The eponymous baby of the restaurant being adorable.
Korean Side Dishes
Let's start with these. I always look forward to trying Korean appetizers, mostly because they tend to be full of vegetables and spices. The appetizers restaurants serve are also quite varied. At Leann's Tea House, you can get large portions of a few appetizers, and honestly the servings are so large you will need to leave room for the entree.
The best I've tasted: Fresh, homemade kimchi that has the right amount of flavor.
Lettuce salad. Light. Mildly spicy and sweet.
Cleanses the palate. Potato salad.
Japchae
Korean stir-fried glass noodles made of beef (top round), sliced carrots, garlic, green onions, onions and shiitake mushrooms, and seasoned with sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce and sugar. I'd say this dish is really good! The glass noodles neither taste excruciatingly sweet nor bland, and the dish overall has generous amounts of beef and vegetables.Japchae, Php210*.
Bibimbap
Bibimbap, in fact, is Korean for "mixed rice." At Leann's Tea House, an order of bibimbap gets you a bowl full of white rice, top round beef, vegetables and sliced egg omelet.Bibimbap, Php210*.
To eat the bibimbap, you mix the ingredients together and pour a bit of bibimbap sauce on top, giving the dish its beautiful red hue. Guests who don't like incredibly spicy Korean dishes will still be able to enjoy the bibimbap since the red bibimbap sauce only has a very weak spicy flavor. If you're into flaming hot, sinus-cleaning, jjampong level of spiciness, you can always request for some hot chili sauce, can't you?
Beef Bulgogi
Probably the most recognized Korean dish in the world, the ever-popular bulgogi is made of thinly sliced, marinated rib eye strips stir-fried with fresh vegetables and glass noodles. Leann's offers deliciously tender and marbled beef. It's sooooo addicting, I kid you not.Beef bulgogi, Php300*.
LA Galbi (or Kalbi)
This short rib dish is my favorite! Sweet and tender, LA Galbi is a dish composed of marinated beef short ribs cut thinly (about a quarter inch) and across the bone. Leann's Tea House also offers thinly sliced pork belly (Samgyeopsal, Php 220*) for those who love bacon.
L.A. Galbi, Php380*.
Traditionally, Galbi is wrapped in lettuce with grilled onions, garlic and ssamjang (a Korean dipping sauce pictured above), but if you prefer white rice with your grilled beef, you can always order a cup of rice for Php50.
Soju-based Cocktails
Leann's Tea House puts a unique twist to the classic cosmopolitan, sex by the beach, kamikaze, screwdriver and mimosa with their very own soju-based cocktails. These cocktails are so affordable, with prices just ranging from 70 to 250 per glass! For the heck of it, I tried my go-to ladies drink, the margarita.
Soju Margarita, Php90*.
I was surprised by how the drink hardly tasted like alcohol, and yet it didn't taste like plain juice drink. So good, I ordered another glass for the road. Highly recommended!
Smoothies
Leann's Tea House also offers fresh and delicious smoothies! A friend ordered Paradise Passion (pictured below), a tall glass of love made of peanut butter, banana, vanilla ice cream and Oreo cookies, and topped with fresh whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. I'm the type who prefers peanut butter on my pan de sal, and I even like how Paradise Passion tastes like. It's smooth, creamy and heavenly.
Paradise Passion, Php150*.
Dessert
Before you're served a complementary glass of barley tea, you can try some dessert at Leann's Tea House. My friend and I tried Mango Sago, a simple concoction of ripe mango juice, crushed ice and sago pearls. I think it's a refreshing way to end a feast, even though I'm not a big fan. Personally, the smoothies can already do a great job as dessert.Mango Sago.