Another Korean grocery store!

Been back in Bacolod City for just about two months and watched my Facebook ads transition from Albuquerque to more local fare. One of the first promotions to show up on my news feed was for another Korean grocery store in town. Located along B.S. Aquino Drive at the JTL Building (across from the Redemptorist Church), KO Mart Bacolod is situated at the rear of the premises—facing 17^th Street. After seeing that post, I had to check it out.

From an initial view, the store has products all over the place, stacked on shelves and piled on boxes.

I started from the right side and eventually worked my way through the store.

The shelves were packed with instant rice and ramen. Looking through the shelves, I saw a familiar product, the buldak bokkeummyeon (the Korean fire noodles) by Samyang Foods. Picked up a five-pack and threw into my basket.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed the original, 2X spicy, curry, carbonara, and jjajang—most often chow down on either original or 2X. However, I don’t recall ever having 3X (unless I blocked it out of my memory). Recently gave it a try, tossed it with some rice cakes and fish cakes for dinner.

Whoa! While still tasty, the spice on this one had my tongue on fire and even fogged my hearing a bit. Nonetheless, even just thinking about the spice of those noodles, my mouth waters immediately.

Making my way down the store, they also carry a number of makgeolli from the Kooksoondang Brewery. While I’m typically one for original varieties, the peach flavor was drawing my attention.

Like most flavored makgeolli, it was light without even a trace of the base makgeolli flavor. One of those “dangerous” drinks because it tastes sweet but it can pack a punch.

They also have beer.

One of the interesting picks featured a very familiar logo: Ottogi

Turns out, the iconic food brand teamed up with the Amazing Brewing Company, a local brewery based in Seoul’s Seongdong district, in 2019 to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

KO Mart Bacolod also carries seongsan ilchulbong ale by Jeju Beer Company.

Named for one of the sites on the popular island, the beer is light and refreshing.

I have been a fan of binggrae’s flavored milk for years, especially their strawberry milk. At the time, the store offered a wholesale special and picked up a six-pack of strawberry milk but also noticed the vanilla milk at the counter.

The vanilla milk is also delicious.

So good, Bruno wanted some, too!

At this point, I’m almost out of milk and, on my last visit, spotted coffee milk. Definitely going to give that one a try next time.

One of the drinks to catch my eye was the Haitai peach juice.

At first, considering it was in a can, assumed it was a soda and didn’t shake it. The juice was delicious. Although, by the end, noticed there were some solid elements. I wasn’t sure if it was mini boba or peach bits.

The second time around, I shook it vigorously and poured it into a glass to see what it was.

It’s peach bits!

In addition, picked up a beverage that has since become a favorite, the Ilhwa Hallabong Ade.

Described as a “carbonated beverage made with water from the Chojung-ri Mineral Springs in Cheongwon,” the drink is similar to your everyday orange soda but with a richer orange-y flavor—hallabong.

There is also a corner filled with snacks.

As a fan of choco pies, I spotted an item that looked similar but with strawberry.

The Victory Pie (or Vic Pie) is a lot like a choco pie but without the marshmallow and infused with a layer of strawberry jam. It’s much lighter and the jam tastes great.

Meanwhile, also spotted a more familiar treat.

On every trip to South Korea, I never leave duty free without a couple boxes of White Heim, wafer cookies filled with hazelnut cream. These are some of the best snacks.

Both White Heim and Vic Pies are made by Crown.

Like other Korean shops in town, they also sell kimchi, Korean cooking ingredients, and various frozen goods. What sets this place apart are some of the unique products not available at other stores around Bacolod City.

Bacolod City has another Korean grocery store!

Over the past couple years, the love for Korean cuisine has only snowballed. With Korean culture all the rage in the Philippines, from K-Pop and K-Dramas to Filipino companies swapping out local stars for Korean celebrities to serve as spokespeople, a massive part of the trend is the food.

For me, like so many people, I’ve always been a fan of instant ramen. That’s where it started. After venturing away from the big supermarkets, found a couple Korean grocery stores in Bacolod City that had different versions of ramen. Over the years, I’ve tried multiple flavors of Samyang buldak, the famed “fire chicken” ramen; along with enjoying instant naengmyeon, a cold noodle dish, put out by Nongshim.

As usual, a necessity with Korean food is kimchi. Aside from having my preferred kimchi spot, the iconic side dish is available all over the city these days. Plus, in addition to traditional cabbage kimchi, I also often purchase pickled radish (danmuji) and kimchi made with perilla leaf (kkaennip).

From there, things like dumplings (mandu) and gimari (fried seaweed rolls) have become a regular freezer staple.

When I began cooking and needed those crucial Korean ingredients, the local Korean grocery stores became essential. While the main supermarkets have since started carrying some of those products, it was at those small shops where I could buy gochujang (chili paste), gochugaru (chili powder), doenjang (soybean paste), tteok (rice cakes), eomuk (fish cakes), sesame seeds, rice vinegar, perilla oil, among other items.

In addition, the Korean grocery stores also carried makgeolli, a sparking rice wine.

To this day, I stop by the local Korean grocery stores fairly regularly to stock up on the necessities. However, as of late, found out a new grocery store opened up in town. Seoul Mart recently opened along Lacson Street, located on the block between Starbucks and the Sun Life Building. I was tipped off by my Dad who saw an ad for the place pop up on his Facebook timeline.

On that first visit, found it to be a tiny shop filled with lots of random goodies. Did a quick walk around and found a wall of ramen, jars of tea, a collection of Korean ingredients along another wall, freezers with meat and various goods, and a banchan refrigerator.

The banchan fridge has a wide selection of goods, including items not available at other local grocery stores. They also sell banchan in different sizes, including small cups in order to give one a chance to try them out.

Two of the reasons why I am definitely revisiting is for their kkakdugi (radish kimchi) and eomuk bokkeum (chilled stir-fried fish cakes). No doubt, the bigger size will be necessary this time around.

Yet, they still have several other banchan items to taste!

Like the other Korean grocery stores in town, they also carry a variety of ice creams.

The frozen yogurt by Binggrae is a delicious treat and is very similar to the Lotte snow ice milkshake.

Another facet that sets them apart is the availability of freshly-made goods. While walking around, spotted kimbap stacked up by the register.

According to the cashier, they’re prepared fresh daily and it made for a great snack later that day.

Among their frozen foods were dumplings. Picked up a bag of ones intended for boiling or steaming and gave those a try.

They were great and, when you think about how much local restaurants charge for a plate of four or five dumplings, getting a big bag from a local market is well worth it.

Something I’ve only recently started buying is ramensari, which are just plain bricks of ramen.

I usually add the additional noodles when making ramen and am extra hungry or with rabboki, tteokbokki with ramen. Before visiting Seoul Mart, one of the other stores was all out and, luckily, managed to pick up a couple packs here.

It came in handy for the latest batch of rabokki.

Despite being a fairly small operation, the staff was very helpful, pointed out certain items, and made suggestions at every turn. In the end, also got a free gift!

Just like the tubes of gochujang given out when ordering bibimbap as an in-flight meal.

While the Korean grocery stores in town have provided a lot of the basic necessities, Seoul Mart is also offering up some unique goods and is definitely worth a trip back.

Something refreshing to beat the heat

A new supermarket recently opened just outside my subdivision. Aside from it being extremely convenient, after the first visit, it became clear this place had a number of unique goods not available at other supermarkets in town; in particular, drinks. Now, in the midst of summer—and the government mandating face masks and face shields, along with limiting the use of air conditioners in public places—the need for cold and refreshing beverages is more than necessary at this point.

Compared to other supermarkets in town, it is smaller. They also carry a lot of the same products, which vary in price when comparing them to their local competition. There is an array of unique snack foods but the drink selection was the real standout.

One of the most eye-catching products was the Craft Boss Black iced coffee by Suntory. Initially launched in 2017, Suntory describes the drink as “featuring a blend of five types of coffee selected, roasted, and extracted with the greatest of care, we achieved an easy-to-drink coffee that has a clear richness that has depth without being too bitter.”

Just by its appearance, it looks strong—and it’s definitely strong. For coffee lovers, this is an excellent choice when it comes to pre-packaged iced coffee. No frills and nothing fancy, just a potent bottle of coffee.

Another Craft Boss product available was milk tea. Only found out later that this particular drink was subject to a recall in Japan back in 2019 after bacteria was detected in the tea. According to nippon.com, “a customer complained to a retailer that the tea tasted sour” due to the milk and tea separating in the bottle.

The drink has since returned to the shelves and, based on my personal experience consuming the tea, it was tasty with no negative after effects.

This canned Bubble Milk Tea Drink from Taiwan is another really good pick.

The packaging is very cute, with the Thai tea variety (one of my favorites when ordering milk tea) coming in a bright orange can. It’s sweet with lots of small pearls inside. Now, while I did shake well before opening, it does need a vigorous shake to dislodge the pearls that have been settling in the can.

Browsing the company’s website, they have heaps of milk tea flavors, including brown sugar, taro, and matcha. Hopefully, the store will have the other flavors available in the future.

Another product from Taiwan that came in adorable packaging is Love Milk Tea. On that particular visit, they had the strawberry flavor. The tea is good and the strawberry taste is very subtle, and it went well with breakfast. However, for me, the bottle is kind of small.

Before their grand opening, which was delayed a couple weeks, peeked through the windows and spotted their beer selection. Alongside massive bottles of Tsingtao, there were also Chang tall boys. Now, other supermarkets sometimes carry these beer brands but it’s not consistent.

Honestly, only started drinking Chang because they were Everton’s kit sponsor, but it’s a good brew and spotting it in a place where they primarily sell local beer (or locally-produced import brands) is always exciting.

In addition, picked up some drinks that can sometimes be found at the local convenience store. However, not sure which retailer is cheaper.

The various selection of teas are indicative of some of the more popular beverages nowadays. The bottled milk teas are all delicious and sweet. In contrast, the Chai Li Won Japanese-style green tea is sugar-free (don’t tell Demi Lovato).

Yes, the supermarket also has a Bake My Day branch inside the store.

Sari-Sari

The term sari-sari roughly translates to “variety.” Across the Philippines, these sari-sari stores are set up to offer various commodities at a low price. Everything from snacks to toiletries to cell phone credits (load) can be purchased at one of these stores.

It is said there are around 800,000 sari-sari stores across the country, they require very little overhead and, sometimes, are attached to the side of one’s house.

This row of sari-sari stores sits near the water in Iloilo City, Iloilo.