Young Won Asian Grill Takes You Around Asia With Its BBQ + Hot Pot

Young Won Asian Grill Contact Details

Building J, SM by the Bay, Seaside Boulevard, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City 
Contact: 0917-621-8249
Open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Monday to Thursday), 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. (Friday to Sunday)

(SPOT.ph) Sure, most unlimited KBBQ and hot pot restaurants are affordable, and they can satisfy your craving to a certain extent. Still, there's always this afterthought—and aftertaste—that this comes at the expense of the quality of meat they serve. Alas, even in the saturated scene of subpar Korean barbecues and Asian hot pot restaurants are exceedingly exceptional exceptions such as the new Young Won Asian Grill. 

Also read:
10 Hot Pot + Grill Restaurants to Hit Two Cravings in One Go
10 Great Places for Hot Pot in QC and San Juan

Here's what you need to know about new hot pot + grill restaurant Young Won Asian Grill:

Let’s talk about the name. "Young Won" isn’t just a catchy title; it’s a tapestry of different cultures, in that the two words correspond to different meanings in different languages that embody some characteristic of the restaurant. In Korean, it means 영원히 (Youngwonil) which means forever and infinite—a nod to their commitment to timelessness and endless joy (of eating good food, we presume). 阳湾 (Yang Wan) in Chinese translates to Sunshine Bay, signifying their warmth and radiance. And of course, there's "Young one" in English, which touches on the evident youthful spirit as seen on their neon-lit interiors.

Young Won sets itself apart from the dozens to thousands of hot pot and grill restaurants as it has taken the best of Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese cuisines under one menu. Imagine sweating bullets from Chinese's Mala broth and switching it with spoonfuls of something as uncommon as a Thai Suki broth, and eating it with Bulgogi Squid and Karubi Yakiniku. It’s a dining journey across Asia, with a full stomach sans the jet lag and paying for the expensive airfare.

The chefs behind these Asian eats are Chef Chris Oronce, the Executive Chef of Wolfgang's Steakhouse, and Chef Aroonwan Sotachin. While Chef Oronce was the one who mainly developed the Japanese, Korean, and Chinese side of the menu, it was Chef Sotachin who brought in the Thai flavors.

The Food

Unlimited dining at Young Won Asian Grill is priced at P899/head for Tier 1 and P1,199/head for Tier 2. Tier 2 includes all the grill and hot pot options from Tier 1 but with more premium options such as steak, shrimp, and lobster.

The "Grill" options include the following: Angus Toplade Steak, Brisket Yakiniky, Karubi Yakiniku, Spicy Beef Bulgogi, Pork Belly Skewers, Spiced Pork Belly Skewers, Pork Steak, Thai Chicken BBQ, Bulgogi Squid, and an assortment of vegetables. Tier 2 includes Angus Chuck Steak, Beijing Beef, LA Galbi, and Spicy Market Shrimps. These are served with grilling sauces such as Cilantro, Bulldog, and Teriyaki.

The "Hotpot" category includes Beef Belly, Beef Brisket Hotpot, Pork Belly, Egg Noodles, Ramen Noodles, and an assortment of mushrooms, tofu, vegetables, balls, and other greens. The Tier 2 hot pot selection has the Angus Hanger Steak and Lobster Balls.

It's in the broth options that you'll have a hard time choosing which one to get—well, at least in our experience. There's the Miso Nabe if you like the different layers of savory and umami in miso; the Mushroom Collagen (you could pretty much call it the Beauty Soup) which is a Chinese-inspired mushroom collagen broth with dried goji berries, jujube, ginger, and scallions; and the sweat-inducing Mala broth that's made with Sichuan peppers and a medley of spices.

If you're up for an adventure into uncharted territories, Young Won Asian Grill has broths that aren't common in hot pot restaurants. There's the Kimchi broth which has that fermented flavor profile and a light spiciness; the Sai Suki which is more like a Thailand-meets-Japan pork broth with soy and mirin; and lastly, the Thai Yentafo, a broth with a distinctive pinkish hue that’s made with Thai Yentafoo sauce: a fermented sauce made from bean curd.

Aside from the hot pot and grilled meats, Young Won Asian Grill also has sides you can try, to either add to your hot pot and grill, or order solo. The options are the Wagyu Meatballs Curry (P349), Kimchi Gyoza (P179), Mala Seafood Spaghetti (P409), Spicy Seafood Japchae (P249), Thai Pork BBQ Skewers (P209), Steak Tataki (P249), and KPop Chicken Tenders (P399).

Touching on the youthful, very-Millennial and Gen Z vibe of the restaurant is the signature cocktail Jade Dragon. This Asian-inspired concoction has soju, sour mix, and melon liqueur that gives the drink a greenish hue. The "dragon" part is in the clear glasses the drink is served in, one that lights up in different colors as long as it can still detect liquid in your cup. It depends if you'll find enjoyment in its twinkling lights or feel pressured to empty the drinkware—just be a responsible drinker as the drink tastes harmless at first.

What we recommend

It's a no-brainer to go for the Tier 2 set, only because you won't have any regrets paying a little more for unlimited servings of the Angus Hanger Steak and Angus Chuck Steak. If you think about it, you get to have all the meats and all the hot pot add-ons as much as you want. It's a win-win from the get-go.

The only issue now is choosing which broth to go for because you can only have one kind of broth per head. As mentioned, we had a hard time choosing which one we liked most, but here's our hot take on the hot pot broths: The Mushroom Collagen broth is the best in our book, not because of the beautifying benefits of collagen, but we liked it most for its simplicity out of all the other choices—and "simple" isn't always a bad thing. The collagen broth's mild savory and umami feels like a warm, comforting hug you never knew you needed.

What made the broth selection hard is the fact that we (Filipinos) are accustomed to intense tastes, especially in our soups and stews. If you're the type who doesn't shy away from flavors, go for the Mala and Kimchi broths as these punch you in the face with brutal (but delicious) force. And if you still want to try all the broths, it's an additional P170 per broth—or you can always bring five other friends with you so you can all try the Young Won Asian Grill signature broths.

How to book a table at Young Won Asian Grill:

Young Won Asian Grill prices are P899/head (Tier 1) and P1,199 (Tier 2), but if you dine in any day from Monday to Thursday, any time from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., it's only P789/head. You can reserve a table by contacting these numbers: 0917-621-8249 and 0915-568-7139.

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