Korean Village: The Way I (Will) Remember It

- Feb. 24, 2023, Friday.

- Before the battalion of unlimited samgyupsal restaurants shaped the way Filipinos understand Korean food, there was Korean Village in Malate. It was "THE" Korean restaurant, and one of the earliest Korean restaurants in the heart of Manila. It opened in 1978, and was the go-to Korean restaurant of many Manilenos. It was owned by the Filipino-Korean Tallos family. Recently, it became the talk of the town once more, because the current owner decided to close the restaurant after many years. Obviously, I had to go for one final meal.

Kamsahamnida!

- Due to the proximity of Malate to Chinatown, many Chinoys or Chinese-Filipinos had their first taste of Korean food in Korean Village. If I remember correctly, I was introduced to Korean food here as well. I couldn't remember much of what I ate in the past because we didn't always go there. However, I had a personal connection with Korean Village in the late 2000s just as the Korean Wave or "hallyu" was gaining popularity in the Philippines. I had frequent trips there with friends who were also interested in all things Korean. I remember celebrating a few birthdays there, and receiving my first ever K-Pop CD as a birthday gift from my friend (a SHINee CD, of course!) Back then, Korean CDs and other fan merchandise could be only bought in Korea or other Northeast-Asian countries. It wasn't long after those were sold in the Philippines as well. I also remember eating in Korean Village after watching SHINee live - and for free! - in 2009 when they performed at the 60th Korea-Philippines Friendship Festival at CCP. However, I ate at Korean Village less and less in the past decade due to the emergence of many authentic Korean restaurants, and of course, the unlimited samgyupsal craze. I also regularly went to Korea before the pandemic for conferences and other events, so I didn't long for Korean food too much. But despite that, Korean Village was still an important part of my formative years as a hallyu fan. Because of all these reasons, I just had to go back to Korean Village even when it meant braving the long lines of other nostalgia-filled diners.

- I met my friend Sharmaine in Korean Village, and it took us more than an hour before being seated. The restaurant was too overwhelmed by the number of customers since they never had very long lines ever (at least, that's what we were told.) 

A former student of mine was inside, and saw me standing outside the window. She took this photo to show how miserably hungry I was.

- I was surprised to see celebrity chef Margarita Fores who dined that noon and met with the owner. According to her during our brief small talk, she tried to convince the owner to not close down this jewel of a restaurant, to no avail. (I was told that the owner had medical conditions that needed a long time to treat.) Margarita Fores was one of many famous people who went to Korean Village for one last bite. That's how significant Korean Village is/was!

With Chef Margarita Fores. (If y'all don't know her, she owns Cibo!)

- Sharmaine and I were eventually seated, and had budae chigae (Korean army stew), a plate of assorted raw meat for grilling, and haemul pajeon (seafood pancake). It was a simple meal (well OK the budae chigae was quite big for the two of us!) with some of the many must-haves!

My favorite "look at me I'm grilling" pose.

We're enjoying our food.

Budae chigae.

Super spontaneous meetup but I'm glad we met again! We haven't seen each other since....maybe a year or two?

- After dining, I had one last photo with the restaurant, and as you can notice, I didn't shy away from wearing my hanbok, because why not! 

A last look.

Annyeonghaseyo.

- Korean Village holds a place in my heart and the hearts of many. Korean Village closed on the 25th of February 2023, the day after I ate. The long line was worth it for a place that meant so much! Kamsahamnida, Korean Village!