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Archive for 2013

Alfarsi (Maginhawa)

There are a LOT of places to eat in Quezon City. All tucked into the streets here and there, so you just have to (know where to) look. We went to a newly built building full of eateries along Maginhawa street in Diliman to sample some of Alfarsi's Persian Grill food. It's owned by some young entrepreneurs (who are friends of Chesca's brother), so show your support! PS: they're on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlfarsiPersianGrill

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Wildflour (BGC)

One rainy weekend we took a trip to the Wildflour at BGC. We've been looking to try it out after hearing good reviews about it. Parking was simple enough, although it can be a bit hard to find (it's inside the building where the restaurant it). This eatery exudes an upper-class, somewhat elitist atmosphere. You can see it in the diners; everyone seemed to be dressed in their finest and even had their pets along with them for brunch. It was packed inside too, so we had to settle for seats outside.

First up was some a pastry appetizer. The bread had a crackling crust and was on the salty side (kind of like a baguette). Came with a lot of butter though. But we used it up anyway :D.

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Italianni's (Eastwood Mall)

We met up after work at the Eastwood mall in Libis, and we decided to try out the Italianni's there. We don't usually go to this place (at all) because it's expensive; but then we had a discount card :D. It was a busy place at the dinner hour, service was a little slow. It took a while before they got us the bread appetizer. Two slices of regular white bread (ciabatta?) and something with more herbs in it (also ciabatta?). It had an olive oil-balsamic vinegar dip and helped stave off the hunger for a while.

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HOKKAIDO RAMEN SANTOUKA (Glorietta 4)

The first time we went here, the place was full of people. Seems to be famous, we thought. So we decided to try it another time. And a few weeks later, we did (at our usual late lunch hour). Located on the ground floor outside of Glorietta 2 (facing SM Makati), it may be hard to find for some. But a little wandering around and you will eventually find it. It has this big sign after all.

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Outback Steakhouse (Acropolis)

After we caught wind of a discount promo, we decided to try the Outback Steakhouse near the Libis area. The place is hard to miss; it's that big, elevated house along the southbound side of the road. I have to say, this design really helps, since people with cars get a lot of parking space. At least for a 2pm late lunch anyway. It's become sort of our thing, eating at the odd hours of the day. Usually means less people, which also usually means better service. Plus we like the quiet :).

Here's the appetizer, a six inch(ish) long loaf of bread with some butter. It's not the usual white bread we see, but I can't really say it's rye bread either (not much of a bread expert here). Tasted nice and sweet though, and the butter that came along with it was creamy too.

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KPUB BBQ Meat All You Can (BGC)

I've always thought that the KPub in the BGC was some sort of party place, but it turns out it's a restaurant! Well, a restaurant with a party-ish ambiance anyway. Since we like the Korean take on protein, we gave this place a whirl a few weekends ago. They had a promo on their 1 hour timed buffet (more on the mechanics in a bit) so we tried that. It's a bit on the noisy side when you get to a seat, but you'll notice immediately that it's a pretty spiffy place. From the crew costumes to the tables and decor, the place screams K-Pop.

So the way the 1 hour buffet works is that once your first plate of buffet meats reaches the table, the 1 hour starts. You then have 1 hour to order whatever you want off their menu. Here's the first plate of food we got: the usual appetizer dishes (various pickled items + the ever-present kimchi) and salad greens with some sesame-like dressing. All of these were quite flavorful, and the dressing was quite good. Kind of reminded me of Japanese style salad dressing. We also had some of their Kimchi rice. And yes, it’s spicy. Sweat inducing spicy :)

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Sambokojin (Eastwood)

Ah Sambo Kojin. For us, it's the standard by which we judge all other non-hotel buffets. When we first went there, it was a real treat. You get many good food selections, Japanese and Korean food, at a not-too-expensive price. Plus their Eastwood branch is easily accessible from where we live :). So we decided to document one of our recent trips there, to see how things are at our buffet of choice. Hint: mmmm.

Like what we said before, there's a lot of choices for food, cooked or cookable. From Japanese style katsu to Korean Kimchi, from chilled green salads to hot soup, from the grilled-at-your-table meat dishes that used to walk or used to swim, I think it's safe to say that everyone will find something nice to eat here. Chesca starts off with her usual sushi and sashimi plate, and it's great, as usual. The sushi was a little large though, so it may be hard to eat in one gulp, but we're not complaining.

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Gavinos (Greenhills Town Center)

I think the first time we tried Gavino's donuts, we were in Megamall. We were just walking around and this little stall popped into view. "What a weird/cute looking donut" was the first thought in our heads :) We ended up trying some and it kind of clicked. So here we are at one of the bigger stores they have in the Greenhills area.

Here's what we had that day: some Oreo and choco-almond styled donuts. It's not big, actually it's pretty average size-wise. The difference is in the unique chewiness of the dough. It's kind of a cross between the lightness of a J. Co. donut and the chewiness of a Chewy Jr. donut; combining both textures into one not-as-light-and-not-as-chewy donut. It's hard to describe, so that's as much as I can do it without giving you one :).

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Pho Hoa

We had a little lunch stop at the Gateway Pho Hoa a couple weeks ago. Actually, we're sort of patrons of the whole Pho Hoa franchise, since they've been pretty consistent with the food quality and speed of service (at any branch). We had a hankering for some soup, as well as some of Pho Hoa's spring rolls. There was enough time before the noon break was over and we both had to go back to work, so we went ahead and got us some good ol' Vietnamese style lunch.

We ordered some of their beef and meat ball soup (I forget which one it was exactly). We added in some side salad for some extra fiber (plus we love the sweet and sour vinegar-y dressing it came with). The carrots and cabbage in the salad gives some nice crunch along with the tasty flavor of the dressing, plus some bitterness from the crunchy garlic bits on top. We used to order an entire serving of their chicken salad until we discovered that you could have a smaller, veggies only side salad for a fraction of the price. It works for us because it leaves room for other things :).

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Cafe Midas Buffet (Pasay City)

We decided to try out the Midas Hotel's restaurant a few weeks ago. Partly due to curiosity, partly due to the desire for a hotel buffet eating binge. Getting a big discount coupon from an online outfit pretty much sealed the deal. At almost half off, why not give it a shot?

The hotel is located along Roxas Boulevard, near the intersection from EDSA. A good spot for tourists, as they can get a nice faceful of Manila Bay sunset daily (barring the weather that is). Parking is a bit of an issue; the outside parking spaces were all full by dinnertime. The inside was all sparkly and new, but it did feel a bit cramped for some reason. Probably because the building's a little on the petite side. There's a casino somewhere in the hotel, and a bunch of restaurants as well. We only got to try the Midas Cafe tonight, because that's where the buffet was.

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Salcedo Weekend Market (Makati)

One of the more recent attractions to foodies these days are the food markets. From the late night kinds that pop up right next to the all-night offices, to the ones that open up on weekend mornings in the middle of the urban jungle, you'll find all sorts of weird and wonderful gastronomic options to sink your teeth into.

We went and tried out the Salcedo Market one weekend to see and sample some fine food. First up was Hachibi takoyaki. If you haven't already heard of the stuff, it's pretty much a ball of sliced veggies and a chunk of octopus wrapped up in some batter. This is the fried in a special griddle pan with many half-spherical dents in them (so they form a ball as you cook it). Chesca's tried this place before, and it was the very first thing she sought out. Being sort of a connoisseur when it comes to these things, she was excited at the prospect of some freshly made and authentic takoyaki in the morning. It's a good way to start the day :).

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Zomato

We signed up our account on Zomato.com the same day we created a blogger account. We wanted to share our gustatory adventures with people and Zomato, with it's clean design, witty remarks, and the big picture of different food items, was our first choice. After a few months of using the site and the app, here's what we've got to say.

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Ganso-Shabuway (Greenbelt)

Continuing our shabu-shabu tour, here now is Ganso Shabuway (in Greenbelt 5). Back in the day, we always just passed by this place wondering what the food was like (then ending up getting drawn into the Pepper Lunch nearby). When we finally got the chance, I had a cold; had to wait for another visit to do a proper review :)

Think of the place as a more "high brow" version of Tong Yang, minus the buffet. You've got your soup base in the middle, and then you can order the stuff you dunk into said soup. You can choose between a spicy or a more plain soup, or both like we did. The plain flavor (I think it was seaweed based?) had a very light flavor to it. A little too light for us, which is why we preferred the spicier soup. It had a nice blend of chili and garlic flavor in it that really warms you up. I remember the first time we were here, even if I couldn't really taste the soup, I could feel some chili-induced pain on my tongue :D. Ganso Shabuway also has some chopped leeks, chopped garlic and chili sauce on the side, as well some Ponzu sauce (fancy Japanese word for toyo-mansi) and a creamy, almost peanut-buttery tasting sauce. A nice contrast between the two meat dipping sauces.

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Wrong Ramen (Burgos Circle, Taguig)

One rainy day we visited the famous Wrong Ramen at the Burgos Circle. We've heard plenty of buzz surrounding this place so we decided to finally give it a try.

The place is actually quite small (or cozy, as some people say). The upper floor was closed off that day so we could only see the first floor. There's space for about 6 people in front of the kitchen/counter area, plus maybe 3 or 4 more people along the windows. The tables have little wooden walls (a few inches tall) between each diner's area; kind of reminded me of taking an exam. There's a lot of quirky things going on in the store, take these salt and pepper shakers for instance. I'll leave it to you to find the other things in there, because there's a lot of things to see. The place really made me feel as if a young-ish yuppie/hipster designed the interior. And not to mention the menu (which has quite a bit of witty writing in it).

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Saboten (Serendra, BGC)

Katsu restaurants seem to be sprouting up everywhere nowadays. Happy days for us :). But for these eateries, it's getting harder and harder to stand out in the crowd. It'll take a certain "something more" for a katsu place to really leave it's mark. Enter one such place, Saboten. Located in the upscale confines of Serendra (in BGC), the place provides a neat and peaceful venue for a date or small gathering. They even have a pebble-lined walkway from the door to the first few tables - very Zen-like. Oh, and they serve real green tea! Not that rice tea stuff everybody else gives out - let's be honest, that rice tea tastes like the washings of a rice cooker that had loads of burnt rice on it.

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Arya (Shangri-La Mall)

Persian food, especially kebabs, have always been interesting for us. The mix of spices and grilled meats give you a wide variety of flavor combinations and offers a truly exotic experience. Plus, who doesn't love eating meat chunks off of a stick? Okay, maybe vegetarians or vegans fall into that category, but anyway...

We tried out an unfamiliar restaurant: the Arya Persian Restaurant. It's not just the restaurant that's new to us, even its location is: the just-finished Shangri-La EDSA wing. Actually I think there are other Arya branches somewhere in Metro Manila (Greenhills, Podium and Robinson's Manila), but this is the first time we tried their food. It's on the top floor and has a nice view, but it was rainy when we went there so we'll save you the trouble of looking at our gray-sky pics. The server was kind enough to describe the popular dishes in detail, and that's always worth good points in our book.

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Burgoo (Gateway Mall, Cubao)

I haven't actually been to Burgoo before this. Chesca's been there before, but only twice over a period of several years. We decided to try it out together one day, in the Gateway branch.

I was feeling a bit crustacean-y that day, so we tried out their Shrimp Popcorn Caesar. The regular serving was quite large, with a healthy serving of crispy lettuce. The shrimp was quite a treat, tender and savory. Hey, who doesn't love battered, deep fried shrimp? Mmm, makes me hungry just remembering the way the shrimp tasted.

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Green Pastures (Shangri-La Mall)

The new Edsa Shangri-La mall section has brought with it many new eateries. Besides the usual mall fare, there are several new players around. One of these new players is Green Pastures. This place serves organic food; mostly salads and greens but they also have some unique and uncommon non-vegetarian items on the menu. The place stands out because of the wooden cabin motif it has going on. Looks very rustic and rural. Reminds me of a house in Baguio we stayed in :)

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Sakura (Glorietta 4)

In your trips to Glorietta 4, you may have missed this little Japanese eatery along the second floor. Sakura is right beside non-food shops, so that's understandable. Since the shop is pretty small, most of the tables are located along the corridor/walkway of the mall. This might be a turn off for people who don't like to have passers by within reach. Chesca and I've been here around once or twice before, and the food was ok. We stopped by today for a little ramen.

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Frankie's New York Buffalo Wings (Pasig)

How would today's modern society survive without deep fried food? I don't know, I'm just going to tell you about Frankie's New York Buffalo Wings near the Home Depot in Pasig. This is the only branch, so eating here may be a bit of a stretch for some. But to those who can (and who have, like us), they'll probably tell you it's the best flavored wings they've ever had in this country.

The inside is quite nice, for a single branch outfit. The entrance is lined with pictures from celebrity patrons, and there's a TV off to the side along with a veranda area. Pretty clean and organized. You also get some plastic gloves when you order, for a more personal wing-eating experience without the messy fingers. But enough about that, let's get to them wings!

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Marufuku (Ortigas)

Marufuku is a small but fancy-looking Japanese restaurant hidden away at the edges of the Ortigas Center (along San Miguel Ave.). It offers a quiet, peaceful ambiance; everything just looks so neat and clean. Very Japanese indeed. The appetizer was some deep fried little anchovies (okay, they're dilis). Crunchy with a sweet and nutty flavor, this is a nice preparation for your taste buds for the good stuff to come :).

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New Bombay (Glorietta 3)

If you've never tried Indian food (and you should, really), the New Bombay restaurant would be an excellent place to start. From its humble beginnings as a cafeteria-type eatery in an old Makati supermarket, to its current total of about 5 different branches all over Metro Manila, you can already tell that the business has become very successful. Why? Because it provides a very authentic Indian food taste with all the atmosphere of India right here in the Philippines. We've been here a few times before, and one Saturday night, we went on down to the Glorietta branch for dinner.

Most people would think that Indian cuisine would be all heat and spice. You should try a glass of Lassi then. It's a yogurt based drink that is sweet and has a bit of tartness to it. Chesca had the plain lassi (I think there were a few variations on the menu) and it was a nice way to start the meal. Served chilled, the lassi was rich and creamy and is actually a nice drink by itself. I wonder when the lassi stands will start popping out all over the place (I'm kind of having milk tea fatigue).

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Masil (Ortigas Home Depot)

Let me just say that if you're in the Philippines, dining at Masil (in the Ortigas Home Depot) is the next best thing to actually eating in a South Korean barbecue joint. Everything from the presentation to the utensils, even the way someone cooked our food in front of us screamed authentic Korean barbecue.

Traditional South Korean cuisine starts off with several side dishes (banchan, they're called). Masil certainly didn't disappoint here.

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Little Tokyo: Riozen & Hana (Makati)

Like Japanese food? Looking for a quiet, secluded place to eat in the middle of the Makati CBD? Then you should pay a visit to Little Tokyo in Pasong Tamo (aka Don Chino Roces Avenue). It's actually a collection of small restaurants owned by Japanese expatriates, serving all sorts of authentic Japanese dishes. We've been here lots of times before; usually we have the okonomiyaki from that one joint inside that serves the stuff (review to follow :)).

Today, we went to one of the other stores inside the complex, Riozen. Chesca had some of the salmon sashimi to start off with. Even though it was the small sized portion we ordered, the salmon slices were quite generously proportioned. Well, compared to every other place we've been to, anyway. Fresh and sweet-tasting (almost), this was some very good sashimi. We noticed that the soy sauce they have tasted a bit different from the usual Kikkoman soy sauce. It had a sort of savory flavor to it (maybe it was some MSG?), it complemented the mild flavor of the salmon quite well.

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Yakimix (Greenbelt 3)

Hello from the Greenbelt 3 Yakimix. We've been here before quite a few times before. It was a bit disappointing to see that there were fewer cook-able meat varieties compared to Sambokojin or even Tong Yang this time though. But maybe it was because it was nearing closing time. Anyway, here is Chesca's usual starting plate: a couple of rolls, some salmon sashimi and a some nori (seaweed) variants. Nothing too noteworthy in the taste department here.

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The White Hat

White Hat yogurt. Unlike other yogurts, this stuff is quite tasty. It has that yogurt sourness, but also has a good (but not overwhelming amount of) sweetness. It's kind of like a sweet sort of cheese. Chesca had some of their plain yogurt (her usual). Of course, I had some too. You know the yogurt tastes good when you can have it plain, like this.

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Tong Yang (SM Megamall)

We liked our previous experience at the Jupiter branch; this time we tried the one in Megamall for comparisons. We got the spicy broth and the sinigang soup this time. The sinigang was ok (though I did find it vinegar-y for some reason). We both found the spicy soup better tasting at Jupiter. The vegetables were nice, I really liked the Taiwan pechay. Too bad I missed the spinach refill.

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Agave (BGC)

We went and had a late lunch at the Agave Mexican Cantina at the BGC this past Friday. It was around 2:00 pm, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves (except for the two or three groups of people that were already inside).

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