Romantic Baboy: Dare To Compare

My former classmates and I were on a trip from Mindoro to Manila. Guess what was the first thing we did when got out of our island. Eat samgyeopsal!

It wasn’t planned, to be honest. From Mindoro, we arrived at Batangas at around eight in the evening. We missed the last bus and we have to wait for hours for the next bus to leave. Therefore, we agreed on going to Batangas City Grand Terminal to check if there were buses available. But since we were already hungry, we took our dinner at the Romantic Baboy branch here. Yep! Out of all meals, we opted for an unlimited Korean BBQ immediately. Before checking if there were buses, we headed straight to Samgyeopsal restaurant. That’s how impulsive we were!

Romantic Baboy is one of the top Samgyeopsal restaurant in the metro. In a short span of time, it was able to introduce itself to a lot of customers with its branches popping up everywhere. It has catchy name, too.

There were twelve raw and marinated options available for the eat-all-you-can Korean BBQ. This ranges from meat to seafood. I must say that the price is worth it because of the inclusion of unusual dishes like shrimp, cheese scallop and smoked duck. The cheese scallops were like baked scallops but without the shells anymore. They were luscious and briny. It’s one of the best in the menu. I just wish they also served us peeled or butterfly-cut shrimps because the shrimps were too small to be grilled. Curiosity led us to having one serving of smoked duck but we were disappointed. I was looking for its gamy flavors but it gave us a ham taste instead.

Among the meat choices, the standouts were Herb Samgyupsal, Bulgogi and Woosamgyup. The Herb Samgyupsal was served per cut so we have to call them more often. The flavor didn’t disappoint though. Moreover, despite of its big fats, the thick cut of pork wasn’t surfeiting. The Bulgogi also tasted incredible but if I have to be strict with the flavors, it needed more sweetness. The Woosamgyup displayed beefy flavors that made me want to dance. 

Actually, there may be a wide selection here but the meat just play around unseasoned, herb, bulgogi and spicy flavors. They were good but I’m not sure about the quality. The meat was just thinly sliced but I felt that it was the same meat we buy in local market.

I remember Romantic Baboy became a hit because of their cheese sauce that melts around the grill as the meat is being cooked. When we dined in their restaurant, I thought we were provided with a simple shredded processed cheese that’ll get toasted once it touched the heat. I’m surprised that it melted like a butter and it stayed creamy and gooey for a long time. It wasn’t too salty so it complemented every dish, especially the Herb Samgyupsal. Honestly, I’m a Ssamjang lover when it comes to dips but the dips in Romantic Baboy were duller and less flavorful compared to the Samgyeopsal dips I used to have in other Korean BBQ restaurants. It’s a good thing their cheese sauce was satisfactory.

The side dishes were first laid on our table. Actually, they were already prepared before they let us sit in our place so that’s a plus points for promptness. Each serving was lacking, perhaps, to avoid putting them to waste. I’m surprised that there was Jap Chae but there’s no Kimchi. The potato is cooked in sweet sauce so it’s soft. The fish cake has this umami sauce that makes it unique. The coleslaw is effective in reducing the satiation I felt from eating the meat. I didn’t know I needed the egg until I had a scoop. It’s so fluffly. It has full of flavors like as if it’s cooked in broth.

I don’t know if Romantic Baboy offers drinks and desserts because we’ve only seen one menu but, I think, it’s a must. After a fulfilling savory dinner, the palate just desires for something sweet so this is their chance to cater another cravings.

We were fortunate to find the restaurant half-filled so I was able to appreciate the interior and its equipments more. The restaurant wasn’t completely clean but given the late time of our visit, the sanitation is fine. The arrangement of fixtures just looked messy. It’s evident that the restaurant invested on top-grade grillers, smoke extractors and ventilation. I’m happy that there were two burners for every large table so it didn’t took long for us to cook the food. The restaurant was spacious but it was kinda uncomfortable to sit on their couches because they were placed closely the tables.

Anyway, after eating, we found out that there were no more buses in Batangas City Grand Terminal so we went back to Batangas Port. We left Batangas at 12 midnight and got to Manila at two in the morning. It was so late! Thankfully, there’s Romantic Baboy.