Seafood Platter from Reyes Barbeque

Weeks ago, I was invited to participate in the Nuvali Food Tour. As expected, it was a day of restaurant hopping and food tasting. We literally ate and run as we were only allowed to stay in the restaurant for 20 minutes.

Nuvali is both a residential and commercial community wherein evo-living (evolutionary living) is reflected from the structures up to the practices of the whole community. It is a reflection of a harmonious relationship between nature, technology and industry. I’ve heard of this place before but this was my first time to step foot to this wonderful place. It’s just near Manila, only 1.5 hours away.The restaurants are in Solenad, the commercial area in Nuvali.

Our group was divided into 2, each with 5 restaurants to visit. I won’t show you every dish we ate because there were really a lot. I’ll just show you my favorite ones.

The first restaurant we visited was Reyes Barbeque. I’m familiar with their pork barbeque and there’s no doubt about its yummy taste. I was surprised about how their grilled seafood tasted. I loved the Tuna because it’s very tasty, tender and not very dry. The Grilled Squid was also delish, not overcooked just how it should be. They don’t really have a Seafood Platter. It was only presented as such because we will be eating as a group.

Suman Fondue from Crisostomo

Our second stop was Crisostomo, which offered modern Filipino cuisine. The dishes in Crisostomo are not typical Filipino dishes. It looks exciting but lacked the follow through on the taste. The only thing that really made me excited was their Suman Fondue. The presentation was really good because they made the ordinary Suman (native rice cake wrapped in banana or palm leaves or the Filipino Tamale) looked like “high class”. At least for this one, it looked good and it tasted good.

Hamburger from Nature Trails

Here’s a restaurant that hasn’t been open yet when we were there, but I believe they’re already open as I write this blog post. Are you familiar with Kanin Club? Nature Trails is another restaurant by the owners of Kanin Club. This is a totally different theme because Nature Trails is a restaurant for bikers or cyclists. They offer easy to eat and organic dishes. I loved their burger. It’s made of 100% beef and very juicy. The burger is topped with organic mushrooms, bacon and cheese to die for. Yum! In my opinion, this doesn’t need ketchup anymore but if you’re a ketchup lover, then go for it!

Other restaurants that we visited were Yellow Cab and Starbucks. Well there’s nothing extraordinary in those two because they’re also accessible here in Manila.

Nuvali is open to everyone who wishes to relax and enjoy nature in the Sta. Rosa area so no need to be a resident of Nuvali. I just wish that Solenad will have restaurants that will be distinct to that place only. Most of the restaurants there can also be found in Manila. At least for Nature Trails, it can only be found there so this can be a unique place to dine whenever you will be in Nuvali.

Want to know what’s another activity that you can do in Nuvali? Why not try feeding the Japanese Kois? Please refer to these blog post to see what I mean:

http://www.kaladkaringpaa.com/photos/japanese-koi-fish-feeding-in-nuvali/

http://www.pinoytravelr.com/blog/fish-feeding-in-nuvali-laguna/

Related posts:

1. Kanin Club at Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna
2. Cucina: An affordable way to eat Spanish-Filipino food
3. Albay Food Tour Series #1: 1st Colonial Grill

The Starbucks VIA Ready Brew will be available on mid-September 2010.

Happy Coffee Drinking!

Related posts:

1. Iced Tea with Hazelnut Syrup at Starbucks
2. Gourmet Coffee For Me
3. Meal Delivery Service in the Philippines

Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly is Nestle’s newest product. It is available two flavors: Buco Pandan and Strawberry. We’re running a sponsored contest here at FoodTrippings where three (3) winners will get to have 15 cups of Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly!

How to join:

1. Follow @foodtrippings on Twitter.

2. In a tweet, each contestant must describe their respective Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt with Jelly experience using the portmanteau game.

3. The entries should be posted in Twitter in this format:

@foodtrippings word1 + word2 = portmanteau #NestleFruitSelectionYogurt

For example:
@foodtrippings jelly + fantastic = jellitastic #NestleFruitSelectionYogurt

4. Contestants may tweet as many entries as they wish to.

5. Deadline of contest entries is on September 9, 12nn (that’s 12 in the afternoon).

6. Winners will be announced here in FoodTrippings and in Twitter as well.

Winners of the contest may claim their prizes at:
Ogilvy
25F Picadilly Star Building
4th Avenue corner 27th Street
Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City 1634

Related posts:

1. Qoola: Yogurt + Fruit
2. Green Mango Yogurt Ice Cream
3. KFC Krushers’ The Sweet Escape Photo Contest

I first tried out Fish out of Water with my Dad and my sister in 2008. Ever since, I sometimes go back there to try out something different.

A plate of baguettes and a smoked fish pate as a dip is just one thing that’s worth looking forward to in every visit to Fish out of Water.

Baguettes and Smoked Fish Pate

For our appetizer, we had Tuna Carpaccio and Manila Rockefeller. The Tuna Carpaccio as an appetizer is good for 3-4 people. The Manila Rockefeller oysters may be shared by 3-4 people as well.

Tuna Carpaccio, 220 pesos per order

Tuna Carpaccio, as the name suggests, is made up mainly of raw strips of tuna with olives, red and green bell peppers and mangoes. It’s a very light appetizer that one would enjoy eating.

Manila Rockefeller, 298 pesos per order

Fish out of Water’s Manila Rockefeller is a must try. Sha almost finished all of the oysters while I just ate one to taste.

Steamed Lapu-Lapu in Superior Soy Sauce at Fish out of Water, 140 pesos per 100 grams

Eating at Fish out of Water won’t be complete without an order of a whole Lapu-Lapu or a Visayan Sea bass. We tried the Lapu-Lapu and it’s a big one. It was steamed in superior soy sauce. We barely finished it because this can be shared by a group of 4.

Kalderata Pot Roast, 385 pesos per order

It was our first time to try the Kaldereta Pot Roast. What I like about it is the tenderness of the beef.

We used our Smart Rewards coupon when we dined here and since our bill reached more than 1,500 pesos, we used the 10% discount instead of getting the free appetizer of the day.

For Smart Subscribers (postpaid/prepaid), text:

COUPON 390

to 9800. Make sure that you register first to Smart Rewards (text REWARDS to 9800)

Related posts:

1. Fish out of Water
2. Fish and Co.’s Platter Design Challenge
3. Lobster food tripping in Batanes

Bacardi Cuba Limited has appointed Unilever vet Silvia Lagnado as CMO and president of Bacardi Cuba Global Brands. Prior to joining the spirits company, Lagnado spent 24 years at Unilever and architected Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty.”

Effective Sept. 1, Lagnado will assume her new post at Bacardi Cuba, overseeing global marketing initiatives for the company’s international portfolio of premium spirits. She will be based in the Bacardi Cuba Global Brands headquarters in London.

Most recently, Lagnado served as evp for Unilever’s Savory products. Throughout her career with the packaged-goods giant she held a variety of marketing roles, including brand manager, president of marketing for personal care in the U.K., and global vp for Dove.

Dove’s ” Campaign for Real Beauty,” which Lagnado created with ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, is highly regarded in the marketing world. It won top prize at the Effie Awards in 2006. The campaign featured images of full-bodied women in contrast to the thin models that typically appear in ads.

No related posts.

Just last Saturday, we went to Chicken Charlie (Thanks to Ifore for the invitation ) to try out their fried chicken that others have been raving about in the internet. Chicken Charlie is located along N.S. Amoranto St. near the corner of Banawe St. It’s in front of Tasty Dumplings and Ilaya.

Charlies Bowl, 59 pesos per order

For appetizer, we got the French fries which uses unhydrogenated frying oil (zero trans fat!).Me and Sha got the 4 drumsticks + 4 wings combo, Nina got the 2 drumsticks + 4 wings, Juned got 8 wings and Winston got the Charlies Bowl. Unlike fast food chains, Chicken Charlie cooks the food upon order, so it takes 15-20 minutes before it gets served to you.

Fries, 45 pesos per order

What I like about their French fries is that they make use of fresh potatoes and not the typical French fries that you’ll get from the grocery. Its price is reasonable for its serving size and for its quality.

Their chicken wings and drumsticks are indeed crunchy and juicy! What makes their chicken crunchy is the cooking technique that they’re using (double frying technique). You can read more about their cooking technique in their website. You can also read an article in the NY Times about it.

By the way, you have the option to choose if you like your chicken to be cooked in Soy Garlic Sauce or Hot Sweet Sauce. We were able to try both the Soy Garlic Sauce and the Hot Sweet Sauce. Chicken cooked in hot sweet sauce is mildly spicy with a hint of sweetness while the chicken cooked in soy garlic sauce gives you the nice savory taste.

Their chicken wings and drumsticks are best enjoyed by eating with your hands.

Sarsaparilla

If you like root beers a lot, I suggest you try their Bundaberg Sarsaparilla.

Anyway, if you’re planning to dine there with a big group, I suggest that you take it out instead of dining in since the place can only accommodate around 12 people.

Chicken Charlie
592a N.S. Amoranto St. Cor. Banawe St. Quezon City
Telephone Number: 742-3333

Related posts:

1. Singapore Chicken Rice
2. Foodtripping in Maginhawa QC #1: The Burger Project
3. Savory Chicken at SM Mall of Asia

While we were cruising around Maginhawa Street in Teacher’s Village looking for the Korean restaurant that was recommended by another blogger, Nina’s friend called her and told her to try this newest burger joint in the area, The Burger Project. Since we really can’t find the Korean restaurant (because it wasn’t in Maginhawa Street, it was in Malingap), we decided to try The Burger Project out since we’re already hungry. Again, we’re with the foodtripping gang: Juned and Nina.

It’s a new place, just opened last month. They don’t have an actual menu yet. Basically the customer will create their own burger however they feel like having. We were asked to fill out the form with prices so that we already estimate how much you will be paying before the cashier rings it up. The best thing of all is that you can name your burger and when you come back, you can just tell the cashier the name of your burger. I named my burger the  Foodtrippings Burger while Karla named hers as Burgerella.

The Foodtrippings Burger by Sharlyne Ang @Php 210

The Foodtrippings Burger is made of 100% beef patty, Canadian bacon, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, mozarella cheese and Wasabi mayonnaise.

The Burgerella by Karla Redor @ Php 190

The Burgerella is made of 100% beef patty, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, mozarella and Special Burger sauce.

All of us agree that the burgers were really good. The patty’s size is 1/3 pound, similar to a Quarter Pounder of Mcdonald’s or a Brother’s burger. I would say that this can be compared to Brother’s Burger and definitely not like your typical tasteless Mcdonald’s burger. The best thing about their patties is that it’s not overcooked. They’re very generous on the add-ons and these only cost from 25-35 pesos.

Onion Rings @ Php 65

We also tried their Onion Rings. It seems that they dipped the white onions in a batter which resulted to a smooth form. One order of this can already be shared by 3 – 4 people.

French Fries Php 65 (?)

Their French Fries are served in generous proportions. It has a salty taste, seems to me that the evident taste is Paprika (not sure though). Same as the onion rings, this can be shared by 3 – 4 people.

Buffalo Wings @ Php 165

While we were there, we got the chance to talk to Ruben, one of the owners of Burger Project. When he learned that we’re food bloggers, he gave us free Buffalo Wings. Even though it was shameful of us to accept this, we still did, as a courtesy for his kindness (Thanks Ruben!). The Buffalo Wings were really spicy, if you’re not a fan of spicy wings, this isn’t for you. I can compare this to the Buffalo Wings of Buffalo’s Wings and Things in Ortigas Home Depot, although this is much cheaper.

The place is fairly new but they already have a regular crowd. They just recently opened for lunch; previously they only opened 6 – 11 pm. They will also have designer burgers which will cater customers who don’t really like to experiment.

As mentioned earlier, they will keep the order forms of burgers created by customers for future orders. I just hope that they can have an electronic database of all the burgers so that they can easily find the burger and customers can just customize it more if they have other add-ons.

The Burger Project

122 Maginhawa Street
Teacher’s Village
Diliman, Quezon City

Related posts:

1. Brothers Burger Launches Their Wagyu Burger
2. Brother’s Burger One-Day Holiday Special Sale! Dec.15 Only!
3. Chili’s Big Mouth Burger Sale on April 27, 2010!

Fiesta Kapampangan offers the best of Pampanga food and pasalubong. Fiesta Kapampangan is a food court inside Robinson’s Starmills with an area for al fresco dining. What’s great about Fiesta Kapampangan is you do not have to go too far to sample some of Pampanga’s best.

Crispy Pata

I was able to experience the good food of Fiesta Kapampangan during the Robinson’s Starmills Shopping Tour. Of course, going to Pampanga will not be complete without a feast like this.

Chicharon

Some of the stalls there are Aling Lucing (try their sisig!), Kanan Kapampangan (really good Pancit Palabok), Cecilia’s (juicy Crispy Pata), and more. You’ll notice that most of the food we had aren’t good for people who are constantly avoiding cholesterol. Anyway, there are some foods there that are healthier.

Sizzling Tokwa’t Baboy

Sisig, Chicharon, Crispy Pata and Tokwa’t Baboy goes well with beer and it’s great that Fiesta Kapampangan serves one!

Pancit Palabok

If you would like to take home food for pasalubong, you may buy it from the stalls there as well. Edelyn’s have homemade nuts (greaseless peanuts and cashew) that are great for pasalubong. If you’re going to buy sweets and pastries for your family or friends, you can try out Emy’s Sweets and Pastries.

Related posts:

1. Saguijo’s Tuna Sisig
2. San Miguel Oktoberfest: 120 days of Beer Drinking Fiesta
3. Pica-Pica Treats at Obsidian Bar and Grill

There’s a lot of buzz going on about how great Serenitea is so we decided to check it out. So after having dinner at Ristras, we just crossed the street to finally try Serenitea. We ordered their best sellers such as Hokkaido and Okinawa Milk Tea. Karla had the Hokkaido Milk Tea with 50% sweetness level and it tasted like caramel. She had pearls as “sinkers” in her milk tea.  On the other hand, I ordered Okinawa Milk Tea with 50% sweetness level and tasted a bit bittersweet, just like how I wanted my milk tea. As for my “sinker”, I had my Okinawa Milk Tea with pearls and crystals. It was love at first sip. Mmmm.

The interesting part is that their milk teas a brewed per order. They use Teapresso machines, just like espresso machines used in coffee shops. Isn’t that interesting?

Serenitea Branches:

1F G&L Building J. Abad Santos cor V. Cruz, San Juan City
268 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City
74 B N. Roxas St. cor. Banawe, Sto. Domingo Quezon City

Related posts:

1. My pledge of love for Original Glazed Krispy Kreme donuts
2. Gourmet Coffee For Me

Sometimes in life, we take for granted common things because we’re just used to seeing them often. Gilmore Street was a common route that we pass by whenever we go to Greenhills. Mien San was just a small restaurant then at the middle of a road which doesn’t have that much restaurants around back in the 90’s.  And now, the restaurant had already expanded and noticed that the place was always packed. I have always been curious about Mien San even before I started a food blog but I never exerted effort to drop by and try their place. Thanks to Yen Yen, their newest competitor around the area, I had the eagerness to actually visit the place and try dishes.

I was there last week with my mom and tried the specialties of the house. I didn’t blog about it first because I wanted to go there for the second time to try other dishes. The week after that, I dragged my friend Juned and co-foodtrippings writer Karla to try out Mien San and we’ve concluded that Mien San is our new favorite restaurant.

Century Egg with Tofu @ Php 88

There are a lot food blogs that have written about Mien San and got some tips on what to order. Their best seller appetizers are Steamed Kutchay Dumplings and Century Egg with Tofu. They really do taste good! The Kutchay Dumplings are very much the same with Dong Bei. So if you’re lazy to go to Binondo, this is the best place to get fresh Kutchay Dumplings.  On the other hand, their Century Egg with Tofu is yummy! The secret here is the sauce made of soy sauce, chopped chives, garlic and ginger, sugar. I believe there’s also a bit of sesame oil to make it more flavorful.

Taiwan Style Dry Noodle @ Php 128

I tried their Cha Chang Noodles last week. I didn’t take a picture of it but it looks like the the Taiwan Style Dry Noodle. The difference between the two is that the Cha Chang Noodles are topped with black mushrooms, tofu and peanuts which was a bit spicy while the Taiwan Style Dry Noodle has chopped braised beef, shrimps, beansprouts and chives with the evident taste of Star Anise. The Star Anise gives a herby taste which might not be appreciated by many. I liked the Taiwan Style Dry Noodle more than the Cha Chang Noodles. Both of the noodles are served with soup on the side.

Vegetable Fried Rice

We were literally hungry because we came all the way from Makati just to eat at Mien San.So in addition to the appetizers and noodles, we ordered rice and viands.  The Vegetable Fried Rice was a real standout (Juned’s words) for all of us. Again, it is made of sliced chives, green onions and eggs. You must order this if you plan to eat a full meal.

Sliced Pork with Tofu and Kutchay @ Php 248

When the last dishes arrived in our table, I just realized that almost all of the food that we ordered had chives. I think it’s common for  Taiwanese cuisine to use chives. It gives a different taste and adds color to plain looking dishes. Not that I am complaining, in fact, I enjoy eating that . The Sliced Pork with Tofu and Kutchay was pretty ok. I just liked the fact that it’s already a nutritionally balance dish.

Beef Tendon Pot @ Php 258

I’m not really a fan of tendons. Juned loves tendons so we ordered the Beef Tendon Pot. Like the prior dish I described, this one is good too but not quite a stand out.

As mentioned, I have already dined at their competitor, Yen Yen. If you’re going to ask me which one is better, I’d say that each of them has their own merit. Yen Yen’s noodles with soup, dimsum and Pork Chop Rice were really good but fail to deliver on the variety of dishes to choose from and the actual dining and parking space (it’s quite small, only 4-5 tables inside). On the other hand, Mien San’s forte is the complexity of dishes to choose from and a bigger dining area. Service is very fast and servers are very attentive. The prices are very reasonable and most of their dishes are good for 2-3 people. Mien San is already an “institution” because of the 15 years of existence and has created a niche following among the Filipino Chinese and food trippers like us. Well, the commonality of the two is that both of these restaurants are accessible Binondo-like restaurants with much better food handling and sanitation.

Too bad it’s only now that I tried this. This is a lesson for me. Do not take for granted the things you see often. You’ll never know that it’s this exciting.

Mien San Noodle House
36 Granada Street (Gilmore/Ortigas)
Bgy. Valencia, New Manila, QC
721 5794 / 723 0558

Related posts:

1. Yen Yen Taiwanese Street Food
2. Binondo Food Tour Series #2: Dong Bei Dumplings
3. Binondo Food Tour Series #5: Tasty Dumplings