After a scrumptious buffet served by some of the Atrium’s dining establishments, we were given a tour by host Angel Aquino of it’s four levels, showing us the wide range of dining choices available.

Here is a list of the restaurants currently serving at the Mega Atrium.

2nd Level:

Blenz Coffee
Gumbo
Secret Recipe
The Kebab Factory
Haagen-Dazs

3rd Level:

Amici
Bigby’s Cafe & Restaurant
C2 Classic Cuisine, Philippines
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Curry Curry House
Dairy Queen
Eat & Go
The French Baker
Holy Cow!

4th Level:

Crepes and Creme
Dulcinea
Eskimo Bob
Gotti’s
Greenwhich
Mondo Juice
The Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak
Starbucks
Teriyaki Boy
Super Bowl of China
Tia Maria’s
Tutti Frutti

Soon to open:

Tong Yang
Mesa
Ahava
HK Choi

The Mega Atrium is located over Julia Vargas Avenue, and fully bridges the gap between Mega A and B. Among the services and amenities of the Atrium are: valet parking, a concierge, and a lounge area on the second floor. There is also free Wi-Fi, so you can surf the net whilst or after dining.

Nachos are pretty much do-it-yourself: you choose what toppings you want and how much. In our nachos, we had iceberg lettuce, fresh salsa, bits of whipped cream cheese, black olives, beef, mushroom, jalapeno, cheese and sour cream. To assemble, just put the nachos in a plate or a shallow dish, top with your toppings of choice and serve.

Salsa can be easily be bought at the supermarket, but I prefer to make my own. Just combine diced tomatoes, white onion and green bell pepper in a bowl along with chopped cilantro, then season with salt, pepper and vinegar. That’s it. As for the beef, stir-fry it and season with salt, pepper and cumin. So easy no? Not to mention cheap!

Opened in December 11, 2008, it offered another venue where one could enjoy the rich and sophisticated flavours of Häagen-Dazs. The shop is among the first in the world executed in the Genesis design concept, which offers a dining experience that is more refined and relaxed, which every customer deserves. The Häagen-Dazs shop is located in the 2nd floor of the SM Megamall Atrium, making it very accessible as it is located in the center of the Ortigas Business District as well as a lot of nearby villages.

In an effort to make Häagen-Dazs more accessible to customers during the rush of the Christmas season, a satellite branch will be opened in SM Megamall. Dubbed as “Häagen-Dazs Express,” it is located at the Ground floor of Building A, in front of Toy Kingdom. This gives an opportunity for customers in SM Megamall to indulge on Häagen-Dazs wherever they may be, especially if they are in a rush.

The Eat-All-You-Can Ice Cream Buffet is an ice cream connoisseur’s dream come true, while Häagen-Dazs Express allows people to enjoy and indulge in the best ice cream in the world while strolling around the mall.

Häagen-Dazs
2nd floor SM Megamall Atrium,
Ortigas Center

The NEW Philly Cheesesteak Overload – This heavyweight pizza overflows with a half-pound of roast beef and oozes with a double layer of mozzarella and cream cheese. It is the perfect cheese and meat experience.

The NEW Monster Cheese & Pepperoni Overload brings a whole new uniqueness to Pepperoni pizzas. It clearly puts all other pepperoni pizzas to shame as it’s filled to the brim with 100% more pepperoni and 2x more mozzarella cheese. This is the ultimate cheese and pepperoni experience that’s irresistible to all pepperoni lovers out there.

Between the two, I have to say I liked the Philly Cheesesteak more. the combination of cream cheese and roast beef is such a new flavor for me, that it really got my attention. (If it isn’t obvious by now, yes i was gorging on both pizzas.)

They’ve also added some delicious desserts–like the chocolate and orange cake above, and the brazo de mercedes belos– to round up your meal. After all, what’s a meal without dessert, right?

What I like about the brazo de mercedes they serve is it has a lot of the yema filling. And It’s not as sweet as other commercially availbale brazos out there. Probably, the only thing that I could wish for this yummy confection is a bigger serving. Don’t get me wrong, it’s big enough, but I like my dessert servings huge!

Bite into the cheesiest and meatiest pizzas in the country today with the New Greenwich Overloaded Extreme Cheese Pizzas for Men and discover just how meaty, being cheesy can get!

For that cheesy and meaty experience anywhere, call 5-55-55 for Metro Manila Delivery.

It’s time to change all that. Bring a smile to someone today by serving some gratitude in return. A simple, but heartfelt, “thank you” is all it takes.

To start this off, let me say a big thank you to all of you, our readers, for your continuous patronage of Kainpinoy.com. It’s been year since we first went online, and we probably wouldn’t have made the one year mark if it weren’t for all of you. Thank you so much!

Having said that, I now throw it to you, so to speak. How would you express your gratitude? Tell us. better yet… show us with a photograph. Toblerone is hosting a photo contest titled “Spread the Sweetness of Gratitude”, in conjunction with it’s “National Thank You Day 2009″ campaign.

Here’s how to join:

1. With a photograph, come up with and express creative ways to spread the gratitude fever by getting people to say ‘thank you’.

2. Post your entry on your site (blog, Multiply, Friendster, Facebook, etc.) and link these to the gallery found in www.thankyoudayphilippines.com.

3. Link your photo entries to this post by leaving a comment below with your entry’s URL.

4. This contest is open to anyone of legal age, but limited to those residing only in the Greater Manila Area. Go to here for the complete contest mechanics.

We will select 5 entries as Kainpinoy’s finalists. Winners from the photo contest will receive special gift packs from Toblerone.

What are you waiting for? Start spreading the gift of gratitude now.! Contest runs from September 7 to October 16, 2009. Deadline for submission of entries is at 5 pm on October 16th.

Join Toblerone as they celebrate the National Thank You Day Awards on October 20, 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and see the unveiling of one notable Filipino personality from whom a grateful nation will choose to say a resounding ‘thank you’ to. For more information, visit www.thankyoudayphilippines.com.

With the Jollibee Chicken Barbecue, Jollibee takes a Filipino classic and improves upon it– creating a unique version of the dish. Made from generous premium chicken cuts, it uses a special marinade made from top secret ingredients which endows it with that mouth-watering barbecue taste. Soaked long enough for the flavor to thoroughly seep in, it also utilizes a special culinary technique that allows it to be thoroughly cooked while still remaining juicy and tender. Furthermore, the Jollibee Chicken Barbecue is served with its perfect accompaniments: a delicious barbecue dipping sauce and steaming java rice.

The Jollibee Chicken Barbecue is available as a 1-pc. solo meal for P69 and as a 2-pc. solo meal for P119. Value meals, which come with a regular drink, on the other hand, are priced at P89 and P139 for the 1-pc. and 2-pc. sets, respectively.

The Jollibee Chicken Barbecue is already available in Metro Manila and will soon be enjoyed in other parts of the country.

Garnering its influences from both the northern and southern part of the country, Max’s braves to serve what can be called our national dish, the Adobo. Cooked crispy and made crunchy, The Pork Adobo is paired with a fresh Ensaladang Kangkong–a perfect compliment to this well-loved Filipino dish.

If you’re craving for something light, the Max’s Crispy Tilapia with Choice of Tomato or Labanos Salsa is the dish for you. A crunchy, lightly breaded, and deboned tilapia fillet is fried to a golden perfection and paired with a choice between a sweet and a tad spicy tomato salsa; or a sweet and sour labanos vinaigrette concoction that will leave customers’ mouth watering.

Rich and very tender, Max’s Grilled Baby Back Ribs is a Western inspired dish, but given a Filipino twist with its pineapple and tomato salsa. This tempers well with the the special, rich barbecue sauce of Max’s. It comes in orders of half or full.And if your palette is one for premium grade tastes that will not empty your wallets, feast on some prime ribs that will give you value for your money and the satisfaction of special dining with Max’s Grilled Baby Back Ribs that comes in half or full orders.

Rounding out this new set Max’s Specials is the Paella Sinangag with its colorfully flavored rice mixed with various meat, seafood and vegetables. Reminiscent of its Spanish roots with its various tastes that are best for acquired tongues, it is introduced without its sticky composition but is complete with the flavors of your usual paella.

Create dining experiences that you will crave forever with the Max’s Specials, made especially for you by Max’s.

Dine at any of their branches near you or call 7-9000 for deliveries within Metro Manila area or visit www.maxschicken.com for more information.

Argentina Cheese and Mushroom Penne

Argentina recently held a demo on how corned beef can be an inspiration to create new dishes called “Canned Cuisine Chef’s Series”.

Showcasing the versatility of corned beef were chef Eugene Raymundo of Five Cows Ice Cream Bar and Restaurant; Chef Raul De Leoz Jr. of the UST Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management; and Chef Mia Carla Yan from the Heny Sison Culinary School and Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Each chef presented theri own recipes of an everyday meal and a “Weekend Couture Cuisine” dish with Argentina Corned Beef as the main ingredient.

Flamenco Maki

Chef Eugene found inspiration in the urban lifestyle of a young professional in his Japanese and Argentinian themed Flamenco Maki. Argentina Cheese and Mushroom Penne, his everyday recipe, reinvented pasta to suit the Filipino taste.

Using comfort food as inspiration, Chef Mia presented to the audience her Corned Beef Fritata and Shepherd’s Pie.

Rosti and Apple Stack Corned Beef with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

For his everyday meal item, Chef Raul- or Sam, as he is known to many-prepared a typical breakfast fare- an omelet he called Farmer’s Lattice Omelet Corned Beef Wasabe. The Rosti and Apple Stack Corned Beef with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing was his “couture” dish, the taste of which reminded me of a fresh apple salad.

During their presentation, each chef shared their recipes and techniques that went into preparing their dishes. I’ll be posting the recipes for these dishes on being.ryan soon, so do watch out for those. I hope they’ll inspire you to go and whip up your own corned beef masterpieces!

Note: Argentina Corned Beef now comes fortified with zinc and iron. Expanding it’s product line-up, Argentina has added a Light Corned Beef which has reduced sodium and 50% less fat than the regular variant. There are also different meat loaf variants as well as canned sisig.

Yakitori

The menu highlights some basic izakaya fare such as yakitori. Other items in the menu are ramen,several selections of donburri ( rice toppings), salads, and even the basic sushi.

Buta Kakuni Bento

Also on the menu are 8 bento sets. These are buta kukuni (braised pork), prawn tempura, teriyaki tori, teriyaki gyu-niku and misono gyu-niku, tonkatsu, haanbagu and my favorite: teriyaki shake, which is salmon teriyaki. Prices range between Php 229.00 to Php 259.00 per bento set. All bento sets come with soup, salad, drink, 2 pieces of sushi, and dessert.

Teriyaki Shake

And if you feel like downing that bento with some alcohol, you may choose from several beer choices and sake . Of course, they still have non-alcoholic beverages like iced tea, juice, and sodas.

Tskune Donburi

The first branch they opened is in Makati, in the new wing of Glorietta. But those living in the northern part of the metro need not worry, because they have recently opened a branch at the newly renovated SM City Annex in North Edsa.

If you haven’t yet, go on and give it a try. I hope you all enjoy dining at Tokyo Tokyo metro as much as I did.

Tokyo Tokyo Metro
Ground floor, Glorietrta 5
Valero Street, Makati City