Clawdaddy Crab house and American Grill - Shangrila Mall

One of the better deals in the metro is this one from Clawdaddy. 3 crabs cooked the way you like it plus a slab of rib for only P895 pesos++ only. Monday to SAt 11am to 5pm only

Among all the Red Crab group of restaurants, this one is our favorite.

We love the grilled corn on the cob that they serve as free appetizer while you wait for your  meal. It was sweet and even though it was grilled, it was still juicy and yummy

Crab by the bucket cooked SZECHUAN style:

Elle: It smelled terrific-crabs in a hot pot of sesame oil! The crabs were fresh and naturally sweet. They were cooked Szechuan style and I really liked the taste of ginger, green onions and sesame oil.  Too bad I couldn’t pour the sauce (a whole lot of sesame oil) on top of rice for fear of getting clogged arteries.  This dish was worth every centavo!

Cody: Aside from the Maritess, this crab variation is one that made the Red Crab group famous. Sauteed in a sweet and spicy sauce, The crabs were packs with sweet meat and really tasted fresh. The sauce was a little oily than when I had this version the first time, but still it was delicious.

Full rack of Baby back ribs
I have always love the ribs of Clawdaddy, its not just bones like the ribs of other places like TgiFridays etc.. Their ribs has lots of meat and it was very very tender. And marinated thorougly that every bite has a sweet and slightly spicy taste. Indeed a treat.

La Dolce Vita - Alabang Zapote Road, Las Pinas

We first got to know about this restaurant in the website SOUTHBOUND.PH(which sadly is not updating anymore about food). WE tried to go to this restaurant once before, but couldnt find it. So after few weeks, we decided to try to look for it again. And with perseverance, we were able to find it. 

Its a long ride form makati, the place is near the the Las Pinas City Hall. Teh restaurant is big, with ample parking space in front of the restaurant.  

Freebies: Bruschetta

Pizza- Half Quattro Formaggio/Half Dolce Vita

Elle: at 1^st look, you would think that the pizza crust was thick. However, it was just the edges that was thick and rounded. The crust itself was thin and crunchy and could hold up whatever was on top of it.  It was not at all soggy even if it was drenched in cheese.  It wa

s delicious, soft stringy cheese melted over thin and crunchy, freshly wood-fire baked crust. 

Cody:  Pizza crust a bit thick for my Italian pizza standard, it was freshly baked in a brick oven which adds a lot of character to the crust.  The four cheese topping was delicious. No scrimping of cheese here. The Dolce Vita topping however which is said to be sausage was something else… it tasted sweet, like sausage from Pampanga. It didn’t really suited the pizza.  The Chili oil; didn’t have enough spice in it, it lacks the kick I am more accustom to. 

Linguine Marinara

Elle: The serving size was adequate. The noodles really tasted like seafood and tomato stew.  The calamari not at all gummy. 

Cody:  I was surprised by the large bowl it was served in. The serving size was indeed huge. The seafood was also a lot, except  for the shrimp or prawns. But it was cooked really well, the flavour of the sea was indeed evident in the pasta. What I didn’t like here was the half a “alimasag” that didn’t taste fresh.  So I didn’t eat it, I didn’t bother returning it anymore because of my hunger.

Overall, it is a god restaurant with affordable prices, but what is holding us back to coming here again, is the distance, Unlike C Italian.. which offers real great not just good italian cuisine. This place can still improve.  To People in the South, you guys are lucky to have a place like this 

Agave Mexican Cantina

This is the 2nd MExican restaurant we are gonna talk about. And there are still a couple in line like Ristras, Jalapeno, and the newly opend Baja in Greenbelt. But allow us to tell you our Agave Story.  Located in Shangrila Plaza and in Eastwood, this mexican restaurant has been our radar for quite sometime now.  Been reading raves about the food here. Lets see how it fare against us.

Shrimp Chile Relleno-  P165

Elle: the breading was a bit too thick, and it was served at room temperature.  The chili itself was small, the shrimp was invisible and I could not really taste the shrimp filling. The salsa was supposed to be medium spicy, but it was not even mildly spicy.

Cody: at first glance, I thought this is a dish I am gonna love. The name itself are combinations of my favorite things. But I was disappointed. It lacked in taste. The shrimps weren’t visible. And the heat factor wasn’t there..

Chicken Quesadillas: P190

Elle: For the price the serving size was ample. It tasted good. But.. there was very minimal chicken.  I like the salsa and guacamole which added both substance and flavor to the dish.

Cody: now this dish made up to the first dish. Serving was just right, the filling was also good.  Blending the cheese, chicken etc… The accompanied viands went very well to the overall taste of the dish.

There are still quite a number of items that are interesting to try, plus they serve affordable alcoholic drinks and cocktails, bt we would try the other above mentioned mexican restaurants first and tell you which one we think is the best here in Manila,

Chi's Brick Oven Kitchen - Aguirre Ave, Sucat Paranaque

A trip to the south.. paranaque area wont be complete without visit to one of the most interesting places here.  Inside the resto is a humongous brick oven where they practically cooked all of their food. And they do it so well.  Here are the things we tried/

Parrish clams P195

Cody: the clams were a bit small, aside from that, the parmesan, bread crumbs and olive oil crust was good.

Elle:  tiny clams made it difficult to appreciate how it was made.  

Ginataang Kuhol P115

Cody: served piping hot!!!!  Good blend of coconut milk and other spices. The kuhol absorbing all the flavours.

Elle: such a strange thing to be served at  a pizza place. At first I thought it was going to be served on pizza. Since the dish was new(at that time) and it wasn’t on the menu. It was actually good. The coconut milk was not too strong in taste.

Pizza Mediterrano P365

Cody: interesting use of ingredients though I ask them to change the pesto to tomato sauce,  the grapes added a nice sweetness to the pizza, but I am having second thoughts now, that the pesto might be a better sauce for the shrimp and grape combination. This was good, the crust was great also.  It was also a good thing that they allow you to order pizza split into 2 flavours

Elle:  the grapes were still a bit succulent and juicy despite having been baked.  It gave a bit of tartness to the dish.  A mentioned by Cody the crust was great

Apple Pizza Pie ala mode P 115

Cody: wonderful dessert, crispy crust, soft apple slices, cold vanilla ice cream, the warm and cold blends in your mouth.  Yummy.:)

Elle: I agree, the crusty crust gives a nice balance to the cooked apples. The flavours and textures were a nice combination.

Definitely one of the places we recommend in the Sucat Area.

Sinbads - San Agustin St, Makati City

Chicken Madras Curry P208 

Cody:  by the looks of it, it looked thick and creamy curry. But when we ran a spoon thru it, it was not. It was a bit watery The flavor was mild. Sad dish for me

Elle: it was watery. But the curry still tasted a bit too strong. Nothing special about this dish.

Lamb Shanks P399

Cody:  A hefty dish, the lamb was braised to perfect tenderness. You can eaily pick out the meat from the bone. The couscous added a nice texture to the dish as it differ form the usual pasta or potato side dish we get from other restos.

What we don’t like about this restaurant is that they use  supermarket bought frozen veggies. Let us not tolerate restaurants from using this. We can buy this at the nearby supermarket. Why cant a restaurant make their own from FRESH vegetables, right?

Thai Sticks and steaks - Pasong Tamo, Makati City

Note: This place is already close, but we just have it feature it as it was dishing out good food.

Not really a name I would use for a thai restaurant. The original name of this place was THAI PAD, I wonder why they  change their name.

Thai Ice Tea: 

Cody : This was nice and refreshing. Very nice and strong tea flavour. Blending perfectly with the coconut milk. Excellent rendition

Elle: Liked it, tasted like regular thai ice tea.

Tom Yum Goong: 

Cody:  i love my tom yum with a dash of coconut milk,  just like this version. The spicyness was just right. The sour level was also good.

Chicken Pandan w Bagoong Rice

Cody : Their version was just okay, better than Soms, Chariya and even AZUTHAI. Hehe. Fried nicely that the pandan leaf added just the right accent to the chicken.

Elle:  same with cody, it was just okay

Thai Fish Cake

Cody:  a  bit doughy in taste, lots of extenders.  Not really something I would order again.

PHAD THAI

Cody : when its cheap pad thai, my comparison is always SOMS, which I hate, but this version was actually good, need more chili though for a little kick, but the saltiness and sweetness was just right.

Elle: am not really a fan of pad thai, so I really didn’t like this.

WE hope they would open again.. in a better location...

C Italian Dining - Fields Ave, Clarkfield, Angeles City, Pampanga

Driving more than 90kms just to get to eat at this famous restaurant... was it worth it? read on..

The place was quite homey.. the structure nakes you feel your inside a castle.. well protected form the outside world. Even on a hot sunny day, it was cool inside. Service was impeccable.

Elle: Scrumptuous, I love the crusty bread. You can hear it crack upon breaking. The bread was very soft inside. The basil dip wasn’t overpowering.

Cody: the crunch of the bread reminded me of the movie Ratatouile when he female chef press the bread and telling the apprentice the importance of the crunching sound. Love their in house freshly baked bread. Love the dip as well. I think I can eat a whole loaf of this thingies

Panizza St Jacques

Elle: Very light and thin crust, it was slightly gummy in the middle but the edges were super crisp. It has n otomato sauce but was loaded with sun dried tomatoes slices, would have wanted more scallops and shrimps. Its was very savory. The arugula leaves were very big and fresh and it complemented the panizza.

Cody: I first got a taste of this last year and started to introduce this dish to friends. Brilliant is how I will describe Chef Chris . A lot of copy cat now, even yellow cab is joining in the wrap and roll craze. But the original is always the best. Will travel more than 90kms just to eat this. The blending of cheeses was indeed heavenly. I agree with elle that it could use bit more toppings

Risotto Cristina

Elle: When you moved the plate around the table you could take a whiff of how cheesy the dish was. It looked very appetizing. And you could see how much seafood was in the dish. Every spoonful was exquisite, and it was so cheesy, you can see the stringy component while getting each spoonful. The rice was cooked perfectly.

Cody: If someone is wondering what a perfect risotto should look and taste like. This is the dish. Al dente rice, creamy and cheesy. The Truffle oil giving it the extra UMPH!! To the dish. I also love how they do not scrimp the ingredients. Big chunks of seafood. A smile to every spoonful.

So... was it worth the drive??? Hell... yeah.. every single kilometer of it...