WHENEVER my husband Raff and I are on a lunch date in Ayala Center-Makati, we always head for Glorietta 4’s Food Choices to pay Kim n’ Chi a visit. It’s a small Korean fast-food stall towards the end of Food Choices, and they serve delicious Korean meals in hefty portions for an affordable price.
Raff and I actually ‘discovered’ Kim n’ Chi at Glorietta 4 a few Christmasses ago when, after doing last-minute Christmas shopping in the area and spending a lot of time queueing at the counter, our tummies angrily growled and we decided to take a break for dinner. Of the food stalls at Food Choices, Kim n’ Chi had one of the longest lines, and that caught our curiosity. We stepped forward for a look and saw their glass display of the dishes that they serve, and all of them were huge servings. So we picked what we wanted to eat and stood in line to order it. Since we’re both seafood persons, we both chose the Seafood Omu-Rice, which was both Japanese and Korean in origin, Omu-Rice being an omelette filled with rice and topped with ketchup. In Japanese restaurants, it’s sometimes nicknamed ‘Ketchup Rice.’
When it came our turn to order, however, the lady at the counter said there was no more Seafood Omu-Rice. So Raff and I frantically re-read the menu and picked Grilled Chicken, a set meal served with rice and sidings, priced at the same affordable P119 as the Omu-Rice choices of Seafood Omu-Rice, Beef Omu-Rice and Garlic Sausage Omu-Rice. We were given a round-ish buzzer which said “Please pick up your order at the pick-up counter when I light up and buzz.” Cool! A buzzer with lights to call our attention when our order is ready. No need to stand on the side to wait for our order. No need to bring a flag or a tag with number. We could just bring the buzzer with us, take our seats in the dining area, and just claim our order when the buzzer lights up and vibrates.
To our surprise, the Grilled Chicken, served bento style just like in Japanese restaurants, was good. The chicken portion was generous, and the set meal came with sidings of Chapchae (Korean stir-fried glass noodles), skewered kani (crabsticks) with meatloaf strips and celery (or is it leeks?), two pieces of egg and nori maki with crabstick filling, and a small amount of lightly fried alamang. It’s like eating in a Korean restaurant, where you are given all sorts of appetizers in small portions. By the time you’re done with your meal, you’re fully satisfied.
Needless to say, the Grilled Chicken became our instant favorite, and Kim n’ Chi, our favorite place to dine at Glorietta 4.
We’ve made several trips back to Kim n’ Chi after that initial encounter, so much so that one of the ladies at the counter remembers Raff as the customer who once instructed, “Wag masyadong sunog ang Grilled Chicken ha.” (Don’t burn the Grilled Chicken too much, please.) Sharp memory! Commendable.
One time, Raff and I finally got to taste the Seafood Omu-Rice that we had originally wanted to taste that first time at Kim n’ Chi. It was good. The portion size of the mussels, shrimps and squid rings wasn’t bitin. The Omu-Rice, with the pipings of ketchup and mayo on top of the perfectly wrapped rice-filled omelette, was good. But the sauce of the seafood kinda overpowered the omelette rice. It was too strong for our taste. Every time we’re at Kim n’ Chi, though, a lot of other customers order the Beef Omu-Rice, so the Beef Omu-Rice should be good.
Another must-try at Kim n’ Chi is the Seafood Ramyon (P119). It’s the Korean version of the Chinese noodle soup. If you like your noodles with hot and flavorful soup, you can also try the Mild Ramyon (P85) or the Sukiyaki (P70).
Raff and I have also ordered the Chapchae, which is a full portion of stir-fried glass noodle dish with thin beef strips, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil.
Other items on Kim n’ Chi’s lean but mean menu are Beef Stew Set Meal (P119), Vienna Sausage Set Meal (P119), Beef Stew (P105), Beef Barbecue (P100), Chicken Barbecue (P100), Pork Barbecue (P100), Beef Bulgogi (P99), Grilled Chicken (P105), Grilled Liempo (P99), Pork Chop (P85), Sukiyaki (P95), Squid Bulgogi (P99), Dumpling Soup (P105) and Bibimbap (P120).
