Irene and I went and checked out the newly opened I Am Kim in Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons. This is the newest concept of Chef Him Uy de Baron of Nomama and East Cafe fame. I am Kim focuses on the Korean stone bowl rice/bibimbap, both pre made combinations and a more free wheeling, what ever you like DIY bibimbap are available. Their compact menu also has a few starters and salad options available.
The vibe in I am Kim is fun with bright colors and a large whimsical mural anchoring the space. They’ve got different seating options and even spaces for solo diners.
Irene and I decided on one appetizer and 2 of the composed bap bowls. The appetizer we picked was the Korean Fried Dumpling (P170). Think of this as a marriage of Chef Him’s gyoza and KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). The dumpling is stuffed with soy seasoned chicken and dried shitake mushroom, then deep fried, and finished by tossing in a Korean spicy sauce. Irene was a bit wary of trying the dumplings because of the reddish color.
I played guinea pig and got a piece of shiso leaf, placed one of the dumplings, wrap and popped into my mouth. The aromatic shiso attracts with its heady fragrance that also serves to balance the flavors of spicy and umami. An appetizer with lots of textures and a blend of flavors that’s just the right amount of spicy that even Irene could enjoy.
We got their two medium sized bowls of their bestsellers, the BEC Bap and the Umami Bomb.
You can customize the flavors of your rice bowl by adding Gochujang (red bean paste) and Bulgogi sauce.
The Umami Bomb (P340/medium, P400/large) has home-made Korean sausage, bbq chicken, fried tofu, mushrooms, beansprouts, raw or poached egg and umami butter. Be sure to remember putting the umami butter into the bowl before mixing and eating or else you’ll regret it. The umami butter is one of the reasons why we enjoyed this bowl. The generous toppings also play a great part which makes each spoonful tastes so much better.
The B.E.C. Bap (P290/medium, P400/large) comes with bacon, poached egg, grilled chicken thigh, bok choy, green peas and teriyaki sauce (on the side). Put the sauce into the bowl and mix really well and just scoop away. We felt the toppings in this bowl were a bit too large, resulting in some spoonfuls of rice not having anything. This was not as aggressive in taste as the Umami Bomb so it needed more of the bulgogi and gochujang.
Our initial foray at I am Kim was a success, and we’re eager to go back and try our hand at making our own bibimbap bowls. Chef Him has injected an aspect of fun in the erstwhile common looking bibimbap bowls one can find in many a Korean restaurant.
*Free parking at Estantcia Mall is no more, they started charging last March 16, 2015″
I Am Kim
Basement Level, Estancia MallCapitol Commons, Oranbo
Pasig City, Philippines Contact No.: (632) 542-2558
Facebook Page: I Am Kim
Instagram: @IAmKimPH
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Want! <3 Soooon!
Let’s go for more bap!
Will never, ever come back! Very disappointed! cost of 50% discount on buffet meals doesn’t even appropriate for the food on the buffet!
never tried the buffet, maybe you should go for a la carte