Matgalne Korean Cuisine and Grill — Restaurant in Mandaluyong

This restaurant used to be my go-to spot before the pandemic — my favorite place to eat alone whenever I craved bibimbap and their generous variety of banchan (8 sides in my old review). It was more affordable back then, too. I can’t remember exactly when I last dined here, but now in 2025, I came back with my husband. This time, we were only served four side dishes, and they now have a rule: only one refill. The quality of the food and portion sizes is still the same, and we left feeling full and satisfied. But I do miss the wider selection of sides they used to offer. Honestly with the price going up and the banchan variety going down, I’m not as excited to dine here anymore.

While they cater to mall-goers, I can’t help but wonder how they’ll compete with the small, ajumma-owned Korean restos along Sapphire Road in Ortigas, where the sides are more generous, prices are lower, and the vibe is homey—exactly what many of the Ortigas workforce might prefer for their regular meals.

That said, what matters more is that the quality of the food remains consistent, and the servers are clearly doing their best. Still worth the 5 stars for me, though I probably won’t come back as often, it’s on the pricey...

Used to be my go to restaurant in shang, whether i’m alone or with a group. But today the service was inconsistent vs previous experiences.

We dined off peak at 4:30pm on a sunday, and not a full house but servers were just in one area chatting. The mackerel did not taste well, unlike previous times. I ate here two other times this month, one time alone and even if i’m alone— they were happy to serve side dish refills with just one dish order, same when we dined with the family (3 people) and ordered 3 dishes. Today, we were 4 people, ordered more and they refused— just inconsistent experience. If there were changes in rules, that would be fine if they set expectations and have it written down.

If you want to dine here, just know it’s not the same quality for food and service is not great. Also dine in the extended area so your...

Disclaimer: I'm not rating this place 5 stars because of the free Melona.

We've been dining at Watami, but Matgalne has been in my radar for a while. The food was very good and the meat is high quality. They will give you an option if you prefer that they grill the meat from their kitchen or right at your table. The banchan selection was very good too. Not to mention, it was refillable.

Among the Mears, the soup, and the ambiance, it was actually the Sticky Rice that stood out from the rest. That crisp, brown edge, with that glutinous, sticky center gives you run for your money.

The octopus was very good (as some of the reviewers have mentioned), the soup selection was wide, and the menu is manageable.

Can't wait to be back here next week. And the...