Hello tasteemers!
Welcome to the 29th edition of Kim's Taste! This week's choice of restaurant is one that's relatively new here in Cebu. It's an unlimited Korean restaurant which offers a lot of Korean dishes aside from samgyeopsal. I've been to other unlimited Korean restaurants, but I felt this restaurant deserved to be the first to be shared here on 
A lot of Korean nationals have been frequenting here in Cebu in the recent years. Some are just tourists, but others found something here that they decided to stay. Of course, businessmen would grab that opportunity as well as the increased assimilation of anything Korean by the Filipinos which is hugely due to Korean drama and K-pop. And I guess I'm part of the demographics who loved anything Korean especially Korean food.
As commercial centers are sprouting everywhere in the Metropolitan Cebu area, new business establishments are also relentless. There's this new commercial center in Lapu-Lapu City called City Times Square Mactan where this restaurant in review is located. The restaurant is Mani Mok-o.
It was payday; me and my workmates decided to try something new and they said that there's an "Eat All You Can" Korean restaurant near MEPZ 2. When I heard about Korean restaurant, I knew they have unlimited samgyeopsal which I love even if they don't have a distinct taste. After work, we immediately rode a jeepney going to City Times Square.
Let's scrutinize Mani Mok-o as an unlimited Korean restaurant.
MANI MOK-O
Mani Mok-o is specifically located in the Ground Floor of City Times Square Mactan, Basak-Marigondon Road, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, 6015 Philippines. The place is still new and there are still a lot of construction going on, but a few establishments are now open. When we reached the place, I immediately loved it.
The Place
The reason why I loved the place is that it's really well-lit and neon lights behind the signage change colors every now and then. While they have a lot of staffs, Mani Mok-o is a serve yourself style buffet. The staffs arrange and prepare your table and put the first serving of samgyeopsal. Unlike the other dishes, samgyeopsal is controlled. Although unlimited, you will have to ask the staffs for refill if you already finish your first wave.
When we dined there, the restaurant was full of people inside, but there are still available tables outside. We decided to have our unlimited Korean dishes outside the restaurant. The weird thing is that I was not able to take photos of the interior of the restaurant. I wasn't even able to take photos on the dishes that were displayed inside.
The moment I entered the restaurant to get my serving of the dishes, I can't help but compare it to other unlimited Korean restaurants I tried. While those have their own good points and specialties, I find Mani Mok-o to be more superior than those Korean restaurants. Maybe because it's new, so they will have to impress their customers. If they will maintain their level or continue to improve, I guess many will visit the restaurant.
The place is clean and with great ambiance.
The Food
I find the dishes to be diverse. It's interesting to have variety. While the staple kimchi is always present, there are numerous pickled vegetables available as side dishes. This is what I love about Korean food. Savory and healthy vegetable side dishes are always present.
While their kimchi is not the best, it's actually not bad either. Maybe I'll reveal the Korean restaurant here in Cebu with the best kimchi for me in the coming editions.
They have other dishes which I find interesting and delightful. Their lists of traditional Korean dishes are japohae, dukboki, kimbap, pickled radish, seaweed soup, bibimbap, bulgogi, stir-fried potatoes, sweet potato mat-tang and other pickled vegetables. They even have non-Korean food like french fries and fruit salad for dessert.
The one I liked the most is their sweet and sour pork which really goes well with rice. As a classic Filipino who always have rice in every meals, loving Korean food is not that difficult as they goes well with rice.
The Price
You can have all those mentioned in unlimited quantity as long as you can eat all of them at a price of Php 299.00 or about $6.00. I think that's the standard rate for unlimited buffet here in Cebu, especially in Korean restaurants. There are higher prices which tend to be in high-end places, but I personally find Mani Mok-o to be high-end.
To have that particular food selection at that price is definitely worth it. There are only a few reviews I've read online maybe because the restaurant is new, but most of those reviews are really positive. Some claimed it to be their new favorite place, which I actually agree.
The Service
As with other unlimited buffet meals, it's self-service so I guess there's not much interaction with the staffs except when they set up your table. I still find it excellent as they immediately set up our table. The staffs have a special production to greet the birthday celebrants. It's a good place to have a birthday dinner.
Maybe because we're outside, they didn't immediately respond to us when we requested for another round of samgyeopsal. That's understandable because there were a lot of customers during that time. There are even a lot of customers waiting for their turn as there were no spots left inside.
Overall, Mani Mok-o is really recommendable. If you're in a big group, you don't have to worry about the place as they can accommodate large number of people. They have a Facebook account. Just search for their name. Big announcements are revealed in their Facebook account so it's good to check it first before going to the restaurant.
I guess that's all for my review. Please don't hesitate to comment anything that you want to express! Comments, suggestions, and violent reactions are always welcome. Also, thank you in advance for showing some love by upvoting this post!
Note: All photos are mine unless otherwise stated.
See you in my next review!
Best Regards,
Kim
Restaurant Information
Mani Mok-o
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Kim's Taste #29: Unlimited Korean Dishes at Mani Mok-o
This post participated in the Tasteem contest All You Can Eat