I have loved mukbangs ever since I first discovered there is such a thing through Kinoshita Yuka--a Japanese oogui eater. Back then I was more impressed by the amount of food she consumed being she's a competitive eater, but my fascination later led me to discovering cuisines from other culture. Aside from mukbangs, I'm also deeply immersed in ASMR and we all know a huge chunk of ASMR creators are Koreans which is why most of the food I crave on a daily basis as I watch these videos would be korean food.
I mean, I've always loved Korean food that's why it doesn't surprise me that korean food + asmr would be my go to sleeping pill. I make my own korean dishes but there's one that I always see in mukbangs that I can't really make myself--soy-marinated raw shrimp. I've seen how it's prepared but I get scared because marinating raw food in soy sauce is something that we don't usually do here in the Philippines. So you can imagine how long I've been looking for a restaurant that can cater to my infinite craving. Unfortunately, I've scoured Manila high and low but have't found one that can. But as luck would have it, I was in Boracay a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon a restaurant that can address my curiosity.
THE PLACE
KD Pocha is Korean-Filipino Fusion Pub. It's hidden just below Island Nook, so it may prove difficult to find. But one you get to Island Nook, you're good to go. The place, as the name suggests, looks more like a pub rather than a family-friendly restaurant with all the Soju bottles displayed on top of the counter. They offer authentic korean dishes such as the one I was extremely excited to try. The owner is also Korean and assures that they only offer the best and freshest seafood.
Okay so I only ordered one thing because the soy-marinated raw shrimp (P550.00) was a bit steep for my budget. If you're sharing, it wouldn't be so bad but since I was consuming it for my lonesome, I found it a bit pricey. But when I got the entree, it was so worth it! 8 huge shrimps on top of sushi rice, served with miso soup, pickled radish and soy sauce with wasabi. When I saw the color, I was a bit scared because it didn't look appetizing at all. In my head I was thinking how all these mukbangers can make something look so appetizing when my first sight of it wasn't pleasant at all.
But when I took my first bite, all I could taste was the tenderness of the shrimp. It was so soft it almost melts in your mouth. I was reluctant too thinking it would be fishy since it was just marinated in soy sauce but holy hell it wasn't fishy at all. It also wasn't overly salty, just right. You can choose to still dip it in soy sauce if you find it a bit bland but personally just adding wasabi did the trick for me. The shrimp was perfectly seasoned and I found myself being too full towards finishing my 8th shrimp. My P550.00 was well worth it.
Would I come back? Definitely. Even if I wasn't amused with the new Boracay with all the surge of expensive Chinese restaurants driving prices to insane levels, I'm still glad there are hole in the wall finds like KD Pocha--not insanely overpriced but still gives you a chance into exploring the flavors of their culture. Korean cuisine is something I'll always be fascinated with and KD Pocha has been added to my go-to's should I crave again for another time. I just hope tickets to Caticaln were that cheap, but eitherway if you guys are ever in the area make sure to drop by!
Budget : P700 for 2 people
Open daily : 10AM - 11PM
Road A1, Aklan, Boracay
Ochi is a twenty-something Corporate Trainer who loves to cook, take photos and videos of her food, eat and travel. On weekends, she's either drunk or snuggling in bed watching her favorite crime drama. 
