Mushroom pancake ($15.80)
Fried using enoki mushroom, this was really good and was something different from the usual kimchi pancake. It was so crispy on the outside and just right on the inside.
Recommend this!
Mulnaeng myeon ($15.80)
Mismatched portioning - Amount of buckwheat noodles was enough for 2 but they only gave one slice of beef??? Broth was good though
Kimchi is nice and all, but what if we, oh I dunno, upgraded it? Say we put beaten eggs, a batter mix of rice & wheat flour, and kimchi together and panfried it all? That’s right, kimchi pancakes are a terrific thing, and they’re the only acceptable form of carbs to have at a Korean BBQ.⠀
⠀
@mannakoreasg Kimchi Jeon ($17.80++) is every bit as fantastic as any other Korean restaurant worth their kimchi. The thickness of the batter is perfectly balanced as all things should be, providing just enough sponginess to satisfy your jaw while being thin enough to avoid becoming a grease sponge. ⠀
⠀
The starchy bits are regularly interspersed with bits of kimchi, delivering zaps of crunchy sourness that cuts right through the greasy, meaty haze of your meal. The edges are crisped up real good too for some delightful textural variation, an important but often overlooked factor for any food item.⠀
⠀
When you go for a spot of Korean BBQ at Manna, you can have your pancake and eat it too.
I’m kind of miffed that the Samgyeopsal ($26.80++) at @mannakoreasg was served to us still somewhat frozen. C’mon man, we’re already doing all the cooking, at least defrost the pork belly all the way through before serving it.⠀
⠀
However, the Jumulug, which is marinated beef sirloin ($40.80++), fared a whole lot better. Firstly, it’s properly thawed, so that’s nice, and secondly, the beef is remarkably well marbled, with stunning streaks of fat meandering through the sirloin. These sirloin slices are marinated in a soy sauce based marinade that’s simple yet sapid. The marinade adds salinity to the beef, accentuating the beefy, meaty flavours that everyone loves beef for. The sirloin, as you might’ve guessed, is sublimely tender after a stint on the grill and will melt in your mouth ever so slowly.⠀
⠀
I’d definitely recommend getting all the beef at Manna, and skipping the un-marinated pork belly. They may not treat the porcine right, but they do right by the bovine because they don’t want any beef.
Beef is always a must at any Korean barbecue, and @mannakoreasg Wang Saeng Kalbi ($42.80++ for a whole slab) is no exception to that rule. It’s a whole slab of marinated beef short ribs that certainly wasn’t short on flavour.⠀
⠀
As you can see, this beef is decent quality bovine with a respectable amount of fat marbling running through the ribs. Fat is flavour, and when coupled with the ample soy based marinade, this felicitously fatty & tremendously tender beef was such a decadent delight to devour. As you’re the grillmaster, you control the doneness of the Kalbi, but I’d definitely recommend getting it to a medium doneness to get the most flavour out of the fat while keeping the beef juicy.⠀
⠀
Pop it onto a lettuce leaf with some rice, some kimchi and beansprouts from the banchan smorgasbord served to your table, and season the beef even more with a dab of gochujang, then roll it all up. I love rolling up that good good, and you will too.
problem #1: service was poor. staff were not friendly and had to be waved at for several minutes before they responded
problem #2: meat was mediocre, no, subpar. we were going to order one particular type of beef but the waitress suggested the sirloin beef stating that it was nicer but while i was eating it, i momentarily got confused whether i was eating beef or chewing gum. the samgyeopsal was gamey too.
problem #3: they put paper on top of their grill which fair, would definitely help minimise their washing but the meat cannot char properly and if you eat samgyeopsal you would know that the best pork belly in korean bbq is always charred and crispy.
problem #4: the vege (which btw u have to pay extra for???? i've never seen this before...) that you normally use to make ssams was SMELLY. it smelled super off and we called the waitress to smell it and she made a face before bringing it back to the kitchen. $3.80 for smelly vegetable?? no thanks. (tmi but i'm having stomachaches and am in pain right now)
problem #5: the total bill for one beef + one pork + one yukaejang (which was underwhelming but no major complaints) came up to $100... for that small portion and low quality meat. what a ripoff. if you want to eat good korean bbq, go anywhere else but here. never coming back here again, it's really worth neither the calories, the money or the stomachache.
This features a base of silky slippery sweet potato glass noodles and crunchy bean sprouts, topped with tender bulgogi / marinated beef and bouncy squid, in a pleasant spicy savoury salty sweet gravy.
.
The ingredients pick up the taste profile of the gravy so well, with the bulgogi / marinated beef in particular complementing it with smoky meaty sweet savoury flavour. Yum.
.
.
.
ManNa Korean Restaurant
More details in profile & blog
For this, the large and fluffy moist haemul pajeon / seafood pancake is generously studded with crisp leeks and fresh bouncy squid, resulting in a bright vegetal grainy sweet salty savoury flavour.
.
Served with a light soy sauce and white onion dipping sauce, which has deep vegetal salty sweet savoury flavour.
.
I felt the sauce wasn't that necessary; it's tasty enough on its own.
.
.
.
ManNa Korean Restaurant
More details in profile & blog
This is boneless, and has a nice balanced ratio of pork lean meat with beautiful silvers of fat running through.
.
This keeps the dwaeji galbi / marinated pork ribs juicy and crunchy, with robust smoky meaty fatty savoury salty flavour. Rather decadent.
.
.
.
ManNa Korean Restaurant
More details in profile & blog
This is large and boneless.
.
While it takes longer to grill thanks to its chunky size, the yangnyeom dak gui / marinated chicken retains a moist tender succulent texture, taking on a smoky meaty savoury sweet flavour.
.
Delicious, kept reaching for more.
.
.
.
ManNa Korean Restaurant
More details in profile & blog
The distinctive taste here is the pronounced vegetal earthy nutty sweet savoury flavour, from the silky slippery smooth sweet potato glass noodles.
.
Tossed with crisp spring onions, tender carrots, crunchy white onions, bouncy shiitake mushrooms, and sesame sauce.
.
Felt their japchae / stir-fried sweet potato glass noodles pairs well with most dishes.
.
.
.
ManNa Korean Restaurant
More details in profile & blog
Most will love a hearty Korean meal, and I'm glad that I'm able to get some quality ones in the east from the restaurant. The soondubu (soft tofu) stew ($13.90) is really packed with ingredients, and boast a very full bodied soup and will definitely warm your heart. With 5 quality side dishes that can be refilled, you are guaranteed a full hearty meal!
I use to love this place but now this is one of the korean restaurant I’ll never step in. Their kimchi use to taste so good but now its way too sour, kimchi soup taste horrible, Saturday discount information wrongly given by their staff yet we as customers have to bear the responsibility by paying more.
Delicious variety of meat available for the dinner buffet! Love the thin sliced beef and the pork belly. Really enjoyed the meal! 3 pays for 2 so the total bill with Makgeoli was $115 I think.
The food was OK but tasted more localised than original. Service was fantastic and quantity was q large
The portion is huge and generous for me but I guess it is satisfying for guys. It is the kind of soup you would be craving for when you’re feeling cold in the office or when you’re falling sick. They provided a variety of kimchi which goes well with the food. It is quite reasonable to pay $14.9 for the lunch set.
계란찜 (Gyeran Jim) - Steamed egg in a hot claypot. This Korean-style steamed egg came bubbling towards us. When we scooped into its fluffiness, it was a smooth eggy flavour full with the sweetness from chicken broth. Never knew a simple steamed egg can be elevated this way by so much.
💫
Team lunch at this Korean outfit. The place is crowded at lunchtime, so be sure to reserve. Pretty decent, authentic Korean.
I am rather a big eater, so at first I thought ordering 3 items wouldn't be enough. I ordered the pancake, chicken bulgogi and bibimbap. The price of the chicken bulgogi was $22.80, but there is a 17% discount promotion during dinner for certain chicken dishes and bulgogi was one of them. I almost couldn't finish my food as the amount was quite alot. I find the food quite tasty despite reading some not so good reviews online. For its price I would say it is quite Worth it. I would probably come back again to try other items on the menu or the bbq. 1 thing I think they could improve is to increase the number of side dishes.
Between the two of us, we ordered kimchi soup, chicken bulgogi and Pajoen. The Pajoen ($14.80) that we ordered is really delicious! It was chewy and crispy and the accompanying sauce was tangy. It is slightly oily though but that didn't stop me from eating piece after piece. I would not recommend the chicken bulgogi unless ib groups of 3 or 4 as the dish had very strong flavours (mainly sweet tasting) and it felt very overpowering after a few bites. But overall, it was great and we both felt very full after the meal.
Good food with affordable price! It's such a big restaurant with lots of variety of Korean dish. One of the good Korean place for people working at city area.
We decided to get the Dinner Set B as it sounded most appealing. Included in there were two kinds of meat for grilling, a small pot of soya bean paste soup (to be shared) and a bowl of rice each. As different as the meats were, I enjoyed both of them a lot.
The lady manager was very helpful and did all the barbecuing for us. After being cooked on the infra-red grill, the thick slabs of Daeji Kalbi (marinated pork ribs) boasted a lovely smokiness that matched well with its lightly sweet marinade. It was a breeze to wrap the chunky pieces of juicy meat (thanks to the manager who'd cut them up as well) in lettuce leaves with raw garlic and green chilli. Naturally, we didn't waste any time in stuffing our faces with one mouthwatering wrap after another.
As for the Chadol Baegi (thinly sliced beef brisket), I preferred savouring that with just rice alone because grilling brought out its natural beefy goodness which I didn't want to have overshadowed.
The piping hot soya bean paste soup was spicy from the slices of red chillies thrown in. It's appetising but a bit small in size. Seeing how good it was, I'll most likely order a whole pot for myself the next time.
At the end of the meal, a slice of watermelon and a small bowl of chilled sweet ginger tea were brought out. I have always loved the latter as it's one of the most incredibly soothing drinks to sip on after a heavy meal. In fact, I even got a bottle to takeaway.
Manna Korean Restaurant is a place I'd return to without hesitation because despite the many Korean eateries that have sprung up over the years, it has managed to hold its own with high quality food and good service. And no, they are not paying me to say this. I am merely sharing my honest opinion having visited them numerous times over the past decade.
