Fantastic Chef Taft (Leon Ginto): Famous Unlimited Korean BBQ Php 499

Recently, we visited the newly-opened Liquor Museum in Intramuros, as well as some other hotspots in the capital. So in general, I’ve been finding myself in the Manila area as of late – somewhere we all know has a plethora of different Asian and international restaurants, especially in the Ermita and Taft vicinity where students love to flock for meals after class.

So one day, while in Manila, we found ourselves craving for some Korean food. I remember dining at Fantastic Chef Manila in the past and very much enjoying the meat there…although the experience in terms of service was rather lackluster. However, my friend told me about a brand new FANTASTIC CHEF TAFT branch in Leon Guinto, just a mere 10 minutes away from the  Fantastic Chef Malate branch we’d dined at before. But the difference is that this one is BIGGER, and much more comfortable to dine in comparatively.

Ambiance:

The very moment you step into the restaurant, the waiter immediately greets you with a smile and gets ready to cater to the needs of your group. This beaming hospitality and happiness to serve is something I feel they do much, much better than the Malate branch.

You also right away feel the comfortable ambiance, much bigger, spacious, more breathable. The chairs are also very organized with barriers in between tables so people don’t bump into one another. If you’re going in a group, you can easily see how much each table seats, so no need to waste time counting and scrambling for chairs.

The Meat:

The restaurant and food are managed by Chef Jang Jungyun, a Michelin star chef and a recognized name in the international culinary industry. So, you can be assured that your meals are going to be authentic and topnotch – which it definitely was, in our experience.

There are many types of meat with different marinades, some sweet and some spicy – they really do have a good selection. In fact, my friends Audrey and Timmy said that Fantastic Chef comes out on top as one of the best kbbq restaurants they’ve dined at in terms of price. They had compared it to Romantic Baboy and even Jinjoo where we usually eat, and they concluded that they prefer this place. And honestly? I could say the same.

I also love their cheese, where you can dip your meat into. I’ve tried out several Korean restaurants with cheesy dips but I didn’t quite like them – whereas I really enjoyed the blend here. Timmy thought it was a little sweet, but I still loved it. They also have other sides to boost up your appetite like the steamed egg and soup.

Fantastic Chef Rates:

For the pork promo, the restaurant serves 10 different types of meat with some very unique selections compared to other restaurants like Pork Jowls and Pork Meat.  The unlimited pork and chicken option costs P499 and you can add P50 for their beef options as well.

Promos of Fantastic Chef Taft

They have an ongoing promo which is 3+1 free unlimited meal for every group of 4 from 11AM to 4PM.

Pros:

• Good meat
• Good price
• Good staff – the people here really made a difference in our experience, our waiter was so attentive and they seem to know what they’re doing.
• Spacious – compared to the other branch, the tables were bigger so everything we ordered easily fit. It really makes eating unlimited more comfortable.

Cons

• Parking is limited

Overall Experience in Fantastic Chef Taft

To be honest, my friends and I did enjoy the meat the first time we went to Fantastic Chef, the branch in Malate. It’s true, we loved the taste of their Korean bbq but unfortunately, the experience we received there wasn’t so good and my other friends weren’t too keen on returning again. I mean, it was fine – but it just didn’t give us that feeling that the staff  was attending to our needs  and the whole table felt crowded which we mentioned in our previous review. However, me being me, and craving for more Korean, I wanted to give it another try – I feel like some restaurants really do need that. This Fantastic Chef Taft branch definitely gave me a better experience than last time, and now I would recommend it both for value for money, and ambiance.