Filipino food at Coconut Grill

UPDATE: The owner said the restaurant is permanently closed ~ based on a message she sent to a reader.
I am always in search of Filipino restaurants and I’m glad that there are more choices now than before. I don’t need to wait for Sundays anymore to go to Hyewha-dong for Filipino food. I couldn’t even invite my husband to go there. That’s why I was happy when Kusina opened in Haebangcheon a few years ago. Then Cebu Girll, Jovy’s Grill and of course, JR BBQ in Itaewon. Which reminds me, I haven’t posted anything about Jovy’s Grill.

COCONUT GRILL

There’s a new Filipino restaurant in Seoul and it’s called COCONUT GRILL. It is located at the northwestern side of Seoul but it didn’t put me off and a few friends from travelling all the way to that area. It is about a 35 minute subway ride from where I live. It is far ~ but not difficult to visit.
The first time I went there was with friends from Uijeongbu – Myla, Avec and Lei. I visited again the next day with my “kaberks” plus DJ Gennie Kim. And I enjoyed both times ~ good food plus good times with truly good people 🙂
On my first visit, we ordered EVERYTHING on the menu except for longganisa and banana split because they were not available. We were surprised by the pricing ~ totally affordable! San ka pa?
We had sisig, bicol express, gising gising, binagoongan, liempo, lechon kawali, sinigang, barbecue, inasal, tocino, crispy pata, and two orders of coconut bingsu. We didn’t have to order rice. And for only 1,000 each we had unlimited drinks ~ Coke and mango juice drink. Too bad, I couldn’t take nice photos of the spread.

What can I say about the food?

Sisig has crushed chicharon on top. It is not Angeles City style but I like it ~ because it doesn’t have egg nor mayo. Bicol express is delish ~ just the right amount of spiciness. Binagoongan is tasty and not so salty. The meat is cut small and tender. Liempo is delish! It has a sweetish marinade and no sauce is needed. Lechon kawali is crispy and tasty. I like the taste of sinigang soup ~ just the right amount of tang. On the second day that I was there, there was the taste of bay leaf with the meat. The pork barbecue is okay ~ but I’ll skip it. Inasal is good. I didn’t care much about the tocino. Crispy pata is the best ~ even if they didn’t have sauce for it. We asked for a separate serving of vinegar.
What I really liked among the things we ordered are ~ sisig, bicol express, gising gising, binagoongan, liempo, sinigang, inasal and crispy pata.
As for the coconut bingsu ~ it came with ice cream, corn and corn flakes. Mix the ice cream first and what you get is a light, refreshing dessert that is not too sweet. I would have wished for straight “maiz con hielo” that time as that dessert will always remind me of friends I miss back home.
The serving is just right. With the price, we could afford to order everything on the menu. They didn’t skimp on the rice. And I like that they use Korean rice ~ not the “buhaghag” type of rice you usually get at Hyehwadong eateries.
WE ATE EVERYTHING ~ except for the “pata” bone. And how much was our bill? 64,800 won!
On my second day, I was there with some “kaberks” plus DJ Gennie Kim. Again we ordered everything except for the tocino and barbecue. We ordered coconut bingsu, coconut milkshake and banana split. I didn’t care about the coconut milkshake ~ but the coconut bingsu was better than the previous day.

As in the previous day, everything was delish and we finished everything again! We were there from 5:30 pm until 9:45 pm. Ordered San Mig Light as it was a Saturday night 🙂 Our bill? 65,400 won ~
What I love about Coconut Grill ~
~ food is inexpensive but tasty
~ food comes out fast (not fast food fast but we didn’t have to wait forever despite the number of orders!)
~ the interior is pretty nice
~ place looks clean
~ near the subway
~ open on weekdays!
~ SATISFYING!
What need to be improved ~
~ the lady owner seems a little shy
~ dipping sauce for the crispy pata
~ tocino (I grew up eating Kapampangan tocino) and barbecue
~ a vegetable dish perhaps
Coconut Grill is best visited ~
~ with your Filipino friends
~ with your Korean family and friends
~ with your non-Korean friends
~ anytime you’re craving for Filipino food
~ on a Saturday night especially in the summer when you can drink cold San Miguel with crispy pata and sisig
It’s so easy to find Coconut Grill ~ it may seem far but it is not difficult to find. JUST TAKE THE SUBWAY TO GUPABAL STATION (Line 3 or orange line) and take exit 3. Walk straight and cross the road to Starbucks. Continue walking straight until you find the building on the photo:

COCONUT GRILL is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 11am to 10pm. They have a break from 3pm~5pm. Closed on Mondays.
Their address in Korean, just in case you’re taking a car ~ 서울시 은평구 통일로 1010 아이파크 포레스게이트 2층 B116호
I went there last Friday for lunch with these girls from Uijeongbu ~

And for dinner with my kaberks and DJ Gennie (who’s been my constant eating companion hehehe) ~ who told me how to go there.

We are definitely gonna visit again!