FOODQUESTS

Archive for September 2013

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.