Queen Biankee: Cafe Flafe: Korean Haven

Korean Haven in the City - 꽃 카페

So it was lunch time - my friend and I were so sick of the usual fast food take-outs so we decide to actually venture into 12 noon sunlight and find a new restaurant where we can eat. It just so happened that our area is full of Korean shops - from stores to cafes to ramen houses.

For those who doesn't know me well, I am into all Korean because of KPOP.

I was so excited and we checked out all the shops, but my friend was too picky.

Though it was so humid, we walked along the Korean street and finally came to this small cute-looking shop. Tired and sweaty, I went straight inside along with Ynnah. First thing I noticed was the lovely fake tree and a wall full of customers' feedback about the shop. It was just like being in an cafe shop in Seoul.

We looked around, checking out the place, and found a couple of Koreans eating. I looked over their menu and fell in love with what they have to offer.

My friend ended up ordering Bulgogi and I ordered Bibimbap. We took our seats and was soon joined with another friend who ordered herself a plateful of Gimbap.

The Food - 음식

Okay, I love eating. But with Korean food - I am very sensitive and picky. Korean dishes are usually full of vegetables and not everyone (like my friend) is fond of vegies. Even for myself, I have my hard limit on the greens. That's why a Korean dish have to be really good, fresh and authentic for me to be happy about it. Good thing I wasn't disappointed with the food!

Bibimbap

The Bibimbap serving wasn't as plenty as I expected but when I mixed it up and chewed a mouthful, I was almost crying with glee. The Bibimbap was so flavorful with the right amount of spicy for my preference. The rice was perfect and everything just mixed perfectly. I would give it a 9/10.

Kimchi

Flafe serves free Kimchi and its the one I'm so sensitive with. A good Kimchi should be fresh with the right amount of spices. I even told the server that I will be so happy if they have good Kimchi. And so I took a piece and ate - much to my delight! It's one of the best Kimchi I ate. Everything was fresh and the taste was just right. It isn't that spicy too, because I'm not really good with that. I fell in love with their kimchi that I'm actually giving it a 10/10.

Gimbap

This is my most favorite Korean dish - the Gimbap. This is like the Korean counterpart of Japan's California Maki. I am in love with both, it's just Gimbap is more health friendly because it has a lot more veggies than Maki. The day before we ate in Flafe, we just bought Gimbap from another Korean restaurant. It was okay as well, so Flafe's Gimbap was up for a challenge. And the winner? CAFE FLAFE! When I told you earlier that they have the best Kimchi so far, they also have the best Gimbap that I've ever tasted! I think it's their sauce too but there's something in their Gimbap that's so flavorful I had to groan with happiness every time I put one inside my mouth. This Gimbap also deserves a 10/10.

The Cafe - 카페

Most of the feedback pasted on the Customer Wall in Flafe were written in Hangul (Korean) but the English ones usually had "good ambiance" and "nice place". Well, it's true. It seems that the owner Miss Helena Jung is very hands-on when it comes to her shop. Everything looked like a cafe from Seoul and the cuteness is over-flowing. They even had fresh flowers on tables and pretty designs up on the wall. I immediately fell for the place. I told myself and my friends that I will always come back to this cafe because it's my Korean haven. They have good food and the place is just majestic. It's so cozy, warm and - well - Korean!

I had a little talk with Miss Helena and we even exchanged numbers when I told her I will be featuring her shop in my blog. She's really nice and she said she will be off to Korea for seven days and when she gets back in PH, she will enroll in some Tagalog class to speak more comfortably with her customers. She's really nice and sweet, she even offered to take our group photo.

All in all, Cafe Flafe is an amazing place if you're looking for authentic Korean dishes. It's has this nice, private and quiet ambiance that will surely captivate you. I'm definitely going back to try their Korean Halo-Halo "Bingsu". See you there!