White kimchi, anyone?

Kimchi is a regular on any Korean table, especially during wintertime, hence its overwhelming spiciness.

In all our travels to Korea, in our various visits to their markets, kimchi, the most famous condiment in their cuisine, is piled up like mini mountains and is, invariably, always red. Until one day recently, when we were served white kimchi by the innovative chef of Kiwa, the newest up-market grill restaurant in Solaire.

The Beebaek kimchi was certainly new to us. It was rolled white kimchi placed inside a whole pear. The resulting dish was sweet with the flavor and texture of the fruit. So we discovered another type of kimchi, to our delight. Kimchi is a regular on any Korean table, especially during wintertime, hence its overwhelming spiciness.

The name of this very traditional pickle means “sunken vegetable” and indeed the main ingredient, the cabbage, sometimes daikon radish, is immersed in salted water with chili and other ingredients for hours or even overnight. It then gets fermented, becoming pungent. Filipino foodies have taken to kimchi like their patis and suka, accompanying fried foods.

But can you imagine kimchi juice and kimchi chocolate bars? Well, the Koreans have made more use of the kimchi, and quite well at that. We found them in the Seoul Market, but only those with very spicy taste had them.

Menu served at Kiwa in Solaire is very familiar to Filipinos who have gone quite often to many such restaurants in the country. But Kiwa is one notch above the rest, having brought not only typical dishes but state-of-the-art technology, like an underground exhaust system that sucks the smoke from the grills and directs it under, thus the diner comes out not smelling of barbecue.

It is in the sauce, we would always say of this cuisine. And that sauce is called kajun yang nyeom, a mixture of seasonings and condiments that include salt, soy, miso, chilli pepper, sesame oil and many others.

Bulgogi, the famed beef barbecue, of course is a mainstay, but they do galbi as well – such as the yang nyeom galbi, very tender  marinated beef ribs with special sauce, which was served that day.

But one of our favorites is bibimbap, a rice dish topped with vegetables and occasionally meat or chicken and egg, normally served with kochu jang (hot sauce). This is a one-course meal that is very satisfying. Kiwa has a version of our halo-halo – a little mound of shaved ice topped with sweetened black beans. Refreshing. Kiwa means traditional Korean roof tiles, still seen in some areas in the country. The owners based in Korea envision it as a food shelter to local and foreign residents hankering for their type of food. Its team of chefs is led by Gi Won Park, who definitely acquitted himself at that initial lunch he served. Surely, he will continue to do very well with a trained staff.

There are at least three Korean stores selling their food products, which we have  discovered. One along the Sta. Rosa highway fronting the Paseo and two in Alabang – in Molito and in West Gate.

Go Korean. Enjoy your Sunday!

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