Eat Me!

Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

2016-03-15T07:14:00.001+08:00

FB page: Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

Location: 51 Katipunan St., Concepcion Uni, Marikina City
Nearby Landmarks: Strip 70, Baytree

After a long time, I've decided to put a new entry on my food blog :)

A few days after my brother's birthday, I decided to ask my brother and his wife to try out a new place recommended by one of my former colleagues. It was in Marikina anyway so I thought, why not? It was kinda easy to miss even for a Marikina-born resident as you won't easily notice the narrow driveway turned resto just after exiting Strip 70. If you were coming from direction of SDS Hospital however, it would be easier to spot.

So it was a good thing that my former colleague Joseph was there (as it was only a short notice when we went there) and Darmie, his girlfriend, whose family owns the place.

The place was named after Darmie's late brother who goes by the same name. The restaurant aims to showcase reinvented traditional Filipino dishes for the modern taste. And it also aims to promote creativity through art as you would clearly see on how the place is designed inside out. They eventually plan to display artworks of people interested in sharing and selling their work to the public.

Let's start off with the food then I'll talk about the creative side of the place later...

Here's their menu for your reference:

As you can see (or read), even the names of the dishes are quite creative.

When we asked for their best-sellers, they recommended a couple of dishes, which of course, we were happy to consume. Let's begin shall we?

Name: Lumpiang Sisig (160php)

This was a dish me and my brother (and his wife) got a little contradiction with. For them, it tastes like sisig. For me, not much. They didn't notice the cheese, I did. It tastes good but maybe I'm looking for a more distinct sisig taste. But the serving size and the dip for me made this a well-worth appetizer to get. A filling appetizer.

Name: Inasal Salad (145php)

This is a nice, clean and refreshing salad. Right mix of greens, citrus taste and a juicy, chicken breast makes it a must-have for salad-lovers.

Name: Malunggay Pesto Spaghetti (185 php)

Now, this is my favorite. I make pesto myself and I also use malunggay (for a healthier version) so I am not really surprised this recipe is in restos now but what did surprise me is the amount of actual pesto in the sauce. I don't know if you've noticed but whether in small or big restos, the pesto sauce is about 70-80% olive oil and 30-20% everything else. I mean, c'mon, why do they have to skimp on the greens when that's really what pesto should be? Anyway, this is a very tasty and fulfilling dish. Not your typical just oily or taste-lacking version of pesto. If you've never tried pesto or have some sort of fear for the lack of taste, you may want to start off with this. It won't disappoint.

Name: Crispy Kare-kare (Single (with rice): 185php, Sharing (no rice): 300php)

For bad memory reasons, I will not comment on the serving size on this one as...I forgot if the one we ordered was single or sharing.

Now, my dad's an Ilocano. Pure-blooded. So me and my family are very much familiar (and in my case, in-love) with Ilocano dishes. And the bagnet, being one of their "healthiest" dishes, is one of my favorites. But the bagnet in kare-kare (or sinigang or dinuguan or sisig, etc.) isn't new either. A lot of people nowadays are converting already "healthy" food into "much healthier" versions. Anyway, I have to be honest, I was disappointed with this dish. This was one of their best-sellers in the main dish department and well, although the serving size seems reasonable, the bagoong was really good, and the vegetables were cooked nicely, the bagnet sadly lacked taste. It felt like it was just a semi-crispy pork belly in a neutral-tasting peanut sauce. The The pork belly didn't stand out nor did the sauce. They were all in the same level which contributes to the lack of character of the dish. Maybe either a bit saltier bagnetor a a more peanuty sauce?

Now to the artsy part of the resto: the place itself! That's what the EAT + ART means in Drei's: it's enjoying the food while getting to experience a place full of art (or even show-off your own art).

For me, this is really where Drei's shines the most. It's a small place with a big space for creativity. Almost every corner of the venue had an expression of some sort in it. I would love to go into detail on every single piece but I'll let the pictures talk for themselves:

Since the picture is kinda small, I decided not to waste the panoramic photos by posting their original size...

And my most favorite art of all...

You'll be surprised to find out where this awesome art is located hehe...

Till next time!

~2GBTG!

I Love Milk Tea & Coffee

2013-02-07T11:29:00.002+08:00

Ah finally.

After a thousand years, a post :)

Anyway, I'm doing this for a friend so ... without further adieu...

(yes I won't explain my absence...it will take me too much time haha)

I Love Milk Tea & Coffee

(I Love Milk Tea & Coffee in Facebook)


I Love Milk Tea and Coffee

Location: 92 E. Santos St., Concepcion Uno, Marikina City
How to get there:

From Cubao, take any jeep/FX that goes to Concepcion (Philstress, Molave, SSS). Tell the driver you're dropping of at J. Molina (it's an intersection with E. Santos itself) OR Concepcion Elementary School. You should be dropping off either in front of the cafe or the corner nearby.


Liezel and John (the sweet owners)

Here are the owners of the place: the married couple John and Liezel Lucas. And yes, John's an American. The interesting part? Both of them came from entirely different professions not related to food before coming up with this cafe: John actually was more into building bridges and boats for a long time before he came here to the Philippines. Liezel on the other hand, was into the IT field.

The whole team

So where did the idea come from?

John had some favorite indie coffee shops back in the US. One of them had a name "True Love Milk Tea and Coffee" which was where the place's name was derived. Liezel on the other hand, along with the ongoing trend of milk teas here in the Philippines, was keen on setting up a tea place. So they decided to create a cafe where they can merge both American and Philippine "cultures" to bring out some of the best of both worlds.

Now enough history lessons! :P

The counter

it's a nice family or friend get together place

The place is pretty cozy and warm. It's also very spacious which is good for birthday and small events.

the "love" seats

As you can see, the "love" seats are cute and are comfy. The place needs some improvement on the wall decors though as they're still pretty much printed posters without frames or art.

for the "outsiders" :)

There's some tables outside for those who either smoke or like the roadside view. Don't worry, the place is well lit and safe as there's always people around the place. I guess the only downside to the place is parking. If you've got a car, you can either do a "to go" or park at the school nearby then go their place.

Now for the food stuff!

The place offers mostly, as the name suggests, coffee, tea and milk tea. On the side, there are also quick snacks to compliment your drink:

the drink menu

the snack menu

The prices are student friendly and are fit for the serving though I wouldn't say the same for all the stuff I've tried.

And now...

So I tried their bestsellers for each category of tea, coffee and snacks:

Mocha Frappe

Name: Mocha Frappe

Price: 90php

One thing I like about this frappe is that it was very easy to drink. The reason I said that is because the typical frappe I get from branded stores always have some of the crushed ice in the way or get left over. This was a pretty seamless drinking experience to me. And of course, I also liked those chocolate toppings which added more fun to it. On the downside, although the frappe tastes okay, it tasted kind of watered down. I don't really taste much of the actual mocha or coffee. I mean it's there but not too distinct... MY BAD: I drank it after I took some photos of the place SO it may really have watered down due to the melted ice... that means I may have to try this drink again haha.

Wintermelon Milk Tea

Name: Wintermelon Milk Tea

Price: 55php

Recently I've moved on from a coffee lover to a tea lover. Not exactly milk tea but I do drink that too. So I was kinda excited to try this one especially it has one of my favorite flavors: wintermelon. The verdict? I'd take their mocha frappe over this one. The reason? I was expecting a unique taste that I always get from wintermelon but somehow, I didn't find it from this one. It's there but not the one I'd usually get from other tea shops. And the milk was faint as well. The usual milk teas I get are either the right balance of both or the milk is just stronger (like in the case of Gong Cha). On a side note, the pearls are generous and good for the price. On the brighter side, since they're new, I could say that they have a good avenue to mix and match their drinks better. :)

Ham and Cheese Crepe

Name: Ham and Cheese Crepe

Price: 70php

Ah but of course, we save the best for last. THIS crepe over here is a WINNER :) For the typical Filipino palate, savory crepes are either not popular or unusual. Savory crepes are made from buckwheat and are unsweetened. Here though, as long as it's non-fruit, they call it savory. When you ask a commoner about what a crepe is, they'd usually say its got fruits and cream and whatnot. But actually, savory crepes have been around for some time. Not everyone's offering it, but it does exist :) Anyway, this obviously is a savory one and I'm glad that I tried it out. The crepe itself was done just right for me (looks kinda burnt though) but it wasn't too dry when you taste it. What won me on this dish is the fillings. It had a generous amount of ham and cheese inside and it was cooked really nicely that even if it was already cold, you'd still appreciate the taste of it. It had the right saltiness and the crepe was good for balancing the perfect combination of ham and cheese. RECOMMENDED!

the message corkboard

Besides the good food and nice place, they also put a message board near the front for those who are in the trend. :) A lot of people seem to like their fries. Hm, I should've tried that too...next time :)

love :)

Oh I only put this shot here because I remember my special someone when I see this. :) #uls.

Anyway, overall, the place is very accessible, clean and cozy. It had lots of space and has the standard entertainment like magazines, the corkboard and a TV that played movies. The snacks seemed good overall and the drinks are okay but I think it will be better. If you're in the Marikina area, I suggest you try out this place. Plus their staff and owners are very friendly :)

PS: I recently tried their caramel frappe...IT WAS GOOD :) and John let me try the grave for their new dish Burger Steak...IT WAS GOOD too! :)

See yah!

~2GBTG!

i decided...

2012-01-25T15:06:00.001+08:00

... to post something here so that i can get the motivation to revive this blog...
i already have the materials but the blog itself is really time and mind consuming haha...
my supposedly dead personal blog is much more alive now than this :P
and i even started another blog haha...

anyways... thanks for those who still check my blog out :) don't worry, this will up soon :)

Cerveseria

2011-07-09T16:02:00.082+08:00

Oh well... what can I do... my aunt asked me and my brother out to try this new place at Greenbelt 3. The fuss is all about a casual Spanish dining place/bar.

Well since we were both free and the food will be too, why not? :P

So we went there and ... well ... here we go ...

Cerveseria

(Cerveseria in Facebook)

Location: Greenbelt 3, Ayala, Makati City

How to get there:

Take a bus going to Ayala (along EDSA) and you should drop off at the Rustan unloading shed. You cross from there and you should see Glorietta 5. From Glorietta 5, it will be quite a walk. You have to walk until the Link then past that, at the corner cross to the left side, walk up the bridge, go down the other side. You should be seeing the Greenbelt chapel on the right (far center) and the Greenbelt sign itself on the left. At front, there's Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Continue that same path on the ground until you reach the center plaza. This is beside Seattle's Best Coffee.

Of course you can take a taxi if you want haha.

This place ain't nowhere near Aubergine's prices (thank God) but you've gotta prepare quite a budget for it (around 400++).

But we'll soon find out if the price is worth it or not :)

So the chief chef and owner of Cerveseria is Mr. Gilbert Pangilinan. They opened only this year (I'll have to check the date yet) and is next to a successful restaurant, that also resides in the Greenbelt area: Kai (co-owned by the same guy). Primarily, Cerverseria serves Spanish cuisine both classic and reinvented. The place is very homey and is uniquely designed...

Yup, waxed chandeliers..cool and creepy :P

Just like home (not mine though haha) :)

this is something else :)

My favorite part of this place :)

So as you can see, the place is really nice and pretty. Mr. Gilbert says most of the stuff and furniture here were from an old house in Pampanga. The bookshelves and the books were from somewhere else however. I think it's a clever and creative idea :)

But enough of that. Time to eat!!!

Name: Patatas Bravas

Price: 230php

CAUTION: Hot filling (believe me)

As the caption says, even if you're so eager to dig in, DON'T...(well it might be different for you i dunno) coz I burned my tongue when I did haha. Anyways, the potatoes were great coz they're still hot and soft with the tomato and aioli sauce that blends well with that texture. I actually found a bit interesting was the contrast of the temperature of the sauce and the hot potatoes makes it more enjoyable for me :)

Name: Chorizos Fritos

Price: 370php

MMM-mmm

Ah... this one is a hit for me. Juicy, tasty and aromatic chorizos drenched in olive oil...what else can I say? Not tough, just pure tasty meat in bite-size goodness. :) I was even tempted to order rice to eat it with and have some excuse of pouring all that oil haha.

Name: Gambas ala Plancha

Price: 355php

you're not supposed to eat the salt ... right?

I am a fan of shrimps. I just love them. And to tell you, I've tried this same dish somewhere else. But I guess I never understood what it should be haha. It's good actually coz it's simply shrimp taste. Maybe that's it. Anyways, I don't remember if it was my aunt who ordered this or my curiosity of the name hehe. Oh and don't be fooled by the pic. These are big shrimps :)

Name: Cochinilio with Tomato Salsa

Price: 980php

That's one big, crunchy slab of pork!!!

Now if you're in the mood for some crunchy lechon (actually cochinilio is not lechon, but to keep it simple and easy to relate with, let's stick to that idea instead haha) with not only the skin but the meat as well, then you should get this. Just right crispy skin outside and very tasty and still crispy inside with or without that wonderful dip is definitely a sold lechon for me. Somewhere near Elar's if I may say. And it's definitely finger-lickin' good :)

I actually enjoyed the salsa dip that went with this dish as compared to the usual lechon gravy, most often than not, that is either too sweet, too watery or too weird or in some cases, overpowers the lechon taste. This one was besides being different, was good. It compliments the slightly salty and "crunchy" taste of the lechon with a cool, smooth tomato dip.

Name: Cerveseria Paella

Price: 760php

Simply a winner :) :) :)

I have a triple-tie here actually on what I liked in this place: the chorizos, the lechon and of course, my all-time favorite paella. If you've tried eating at Casa Armas, then you're rich haha. Really. It's expensive there. I only got to try their amazing paella because a friend of mine had some leftovers to share. But even so, I think they're beyond my wallet. Now this on the other hand, for the casual person, would still be expensive but I'd say at least it's more affordable. What I can honestly say however, it is equally good. :)

The veggies are still fresh and juicy. The beans were crunchy. The bell peppers added that welcome sweetness to the rice and struck that nice balance with the saltiness. The rice was not too sticky, just right and it was so good that we had the waiter scrape the semi-toasted rice that stuck on the paellera. The meat (chorizos mostly) was abundant but didn't overpower the paella taste. And of course, the fish fillet and shells made sure it had that seafood taste.

I could definitely eat a whole paellera of this. No kidding.

Anyways, although most of the food was good, I have to still say, this is not my typical budget. And yes, I still think it's expensive despite it's style and flavor. I would definitely recommend this place as a nice date place or an occasional family reunion resto. :)

Till next time!

2GBTG!

M-4 Pares

2011-07-05T06:10:00.001+08:00

... and on my way home after eating at Yummy Roast, yes, I still wanted to eat. Not that I wasn't satisfied but let's just say that I really am that way hahaha.

Gluttony... oh dear... maybe I did :(

Anyways, I'll confess that next time so onward with this review...

M-4 Pares

Location: JP Rizal St., Malanday, Marikina City

How to get there:

Get a ride going to Cubao. Then at Aurora Blvd (where one of the main entrances to Gateway Mall is), take a jeep that says Parang Fortune, Calumpang or SSS. Any jeep that goes to Marikina Palengke. Drop off at 7-11 at the Marikina Bridge, cross to the opposite corner then take a green trike. Tell the driver to drop you off at Lamuan or M-4 Pares.

Unfortunately, I should have not indulged in such a sin...

My brother used to tell me about this place and how he said that the pares here was good. So on my way home, I decided to try it out. The place is open 24 hours and at the time I went there, there were no customers.

Without further delay, I went in and ordered pares.

And yes I kinda interviewed the store help but he thought I was weird so he decided to hide in the kitchen in the meantime haha.

After 10 minutes, voila! One of my all-time favorite dish is served...

Name: Pares

Price: 65php

... well, almost.

The pares was swimming in this supposedly beef stew sauce. The sauce was a sweet mix and was kinda okay but it seemed like it was all sauce in the end. There was only some beef slices in the rice was very dry. The pares actually had anise in it (that star-shaped spice) which of course, I can't eat but added a lil twist to the taste (though it was hardly noticeable).

Overall, it was a very bland and plain experience. It was just like eating food for the sake of just satisfying hunger or because I paid for it already. :(

Oh well... lesson learned! Hahaha!

~2GBTG!

Yummy Roast

2011-06-30T07:00:00.001+08:00

On this day, for some reason, I just wanted to go eat and just eat. I didn't really plan on doing a blog for anything but you'll soon find that I have another post next to this where I ate on the way home... talk about pigging out haha...

One of my close friends already ate at this place so that triggered my interest to try it out too. She liked it a lot she said so that got me excited.

Yummy Roast

(Yummy Roast in Facebook)

Location: Eastwood, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao.

Once at Eastwood, go over at the old Citywalk until you get to Stackers, take a right going to Blue Onion and ride the escalator there. The place is just at the top.

Now what made me hesitate to try out this place is because I thought, it maybe another one of those inasal places again (if you still remember my Food Junction post hehe...). I would say however, at the time I went there, there were still a lot of people so I was interested to try it out anyways.

Yummy Roast is actually a Singaporean food chain. It's first branch in the Philippines is this one, in Eastwood. So far, I'm not aware yet of other branches but I'm sure there will be others soon.

Once I entered, I asked their staff what makes Yummy Roast different from other chicken places. The cashier answered by saying it's roast chicken that's more on the sweet side and more tender meat. I then checked their menu and found that their dishes are very affordable AND with unlimited rice at that! :) And what's more, you already get bottomless iced tea (or soda) for just 35php! Hmmm... now this has got me interested...

Name: Yummy Chicken with Rice (unlimited plain rice)

Price: 98php

Oh, by the way, you can even upgrade your unlimited plain rice to their special Yummy rice (still unlimited) for an additional 10php. Really, the price alone is getting me hooked (to think it's the same as Mang Inasal's prices) and along with other interesting options.

But of course, we can't just settle for quantity right? We gotta know if it tastes right too.

The chicken's meat is very full and packed. You can actually see when you cut the meat that the fibers are really stocked nice and tight. But despite this, the meat remains tender to eat. As the cashier said, the chicken doesn't necessarily taste like the other roasts as it is sweet from the skin to the meat. I enjoyed eating it all the way to the bones. :)

Now what's kinda unique is that they don't serve you ketchup or gravy (although both are options) by default. They serve you garlic and vinegar with the chicken. If you ask me, that's a nice and new treat for eating roasted chicken. The combination and contrast is a nice twist. :)

And of course, the bottomless iced tea (it should really be refillable right?) is a winner for 35php.

To tell you, I had 3 cups of rice for that quarter...

Oh dear, I feel a workout coming hahaha...

Till next time friends!

~2GBTG!

Heaven and Eggs

2011-04-06T23:22:00.010+08:00

Oh, what else can I say? After office, what else is there to do?

Eat. Hahaha. I feel like I'm some everyday stressed office employee who lashes it out with food.

Well, actually, eating is not really my stress-reliever, I just love to eat that's all.

You see, ever since I was a kid (why am I telling this story?) my parents used to scold me whenever I don't finish what I have on my plate. So after years of "training" and knowing that a lot of people out there are trying really hard to even get a bit of food, I became a food monster.

Mind you though, I'm not some over-sized whale or something.

Anyways, back to the subject...

I've eaten at Heaven and Eggs quite a lot of times already mainly because I just love how they do their eggs (yes, I know it doesn't sound right) and they're one of the places that I know who knows how to do poached eggs. I love poached eggs :)

And so here we are...

Heaven & Eggs

(Official is also under Red Crab's website... still down though...)

(Heaven & Eggs in Facebook)

Heaven and Eggs' new look

Location: Fuente Circle, Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao. Tell the driver to drop you off at Eastwood (Citibank) then you need to walk in to get to Eastwood proper itself.

You'll need to walk all the way to the right side of City Walk. It's at the avenue where The Distillery is and is just past the Bed Room bar.

Not much research done on what is and what was Heaven and Eggs since the staff seemed too busy at that time :P

But the name already gives a hint on what they are: they're a casual dining place who serves all-day breakfast meals. Along with their new look (their look before was a bit softer and more homey), they are now serving quite a selection of American and modern Filipino dishes with large servings.

Most of them, of course, are eggs or have eggs with them. :P They can cook your eggs in whichever way you like and you can even have your eggs cooked differently (for more than one egg dishes).

Name: Sweet Spam

Price: 235php

However the eggs are cooked, it's fine by me :)

How can you not like SPAM?

For this review, I was only able to eat one dish. It was really late that time and we just wanted to eat and go home after.

So I made a pretty safe bet on one when I ordered: Spam and eggs. How can I go wrong? Actually I can. Haha.

Anyways, so this is simply SPAM. Really, it's just spam and it's just sweet. Is there something wrong with that? For me, no not at all. I'm kinda biased because I love spam. But in it's simplicity, this is a good combo: sweet and salty...with eggs! Haha. I initially wanted the eggs poached but I wanted to eat the eggs in a way I can mix them with the rice. :P Anyways, although I find the serving size in general small relative to it's price (in short I think it's expensive for what it is), five slices of spam ain't that bad. I love the "just right" spam taste, untainted and just slightly sweet. The eggs were nicely cooked and still milky (I like my eggs that way) which makes this the good ol' breakfast I'd take any day.

So that's it. Really. Simply sweet and salty. Just expensive for me :)

Next time, I'll try to post another feasty treat hehe.

~2GBTG!

CBD

2011-03-31T19:03:00.027+08:00

Every so often, you fall into a trap of sorts because of the nice place, some aura of kewlness, popularity... wait I'm talking about food haha.

Like in BFast, I never thought that I'd fall for another one too soon. In fairness however, I only tried one dish so there may be another try... just maybe...

CBD

(CBD in Facebook)

Location: Ayala Triangle Gardens

CBD stands for Cheesesteaks, Burgers and Drinks. They serve and specialize in the same said food in the American way. This one in Ayala is their first branch. Their place is very clean especially with the green and white combination though I think the lights are too bright in this branch.

Clean and bright

Since everywhere else is full again and we didn't bother trying BFast again, we tried the next least crowded and that was CBD.

So I went up the counter and asked what their specialty was: she said everything. That was very stupid of me to ask actually... But anyways, I took a quick look at the menu and I can say they have what their name says, including the drinks in which they have a wide variety of beers. :) Oh, these aren't just local beers, their beers from everywhere else :)

Since I love bleu cheese, I went for that one.

Name: London Blue Cheeseburger

Price: 220php

Bacon and bleu cheese. Mm-mmm

On another view

The burger is okay. Really. But that's about what I can say. I can taste that small bleu cheese there and a bit of the bacon but there really isn't much amazing about it. And that's just one patty for 220php. Hmm... I honestly think that's too much for this kind of burger.

Don't get me wrong here, I mean nowadays there are some burger places that are obviously notches higher than your typical fastfood and they prolly revolve around the same price but they serve much more at this price. I'd say CBD just got in line with my unliked restos similar to Wendy's where they price their stuff so much and I can't make sense why :(

I'd say go for Stackers or Wham instead...

I'm only talking about this burger by the way so don't bash me yet haha...

I'll prolly try this again with another dish so I can say if this is or isn't worth it.

Oh after this, we just had beer instead which is another story... cheers!

~2GBTG!

Pho Hoa

2011-03-29T22:51:00.054+08:00

After being stuck in Makati for quite some time and being jobless, I was detached from Pho Hoa for quite some time. But my old boss and bestfriend came to the rescue to bring me back to one of my all-time favorite places :)

Oh, and please do pardon me if I keep on going to Eastwood as it's very accessible relative to my place and it's packed of really nice food places :)

We were actually contemplating on checking other old places we used to go to but it was kinda a biased win because my bestfriend only likes two places here: Stackers or Pho Hoa. :P

Pho Hoa

(Pho Hoa (Philippines) Official Website)

Eastwood branch

Location: Eastwood City Walk, Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

Pho Hoa, in Viet, actually means: "Pho" = rice noodles and "Hoa" = harmony or peace. So it means achieving harmony through noodles or more appropriately, good food :)

Obviously, Pho Hoa is a Vietnamese restaurant with affordable to mid to rarely expensive dishes. Always with generous sized servings especially their noodle ones. Don't underestimate when the menu says LARGE because you'll be surprised :)

This chain started not in Vietname but in North America and continues to be one of the largest chains of Vietnamese restaurants there is. Unfortunately, I have yet to ask which branch came in first in the Philippines though I am guessing it's not Eastwood.

Name: Stuffed Chicken Wings

Price: 138php

Rellenong wings :P

Rellenong chicken wings is what I'd call this. :) It looks like chicken wings on steroids haha. But kidding aside, these are good stuff. Though it becomes old fast. One wing is enough for me to say, I think I won't order these for a while. Don't get me wrong, it's stuffed with ground pork and chicken, carrots, onions, you know, the typical in relleno. It's very much packed and tasty. But I guess it does get boring after a few. The vinegar dip tips it a bit so that saturation level goes down but not really. This one's good but a bit forgettable

Name: Caramelized Chicken Drumettes

Price: 165php


Never fails!!!

THIS is our ever staple order when we go to Pho Hoa. Really. We ALWAYS order this dish ALL THE TIME. I mean, how can you resist this: very crispy and moderately salty chicken dipped in caramel sauce...the perfect manifestation of sweet and salty in a bite-size platter. Just talking about it makes me want to order it now. HAHA.

Actually, I have to confess that I gobble up the caramel sauce when all is done and dead. Hehe. I know it's bad for my health but I can't resist it.

There, I hope you get an idea how much we LOVE this and that hopefully you'll agree with us. :)

Name: Chili Shrimps with Rice

Price: 265php


Spicy and sweet and shrimps!

And as if the drumettes weren't enough, I decided to try something different instead our favorite pho: chili shrimps. Shrimps and chili with that same caramel sauce, I dunno, I think I'm obsessed hahaha. Anyways, this one's quite a killer though because if you're not into spicy food or eat spicy but not so much, word of warning: it's really spicy :). The sweetness makes the perfect taste to douse it. And that slightly salty rice makes it all worth the effort haha. But it's actually the veggies that made the perfect contrast for me as they were plain, crunchy and cold. Trust me, they're not for decor only.

Yum yum... hmm... I can't wait to go back here...

Really... HAHAHA

Oh as a final note, for those who love lemonades, you've gotta order theirs. :) Believe me, you won't regret it and you'll even thank me you tried :)

~2GBTG!

Zao

2011-03-26T22:41:00.084+08:00

As with Momo and Banapple (yes I haven't blogged the latter yet), this place is one of my staple favorites. And as you've noticed (or not), I love Eastwood for packing so much nice food (and non-food) places in a much compact space than Ayala or Ortigas.

Obviously, I had to revisit these places because I've only started blogging recently :D

So how can I pass up the chance to blog my favorites?

Zao

(Zao in Facebook)

Location: Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

Zao is on the 2nd floor, West Wing, at the terrace. You can take the escalator on the left side of the mall entrance. It leads straight to it. It's beside Red Mango.

Zao means "to live" in Vietnamese. I'd say that would be very appropriate for a restaurant as food is a basic necessity to live. Oh what's more is that Zao makes it worthwhile to live by letting you taste delicious food.

Zao though, is on the middle to expensive side. Casual dining for your Viet hunger. I'd say Pho Hoa would be on the slightly cheaper side but they actually have different specialties and varieties. I've noticed that Zao borders more on the meat and grilled side of things whilst Pho on the noodly side of things.

Zao prices range average 200 and above.

Name: Grilled Vietnamese Satay Chicken

Price: 185php

Nope, it's not barbeque, it's satay :)

Actually at first glance, I thought these were pork. Somehow I thought, it had fat inserted in between the meat and it looked stuffed and juicy. Well, it actually didn't matter because it IS stuffed and juicy regardless :) . The size of the satay is good compared to the usual I've tried that's spread thin across the stick. Then all that packed taste in the meat are only released when you actually bite the meat. The meat's not tough and it falls easily off the stick. On the side, they've got a slightly sweet vinegar and atchara that you can use to douse a bit of the taste with contrast. Really good :)

Name: Wagyu Beef

Price: 995php

oohhh wagyu

This is the first time I've ever tried wagyu beef. By the way, wagyu is not a way of cooking beef. It's a breed of cow that have been genetically and purposefully grown to have increased meat marbling (how the fat is spread across the meat) and richer, more tender tasting meat. Obviously, these make the beef the most expensive there is. Anyways, so I had to know if it really is worth the spend.

To tell you frankly, I was expecting that "melts in your mouth" experience that most people say about wagyu. The problem was I didn't experience it with this. I don't know if that's with the doneness or the authenticity of the meat being wagyu or maybe the rumors are wrong. So my check on wagyu maybe inaccurate :P

But was it worth it? Yes. Actually, to tell you, for this price, I'd say the serving size is quite big compared to some steak houses I know (that charge ridiculously for meat) and the quality of the meat is something you can actually feel and taste (provided you don't eat it in piggy mode haha). And as expected, the taste of meat is packed in. Actually, you won't taste much of the marinate, it's all beefy, meaty taste :) It's a bit on the sweet side (mostly due to the doneness we chose: medium-rare). The fat is very soft and thin that it somewhat acted as the sponge for the packed juiciness of the beef. Just not to ruin the experience, I didn't dip it in the provisioned vinegar sauce and atchara.

Name: Saigon Fried Rice

Price: 215php

Looks appetizing...

Honestly, Zao has not failed me with any of their food that I've tried. Much like with Banapple or Pho Hoa. But this one has to be my first. It's not that BAD but it was just so-so from a place that I love so much for consistency in deliciousness. It's a bit plain in taste and the sausages don't really stand out. There were also very small lumps of salt that I tasted making the taste uneven for the rice itself. The rice is not dry which is good but I was expecting more from the price and how it looks. Serving size is commendable though. Nevertheless, this has not lessened my love for this place :)

All in all, it may be expensive for most, but these are places that I would recommend to anyone, anytime for any occasion when there's a budget. It hasn't failed me and will continue to be one of my favorite food places ever. :)

Keep it up Zao!

~2GBTG!

Mexicali

2011-03-25T19:21:00.074+08:00

And it was another stressful day at work and after promising (and failing) to be with my beloved team during lunch or dinner for a lot of times, I tried really hard to be on this one haha!

They were craving for something Mexican I think... but I think it was more of the place already. They've been here a lot it seems :)

Mexicali

(Mexicali in Facebook )

Location: The Link, just across Glorietta
How to get there:
Take a bus going to Ayala (along EDSA) and you should drop off at the Rustan unloading shed. You cross from there and you should see Glorietta 5. From Glorietta 5, walk until you get to Starbucks in 6750. The Link and this place is just nearby.

Mexicali actually is a place along the border of California and Mexico. The owners Dixie, Dennis, and Chiqui Mabanta went to San Francisco at a time and got inspiration from the burrito chains there. So when they got back, they decided to do their own version of California-influenced Mexican food, hence Mexicali. They started way back 1993.

Mexicali's on the medium to high range. Dishes usually start at 100+ php up. They do have value meals every so often that costs a mere 99php :) Which is what we got hehe

Name: Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy

Price: 99php

Meat Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

This one's worth it for both size and taste. Just the rice itself is tasty. The mushroom sauce gravy doesn't taste like out of the can either. The meatloaf is pretty packed despite the cut and is soft to chew. I'd take this over burger steak anytime :P

Name: Taco Rice

Price: 99php

Taco Rice

My friend actually got this dish and it looked yummier than mine. I did try a small part of it and as the name already says, it's taco on buttered rice with cream and egg on top. Along with the veggies and all. Worth the serving size. :)

Name: Super Fire Hot Wings

Price: 319php

Super HOT!!!

Now just for kicks, my officemate wanted to eat more and we were both interested in trying out their wings because we had this conversation of Buffalo Wings n' Things (another food place) and how we missed it's killer spice. So we went and ordered this lot and I was honestly amazed that it was really hot. I love eating spicy food and has developed a pretty high treshold for it so I'm not a reliable gauge haha. But I was expecting the name to be an exaggeration and alas, it wasn't. Juicy and spicy all over and with that oil all over, you can't escape the heat. :) If only the pieces were more or larger, I'd say it was worth the serving size.

After that we had Seattle's Best for coffee just to douse the flames and went our merry ways home :)

~2GBTG!

Bangers n Mash, Midnight Mercato

2011-03-25T01:40:00.064+08:00

And so we return to the world of... Midnight Mercato.

You see I have a bunch of friends who work in the Makati area and just love going back here (since it's both near and due to the drive-thru Starbucks that they SO LOVE :) ).

Anyways, so since Sausage King has been missing in action, I decided to look for another sausage place. This time around, it's not just sausages...

Bangers n' Mash
(Bangers N Mash in Facebook)

Rachelle, co-owner

Location: Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

How to get there:

The only way I know how to get there by commute is by taking the bus that goes around Global City. It's supposed to go around some key points in the metro but the surest is at the intersection of Ayala and Forbes park. If you go across the Shell gas station, away from Ayala, you'll come across a small street where there's a line for usually 2 buses going to the Fort. Just ask the operator which one passes by Boni Hi-street or Mercato nearest. If that's much of a hassle, you can take a taxi. :)

Bangers n Mash actually means Sausage and Mashed Potatoes. Not the banger that you're thinking of. Really. Bangers is sort of a slang term for sausages. Don't ask me why though...

So what sets this one apart from the already large market of sausage stands is their mashed potato. And Rachelle tells me, the sausages are home-made! They're made in Tarlac then transported to Manila. Rachelle co-owns this place with her boyfriend (the guy in blue at the back).

And yes, I fell for that smile. I mean, for the yummy looking sausages (that doesn't sound right). Me and my friend was just passing by and we noticed Rachelle's stand. With that nice smile, friendly attitude and her persistent voice, we decided to try it out...

Name: Solo Sausage with Mash

Price: 135php

Hunter Sausage... I think :P

Name: Double Bangers with Mash

Price: 185php


Yes, I forgot to ask what sausages were on display...

I do remember what I tried, Chicken and Roasted Garlic with Onion Chives mash topped with Liver and Bacon Tomato (and I asked her to mix it with Mustard Cream) Sauce.

Sounds chopsuey to you? I'm kinda the adventurous type (if you haven't noticed that yet) so I just put together stuff that I like: chicken, garlic, onions, liver, bacon, tomato and mustard.

Now the question is, did it work?

Okay, so the sausage is all natural, meaning it doesn't look or taste like it came out of a factory of preserved meat. It has this thin layer of skin that holds the meat together. When I ate it, I tasted the chicken but not much the garlic. It wasn't oily and was very tasty. Easy to slice too.

The mash actually is really good. It does have real onion and a hint of chives and it was nicely done, very tasty and serving was a lot. It doesn't feel dry or too mushy. Then since it was smothered by tomato sauce with hints of liver and bacon, it was just the perfect combo for me :)

By the way, the one I got was the solo sausage. And it was very satisfying :)

I'd be returning to this one too because of the mash and variety of not so common sausages and sauces.

Thumbs up for being unique! :)

~2GBTG!

Bon-chon

2011-03-23T11:24:00.067+08:00

I've always wanted to try out this place as it's getting an awful lot of attention lately. I wanted to see if the hype is just a hype or it lives up to it.

So one time, I asked my team to go for a lunch out and we decided to eat here...

BonChon

(Bonchon in Facebook)

Location: Ayala Triangle Plaza
How to get there:
Take a bus going to Ayala. Drop off at the Insular unloading bay. This is actually at the back of Makati Stock Exchange to you just cross via underground walkway then go all the way to the back to that strip of food places.

So each one was able to get their own meals while I got the two below (the third one I only tasted from my officemate's order.

Of course, I tried their...

Name: Chicken Drumsticks with Rice Box [Soy Garlic] (2 pcs)
Price: 145php

Well...?

Okay, so Bonchon boasts that double-frying technique. The end product is supposed to be crispy and saucy chicken. It actually is crispy but not crackling crispy and yes it is saucy. I actually like the sauce because you can taste the garlicky flavor. But... well, to tell you frankly, I think it's overrated. It is tasty and crispy but that's it. I didn't taste anything spectacular or what. And the chicken portion itself ain't special either so, I don't know. I liked it alright but I still think it's overrated. I guess I could say I'd like it better if they put in larger portions of chicken (but that would make it more expensive) or probably just make it boneless and crispier. That's just a guess :)

Name: Bulgogi Rice Box

Price: 145php

This one's actually good

This one kinda surprised me because it's good. I mean for a place that serves chicken as their specialty, having this in the menu is kinda odd for me. And that's why I ordered this too. And they got this one just right. It is your typical bulgogi: tender strips of meat, spring onions, onions, sauce and spices. That's it actually. Just plain and nice. Not sure though if I can get a better deal with the same price somewhere else but I could probably say it can only be cheaper a bit.

Name: Kimchi Coleslaw
Price: 45php

Interesting :)

Ah but speaking of interesting, this one is one I liked most. Surprised? Me too. To each his own haha. It's just coleslaw salad mind you but the kimchi gave it a nice spicy kick. So it's a cold refreshing salad side with a hint of spice. I don't know but it works for me :)

Overall, really, Bonchon's just okay for me. I can't figure out the craze for it but it ain't bad. I just think I'm better off with another chicken somewhere else... now where's that chicken somewhere else.........

~2GBTG!

Fort Legend Cafe

2011-03-18T17:42:00.032+08:00

Remember Cafe Terya? (Food Junction post)

One of the part owners of that place, Joanne, also has her solely owned place in the Fort Global City. Her partner Jovi also manages the place with her. After this one opened, she told me immediately as she wanted to see if the reception will be the same as Cafe Terya...

And on a leave day, I went over here and tried it out!

Fort Legend Cafe

OC.. just love the setup

Location: Fort Legend Towers, Bonifacio Global City

How to get there:
Go to Ayala intersection, walk to the Fort Bus terminal and ask which bus passes by Fort Legend Towers (I think it's the Westbound one). The bus stop is directly in front of the building itself. Once there, go to the 7th floor and go the parking lot. The cafe is at the left.

Nice background pics!

And nice lamps too!

Fort Legend Cafe is not your typcial carinderia. Because it's not, as Joanne would say. It's a cafeteria! Well, there is a difference... The former is about home made dishes with anything goes while being cheap while the latter is about home made dishes reinvented with style while being affordable. Confused? It doesn't matter haha.

The name's history is kinda funny when Joanne narrated it to me. They were thinking of many names for this place and some of them got rejected and some just weren't catchy enough. Until she just took the chance to ask if Fort Legend Cafe is taken and surprisingly, no. VOILA!

So the menu changes everyday for at most 15 dishes each day. The price ranges from 50 to 70 at most and their serving size is big. All their meals come with rice and soup. Their peak hours hit 11PM onwards till around 2PM. I do suggest going there before 4PM so the food isn't too soaked in heat from the warmers.

Ahm... I actually had 3 dishes by myself and if you're asking why, you should probably ask Joanne. :P

Name: Beef Casserole

Price: 70php

Their casserole is actually tasty. But the part I love most is how you're able to eat everything without struggle. Event the litids are chewable without effort. But the real secret behind this working is the sauce that covers all the pieces. I'd actually mistake this for a mechado if I wasn't looking. I'd say this one's okay.

Name: Chicken Caldereta with Gata

Price: 70php

The second one I tried, a caldereta, is one I had difficulty rating.

Why? Because I am not a fan of caldereta itself. I can't pinpoint why but I guess in the so many times I've been eating my grandma's version of it, I probably lost interest in it hehe. But the unique thing about this version is the coco milk (or cream), in other words, the gata. This is actually Joanne's recipe as she loves creamy dishes.

And it is a welcome twist. The creaminess makes it an interesting dish all together. Too bad I got neck portions (which is also a chicken part I don't like) but being the tastiest parts, I appreciated it nevertheless.

Name: Battered Chicken in Cream of Mushroom

Price: 60php

Speaking of bias, this has to be the winner for me for all 3 dishes. I have to say, chicken fillet with cream sauce or mushroom sauce is a simply sold formula for me haha. I just love the combo!

And their version didn't fail me. The fillets' breading were light allowing the mushroom taste to savor in a bit more into the chicken. Then putting carrots and potatoes adds texture and starchiness to the mix. Finally, that creamy covering makes it a lasting experience. Definitely a recommended dish.

But like I said, they change dishes everyday. There are staples however, like their crispy and standard sisig, their soups, their desserts like halo-halo, saba con yelo and other kakanin.

All in all, I was very satisfied with the variety and serving size of their meals. You won't go wrong with the dish as you have many to choose from and affordable as it is allows you to explore multiple dishes to fill out your stomach :)

If you're in this building, I suggest you build your healthy and variable diet here.

Till next time!

~2GBTG!

Papa John's

2011-03-18T13:48:00.068+08:00

So during a whatever day, I texted one of my close friends and I suggested we try something new. While I was still working at Ortigas, I saw a lot of tarps advertising Papa John's. I was thinking why it keeps saying better pizza with better ingredients. So when my friend and I met at Galleria, I said we should go take a look at the Veranda and check out Papa John's.

Papa John's
(Papa John's Philippines Website)

Papa John's motto

Location: The Veranda, Robinson's Galleria

How to get there:

Take a shuttle or jeep that goes to Robinson's. If you're from the South, you need to take a bus that says "Ortigas Ilalim" so you can drop off at Galeria. Anyways, once at Robinson's, go to the Veranda. If you took the jeep, just take the stairs going to the 2nd floor from the outside and you'll see the food strip. Anywhere else, you'll have to go the right side of the mall on the same floor and side as Krispy Kreme. Papa John's is beside Johnny Rockets.

So what's with Papa John's then?

Yes, read that :P

If you read that, then good. Hahaha. In short, Papa John's a mid-range dining place for pizza and pasta. More on the Western side though :)

This one in Veranda is the first branch and opened in December 2010. There are other branches in Annapolis, University Mall (Taft Ave.) and Megamall.

Okay so that being said, don't expect Papa John to be priced like Greenwich but believe me, crunch a lil more budget in and this will be more rewarding :)

Name: Seafood Marinara (Penne)

Price: 190php

Penne!

We'll start with this one.

The pasta was just so-so. It wasn't bad but nothing special either. Not much seafood even.

NEXT!

Name: All the Meats (9 inches)

Price: 320php

Chewy Doughey

Garlic + Butter = PERFECT! (oh PLUS Jalapenos = SUPER SOLD)

The reason I wanted to skip the pasta is because i JUST LOVE their pizza!

Oh were they right about fresh dough alright. And it was just chewy all the way! As you can see, the ingredients are a-plenty. Really tasty and chewy pizza.

But wait! There's more!

You see that small saucer? It has their special garlic butter sauce. And it is SO GOOD! Like I already said, GARLIC plus BUTTER equals PERFECT. I mean I'd probably even bring my own bread as an excuse to dip into that sauce hahaha. I especially like them also serving those jalapeno chilis as I love that veggie (but not for those who aren't into spicy food much as it's really spicy).

We asked for 3 servings of that sauce actually hahaha.

Anyways, definitely, worth trying out :)

~2GBTG!

Racks

2011-03-17T22:24:00.046+08:00

Just an ordinary let's have dinner day with one of my good friends.

She was craving for meat and we were at the Ortigas area so we decided to drop by at one of the formerly famous and now revived...

RACKS

Location: El Pueblo, Emerald Ave., Ortigas

How to get there:

Take a ride going to SM Megamall (usually a shuttle or FX) and the transpo should pass by this compound. You can't miss Racks because it's along Julia Vargas. If your ride took Emerald Ave., it would be on the left side so you have to go down at Podium, cross towards Discovery Suites then walk to El Pueblo. It's just across McDonald's El Pueblo.

Racks, as far as I know, had popular ribs and steaks back in the old days. I actually ate at their old branch in front of St. Luke's along E. Rodriguez (the spot is now a 7-11, last I checked). The reason I keep saying before and old days is because Racks closed out for a long time and they say it was because of mismanagement.

Now Racks is back (with new management) but I'm not sure if there really was any difference :(

Name: Racks Classic Pork Ribs (Quarter)

Price: 283php

Ribs... Hmm...

A bit on the dry side :(

Well to tell you, I'm not really a fan of ribs because they're usually not within my budget (much like premium steaks are) and you can't do the medium-rare thing with them haha. But there are a few that I have to do an exception for especially those that fall off the bone effortlessly :)

Did Racks fit that category? The fall off easily yes but it seems Racks isn't the way it used to be. Or to be fair, I don't think their ribs are the best in town nowadays. The meat tastes okay but the one that topples it most is its' dryness. The meat is a bit tough on the inside but yeah, it's just...dry and slightly bland.

Don't bash me for it but I'm just being honest :(

Anyways, the side dishes were okay (broccoli with cheese and cheesy macaroni). But all in all, not a memorable experience.

Oh well...

~2GBTG!

Red Crab Cafe

2011-03-12T11:11:00.073+08:00

And me and my best buddy Joydie go out on another stress-reliever day (as you notice, a lot of my friends like doing stress relievers... and they tag me along for it... hmm)

We went to Gateway for a change (actually more of, we miss it coz we stopped going there after frequenting it a lot a year ago). We also wanted to try something new and guess what? There was only ONE new place there...

RED CRAB CAFE

(it says www.redcrabonline.com but i think the site's down)

Nice, clean and catchy logo :)

Location: Gateway Mall, 1st Floor

How to get there:

Easiest is by LRT2. Just go to Cubao station and you'll be at Gateway. Once in, it's at the opposite end where there's Pizza Hut and it's beside the Oasis garden. Or if MRT3 is more accessible, get down at Cubao and pass through the walkway going to Gateway. Then once by the entrance, you should see it after Pizza Hut. Now if you don't like taking trains, all you gotta do is take a jeep or bus going to Cubao and go to Gateway mall. :)

I've eaten at Red Crab before, the one in Greenbelt 3 (Seafood Club by Red Crab). Oh boy, was that awesome (and expensive) and was kinda, an unforgettable experience as ... well anyways, this is not my diary blog so let's skip that :)

Red Crab is famous for actually and literally, their red crabs. Yes seafood in general but their red crabs are king. And when I say king, that's king-size for you with all the good sauce and whatnot. That's why when they give you the bib, make sure you use it as eating their crabs is most specially done by hands :)

Anyways, Red Crab Cafe is like a smaller version of the Red Crab restaurants in Tomas Morato and the one I ate at in Greenbelt. It's got most of the same stuff but less of the expensive ones. Let's just say they're casual dining.

So we got three dishes...

Name: Crabstick Salad with Tobikko (bowl size)

Price: 99php

Fresh and cool

You know this kinda surprised me. It's just a salad of course. But I didn't expect to like it a lot. They were able to make this salad give out a fresh and tangy experience: fresh and crunchy veggie and kani strips, nori strips, light mayo dressing and of course, the tobikko (flying fish roe). The salad was just simple and perfect. Very refreshing!

Name: Seafood Skillet Paella

Price: 385php

La Paella!

I just love paellas :)

Obviously, we decided to go seafood all the way on this trip. And yes, I insisted on getting a paella because I am a BIG fan of this dish. I just love how this dish contains all the foodstuff I like :)

Anyways, this one had shrimps, squid rings, mussels, and scallops. Then it had of course, rice, lots of tomatoes, bell peppers and caramelized onions. Some bits of green peas and other unrecognizable ingredients haha. The paella has the default soft and sticky property but what I liked is that you can really taste the tomatoes' sourness and the bell peppers'/onions' sweetness. Every time I eat that sticky rice with the seafood and the sweet and sour taste, it's just...amazing.

Name: Seafood Laksa

Price: 295php

More seafood :)

Oh by the way, the service for this place was prompt and friendly. They were able to serve all 3 dishes within 15 minutes (but we ate at off peak so that may have helped).

Going back, the laksa is also one of my fave dishes as it combines both spice and cream in a soup. This had the same seafood as the paella minus the squid. What I liked about this laksa however, is the parsley and ginger. They were a very prominent taste and when you taste the soup, they both heighten the flavor of it. It was spicy and creamy due to the coco milk. Also, I noticed they used long, thin noodles rather than some recipes that use thicker strands.

It was all seafood alright, but we were surely full afterwards with all smiles.

I'd say this has to be one of the nicest places I've gone to along with my other faves like Banapple, Momo!, Ajisen, etc...

You'd wanna try this place out :)

~2GBTG!

BFast

2011-03-10T21:42:00.099+08:00

Just another of those "I am stressed, let's eat" days of my boss...

This time, we head out to the fairly new Ayala Triangle Plaza to find some food we haven't tried.

Strolling, strolling and we find that this place wasn't swamped compared to BonChon and Banapple. Since we just wanted to eat, we decided to eat here...

BFast

(BFast in Facebook)

BFast... not so fast...

Location: Ayala Triangle Gardens

How to get there: Take a bus going to Ayala. Drop off at the Insular unloading bay. This is actually at the back of Makati Stock Exchange to you just cross via underground walkway then go all the way to the back to that strip of food places.

So we said, "Wow! This place is quite nice with the warm ambiance and minimalist design and all." AND on top of that, no long lines or what. Now the reason of which we will find out soon...

Be Healthy! Nice board :)


Be Natural! Another of the numerous boards

Nice seats and they're eco-friendly

Their specialties

Tapangus is their house specialty too

BFast is, as the name says, an all-day breakfast place. Most of their menu comprises of the legendary silogs (sinangag-itlog) or fried rice-fried egg combos. But they got more creative by putting other variations of it: kalogs (kamote-itlog) and pandeninis (paninis using pandesal instead). And of course torta (omelet). They got non-breakfast items too like steaks and other Filipino classics like champorado and arrozcaldo.

What we got were...

Name: Salmon Tinapa (Silog)

Price: 178php

Nice egg and salmon looks yummy...

Now that was what I really thought. Nice and yummy. I mean this is salmon (one of my fave fishes) and it's with silog! Well, I guess it's my fault that I expected too much that I went ahead and ate it without thinking.

Why you ask? I thought it was boneless or at least soft bones. But it wasn't :( I thought it was just one piece, but every piece had large, annoying fishbones. Yeah, I know what tinapa is and yes it has fishbones. But, to be honest, it ruined my experience because I had to debone all the pieces before I could eat them instead of what assumed was a seamless experience (or what I usually get from salmon dishes). So the taste of the salmon wasn't much either :(

For 178php, I was expecting at least that...

Oh well...

Name: Tapangus Torta

Price: 178php

That's potato crisps all over

I am a fan of omelets too so I was kinda excited when I saw this. The potato crisps were a welcome innovation to me and of course the cheese was an automatic yes. The angus beef inside was a plenty which is value for money but it was a bit tough. What's interesting about this dish though is the large amount of onions and bellpeppers inside. This causes the omelet to become sweet. So it's somewhat a weird tasting omelet for most but for me, i'd say it's just unusual at the least but it's good.

Now since we thought we weren't too satisfied, we decided to get dessert to probably save the night. And this is what we got...

Name: Apple Pie

Price: (i forgot)

*sigh*

This has to be the worst apple pie I've tried :( The pie crust itself really dry and tastes stale and the apples inside tastes old too :( I am not exaggerating but maybe we just got old stock by chance. We didn't even bother finishing it and no, we didn't ask for it to be replaced. If this were it's normal state, then it would be the same for all the apple pies and if it really were old stock, then we really should let it be as it shouldn't have been served in the first place.

In the end, we went out and ended up eating somewhere else...

Disappointed :(

~2GBTG!

Aubergine

2011-03-06T12:37:00.232+08:00

It was a not so normal day because I actually invited my boss to do a meeting on a Sunday to discuss some processes we want to implement in order to make things more...orderly :)

And along with us was his sister, our guru, who shall teach us the ways of Zen... or not.

Anyways, since she was gonna teach us, she had the liberty to choose where we will meet or eat or whichever comes first. So she chose this place which she claims to have very delicious food :)

(Oh believe me, when it's my boss' sister, she KNOWS what she's talking about... I'll find some time to showcase her dishes hehehe)

Aubergine

(Aubergine Website)

Fine dining it is!

Location: 32nd and 5th Building, Bonifacio Global City

How to get there: Go to the Ayala intersection and walk towards the Fort bus terminal. Take the Fort bus and go down somewhere near St. Luke's or S&R or 32nd Street. Go to the building where McDonald's is and Aubergine's at the 3rd floor.

I have to apologize for not taking a picture of the place outside nor the official logo. I wasn't really prepared to eat here... or more of I don't really eat at fine dining places (my budget ain't gonna fit) but since we went here, why pass up the opportunity? :)

Oh, I do have to apologize for another thing... I have to say, I am not good with these French stuff so please be forgiving of my slips and whatnot :)

Aubergine is "eggplant" in French. The waitress said it was named that way because the very first theme of their restaurant was also of eggplants. They opened on December 1, 2007 and 35% of their staff came fro ISCAHM (Int'l School for Arts and Hotel Management). Check out the website link for more info about them :)

Well the place is really nice. I mean, how can you expect less?

Ooohhhh... (drooling)

Yeah I may sound like some moron but again, I don't eat at these places unless it's a party or a friend's event or it's free. Really, I'm just being honest hehe.

Moving on, here's the ... menu :P

Definitely up there!

Yep this is what we got alright

Pardon the blow-up but I can hardly read the text because of my stupid lighting settings... hehehe.

So yes, Aubergine is fine dining (I've said that once too much). So I will lightly blog about this place as I will not dare tread the unexplored places of my budget hehehe.

We got that degustation menu (tasting menu or sampler) and we can choose one of the middle 3 dishes as the main course. In short, it's a full, 8-course meal packed with French and whatever dishes.

We also got a bottle of wine...

Name: Barolo Wine

Barolo DOCG (Beni di Batasiolo wine)

They use a nice, delicate, wineglass

...it's ruby-red wine with a very full-bodied taste of cherry and plum. It's very, very nice if you ask me. The ruby or garnet red color emanates from outside the glass like a delicate gem. Sorry, just had to appreciate that. And with that delicate wine glass, smelling the wine alone is very pleasing :) Anyways, all I'm saying is I love the red wine. You can check this one out (for the wine connoisseurs) here: Barolo DOCG Wine Specs.

The first one is the trio sampler on glass. Well I'm not really sure if it's really a sampler but it sure looks like it hehe. The mini-dishes were served on a moderately thick, decorated glass tray. It's a very interesting and cute setup...

Yes, I forgot that it was set on b&w and I only found out after we ate...

Name: Petit Salad Leaves with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Petite... (and yes, also in b&w)

Well it's simply that, a mini-salad with raspberry vinaigrette. It's a nice, tiny delight :)

Name: Pan-seared French Duck Foie Gras on warm Balsamic Lentils with Fried Quail Egg

Cute quail egg (still in b&w)

Foie Gras is a pate made of goose liver by the way. This one was one of my favorites. Very delicate and exciting taste in a very small package plus the very cute presentation of a sunny-side up quail egg haha. You can taste that duck with it's sweet-saltiness in one, good bite. :P

Name: Foie Gras Terrine with Calvados Jelly and Foie Gras ice cream on compressed port wine-soaked watermelon

That's the Foie Gras ice cream on watermelon...

This one's the terrine...

Well, the names get more complicated huh? Tell me about it haha. I suddenly liked the Momo! dish names more :P. (Terrine is a French forcemeat similar to a pate. Forcemeat is a mix of ground and lean meat emulsified by fat) Anyways, this has to be the most interesting of all the dishes I've tried here at Aubergine. The foie gras ice cream is ... well, interesting (for lack of a more creative word). It's like eating a cold piece of foie gras. The terrine is like some meatloaf with 3 different layers of varying tastes (which I can't really describe haha).

Don't look at me. We're just getting started with some adventurous food here (actually just for me, these are just normal for people who loves fine dining hehe). And if ever you like to comment on the stuff I've been saying so far, please do because I am trying to learn these as I go. :)

Name: King Prawn bisque with Mango Cream Cheese Spring roll and champagne foam

King prawn bisque (or just soup is more simpler for me)

This one's another interesting dish. It is actually a puree of prawn (I think along with the shells?) so the taste will be very, sharply, prawn. It smells, feels, tastes and after-tastes like prawn. The foam adds a light texture to the soup and preserves the rather, "oxygenated" and strong flavored prawn side of it. Okay, that didn't sound right but believe me, I tried haha. I'd say, liking this dish is an acquired taste :)

Name: Port wine-braised Veal cheek on Truffle Risotto and Madeira glaze

Port wine-braised veal cheek on risotto

Hmm... Well, I don't recall the exact taste of this one but it was good :) Yep, that's it. It was good. :)

Name: Strawberry peach sherbet

The sherbet genie lamp

AH! This one was interesting in terms of presentation. Like the caption says, it's a teacup with the sherbet on top and smoke coming out of it. Well the smoke comes out of dry ice inside the teacup. The sherbet was really refreshing and perfectly right on sweetness. :) I just don't get why this was served just before the main course... hmmm...

Name: Scallops and jumbo prawns on carrot-lychee compote and pappardelle pasta

Scallops and jumbo prawns on carrot-lychee compote and pappardelle pasta

After eating, I realized, I had the lightest main course of all three. My boss and his sister both got meat plates while I got the seafood one. Not that I regret it but I guess, I didn't get a full stomach after eating this :(

Oh but that doesn't mean this dish was bad :) It just wasn't filling. Anyways, compote is actually fruit made into stew. And the pappardelle is a long, broad variety of fetuccine pasta. I really liked this dish because it had really big prawns in it and had a very unique blend of mildly thick, semi-sweet soup with "noodles" that absorbed the creaminess of the soup base itself. Yes that was described in desperate, diminishing English. But, all I wanted to say was it was a creamy, semi-sweet soup with tasty, marinated prawns and soft pasta noodles. There, I hope that was better. :)

This was one of the other main courses:

Australian Lamb loin

No, I didn't get to taste that, unfortunately :)

Ah, but we're not done yet...

Name: French Saint Albray with Marinated strawberries and gratinated Swiss gruyere cheese with Marbled potato

Strawberry with cheese and cheese

You'd probably think the one with the strawberry was the major of the 2 cheeses. You're right, but the Gruyere one (the one on the tiny bowl) tasted better. The one with the fruit is Saint Albray, cheese made from cow's milk made in Aquitaine, France. I say better because it was tastier (or saltier) compared to the latter. Oh also, if you're wondering where the marbled potato is, it's there :) Seriously, it's wrapped in the Gruyere cheese :)

Name: Banana mousse terrine, banana fritter and banana ice cream

Banana, banana and banana :)

Yup. All banana. That should pretty much say what it tastes like :) There is an interesting piece here... that long curly strip. I'm guessing it's something made out of the same stuff as barquillos are since it feels and tastes like it. It was shaved out to have that long strip shape and curl a bit for presentation.

Honestly, I liked the experience and the uniqueness of the dishes here but I really have to say, I'd rather eat somewhere else because of the sheer price of what we ate. This is a VERY NICE date place though but make sure you save a lot for such an occassion :) (hint hint)

So the business meeting ended with a LOT of stuff to do (yes, I skipped the bill part because... it's REALLY EXPENSIVE) and we drove home with food-filled instead of business minds haha.

~2GBTG!

Momo!

2011-03-05T11:11:00.144+08:00

I have a lot of eating buddies. One of them is Joydie. And even though I've been to Momo! a lot of times, she hasn't.

So after her uber stressful day and getting a wonderful massage at Sole Mates, I told her we can eat at the ever so popular (for us at least) Momo! :)

Momo!

(Momo! Website)

It's in reverse, I know haha

Location: Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

This one is at the front (left side) of the new Eastwood Mall. You can't miss it.

So never mind that the logo's in reverse. It's funkier that way haha.

Moving on, like I said I've been to Momo! several times because I just love their food :)

And now that I'm back, I finally decided to blog them.

Momo! actually means "more food, more drinks". They are part of the company Raintree which also owns Chelsea and Museum Cafe. Their first branch, this one, opened in July 2009. They had a 2nd branch in Ermita but that one closed out. The 3rd one, which is in Ayala Triangle Plaza, opened February 2011.

Momo! is on the mid to high price range of places. It's a casual date place or small meeting place. The reason I'm saying this is because the place looks nice and cozy. I'd say Momo! is an Western-Italian fusion place based on their interesting variety of dishes. But they also have some Filipino dishes reinvented like that Big Filipino Breakfast.

And which was perfect for that day because there were only a couple of people at that time and I was making sure Joydie was all relaxed and smooth. After a couple of this and that on the menu, we finally decided to order...

Name: Grandma's Country Herb and Bacon Wrapped "Meatloaf"

Price: 425php

Grandma's Meatloaf "tower"

Gotta love that nice egg :)

I would say a price over 200php is considered expensive for me, given that it's only for one person. In this case, however, the serving size is two people. So that's approximately 212.50 each. I am one of the averagely earning employees so yes, it's expensive but it's worth the price :)

This meatloaf tower has obviously a large serving size. Too bad there's only one egg though. It's 2 separate meatloaves stacked on each other and individually wrapped in bacon (yum!). It's topped with a sunny-side egg and cushioned on mashed potatoes. It's also served with steam corn and a special sauce.

The side stuff's nothing special. The creamy egg is something I like (but it is just an egg haha). But the meatloaf is something worth taking note of. It's a bit on the meaty side, not much herby actually, eventhough the name says it is. Not too dry and is packed. The bacon is just the icing of the meatloaf but is a welcome plus of course hehe. It's a bit peppery and overall a very tasty meal.

Name: "San Francisco Style" Seafood Pesto Cream Linguine

Price: 395php

San Francisco Style Seafood Pesto Cream Linguine (whew)

MMMM salmon :)

This place has some liking to long, creative names huh?

Anyways, call me dumb but I don't really know where the pesto is in this dish. I did some research on the internet and yes, I am one of those accustomed to having just basil pesto, olive oil based versus pesto, tomato cream based. So there, I actually just answered my dumb question aahaha.

Moving on, since I love pesto AND tomatoes, this was a pretty nice combo for me. PLUS it has salmon which I also love. The name actually says it all: it's a creamy, tomato-based pesto with salmon on linguine. The salmon's nicely cooked with some parmesan cheese gratings. The creamy sauce not lightly but generously mixed with the pasta ending with a slightly sour but smoothly textured sauce. This one I liked much :)

Name: Dalandan Frozen Iced Tea

Price: 85php

Dalandan Frozen Iced Tea

Now this for me is the real winner. I mean I love their food but this I have to share with you. For those who don't know yet, one of Momo!'s specialties is their frozen iced tea.

Really? You say. But yes, it's a must try! The serving itself is a LOT. And for 85php, believe me, it's worth it. It's actually just an iced tea shake infused with the flavor you chose and placed in a very tall glass. It's just pure juicy goodness that's cold to the last drop and no wastage on the ice, really :) I personally like their strawberry, dalandan and peach :)

Just right, simple coziness :)

And as a complimentary "dessert", we got Choc-nut!!! :) Love it!

Beat that!

And so the relaxing day ended (well not yet actually) very well with that very nice lunch :)

Till next time!

~2GBTG!

Namanama

2011-02-28T18:35:00.107+08:00

It was a so-so day and since I arrived at my destination earlier than expected, I decided to re-visit one of my favorite eating places: NamaNama.

I think I already ate here like a year ago or less but I can remember this place well because they've got good ramen and very affordable at that :)

NamaNama

Location: Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao.

Look for the Cybermall. It's just at the end of the whole strip starting from Citibank.

This one's on the 3rd floor.

And there I was again at this small place. I actually wonder why there's not much people in this place but I'd think it's prolly the location. You'd actually have to know it exists so you'd go to it and if the mall's closed, it's closed too unlike the others that stay open late.

Anyways, that also means it's good time for me to focus on checking the food rather than the girls :P

Well, ain't that a cute background?

Well maybe you won't agree, but for me, it's Japanese-y enough for me (yeah, they look like Filipinos, fine). Also if you've noticed, they've got these weird chairs with holes on it. It's modern funky but I personally don't like in a practical sense.

Namanama actually comes from the combined names of the owner's (Leslie Yao) children: Nathan and Matti. They opened April 2009 in Eastwood. Leslie also owns Zuppa Cafe, the one just beside Namanama. Obviously, apart from the name, it's a Japanese-Asian fusion food place with mostly staples and some reinvented ones. Mostly rice plates but there are some noodle dishes as well.

And as mentioned, this place got very affordable prices :) And believe me, when you see their servings, you'd say "Whoah? Really? This much for that only?". But of course, you'd also say, the catch may be the taste. That's what we'll see then...

I remember ordering a seafood ramen back then and although I really wanted to get that again, my urge to try something else won. So I went and ordered this...

Name: Chicken Teriyaki Ramen (regular size)

Price: 95php

It's bigger in real-life :)

Oh if you noticed, it says regular. It would prolly take 1 and a half of a normal person (not my appetite in short) to finish this. So if you took the large one, there's prolly about 2-3 persons for that size. I'm just trying to describe serving size hehe.

But to be honest, this one isn't as good as the seafood ramen.

So the serving size is big: soup, noodles and the chicken part itself. No problems there.

The noodles firmness is good, not soggy and very tasty.

The chicken itself is (boneless thankfully) soft, slightly spicy (due to the loads of pepper) but inconveniently un-cut. While it looks cool that there's a big serving, it's a hassle that you'd have to cut the chicken so you can actually eat it. And I don't really taste the teriyaki much. :(

Which now brings us to the soup: plain spicy, all peppery soup. It's fine prolly for peeps like me who likes pepper in soup but it's just...too much I guess. Don't get me wrong, it's not that awful but it ain't appetizing either.

So this one I'd say is a partial fail.

Name: Asian Grilled Pork Belly

Price: 135php


Asian grilled pork belly

And yes, I did order 2 dishes. Not because the ramen wasn't so good. I did order two because I was thinking it would take me a while to return here with all my backlog food stuff and whatnot haha.

So this one, also with big servings, was the one to win the night for me.

The pork was really thin and crispy and you can taste the marinate all over it. The grill was perfectly done to lock in the juices and sauce especially in the fatty parts. You don't even need a knife to cut the meat which is wonderful and you can actually eat all of it except that small piece of bone. It has this salty, slightly burnt taste with a small hint of garlic.

The laksa rice had a slight hint of spice and was pretty good too. It wasn't strong enough to overpower the pork's taste which is good because most of the time, in other places, it's the reverse. I didn't really get to use the chili and calamansi because there was no need to :)

Funnily enough, a good 10 minutes after I started eating, a bunch of people came in and looked at what I was eating and ordered the same. :)

I think I am going back soon hahaha.

~2GBTG!

Bob's of Bacolod Part 2

2011-02-23T19:10:00.061+08:00

And so on this day, my boss had problems. So he wanted to release some pressure and eat somewhere. As mentioned before, Bob's is just near the office and since I had a very good experience from last time, I suggested to eat there. :)

Bob's from Bacolod

(please see: First Blog about Bob's)

So this time, I decided to try something else of course...

Name: Steak and Eggs

Price: 195php


Steak and Eggs

The steak was cooked medium so the meat is just right. I actually want it medium rare but my boss got it cooked medium. It's almost well done but still has a lil raw-ness in it. :) Anyways, the meat was practically lean all over and was very juicy. Actually I have a hard time describing meat like these as I feel like their tastes depend on how well done they are and what part was cooked. In any case, nothing really different here compared to other steaks. The size is worth it for the price although it is expensive (which is normal for steaks).

Name: Baby Back Ribs with Onion Rings (Daily Special version)

Price: 135php

Baby Back Ribs with Onion Rings

Well, I'm not really a fan of baby back ribs or ribs in general as I think it's not worth paying for the bone and they're usually expensive but I tried this because this is their value meal version. It's usually priced at 300+php but since this has a smaller serving size, the price is reduced too. But what I just realized is that the bone is actually what sets ribs apart from boneless meat dishes in terms of taste.

For one, you can't apply different done-ness on ribs because it's hard to even the cooking for meat stuck on bones. But on another note, the bones actually make sure that the flavor is retained regardless of the way it's cooked. So if you wonder why some people (or dogs for that matter) love lickin' em good on the bones, it's due to that...but I may be wrong hahaha.

So the ribs has this special marinate all over it. It's sweet and very mildly spicy. Not the typical BBQ sauce but you'd like it nevertheless. Meat is not tough at all and separates from the bone quite easily. And to my surprise, I actually got more meat than bone on this serving. :) Of course, I also licked the bone clean hehe and it was well worth it.

So really, as you can see, I've been to Bob's twice. It's value for money for the specials but if you have a lil extra cash, go ahead and buy the biggies. They're worth it too. :)

Till next time!

~2GBTG!

Bob's of Bacolod Part 1

2011-02-17T23:26:00.107+08:00

One of my close friends has been working in the Makati area ever since.

Usually when I want to go out, I do mass texting in impromptu and check if anyone's available. When it's this friend who replies, I usually ignore it or say I can't meet up in his area. Why? Because I work in Ortigas and it's too much of a hassle to go there and go home afterwards.

Anyways, since I now work in almost the same area as he does, I invited him to meet up. Just near our office, there's this fairly new place that's all bright clear. I've been doing some practice shots during my lunch and outside office hours so I've been curious on this place for quite some time. So I suggested to my friend to eat there...

Bob's of Bacolod

(http://bobsbacolod.com)


Bob's of Bacolod

Location: G/F One Palanca Land Bldg., Dela Rosa St., Makati City

How to get there:

If you're from North, take a bus going to LRT/Ayala then ask the driver to drop you off Insular. From there, take the underpass going to the direction of the VGP center (this is the building across Starbuck's front NOT the one opposite Jollibee). Once on the other side, go to the corner to the left of the exit you came out of then continue down the sidewalk beside the overpass. You can see Bob's nearby and just across the street.

If you're from South, well, get a bus that goes to Ayala, go down at VGP center, go straight to the corner near the underpass' exit and continue on the sidewalk as described above.

Bob's is actually a name of a famous American burger back then. And Bob's from Bacolod actually started as a burger place in it's starting days. The server said the reason they did burgers instead of the expected inasal was because of the same reason: it's just common in Bacolod. After a while, they ventured into expanding their menu and built a branch in Magallanes then eventually at Dela Rosa, near Enterprise, at Makati. Interesting actually :)

The food is actually pricey and just by looking at the place, you'd know this ain't no fastfood...

Daily Specials

Nice lighting :)

...but later I'd discover it ain't bad at all and it was worth it in the end.

So I asked the waiter what their specialty was and he said the ones under the grilled section were the ones I'm looking for. So when I checked they had baby back-ribs, sate babe and grilled chicken among others. I then asked what Sate Babe meant and...I honestly forgot what he said hehe. I'll ask again on my next visit. But that was the one I tried.

Name: Sate Babe

Price: 145php

Sate Babe

The sate babe... well, I just looked at the oozing peanut sauce on it and I already knew, it would be a winner. Good thing it was :) First off, the peanut sauce was just so good. Like the peanut sauce I tried in Fu Yoh, this one was authentic. Sweet and salty, just right. Secondly, the peanut sauce was just so good. Wait did I just say that again? Haha. Anways, the serving size is big. Usually BBQ's or satays in other places have either little chunks, more fat or just a couple of pieces. But as you can see, that's four large chunks of all-meat. Tender, juicy and definitely not hotdog :p The meat is very chewy, the fiber isn't tough and it's obvious that the marinate seeped in well inside the meat (I tried eating a part without the sauce and it was very tasty).


It's definitely the peanut sauce

Name: Lechon Macau

Price: 225php

Lechon Macau

So the lechon macau looks like...lechon kawali. It doesn't look like the typical Chinese lechon macau that I know of. So does it taste like lechon kawali? I'd say pretty much yes but better in terms of usual serving size, the meat and the sauce. The meat is crunchy all the way through, meaning not just the fat but also the meat itself. And it's not over-fried as even after a while, it doesn't become tough to eat. And the sauce by the way, isn't generic. It's their own gravy. It's a bit sweet and lil salty then a hint of spicy (all small stuff huh?).

Crispy goodness :)

As I said, the prices of the above meals are pretty high but if you have the budget and are near the area, I'd highly recommend the place. Definitely worth the buck :)

For the next pictures, I just got so tempted to look (and almost eat) the cakes. They all look yummy but I had to settle at just looking :)

That's it! Maybe I'll get to try one of these cakes one of these days. :)

Until next time!

~2GBTG

Pares House and Arkin's Specialty Foods

2011-02-16T01:03:00.163+08:00

And so the adventure continues :)

Before I was planning to go home, I remembered that I had a friend of mine who works in Eastwood needed someone to talk to. So texted her and asked her if she wanted to eat somewhere. Although initially we thought we could eat at Eastwood, I asked her if she'd want something different. She agreed and we both decided to eat at Marikina :)

I was craving for pares that night so I suggested to eat at a new pares place near our municipal hall. It was odd because the new place was formerly also a pares place. It looked different so I thought it would probably be different (or so I thought) as the previous one just tasted okay but nothing special.

Pares House

Location: Shoe Ave., Marikina City

How to get there:

If coming from Pasig, take a jeep going to Marikina/Palengke or Stoplight. You'll pass-by at Shoe Ave. and look out for an orange tricycle waiting line. It's on the same block as the Ministop. Just tell the driver to drop you off at Munisipyo and it's nearby.

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to Marikina (SSS or Parang) and tell the driver to drop you off at the Sports Center. You should be somewhere near the founatain and a big structure with a clock at the top. From there, walk towards your right to where there's lines of jeepneys waiting. Continue walking until you reach 7-11. Continue past that and you should see Ministop. The place is 2 stores past it.

Anyways, so we tried their 2 specialties: their mami and of course, the pares.

Name: Beef Mami

Price: 66php

Beef Mami

Well, we were both disappointed. Yummy as the pictures look (not so much the pares though) they don't taste as much. The mami was mostly tasteless. I had to put fish sauce so it would have enough for my palate to recognize. Eventhough the noodles were firm and the meat was tender, it still sucks.

Name: Beef Pares

Price: 75php


Beef Pares

The pares on the other hand, well, was typical. It just tasted like a normal beef stew without the vegetables (I mean the usual beef stew I eat has veggies). The garlic bits on the fried rice was even overcooked. :(

Soooo... whaddya think happened?

Seeing I just wasted money on nothing, I felt I needed to redeem myself and save my friend from further depression. And just across that same place, I saw a fairly new place I had been curious of ever since...

Arkin's Specialty Foods

Arkin's Specialty Foods

Location: Shoe Ave., Marikina City

How to get there:

Just follow the same as the Pares House instructions above. This is just across the Pares House.

It's a small place and had medium lit lights but you'd already know it was really meant for those who'd like to drink or probably have their food smelled by passers-by. We went in and asked the golden question: "What's your specialty?". As if the readable print on the logo was enough, we really had to hear it from them hoping to catch inconsistency with their staff. But they didn't fail us. They confirmed that their bestseller had to be the "sinigang sa miso". It didn't matter which fish head it was although they claim the lapu-lapu is better. I'm not a fan of the said fish so I opted for the strangely cheaper salmon head. I asked my friend what she liked and she said if we can try the sizzling tunay belly. Usually I don't order the same type of food (e.g. beef, pork, seafood, veggie, etc.) because I like variety but since I wanted to cheer my friend up, I agreed to it...which I didn't regret afterwards.

Name: Sinigang sa Miso (Salmon)

Price: 80php

Sinigang sa Miso (Salmon Head)

First they served some miso soup and it tasted really good. After 15-20 mins, they served the sinigang sa miso then the sizzling tuna belly.


Sinigang served in the ceramic casserole

As you can see, the sinigang was served in a floral ceramic casserole which gave it a home-cooked feel. Taking off the glass cover releases the good-smelling steam and made sure the dish was cooked fresh and hot. I then checked the fish's meat to see how well it was cooked...

The salmon meat

...it's not really a good shot but I tried haha. Anyways, the meat was pale pinkish and was well-cooked. It didn't crumble at contact with the fork nor did it felt recently thawed from the freezer. I then checked the veggies. They weren't mushy and were still crunchy when eaten. It had okra, raddish, pechay, ginger, pansigang na sili and of course, miso.

Miso soup and veggies

The soup was partially thick and was especially sour which already meant it was SOLD for me :) It had no oily taste because of the large ginger slices in the soup. And since it was kept hot, it was able to absorb all the flavors of the fish and veggies which is what good and authentic sinigang is. :) Yum yum.

The salmon meat was also good. One, as mentioned, was cooked well and second because there was a lot to eat to begin with.

Name: Sizzling Tuna Belly

Price: 160php

Sizzling Tuna Belly

I was expecting the tuna belly to be ordinary but the one I immediately noticed was that it had a large serving compared to the usual (e.g. Dencio's, Congo Grille) and for it's price, I'd say that alone was worth it. But of course I had to check the taste. As you can see, the meat is also well-cooked and though the onions and tomatoes didn't really add anything significant, they were a welcome freshness for taste. The belly was soft and meaty and tasty to the last bite. Heck, even the fish skin was tempting to eat. :) The hint of garlic was there which I liked.

And so what almost became a bad eating day turned out to be better due to trying that one across the street.

~2GBTG!

Starting Over...

2011-02-15T14:43:00.058+08:00

after sooo long

I get to finally do food blogging again :)

wow... feels good actually

this time, with a new trusty camera :) yay!

whew... feels like i'm getting a restart on everything

so that also means... even though I've been food blogging for years

i'll put them in the past and turn a leaf for a new one

hence... THIS blog :)

and speaking of restarts

i get to blog with a good one or should i say, FOUR...

yes, FOUR new places you should try out (or not)

not bad for an opener huh?

so without further due....

on the day of hearts, after a very long walk in the middle of everywhere

i decided to eat

so you'd say... "uh-huh. you don't have a date and you decided to eat. so what?"

well guess what... so what to you too! :P

kidding aside

i decided to get my camera a spin on the food photography so i was craving for something new (as i always do) or if not new, something i knew was worth destroying my diet (i'm food blogging and i'm on a diet...go figure)

so a magic carpet brought me to a whole new world

and boy am I so lucky it brought me there...

Food Junction

Food Junction at Eastwood

Location: Eastwood, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao.

Once at Eastwood, go over at the old Citywalk until you get to Stackers, take a right going to Blue Onion and ride the escalator there. The place is just at the top.

The place is new, in fact, it was so new that we went there, it was grand opening :)

It looks like a high-end cafeteria with lots of high-end looking food spots. It's got a modern style of white and clean lines and curves, not too fancy. Place is evenly lighted and still tidy. The stairs not too steep and there's actually just 3 sets of them so navigation is pretty easy. The stalls are evenly placed although I'd say one of the shops below has got the center and I find it the most strategic.

Anyways, on to the food. :)

The first I tried was...

D' Original Didi's Manok

(Didi's Manok in Facebook)

Didi's Manok

I actually love this place's logo. It's very cartoony and large so you'd really notice it.

And the reason I tried this first was because of the recent boom of chicken places nowadays. I was trying to find out if there really is a unique or standout chicken among these (I've found some actually).

Grilled Chicken

So when I looked at their chicken, I already thought, "Uh, is this another one of those inasal chicken again?"...

...but at least they did have other offerings like lechon kawali, lumpiang shanghai and of course, pansit.

The Budget Menu

I always check the prices first because I'm the type of guy who only eats what he can afford and finds out if it was really worth it or not. For Didi's, it was the typical price of the inasal places today, ranging from 50php to roughly 120php at most. They do sell pansit sa bilao (360php to 610php) at whole/half servings of chicken (120php to 210php)for take-out.

Name: Busog A1

Price: 55php


Busog Meal A1

So what I ordered was BA1, which consists of chicken, atchara, soup and a small iced tea.

Looks normal huh? Well, it is. That also means it's another fail in my quest for a better chicken. :(

The chicken is just like all the other chicken you taste there. It's NOT inasal take note, the manager told me it was just grilled chicken. And so it was. I do have to say, it was tasty. The actual chicken was pretty small but the rice serving was bigger than the rest I've tried. The chicken meat was a lil tough. The atchara was typical. I loved the soup though. It had real chicken stock in it and I think a small mix of egg? It was very tasty.

So I wasn't happy obviously...

Not really worth the buck for me :(

The second I tried was...

Fu Yoh

(Fu Yoh in Facebook)

Fu Yoh

Fu Yoh is actually owned by 7 people. They're a group of friends who decided to setup a food place of their own. One of them have explained to me that Fu Yoh means a couple of things combined. "Fu" in Chinese means wealth. And in this case, having a wealth of different cultures of food. "Fu Yoh" is actually a Malay expression that translates to "Oh my God". So as a whole, when you experience their food, you are given the feeling that "This is really good!". I'd have to agree with that. :)

"Our food place offers Singaporean/Chinese fusion dishes and a hint of Indian", says Delbert, one of the owners. They only got a few on the menu but they're good ones. The Asian staples are there: satay, curry, char siu and of course, roti. And I didn't regret trying this one because they may not have a lot to offer, but what they do, they cook it good. :)

Fu Yoh's menu

Their prices are really good if I may say. Only the chicken rice (and the roti overload) went a lil over a 100php which fits the typical Filipino wallet. Their budget stuff are all under 60php which is for peeps like me hehe.

Oh and by the way, this the place I was talking about that had a strategic location. I was the only one at the mezzanine at the center. It had the easiest access for everyone.

Name: Pork and Chicken Satay

Price: 25php/stick for a total of 100php (4 sticks)

Chicken Satay (top), Pork Satay (bottom)

I was actually with a friend that night who ordered at Fu Yoh. My friend got the chicken rice (which I forgot to take a picture of) and the satay. I actually tried both meals hehe.

The satay was good. The meat wasn't tough and easily gets chewed off the stick. They were both tasty by themselves although in my opinion, the pork tasted better because the chicken was a bit dry. But what makes this satay stand out was the peanut sauce. Their peanut sauce just had the right thickness and it was so peanut-ty! It even had bits of peanuts for added texture. It was just right salty and tasted like authentic, grounded and mixed peanuts instead of just processed dips or those who put peanut butter for extenders. Oh, the satay also had ensalada which I found odd because instead of your usual small amount of vinegar and some onions, this one had cucumber, onions, chili floating on a cup of vinegar. I liked the mix I almost drank it haha.

Name: Chicken Rice

Price: 120php

Chicken Rice

The chicken rice was also good. Not for the typical Filipino palate though. The chicken wasn't too tasty not that it was meant to be because as far as I know, their steamed chicken is really cooked that way. Once you mix their nicely ground ginger/garlic paste with the hot white rice and chicken, then you really get to enjoy it.

Was their food worth the price? The satay definitely. The chicken rice might be pricey for the thrifty type but the serving size is filling.

The third I tried was...

Kalbi

(Kalbi in Facebook)

Kalbi

Talk about modern, this place really feels like modern Korean cuisine to me. It didn't look like typical Korean places like Kaya or the Chinese-Korean resto near GMA 7(which is sadly closed) and it felt more like an American burger place.

Kalbi is owned by Andy and Jerome, cousins who are actually Chinese.

Jerome (left), Andy (right) - chef and owners

Jerome said that Kalbi (or galbi) is a Korean dish made of grilled BBQ short ribs. Also if you noticed, the small print under Kalbi says "Korean to go" so that means they serve fast and easy packages.

The head chef and also owner Andy told me their best seller was their burritos and recommended I try their Bulgogi one. And so I did. It took just 10mins for them to finish my meal, not bad at all. :)

Name: Bulgogi Burrito

Price: 140php

Bulgogi Burrito

Now, do take note, I am a monster of gastronomic proportions. I eat a lot and I'm a big guy. But THIS really stuffed me. As you can see, this monster burrito is even cut in two. And just one of these halves is very filling. Heck I even think, if you split the burrito in three, you'd all be happy with the size.

Closer view of the burrito

The burrito is chock full of: Korean beef, onions, lettuce, kimchi rice, some sauces and cheese all stuffed in a slightly thick pita wrap.

Now there's no easy way to eat this thing as it's big. So you either unwrap it and it eat it with a spoon/fork or you can just eat it as it is (which I'd highly recommend of course). I ate the first half (you'll know why I said it this way later), so the veggies add a crunch at the first layer then you can easily taste the juicy and tender BBQ beef sandwiched by a layer of rice mixed with oozing cheese. Want me to try that again? :) But really, it was jsut oozing with juicy flavors all over. And what's good is when you start chewing, the pita makes sure the experience stays intact to the last chow. After finishing the first half, I was already satisfied.

But how can I pass for another of half of this burrito? I can't. I pretty sure you can't too haha. What made the second half unique was that somehow, most of the kimchi flavor was on it. I was surprised that the second half actually a different experience because of that kick it made on the whole thing. After that, I was really satisfied.

What I especially loved was how the melted cheese compliments the whole thing with it's hint of saltiness and how it promotes contrast with the strong flavors of both the meat and kimchi rice.

Same as Fu Yoh, you'd probably think it's pricey but believe me, it's definitely worth it. Or you may want to share it with someone else :)

The fourth one I tried (yes, the last one but certainly not the least)...

Cafe Terya

Cafe Terya

So the name's catchy for me, why? Because it's Filipino. :)

This one I had time to chat and socialize with the people working there.

Me: "Ano'ng bestseller nyo?"

All 3 Girl Employees: "Lahat po"

Me: (laughs) "Ah, mahirap naman ata yun. Di ko kayang tikman lahat yan."

All 3 Girl Employees: (laughs too)

Cashier: "Sir, pwede ninyo i-try ung Sinanglay, Binagoongan, ung Chicken, BBQ..."

Me: (interruptingly) "Wait lang, eh sinabi mo din lahat ng nasa menu eh" (laughs)

All 3 Girls Employees: (laughs too)

Me: "O sige, ano na lang madalas na na-order sa inyo so far?"

The cashier was talking when I realized, I saw a very familiar word... bagnet.
Me: "Teka, yung kare-kare nyo, bagnet ang ginagamit nyo?"
Cashier: "Yes, sir."
Me: "Yan na lang ittry ko. Mahilig ako sa bagnet."

Then out of nowhere, a pretty lady comes up and asks "How can I help you sir?"
This beautiful lass is actually Joan, one of the 2 owners of Cafe Terya. As you can see, both of them already look friendly and believe me, they are more so in person :)

Joanne (left), Jovi (right) - owners

So we had a lil chat and I told her that I do food-blogging. And she kindly responded to my questions. Joan's food industry exposure goes way back and if you're familiar with the famous Mr. Biggs' Inasal in Laguna (check: A taste of Mr. Bigg's in Laguna (Phil Star article) ) then that's where it dates back. Their love for food and sharing it for the Filipino taste to savor is a family business, as she puts it. I guess that's where all this variety of Filipino dishes in their menu came from.

The Cafe Terya menu

So I said to her, I actually decided on getting the Kare-kare Meal so I can see if it lives up to the authentic Ilocano bagnet as I've always known it (I come from an Ilocano and Bulakeño descent).

Name: Kare-kare Meal

Price: 98php

The bagnet

The kare-kare as a whole, is kind of unique as they separated the sauce and veggies from the bagnet. This preserves the crunchiness of the meat. It is, of course, served with bagoong.

The bagnet is cut thinly, which is not typical, even for local versions of this dish. Usually it's served with thick slices or chopped like your inihaw na liempo. But since it's cut like so, cooking it to make it crunchy makes it easier. And that's what I liked about it most because I usually like my meat that way. To be honest, it's not exactly the same bagnet I've known but it is definitely closer to it than it would be to the lechon kawali that most know of. The meat's easy to chew and it's not too salty.

The kare-kare sauce

As you can see, they did a good job on keeping the veggies fresh. And the best proof of this is because it's still crunchy when I ate it. It had sitao, pechay, onions, eggplant and if I remember the name right, banana stalks (I'll confirm this :) ). The peanut sauce was not too thick and was a bit more oily than usual. The good side of this is it goes really well with the rice and all.

The bagoong

And of course, the bagoong. I liked their bagoong because it's not drenched in oil and it wasn't too sweet like the ones I usually get from restos. Plus it had chili so what more can I ask for? :)

I have to say this isn't my usual kare-kare and I'm happy that I did try it because I love good surprises hehe.

But you know what, Joan was kind enough to let me try another dish: rellenong sili. She said it was on the house so why would I turn it down? :) But I was so full trying all the dishes I had room for only one.

Rellenong sili

This is actually an oversized sili stuffed with tuna (I'll have to confirm this), onions and some spices. It's drizzled with cheese on top. I'm actually a bit confused as what actually made this spicy: the actual vegetable or the ingredients in it. But I liked it nonetheless.

As with the other two favorites I have above, I recommend Cafe Terya as well. :)

Overall, that experience was really fun and I may be doing it again but not soon as I need to burn the gained calories over that feast. :)

Hope you all liked my first "re-post"

Keep following for more!

~2GBTG!

Eat Me!

Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

FB page: Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

Location: 51 Katipunan St., Concepcion Uni, Marikina CityNearby Landmarks: Strip 70, Baytree

I Love Milk Tea & Coffee

i decided...

Cerveseria

M-4 Pares

Yummy Roast

Heaven and Eggs

CBD

Pho Hoa

Zao

Mexicali

Bangers n Mash, Midnight Mercato

Bon-chon

Fort Legend Cafe

Papa John's

Racks

Red Crab Cafe

BFast

Aubergine

Momo!

Namanama

Bob's of Bacolod Part 2

Bob's of Bacolod Part 1

Pares House and Arkin's Specialty Foods

Starting Over...

Location: 51 Katipunan St., Concepcion Uni, Marikina City
Nearby Landmarks: Strip 70, Baytree