Chan is best shared with other people.

Caveat: This was my first time eating shabu shabu so I am by no standard an expert. I'll be writing…read morethis review from a newcomer's first taste and as an American tourist. Shabu shabu seems to me kinda like pho in that it takes some experimenting to figure out how you like it, which, therefore, means you need to try it several times before you find your perfect combination. Or maybe I'm just the only person in the world who finds pho meh. After my experience at Lau Chan, I'm inclined to think the same about shabu shabu. Either we were ineffective at ordering the right combination or perhaps I just didn't like it. All I know is it wasn't a "love at first bite" experience as I've encountered with countless other new cuisines and as I was hoping based off the reviews. Helpful tourist information: This was a difficult spot for us to find. The restaurant is 4-5 blocks south of the Yelp map location. The servers didn't speak much English and even when we used Tagalog they didn't seem too keep on explaining or helping us with the menu. I'm not sure what people mean by cheap but our meal for two people (one large, sharable soup) was comparatively one of the most expensive in Manila. If you're into shabu shabu, according to the other reviews, Lau Chan seems like a great place to go. I wouldn't recommend going if you don't know much about it and think you'd have trouble communicating to the staff.

This is the best korean bbq in town!!! I've been eating here since 2011 and it's consistently good…read more Also, they are offering more banchans now.

Makchang With the restaurant name as our guide, we just had…read moreto try their exotic Makchang, which was mostly chewy, then crunchy outside from the grilling. We liked it enough to have a second round so if you're adventurous, I'd recommend this. Beef Galbi Among the meats we ordered, this is my favorite for its softness and sweetness. This ran out pretty fast! Samgyeopsal It's our all-time favorite everytime we go for Korean grills. Theirs was memorable for being crunchy, similar to chicharon or fried pork skins but cut very thin. Service It was pretty good but a bit of extra effort was needed to call servers' attention. There were times where everyone was in the kitchen or elsewhere. Ambience They have many tables. Place looks more casual than classy and it's pretty cozy. Upon entry, you'll smell barbecue. Upon leaving, you'll definitely smell like barbecue!

You get a plate with 2 types of raw beef. They will refill it as many times as you want. But you…read moreget penalized for left over food. One is thin cut, the other is thick like bacon. There are also prepared dishes, Kim chi, rice. The staff were fun. It's a busy place, can get kinda loud.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang truly one of the best international buffets in the Philippines along with Sofitel…read moreHotel before they closed down the Spiral Buffet. Excellent customer service along with international meals offered and plenty of food options at Cafe Ilang Ilang. By far this is one of our favorite hotel buffets in the Philippines. The International buffet has everything from traditional classic Filipino food items to Mediterranean, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican and American cuisine. There are so many food items and some of the food items they serve are not served at other eateries and restaurants as they are only exclusive here at Cafe Ilang Ilang. We look forward to our next visit and dining here at Cafe Ilang Ilang will family and friends. We will recommend Cafe Ilang Ilang to all our friends and family that frequent Philippines as we know they will absolutely like it here.

Was offered free buffets for 3 of the 4 people staying in the room. One person is a bit expensive…read morebut was definitely worth it if you have it for free. The service was nice and quick both when at the table and going through the buffet lines. There is a lot of tables so it can be a little loud and I'd recommend getting there early as it does fill up. The food itself was pretty tasty! If you're from abroad, it's a nice introduction to a lot of Filipino food while also providing comfort food for other cultures. Would recommend getting authentic Filipino cuisine elsewhere but still a nice option

Really good Korean food. We had the bimbimbap and seafood noodle soup. The service was efficient…read moreand quick.

The food was delicious and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. i was so admire and happy the ambiance…read morewas so great..I'll definitely be back!" Food is 1000/10 service is 100/10 ambiance 1000/10

Went here for dinner service and MAN- what a treat! I loved how most of the food is served to you…read morerather than scooping your own and the selections of dishes are well executed. The antipasti, butter and bread bar was pretty good, though the breads were soft, I wish some were served warm to go with 5-6 types of butter. The French food/pizza was good too, but they seemed the most busy or maybe short staffed. I stood there for a few minutes before anybody even acknowledged me. They had a few people bring cold lobster from a separate area asking for them to be grilled/warmed up. The Japanese/tempura was good. The hibachi was EH. There was just meat and seafood sitting on a slightly warm flat top. Then there was the sushi area that was slicing sashimi constantly. It was delicious! There was the cold seafood area, though the shrimp was cooked perfectly, it lacked seasoning... maybe salt the water next time? They had a sliced meat area, Indian food, dim sum, Thai, Filipino food, Chinese bbq meats, soup station... everything was good. As for the desserts... nothing too crazy- they have a few ice cream flavors, smaller desserts, halo halo, fruit, and a chocolate fountain. There was a guy walking around serving up some street style balut! Shout out to their bartender, Reymond, that made a Calamansi whiskey sour... complete with the egg white!!!

The experience was surprisingly nice and very enjoyable. It was like having a meal at your…read moregrandparent's house. The dishes were well-made, comfort food. Nothing earth shaking in terms of flavors, but everything tasted familiar - the way it should. I love this place for that. I'm not a big fan of fusion and deconstructed food dishes. We specifically loved their gambas, kare-kare, roast pork, leche flan. Apart from the good comfort food, what will make me return again and again to this place are the staff and the ambiance. - the staff - some of them have been with the Legarda family since tita Moning was alive. There was even a brochure write-up introducing all the staff to the guests. I love how the owner is goving much credit and appreciation to the staff. As a result, the staff were really very warm towards the guests. It wasn't just professional courtesy. I could feel that their service came from the heart (especially Tining). - the ambiance - too often, old ancestral houses converted to restaurants end up just being a shell structure of the house with a restaurant inside. This isn't so for La Cocina. One could still feel the heart and soul of the home as it once housed the Legarda family. It wasn't a restaurant in a shell structure of an old house. It was a restaurant in a home. At the end of the meal, it felt like we had eaten at our lola's house not in just any other restaurant.

Time travel and food is not a common combination to have, but stepping inside La Cocina De Tita…read moreMoning is to be transported back to Manila's opulent past. The restaurant-cum-ancestral house offers patrons a dining experience like no other. To start things off, you are given a tour of the mansion and told tidbits and stories pertaining to the Legarda family. The tour starts in the first floor and you gradually make your way up where you'll eventually be led to the dining area. Describing it as extravagant and exquisite is putting it mildly. There are rose petals strewn about the length of your table. There are literal bells you can pick up and ring to get the attention of the help. The whole experience is surreal. The food itself isn't bad. It's obviously inclined towards Spanish fare given the Legarda family's heritage. It's not the best though. Paying a visit to La Cocina De Tita Moning is something I'd recommend. Not for the food, but for the whole experience involved as a whole.