goodfor2

Chef Jessie - Rockwell

2011-04-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

We have always love the Le Souffle group of restaurants and the other restaurants that were inspired by Le Souffle e.g. Florabel, Chef Quarters, Duo, Old Vine etc etc.. Billy King first departed the group, he is still one of the finer chefs in the country.. With his departure. Chef Jessie Sincioco had to step up to manage the kitchen operations of the Le Souffle group. We dont know what exactly happened to Le Souffle, but we are happy that Chef Jessie still runs the newly named restaurant. And upon hearing that the place now offers weekend brunch. We just have to try it.. knowing the standard of Chef Jessie, it must be good... hahahaha

Elle: Look at the PRAAAAWNSSSS!!!! Need I say more?? The prawns were perfectly cooked and the sauce was thick enough to coat each prawn and tangy enough to balance the sweetness of the prawn. I loved the raspberry salad dressing which was a great choice over the usual salad dressings. Of course the caviar pie was unforgettable!

I did not like the drinks they served because they were watered down and really did not do anything to add to the entire spread. I am not really an egg fan but I loved the eggs benedict! The bread was a bit crispy on the outside contrasting well with the very soft/ raw egg yolk. Other finger foods like the different quiches and the bite size pancakes were just ok.

I will probably never forget the brightness and freshness of all the fruits served with the muesli. The colors were just too appetizing! I can not even remember how many times I went back get fruits! The freshest fruits really make a difference! I was not able to taste the profiteroles but I was not too keen on the desserts. I found the chocolate cake very rich and thick that I had a difficult time swallowing it although it tasted ok.

Cody: I was giddy with delight when we were on the way to Chef Jessie. Stepping into the Amorsolo Building.. my appetite was already in high gear.

The first plate I got was at the appetizer station and you can see the quality that you get. Caviar pie, Prawn salad, tossed salad with raspberry vinaigrette and creamy balsamic vinaigrette .

The eggs benedict was very good, the do it differently by baking the hollandaise sauce giving it a nice texture and rich goodness that you will just keep on eating and eating. The Chcken ala kig was just okay

The garlic rice was fried perfectly without being over garlicky, the beef cbes were very tender and marinated beautifully, the omelletes were just okay. The tiny quiches were a delight to eat.:)

The pancakes and bacon were good, and I like that the size of the pancakes were small and still fluffy.

The roast beef was the star of the show.. tender and juicy, cooked perfectly medium well, with the cute pandesal.. I hope my brunch can be like this everyday.

The drinks were a let down. and the desserts were so-so

But we would still return here once in a while, overall experience was great:)

Fleur De Lys - Tomas Morato

2011-04-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

We always thought that the best dessert place in Quezon City is this little shop in Tomas Morato named Fleur de Lys. they have a lot of cakes.. mini ones and big ones and they also have coffee, tea and chocolate drinks.

Mango Waffle

Elle: Disappointing... I was expecting a fluffier, lighter, crispier and satisfying waffle knowing that this establishment is known for its desserts. Okay, maybe waffle is considered breakfast food but still...I was expecting something great. The waffle was soggy, heavy and had the after taste of flour and baking soda or powder (whichever one it was). It was made even soggier by the ice cream.

Cody: Well, i think ordering a waffle instead of a cake(which is what they are known for) was a mistake. Its was nice that the mangoes were ripe and not sour, the caramel sauce was also not overly sweet.. but the waffle itself was spongy and has no crispy exterior which was what i was looking for. the ice cream was store bought. I wish they would make their own.

We will stick to their cakes:)

New Hong kong Cafe - Banawe St. Quezon City

2011-03-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

A lot of new restaurants are opening and closing in the Banawe area, and having a sign with bright lights does really get our attention so we decided to try this place. Place was... you can say empty....only two tables occupied.... not a good sign... anyhoo.. we ordered and crossed our fingers with what we are about to partake...

Chicken Baked Rice

Elle: Hmm… I have to think of how to describe this one. It’s forgettable. Sure it was cheesy, it had to be! The rice was hard…it tasted like it was cooked three days before it was served. The mixed veggies included in the rice were also tough especially the peas! I had to go through the strands of cheese to be able to taste the chicken. The chicken itself was bland and I was expecting a tastier chicken to contrast the cheesiness of the dish. I was very disappointed L

Cody: I first got to taste baked rice in Hong Kong.. then here in the Philippines.. got to try it in Mr. Choi at Robinsons Galleria.. So, we ordered and.. we ate.. and I was disappointed.. it was tasteless.. the rice was dry.. the cheese was scarce.

Fried chicken

Elle: Again…the rice! Serving size was good and I actually liked the gravy although it was a bit too buttery for me. They added 5-spice to the chicken batter and I actually liked it. 5 spice has this strange likeable taste that I look for.

Cody: Dont be deceived with pictures... I think the problem with our restaurant indutry here is the quality tends to suck.. I would serve an egg looking like this, unless the customer will request for it.. The chicken did taste good, and the skin was fried to the perfect crisp. The sauce was not good, the rice was again dry and hard.

Hong Kong Milk Tea:-

Elle: Again…bland. Milk tea should give you that comforting feeling after the first sip and I didn’t get it from this one. It was not as tasty as the other milk teas I have tried.

Cody: I like that they serve it this way, you know that it is made fresh and not powdered form. But it lack in taste also...

Oh well... we are guessing this place will soon fold up unless they change a lot of kinks in their food and system..

Sen Lek Thai - SM Makati Food Court

2011-03-12T03:30:00.000-08:00

We never knew that the food court in SM Makati had undergone a great renovation. Its is more spacious now, cleaner and brighter. We can still remember eating at this food court when we were kids.Walking around the food court, we saw this stall. It's not usual that you see a THAI food stall.

There were pictures of food and a couple of people in line. So we decided to give it a try and these are what we ate.

Khaw Pad( Thai Fried Rice)

Cody: I was suprised with the serving size It was quite substantial. I love that it was fried on the spot. It has a distinctly sweet and salty taste.. which is because of their use of Thai fish sauce which is different from our local fish sauce which has a strong salty taste. There are bits of tiny shrimps and lots of shredded lettuce which i enjoyed.

Elle: True the serving size was big. Aside from the saltiness it actually had a spiciness to it that I liked. I would have liked it more though if they used bean sprouts and Thai basil, it probably would have made a bit more "Thai" than it actually was. There were tiny tiny tiny bits of shrimp I would have missed them if I weren't actually LOOKING for them. It would be a nice option to pay extra for big shrimps.

Pad Thai(Thai Fried Noodles)

Cody: It may look not as appetizing as other Pad thai from expensive Thai Restaurants. For 90 pesos a serving. It was indeed good enough for one hungry individual and can also be shared if you are not too hungry. Just the right balance of sweet and salty and tangy.

Elle: Again, I agree that the serving size was big enough. I liked the burnt peanut taste and the tanginess it had but it lacked the crunchiness of authentic Pad Thai. Again, I had to look for the CHICKEN bits if not I would have missed it. A good food item for someone adventurous enough to try something new.

Chef D Angelo -Glorietta 5

2011-02-19T00:48:00.000-08:00

When this restaurant first opened in Glorietta, i could still remember the tons of people eating at this place, because everything was cheap and affordable. This place was giving Shakeys and Pizza Hut a run for their money.

But recently, the novelty of this place has died down. Went to their relocated branch in Glorietta 5 and there was not much people eating here.

Anyway, we still went in and eat...even when Elle was skeptical....

Buffalo Chicken Thighs--

Cody: their servings were huge.. i mean the chicken pieces were humungous. Coated in a sweet barbeque sauce. It was crispy, juicy and reminds me of the Buffalo Chicken of DON HENRICOS.

Elle: the chicken wings were..ginormous! there were three pieces but its size could have served 5-6. And yes I agree, the crispiness could be felt through the skin upon biting into it. I can not recall what Don Henrico's tastes like but this one was actually good. The balance between sweet and spicy was just right and it added contrast to the crispiness of the skin and the

juiciness of the meat.

Cody: this is my default pizza here in Chef d' Angelo. Gone were the days when the pizza was overloaded.. now it is still fairly loaded with bacon shrimp and mushroom, the base is not the usual tomato base, but it is bechamel(white) sauce based. I like this pizza for its nice blend of smokiness from the bacon, and the combination is not something you find in other pizza joints.

Elle: I think I would have preferred a combination of white and tomato sauce but then again it would not have been called Great White. The dough was "bouncy and fluffy" but had a crispy texture upon biting. The amount of ingredients is probably still a bit more than other pizza joints'. A good default pizza but not something you would actually crave.

SAN MIGUEL BEER - LEMON FLAVOR

2011-02-14T04:41:00.000-08:00

San Miguel has recently introduced two new beer flavors just last January. Apple and Lemon. Saw an ad outside Cafe Via MAre in Greenbelt and after a heavy meal at Sugi we decided to try it out.

Elle: I can drink this beer forever! :) It is light and bubbly and tastes refreshing. You can really taste the lemon flavor and it lingers in your mouth after each sip. It does not leave a bitter aftertaste like regular and light beer. Delicious! Perfect for long drinking sessions, that's if you wanna stay up late and still get that happy buzzed feeling.

Cody: First and foremost, i ordered the Apple flavor, but the waiter got my order wrong and gave me the same Lemon Flavor. Anyhoo.. I was expecting it to taste like CORONA beer.. after you put a squeeze of lime to it.. and indeed it tasted like it except it was a bit sweeter. Very mild buzz as the alcohol content is only 3 percent. but it was good and i cant wait to try the apple flavor one.

Yoh-gurt Froz - multiple branches around Metro Manila

2010-09-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

One of the first Yogurt stand to open in Metro Manila. I can still remember th only stall in Tomas Morato Quezon City. But it has withstand the test of time and taste as it now has a lot of branches in Metro Manila.Ordered a serving topped with Chocolate Sauce

Elle: The yogurt was dense and creamy which I really liked. Maybe it was just the combination that I did not like so much because the chocolate sauce took away the tanginess of the yogurt batter. But overall the yogurt is up to my standards:)

Cody: I agree with Elle, the yogurt itself was very good, dense, packed and creamy. The tanginess was also present so you know you are eating yogurt. The chocolate sauce is the kind that creates a shell when it hits cold temperature. not really fond of this kind of chocolate sauce as i prefer fudgey sauce like what i am used to at Mc Donalds. But aside from the sauce. the yougrt was quite good.

Bowler's - Salcedo Village, Makati City

2010-08-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

WE were craving for the boneless buffalo chicken at Bugsy's, but sadly the place was full, then we remembered there is a bad just around the corner and suprisingly, it was not full. And we like the interior better than Bugsy. It feels cleaner.

Service was good, and fast

Chicken tandoori pita:

Elle: Cold, cold, cold. This dish was served cold! I do not know if it was intentional or not but the chicken was already stiff and dry when I bit into it. The wraps were too doughy and flour-y which I would expect from a doughy piece of pita. Flavor-wise it was just okay. Nothing special about it that would make me remember the dish well.

Cody: i never liked Indian food in general but i love Tandooris!! but was also as sad as Ellle when this plate was served in front of us. It was indeed cold and sad, Filling though, but thats the only cmpliment i can give them. We initially wanted pizzas, but they were not available at this time becasue according to the server, they had a big crowd last night and all their pizza doughs were finished. How hard is it to make pizza dough?? i can make it for them in less than 2 hours. Geeezzzz. Oh well
Mango mojito: Elle:I was disappointed because the mojito was not frozen. It served its purpose to get me a bit tipsy but I did not enjoy it because it was served with ice. It would have been better if it were a slushie.

Cody: MY rant here is that the Majito lacked a bit more rum, you can taste it but it doesnt give you even a bit of a buzz after downing a few glasses. Too bad for the quality. The best Manjo mojito for me is still at CAFE HAVANA.

Will we be back here?? maybe... the location was quite convenient for us.. i hope they can improve on their food and drink

G/F Paseo Parkview Tower, cor. Valero and Sedeno Sts., Salcedo Village
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 894-3589

"Classic" Savory - multiple branches all around

2010-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

One of the pioneers in the fried chicken business, now this name(Savory) spans three kind of restaurantsaccording to the article we read on ENTREPENEUR. The “Classic” Savory, The “Original” Savory and the “Savory”. What make one different from the other. Just try it to find out.
In the malls, you will most likely find the “Classic” Savory.

Elle:Just like I remember from childhood! The chicken has the distinct savory taste in the same way the gravy did. I was disappointed with the fried rice because the grains were hard and the rice was so dry. It reminded me of canteen fried rice, serving something substandard just so you can say it’s fried rice. The peas in the fried rice were so tough I was waiting for the crunch after each bite.
Cody: Just like Elle, Savory was the regular fried chicken we would buy.. aside from “Country Chicken” Sorry lovers Of Max’s, but I like this chicken more.. The Classic savory has an amber colored skin which differ it from the “Original Savory” But tastewise, it is almost the same, except for skin of “Classic” is a bit crispier. I also love the gravy that comes with their chicken. Like” KFC gravy” ulam na, gravy palang. Hehe. The other sideings like the squid and fish fillet are nothing great, the rice was also subpar.

Go Greek - Glorietta 4 Food Choices

2010-08-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Going around Glorietta 4 Food Choices, you will find this stall in one little corner. Something different, not your typical grilled stuff, or fried stuff or burger thingie that you will usually see in a “fast food” court. We were quite happy to find this eatery. The food here is Greek/Mediterrenean, but done in a “fast food” way. Chicken Kebab Set
Cody: I left Elle to order the food for the both of us and this is what she got. From the looks of it, it was quite appealing. Nice looking salad, Chicket cut-ups doused in a nice smelling sauce. I love the taste of the chicken, it was marinated quite nicely, and the sauce gave it an extra boost in flavor. The salad was also quite good, and the thick balsamic dressing suited it just fine. The Sliced pita wedges were also great companion to the chicken kebab. The combo meal was quite filling and appetizing was well. Elle:This food court find was a real surprise. The presentation was not too “fast food” looking like I usually expect from “Japanese and Italian” fast food which have a distinct look that screams..what else…FAST FOOD! The chicken was very soft and juicy and had a distinct spice-loaded taste. The potatoes were well cooked and soft and I would have finished it all if not for the carbo overload. I liked that the potatoes were cut into wedges and not into chunks. The pita bread was not at all doughy which I notice from ready-made crust. This had a springy and gummy texture to it.

New at Legaspi Sunday Market

2010-08-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

We love Legaspi Sunday Market because of it being spacious and there are a lot of items there aside from food. But when it comes to food choices, we still think that the Salcedo Saturday Market is far more superior. Here are some of the new stalls that we tried out.
Hanoi Cafe Vietnamese noodle bowl:

Cody: When Elle went to buy ths noodles while i was waiting for the Phad thai to be cooked, i was already dreaming of delicous beef broth, with fresh basil, bean sprout, a slice of lime or lemon. But this is what we got. Utterly disappointing. For a hefty price, i was expecting something more authentic and to think the cook is Vietnamese. The soup tasted mild and unseasoned. THe noodles were the ordinary sotanghon noodles. And the "sahog" was just miniscule and sad. Warning guys, dont even try ti, we are willing victims already.

Elle: I always crave for the clear and refreshing taste of Vietnamese noodle soup so when I chanced upon this one at the Sunday market I just had to try it. I was enticed by the sales pitch of the guy at the booth. Upon handing over the bowl of soup I immediately knew something was wrong. It was not as aromatic as Vietnamese soup should be. The good ones usually have that scent of cilantro but this one smelled and tasted like boiled water! The only thing that gave it a hint of taste were the bland chicken strips and the noodles. The noodles weren’t even the flat hofan-like noodles I am accustomed to being served in other Vietnamese restaurants. I was very disappointed with this dish. Good thing I didn’t even attempt to try the fresh spring rolls! The worst part was it was actually a bit expensive. P140 for a bowl of boiled water with noodles is not worth the try.
Khun Caesar's Thai Kitchen - Pad Thai:

Cody: First and foremost the cook graduated from the "Blue Elephant Cooking School" One of the more famous cooking school in Bangkok, but being famous doesnt really equates to being good. It just means that they have the money to do the advertsing etc.. The noodles were just okay, nothing really great. I find the mixture a bit towards the sour side. And it didnt have the "oomph " factor that would make me want to order it again. Another bad thing about it was the shrimp were already precook. And it was a bit oily. Good thing about this stall here is the owner was a nice fellow and easy to talk to.

Elle:The noodles were a overcooked and soggy. The dish was like a sour version of Pad Thai. There’s something missing in almost all of the Pad Thai dishes I have tried in Manila. This one falls into the same category along with the others. It was not crunchy enough, the entire dish was doused in vinegar and it lacked the burnt and nutty taste I actually like in authentic Pad Thai. Less disappointed in this dish but on hindsight I just had to finish the serving cause it was P180.

We did like the Takoyaki stall and the Mexican taco stall.:)

SORRY GUYS

2010-07-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

sorry guys for not updating as much as we can, We have been very busy lately, but still eating up a storm.
Will update in a few days. thank you for your time:)

Wan Chai Tea House - Benavidez St, Manila

2010-03-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Wan Chai started as restaurant in the Binondo area that serves dimsum and ala carte items hot and fast. Later on, it had opened branches in different cities around the Metro. We have always loved going to the original branch in Binondo. And here is our food trip
It tends to get crowded during weekends so be prepared to wait for a seat..

Chicken feet
Elle: The chicken feet were large! Glad to not have been served just “chicken bones with skin”. It was spicy and slightly different in taste form your average chicken feet.
Cody: now this is chicken feet, unlike some restaurants that would serve under nourish feet, this was good…
Soup
Elle: I really liked this soup. It was clear and refreshing but still very tasty. There was a good amount of chicken, vegetables and other ingredients.
Cody: no MSG detected… the soup captures the essence of the chicken… Huge quantity of ingredients also.. very filling even if it was not cream based.

Fried rice
Elle: Comfort food!! Yumyum! it had lots of shrimp and was not too tasty which makes it go well with other viands.
Cody: If a Chinese restaurant in Binondo cant cook good fried rice, they should close… this one does it well, delicious, has lots of “sahog”.
Crispy Fried Chicken w kropeck
Elle: The meat was soft and the skin was crispy.
Cody: Tender, juicy with crispy skin, no complaints here.
Vegetables with century egg
Elle: I LOVE century egg! This one had large chunks of century egg and soft veggies. Perfect combination!
Cody: The gravy went well with the veggies and eggs. Veggies were cooked just right, bright colors! i also love the whole roasted garlic.. sweet
Shrimp cake
Elle: Now this is what shrimp cake should be! It was loaded with shrimp! The cake was soft but the edges were golden brown and crispy. Even without the sweet and sour sauce the cakes were scrumptious!
Cody: My fave Wan Chai dish.. u can taste the shrimp here and not flour unlike other restaurants.. crispy exterior.. perfect to pair it with sweet and sour sauce.

Padrino - A.venue Mall, Makati City

2010-03-14T01:17:00.000-08:00

Padrino - is one of the chain restaurants or L'Opera group.. Aisde from Balducci and Tratorria Gourmet.. THe place is quite small compared to the other restaurants. ENJOY card has one of the better offerings with this restaurants. So we are very happy to give this place a try. And knowing the great quality of Italian food tha L'Opera serves.. I hope we dont get disappointed.

Hmmm.. is it just us or the food here seems to be cheaper than L'Opera....

Insalata Caprese
Elle: The mozzarella was delicious, fresh basil leaves, lightly seasoned. It was a very light and fresh appetizer. Yum!

Cody: Sliced Mozzarellla... was good, not as fresh i want it to me but still better than other restaurants. Tomatoes were sweet and tangy...

Insalata De Mare

Elle: fresh seafood with a bit of freshly squeezed lemon with just the right tang; tastes like the sea! I could eat a whole plate of this

Cody:. I love how they cooked the seafood.. with just salt and pepper.. very lightly seasoned so as nto to distract the taste from the fresh seafood.. wonderful and the dressing just wakes up the taste buds

Four Cheese pizza

Elle: thin and crispy but as you eat it, the insde is gummy which I really like. Smells amazing. The bleu cheese wasn’t too overpowering.

Cody:I always like my pizza with a tomato sauce base... this was just okay for me..

Duck Ravioli
Elle: Pasta was soft and al dente and the sauce was amazingly delicious and creamy. the truffle oil added another level of flavor to the sauce. You can only have a few bites of this cause it was a bit too rich.

Cody: this was good, the gameyness of the duck was not overpowering. The truffle cream sauce was simply divine.. Ellle just had a few bites but i could finish this dish.. with bread :)

Spaghetti Pescatora

Elle: Pasta was cooked perfectly and it had a little bit of a bite to it. The sauce was a bit tangy because of the tomatoes but I loved it with the fresh seafood. It was a light meal and yet it was still very satisfying.

Cody: Pasta cooked just right.. seafood were a plenty.. THe tomato sauce getting the flavour form the seafood... perfect..

Grilled swordfish

Elle: The fish was soft, not at all fishy in taste. The veggies were also grilled well. however the serving was small.

Cody: nice size fish.. grilled perfectly.. moist and sweet tasting. Vegetables were also grilled correctly..

Would definitely give this restaurant another visit if we want to eat italian food. Keep us the good work

Kim Garden - Paseo de Magallanes

2010-03-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

Another food trip in Paeo de Magallanes brought us to this noodle place which was quite unique that you woulnt find a similar kind in Makati area. THe name of the restuarant is Kim Garden, located at the 3rd floor of the building where Brothers Burgers is located.

At first we thought it was a Koream restaurant btu looking thru the menu.. its more of a Taiwanese restaurant.

Here comes the food.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup
Elle: I was surprised since they served the chicken separately from the noodles. The chicken was cooked perfectly seasoned but still complements the noodle soup. The noodle soup had a nice burnt sesame taste to it and the fresh cilantro gave it a fresh clean hint. The noodles were thick and chewy.
Cody: THe noodles were similar to Japanese soba, thick and have a bite to it. So for people who are not into thick noodles, orfer something else. I love noodles in general. The chicken was marinated in a sweet glaze which penetrated into the meat.

Fried Shrimp Puff
Elle: It looked a bit like a small empanada, the skin was thin and crispy. It had a lot of shrimp (looked fresh cause the shrimp wasn’t whitish it was still a bit salmon in color). It was a bit bland though but the crispiness of the dough made up for it.

Cody: very cute little fried parcels. delicious, cruspy, not oily. inside are wonderful crunchiness of fresh shrimps. i could eat 10 of this little treats,.

If you guys are tired from eating at Shakeys, Racks, Brothers, give this place a try.....

Bob's - Paseo de Magallanes, Pasay City

2010-02-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

First and foremost we would like to apologize for a 2month delay in posting. We were busy adjusting to our new environment and this blog got affected. So to our few readers:) we are so sorry. Thank you for checking us out again.

Walking throught the stretch of Paseo de Magallanes one would find a lot of restaurants. And this place being one of the new fixture... but you have to walk a bit further because it is almost at the end when ur enter the car park through Rustans Supermarket.

THe name Bob's is leganday in the City of Smile.. which is Bacolod. THe are famous for being family oriented, serving meals that warms the tummy and the heart.

We were glad to see this place open in Manila for us Manilenos to get a chance to try it.

WE werent so hungry do we ordered one dish and a drink

Chicken Milanese P195- breaded chicken fillet stuffed with mozzarella cheese served with spaghetti and tomato sauce

Elle:The pasta was al dente and tasted like an Italian dish. Not just regular trying to be Italian pasta. It had an authentic taste to it which I really liked. The chicken was soft and had a crunchy coat and was oozing with melted cheese. I would have like a bit more pasta sauce on top of the chicken to make it a bit more mushy. Overall it was a good dish.

Cody: Hmm.. when i saw the dish, i find it a bit small.. serving size is good for just one person. THe breading for me was a tad thick, but otherwise the chickenm was soft, tender and juicy plus the cheese inside was good... who doesnt like cheese stuff foods right?:)

Fruit punch P90

Elle:YUUUUM! Cool, icy and sweet. I liked the watermelon balls and all the other crunchy bits inside. It was very refreshing.

Cody: This one i have to disagree with my one and only..for me the coconut juice clashed with the taste of the watermelon.. well, i might ust be my taste though.. cause its the best selling drink here. And i find the price a bit too steep for coconut juice and watermelon

Red Mango - multiple branches

2009-12-13T08:06:00.000-08:00

Yogurt ice cream with Mango and Mochi Balls
Elle: I have to say that this is one of the best tasting yogurt ice creams I’ve had. It’s sweet and tart at the same time but it lacks the smoothness of really creamy yogurt ice cream. Fresh mangoes really go well with this dessert. It gives a fresh twist to the rich yogurt flavor. I usually order something crunchy to contrast the smoothness of yogurt but this time I ordered mochi balls cause it was the first time that I saw this being offered in any yogurt store. The mochi balls were just ok… they were not too sweet but they were too soft that it didn’t really add character to the dessert.
Cody: Indeed it is one of the best tasting frozen yogurt around. Service was fantastic and fast. Price wise it was affordable. I love the creaminess of this yogurt that you don’t usually get from the other fro-yo, plus they have a lot of topping choices that only they offer.

Museum Cafe - Ayala Center, Makati City

2009-12-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

This restaurant caused such a big buzz when it first opened in the early 2000s.... first specializing in fusion cuisine but now after a reformat in its menu, they are more towrrds asian cuisine. Place is still the nice sleek interiors. Clean and fresh smelling.

Now for the food

Tuna Carpaccio
Elle: Very thinly sliced tuna pieces served with a very light Japanese inspired sauce. This was delicious and had that “I want more” effect. The tuna was fresh and did not have a fishy taste. The raw bean sprouts added to the freshness of the dish.
Cody: One can’t go wrong with a dish like this as long as you use fresh tuna, and they use very fresh tuna as evident in the color. The combination of the bean sprouts added a nice crunch to the dish. The dressing was very Japanese and didn’t overpower the tuna.

Char Kway Teow

Elle: The noodles were overcooked and served cold. I would have appreciated it more if it were served hot. It had three pieces of seafood which did not have any distinct taste. Overall the dish was bland.
Cody: All I liked here was the huge pieces of seafood but aside from that, the noodles were soggy and I would appreciate it if it was served a bit warmer.

Kung Pao Chicken

Elle: Wow! The dish was big and had so many colorful ingredients that made the dish pop and come to life. The chicken was soft and very flavorful. The spiciness was just right and had that light throaty action. The grilled pineapples added a bit of sweetness and tanginess to the dish. I could have done away with the peanuts and cashew nuts because they were bland and overcooked and coated with the same batter used for the chicken.
Cody: Apprehensive by the look of the dish, but upon getting a piece, it was done pretty well. It was able to deliver the flavors of a real kung pao chicken. Slightly spicy with hints of sweetness. The chicken was cooked thoroughly but still keeping the flesh moist and savory.

Hainanese Rice

Elle: The rice was very aromatic and flavorful. Each grain was bursting with flavor. Although they said it was good for sharing, the serving was small.
Cody: The flavors of the ginger and the other herbs used in Hainanese chicken was present in this rice. But the rice was a bit dry.

Roasted Duck Yang Chow Fried Rice

Elle: The serving was bigger than the other rice dish we ordered. It had a good amount of duck meat and smelled so much like roasted duck…you wouldn’t miss it. The dish was not at all oily and did not leave a coat of fat/oil in the mouth. This dish alone was very filling.
Cody: This rice dish I love more than the Hainanese rice. This was packing in roast duck flavor. Very very good and it has a lot of duck pieces.

Shang Palace- Shangri-la Makati Makati City

2009-11-28T00:54:00.000-08:00

Shangri-la Makati Hotel - Arguably the best hotel in Metro Manila. Being the best hotel, they are suppose to house the best restaurants. Circles is indeed one of the better buffet restaurants. RED is really not out type, it is.. for us, a bit overrrated. Inagiku is indeed a wonderful japanese restaurant. But for today we are concentrating on SHANG PALACE

Dimsum: Elle:The dimsum wrapper was so shiny, glutinous and gummy…I loved it! Super chewy and delicious! No scrimping on ingredients here. Hakao had a ton of shrimp inside, siomai was real pork and not just pork fat. They were fresh off the steamer and bursting with aroma and flavor! My first favorite would have to be the Steamed crystal dumpling with vegetable. The shiny wrapper was glistening with freshness! One bite had a lot of textures- crunchy, soft, jelly-like. It had cilantro in it which added a certain freshness to the dish. The deep fried seafood with mango in rice wrapper was also delicious! The delicateness of the seafood was contrasted by the crispiness of the rice wrapper and the mango sauce gave it a nice twist.

Cody: This is the pinnacle of dimsum eating here in Manila. Everything was done to near perfection. From the skin to the filling. Everything was made using high standards. It is like you were eating in Hongkong and not in Manila. My favorite was the Hakao, delicate skin yet it holds everything inside. Inside was plump prawn pieces that I could eat everyday. My least favorite was the hong kong style fried roll. It was a bit oily.

Soup: Elle: The hot and sour soup had loads of mushrooms and it was heartily-good! It was not as spicy and it was really good that way because it wasn’t the kind you’d get sick of after a few spoonfuls. The corn soup tasted like fresh corn chucked off the cob. It was not creamy which I also liked because the corn can get a little overpowered by the cream. It was a light and refreshing soup. Something to clean the palate with after a few servings of dumplings.

Cody: The soups were sad to day, for me, just ordinary. It wasn’t as outstanding as I would hope for.

Vegetables: Elle: We ordered the Steamed Mui Choy with sliced bean curd. I was a bit disappointed because the bean curd didn’t taste so good. It had a slightly sour unpleasant taste to it that just made the dish taste a bit off. Bean curd is one of my favorite things on the planet and this dish didn’t live up to my expectation.

Cody: This dish was presented beautifully but tastewise, it wasn’t a hit for me. I like the tofu and the vegetable, but the sauce on top of the tofu wasn’t really to my liking. It tasted like fermented veggies that I think is more of an acquired taste than anything else.

Main dish: Elle:The sauteed scallops with broccoli in X.O. sauce was a winner. The scallops were sautéed in a lot of green onions which gave the dish so much flavor. However the picture was so different from the actual serving. The actual scallops were so much smaller and a bit “drier” in texture than the ones on photo the menu. Slightly disappointed by the size but it was still delicious.

Cody: Scallops was cooked perfectly, the veggies was also done right, the problem here was the size, they slice the scallops very thin. Too bad, the sauce was also great.

Elle: The fish fillet in orange sauce was another disappointing dish. I found it too sweet and too orangey that I couldn’t really understand if it was supposed to be savory or not. The fish pieces were soft and had a creamy texture but it was overpowered by the sauce. A little sauce does go a long way.

Cody: It was nice that they used real lapulapu fillet. Size was good. Fried perfectly. My rant here would be the sauce that tasted like SUNQUICK.

Dessert: Elle: Mango sago puree had bits of mango in it. The sago was a bit too overcooked and had that melt in your mouth texture. I like sago that kind of fights back when you bite into it. I was also disappointed with the almond jelly with fruits because it did not have the almond taste I was looking for. The almond-taste was very mild you’d miss it even after a few bites.

Cody: Here is were all the Chinese restaurants fail and falter. And Shang Palace didn’t fare better. It could be done better and I hope they can improve. The mango sago lacked in taste. The almond jelly was just ordinary.

Manna-ish - Jupiter St. Makati City

2009-11-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

Middle Eastern food has been getting its claim to fame because of its availability in our city. Theres the ultra cheap Mr. Kabab in Quezon City to the more than 500 pesos Kebabs of Hosseins. People love this because of its great taste.. healthy method of cooking.

SO when this placed opened. We wanted to try it immediately.

Ayran natural yogurt

Elle: choice of sweet and natural. Of course I chose natural. The first sip: it was like drinking champoy juice if there’s even such a thing! It was soooo salty. A small amount of sugar syrup made it better. Sad part was it was runny. I was expecting it to be cold and creamy.

Cody: Sour and salty, if it was from a milk carton, I would have thrown it away, but they say its all natural yogurt…. Not really my type of drink, had o ask for lot of syrup to balance the taste.

Mahummarah

Elle: it was the Middle Eastern version of pizza. It smells beefy but doesn’t taste much. You have to add a lot of chili sauce to make it taste like anything. Worse is they will eventually charge you for the sauce.

Cody: This one I like very much, the size is good for just one person and you can easily finish this one because it is very good. Freshly baked even the sauce eas freshly made.

Mixed Chicken and Beef Shawarma

Elle: This was served on a thin crepe-like wrapper. But it had no stuffing! What kind of shawarma doesn’t have vegetables? The dough was a bit thick when it cooled down it was already like corkboard. The chicken was very spicy and had too many herbs. It was also very dry that it resembled dry stew/curry. The serving size was too small.

Cody: I had so much hope that this would be good because of the look of he place with all the fancy cooking equipment, but once it was serve and I had a peek what was inside…. I was disappointed. The beef was dry, the chicken was also dry.

NOTE: Sad because the place looked promising. It came complete with Mediterranean looking gadgets and oven.

Tachibana - Pasay Road

2009-11-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

Theres a lot and we mean a lot of Japanese restaurants in Makati. Deciding where to eat can sometimes be difficult. Let us share with you guys one of our hidden Japanese restaurant secret.

Place really looks old, the wooden interiors plus the chair and tables, makes you think this restaurant has been there since the 60s. Once you enter, you will see Japanese people eating.. which is always a good sign.

Tachibana Bento

Elle: To start off, the rice was done so well. It was sticky but not stuck together. It also had several slices of sashimi-no fishy smell! Tempura was delicious! One piece was interesting – at first I thought it was okra but it was actually a big green chili!

Cody: At P350 this is one of the most packed and sulit bento box there is around. Everything was well prepared, from the rice to the fresh sushi to the tempura and the delicious chicken teriyaki

Chicken Teriyaki

Elle: This was sliced into bite size pieces that were fried into a perfect crisp and crunch. The sauce wasn’t just poured over the chicken but it was most likely the marinade used. The chicken was so tasty and not oily even though it was deep fried.

Cody: There are a lot of different preparations of chicken teriyaki ut so far from all the ones I tried this one is he winner. The skin was thin yet very crispy, the meat was is moist even if it was deep fried.

Chawan Mushi

Elle: Soft and creamy. The dashi wasn’t too strong and was just the right amount to make the dish light yet rich. It had a good amount of chicken, shrimp, mushroom, fish cake. It just melts in your mouth!

Cody: This is included when you order a bento box, soft and will just disintegrate once you take a sip of it. It has huge pieces of different meats.

Buenisimo -Eastwood Mall

2009-11-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

Cafe Ysabel is also an institution in the Greenhills area. And its always been a nice place to eat at, not the best restaurant but at least they serve good food. It was nice to know they expanded to another location and having his son run this new restaurant.

Food items here are basically same as the one in Cafe Ysabel with a few new dishes. Service was great.

Dip sampler

Elle: Pretty presentation. It reminded me of small servings of ice cream! But instead of being cold and sweet they were savory and served at room-temp. My favorite flavor was the spinach with cheese. It was salty, creamy and cheesy.

Cody: I was shocked by the size of this appetizer.. it was good for at least 4 person…. There were a lot of bread slices. The dips were just okay, my favorite is the same was my love Elle.. I like the Spinach and cheese as well..

Spaghetti with mushrooms and truffle in cream sauce

Elle: You couldn’t possible miss the aroma of the truffle oil. The amount of sauce was just right. It coated each strand of pasta without drowning it. There was a good amount of mushrooms as well and I liked the combination used because it gave a woodsy and fuller texture and flavor to the dish. However we requested for whole wheat pasta and it did not look nor taste like whole wheat pasta. I think they made a mistake but I just let this one pass.

Cody: Not wanting to eat a lot after a huge appetizer. this dish came. No meat here or seafood. Only mushrooms. It was good, the pasta was cooked well, the truffle oil was evident.. though it wouldnt hurt to have a splash more:) THe pasta like what Elle said was not the whole wheat we were expecting, but we didnt mind it.

We will be back to try the other dishes for sure.

Kusina Teatro- Ortigas Home Dept

2009-10-30T23:40:00.000-07:00

We love concept kitchens and how they wanna ijmpress diners. We read about this place at http://www.atasteofmarriedlife.com/ nad it immediately caught our attention. Its a small place, bright and looked very clean. They have an open kitchen where you can watch them do there stuff.

Stuffed squid (bacon and onions)

Elle: the squid was soft and perfectly cooked. The slightly salty meaty filling would ooze out of the tiny squid pieces upon biting. The tomato sauce was a bit tart and balanced out the saltiness of the bacon.

Cody: Shocked!!!!! by the size... but happy with the overall dish, in taste and in cooking preparation. The squid was cooked just in the right amount of time . It was easily eaten and the smoky flavor of the bacon was indeed nice....

Seafood Paella (good for 2)

Elle: The rice was absolutely amazing! It was infused with the flavors of the ingredients and I loved the orangey-red color of the rice. It was soft and had a slight bite to it. The squid was again perfectly cooked, it was tender and not at all chewy. The prawns were tender and delicious and had a different flavor which added another dimension of taste to the dish. I loved the “tutong”! Yum! Super worth it!

Cody: It took time for this dish to come out. and thats a good thing, coz you know its freshly prepared Me and Elle were scrambling for the tutong part. hehe, Lots of seafood, Big in taste:)

Fried Cheesecake

Elle: The cheesecake was wrapped in lumpia wrapper and was served slightly warm. Upon cutting into the cake I noticed that it was dry and a bit flaky. It lacked the smoothness and creaminess I look for in cheesecake. The ice cream on top of the cheesecake complemented the dish .

Cody: Good concept, but the cheesecake itself was not of high quality, it lack in sweetness and wasnt as creamy as i want it to be Too bad, it was a beautiful dish pa naman.

We were the only ones eating there that night, i hope its not like this everynight or else this place wont last.

Kim Garden - Magallanes Commercial Center

2009-10-23T23:10:00.000-07:00

Magallanes have lots of different restos, but this place is one of the less known one because of its location.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Elle: I was surprised since they served the chicken separately from the noodles. The chicken was cooked perfectly seasoned but still complements the noodle soup. The noodle soup had a nice burnt sesame taste to it and the fresh cilantro gave it a fresh clean hint. The noodles were thick and chewy.

Cody: Like Elle i was also surprised that the chicken was served as a side dish. But glad that the chicken was good. The sweet and slightly salty marinade penetrated the chicken well. The noodles are big and fat like japanese udon.. this is the chinese counterpart.

Fried Shrimp Puff

Elle: It looked a bit like a small empanada, the skin was thin and crispy. It had a lot of shrimp (looked fresh cause the shrimp wasn’t whitish it was still a bit salmon in color). It was a bit bland though but the crispiness of the dough made up for it.

Cody: At first i was skeptical, but upon first bite, it was love.... full of whole shrimps... yummy, too bad a serving only has 3 pieces.

Gloria Maris - Greenbelt, Makati City

2009-10-02T23:18:00.000-07:00

What's one of the best thing to eat during rainy days?? What else but HOT SOUP!!! One of the best places to drink hot soup is Gloria maris with its famous hot pot. You can either choose your ingredients or order the combination prepared for two or four persons

Here is what we had:)

Fish Fillet in Sate Sauce

Elle: Yum! The fish was super soft and it had a very creamy texture. I liked how the fish was coated in a think layer of sauce and how sticky the sauce was. It’s the kind of fish fillet you can’t have enough of. It was a combination of salty, sour, sweet and fishy. Grrreeeaaat!

Cody: I never imagine cooking fish fillet with sate sauce, but this combination was a winner together with the pineapple slices that exudes sweetness that complimented the Sate taste.

Hot Pot

Elle: It had so many ingredients I had a difficult time choosing which one to attack first. Nevertheless the ingredients looked fresh. The soup itself was refreshing, not too tasty and salty which I appreciate in hot pot. The combination of sauces was also interesting because they had Chinese peanut butter, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, sate sauce, garlic and green onions. The combination compliments the relatively bland broth.

Cody: The combination for four was enough to keep everyone full. Fresh ingredients, good amount of meat, seafood, vegetables, noodles. Be sure to put the things that cook the longest first. And while waiting for it to be cooked, make your own sauce combination with the available condiments. And don’t forget not to each too much, because after eating the ingredients, be sure to have space for the soup cause it will be one of the best tasting soup you will ever taste.

Taho

Elle: The taho doesn’t have that plaster of Paris feeling to it (not that I’ve eaten it). It’s very finely processed that it doesn’t feel sandy in your mouth. The sugar sauce wasn’t too strong and didn’t have a burnt sugar taste to it. The tapioca would have been better if it had a little bite or chewiness to it. Overall it was a great dessert to end the whole meal.

Cody: This was the first place to got to eat freshly made taho and it was indeed a pleasure to eat. The fun thing here is that you get to put as much arnibal and sago as you want, The Taho was silky smooth and tasted wonderful.

Rasa - Araneta Center

2009-09-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

After Shopping and watching a movie in Gateway mall, we were looking for a place to eat and we went to the Araneta Coliseum area and saw this restaurant which we thought already closed down. It serves Singaporean food and there are very few pure Singaporean restaurants here in our country so we gave it a try

Five Foot Trilogy

Elle: the chicken was juicy and tender. It was cooked 3 ways which gives you enough choices in one meal. My favorite was the Hainanese chicken. It was simple yet tasty.

Cody: We were perplexed by the name of the dish. It consist of 3 different cuts of Chicken cooked in three different ways and served with 3 different sauces. So why 5 foot? We don’t know. It all tasted good though. Moist and tender. I love the Crispy chicken the most. J

Laksa Fried Rice

Elle: Who would’ve thought that toasted coconut bits in rice would taste good?? It was a surprise to bite into coconut bits and taste something sweet in the middle of chewing on rice.

Cody: To those who don’t know what Laksa is, it’s the famous Malayasian Singaporean Noodle Dish. Made from Spicy coconut milk broth and seafood. SO imagine instead of noodles, its made with rice The only downside here is that there is not much seafood.

We love the food here and will try the other dishes when we go to the Cubao area again.

Volare - Araneta Center

2009-09-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

As soon as we arrive in the Araneta Center complex, we tried to look for a good place to eat, walking around, we found this little Italian restaurant. Which was said to be owned by the Chef who started the Amici Craze. So we expected a lot

Foccacia Bread- freebie

Elle: The bread was soft with a little bit of a bite to it. The herbs weren’t overpowering and only gave the bread a mild flavor.

Cody: I find the bread soft but a bit dry. It’s a good thing they serve the dip I love which consist of EVOO, balsamico and parmesan cheese

Frutti de Mare Pizza

Elle: Thin and crunchy crust but it was a bit dry since it had minimal tomato sauce and cheese. The mussels looked really pale. There were several slices of squid and pieces of shrimp. The serving was still good and filling.

Cody: I was expecting a lot . But then this came. The crust was great but the rest f the pizza was a letdown. Too little toppings. Too little cheese… it was still filling though.. 12 inches of bread... not enough other things

Amici - Makati City

2009-09-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

To those who used to feel that this is their own secret little Italian get away…. Sorry to tell you guys… it's no longer a secret. After being bought by the people who used to run Red Ribbon. They have expanded the place and opened in 3 more locations. But what can we do, but live with it right? Just as long as the quality of the food doesn’t deteriorate… well lets see..

Genovese con Gambareti pizza

Cody: Nice looking pizza don’t you agree. The shrimp was plump and freshly cooked. It has the crunch I always look for when I eat prawns or shrimp. The crust as always was nicely done, not too thick, not too thin, just right.

Elle: I agree. The pizza was thin and crunchy. With loads of cheese and a very thin layer of tomato sauce. You can see how thin the crust is and the lightly burned edges gave the dough a different taste. I would have wanted more shrimps on the pizza. After all it’s the only topping and a small piece doesn’t suffice.

Spaghetti Vongole en Gambaretti

Cody: my favorite pasta order because for me it’s the most sulit. Thought the seafood can be overcooked like the tough scallop and the shrimp that’s hard to peel. Serving size was big. Served hot

Elle: this one had a lot of seafood, the pasta was overcooked. The sauce was good though since it tasted like tomatoes that have been stewed for some time

Buckaroos Grilled Pizzas and Burger - Pasig City

2009-08-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

Address: Unit 2B1 2/F, 8101 Pearl Plaza, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center

Pasig City, Metro Manila

Pearl Plaza has a lot of interesting restaurants. There's a branch of SANGO the japanese burger, A japanese restaurant that we still have to try. A korean chicken place etc etc

We have been reading about this place ever since it opened in he middle part of the year. They have an interesting concept. Grilled Pizzas!!!

So, we decided to give it a try.

The place is quite small. Fitting only bout 20 people.. Service was fast and efficient.

Four cheese and garic pizza

Elle: Crust was thin and crunchy. Every bite oozes with cheese and the taste and scent of garlic! The cheese makes the pizza very creamy! It’s also a bit spicy/peppery on its own. Fantastic!

Cody: At first, i didnt like the way it looked. But it smelled wonderful. I inspect the bottom to see if it was really grilled and it is!!. It was wonderfully garlicky and cheesy. and cheap at P95 for an 8inch pizza

We are looking forward to try the other stuff offered at this joint

Dolce premiun italian gelato - SM Mall of Asia

2009-08-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

Walking lazily in the huge SM Mall of Asia complex just after having dinner, we chance upon this booth on the ground floor of the mall. Who doesnt love ice cream? right??

Cody: I love the size of the scoops, it lets you get to taste more flavours in a single order. Not as creamy as the gelato of Amici of Angelati.

Elle: We sampled a bit of everything. The gelato was not as creamy as I would have liked but it was full of flavor.

Nama Sakana - Conneticut St Greenhills

2009-08-07T04:12:00.000-07:00

We love trying out new restaurants and this one in Greenhills has been on our list for quite sometime now. Good thing we were given the chance to try it... well, the story here was, we were suppose to try Konbini, but they were too full, so we ended up eating here.

House Maki

Cody: this is one big maki, with all the fresh seafood inside the roll. I love how they wrapped it aside from nori, with thinly sliced daikon radish, The sushi rice was

cooked right. The blendings of the seafood was good as well.

Elle: a gigantic roll of fresh fishes, kani, avocado, rice, nori and radish. It’s a bit bland to stand on its own an the radish didn’t do anything to the dish, it was also too big. it was nice to look.

River Shrimp Tempura w 3 Sauces

Cody: I really don’t know what river shrimps look like. The dish really was just prawns chopped into chunks battered and fried tempura style. The sauces made it different. I intermix the sauces and it was good, I love the heat that the jalapeno sauce gave.

Elle: tiny shrimp pieces cooked tempura style., the green were slightly wilted, the sauces were light and tastes great., which complimented the shrimp, a light fried dish.

Seafood Ramen

Cody: This was just an okay dish, lots of seafood, except for the small prawn that was only one. The ramen was big enough to be shared by 2 persons.

Elle: delightfully tasty with not to salty broth, ramen was chewy in the perfect way, had lots of “laman”, very very filling

The in house chef is said to be trained by the Famed NOBU, which is one of the pioneer of Neo-japanese cuisine.. We love new ways of sushi like the ones of Omakase and Sushi California. But the bottomline here is still great ingredients which this place has. Try it. They have a promo till August 15, wherein Nama Sakana card holders will get 50 percent discount on weekdays and 25 percent discount on weekends.

Did we mention that service here was excellent:)

Clawdaddy Crab house and American Grill - Shangrila Mall

2009-07-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

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...

Ristorante Al Bacio Italiano - Fields Ave, ClarkField, Angeles City Pampanga

2009-06-28T00:50:00.000-07:00

This italian restaurant is the newest addtion to the number of italian restaurant along Field Ave. You have Salvatorre(the old reliable) and C Italian Dining (which is arguably the best italian restuarant here in the country, to be posted next). We were on our way hoem when we decided to take home a pixza form this place

Funny pizza box....:)

Seafood pizza. Topped with calamari rings, mussels, Tuna chunks and chopped prawns. P390
Cody: Once the box was opened, you can smell the pizza... I love the way it looks. The contrasting colors of the tomato sauce, the cheese, the seafood..... it was like a pretty picture. But upon biting on the first slice... the crust was a tad too thick... for an italian pizza. The amount of seafood was adequate except for the fact that calamari rings predominate. i would rather there have more shrimp. The crust was a real downer. I hope they could improve on this aspect as the crust is the most important part of the pizza....

Elle: I pretty much agree with Cody. The pizza was eaten at home, which was probably 2 hours from where it was bought. but it still smelled fresh from the oven. The aroma was that of a blend of cheeses, tomato sauce and loads of seafood. it really smelled fantastic- it was uplifting. i was anticipating biting into a piece of thin and crispy yet gummy pizza crust. However it was really thick-deceiving cause it seemed like the crust was thin. it was still good in a way. I mean the taste of seafood and the aroma of a woodfire oven only slightly redeemed the crust.

New Mexican Chicken - Fil Am Friendship Rd. Clarkfield Pampanga

2009-06-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

ClarkField..Angeles...Pampanga... houses a lot f restos from different places in the planet. There are mexican, japanese, korean, italian, thai, filipino, cajun/creole, ecc etc.. so food trips here are really fun.

While driving around, we chanced upon this interesting looking resto with a interesting name..

We were suprised.. because we were thinking that we are going into a mexican restaurant specializing in chicken... lo and behold, this is a korean restaurant:) Open form 4pm to 4am, this place is said to be more of a drinking place.

The moment you seated you are given this free pica-pica food.

The menu is posted up on the wall

WE ordered their house specialty, the Fried Chicken said to be fried in special Korean Cooking Pil. Half order for P300 comes with a red sauce

Elle: The chicken was slightly battered, well-seasoned and was very crispy. The meat was tender and not oily. The dipping sauce was both sweet and spicy and gave it its Korean flavor

Cody: This is how fried chicken should be, no oily feel, no oily taste. Chicken skin fried to a crisp. The meat, hot moist and perfectly

There are a number of korean restaurants in manila that serves this kind of fried chicken.. we willvtry it out and tell you guys about it, for the meantime, if ever you are in the area, try this one out...

Siam House - Fileds Ave, Clark Field Pampanga

2009-06-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Thai Ice Tea

Elle: Their tea had bits or specks of black, brownish material in the bottom. Most likely from the leaves they use in making tea. It looked a bit scary but nevertheless it was still good. Asian version of tea latte-not to sweet and still tastes like tea regardless of the coconut milk.

Cody: I love thai ice tea. It refreshing at the same time rich and creamy….and this version is very very good. Packs lots of taste unlike some anemic thai ice iteas in other restos here in manila. Be sure to mix very well:)

Tom Yum

Elle- Delicious, sweet, sour, spicy soup with lots of cilantro. It was both refreshing and satisfying. The soup tasted fresh because of the lemongrass and cilantro and at the same time it was rich because of the coconut milk. The coconut milk did not make it taste like guinataan (as always when it comes to Thai dishes and drinks)...which is a relief.

Cody: one of the better versions of Tom Yum soup. Loaded with shrimps and mushroom. I like how they added a splash of coconut milk(which other restos don’t do). It has the right amount of Spice, and tanginess..

Cold Spoon -Fil-Am Friendship Highway, Clark Field Pampanga

2009-06-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

Before the yogurt craze here in the city, there was this little place in Pampanga that started it all.. Opened by a Korean based in ClarkField. This place has been serving frozen yogurt since early last year. And it is still one of the best of not the best frozen yogurt place here in the country

IT is housed in an igloo shaped establisment...cute..right? Parking is not a problem here.

Yuo can order the yogurt in different sizes but there i only one variant... no green tea here, no chocolate, no vanilla. no strawerry. Just plain good frozen yogurt.

Elle: YUMMMMMEEEEEE!!!! There was a balance between tanginess and sweetness. It was very creamy.

Cody: Personally, their yogurt is still the best. Creamy, dense with the right amount of sweetness. What i don't like is that they don't serve it with fresh fruits.. but it was nice of them to put the supposedly topping in a separate container so that they can give you more:)

Try this place out whenever your in the area.

Bugsy's Bistro - Citygolf Plaza, J. Vargas Ortigas

2009-06-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

Citygolf Plaza Ortigas, houses not only a driving range and a golf apparel/equipment stuff, it also houses a lot of restaurants. Which includes the first branch of Barcino, Razons, Brooklyn Pizza, Dominos Pizza, etc etc...

But we have been reading about a bar here that serves good food and reasonably priced drinks.

Place is quit homey, the interiors are done in wood, very cool. Waiters are attentive and food are served hot and fast. now for the famous appetizer...

Buffalo Chicken Tenders P195

Cody: Heard a lot of good things about the chicken tenders here, that we just have to try it and we did. This was the only dish we ordered and it was all worth it. Crispy skin even when it was sauced with the spicy tangy buffalo wing sauce. The meat was tender and moist inside. A blue cheese sauce would have been perfect but they served sour cream which was also a good accompaniment to the chicken.

Elle: VERY yummy chicken tenders!!! Skin was very crispy, you could hear it snap and break into pieces and the meat was very soft. The sauce that the chicken was cooked in was sour yet delicious. It complimented the crispiness of the chicken. If it had been sweet it would not have been as good.

Definitely one of the must order appetizers here in the Ortigas area. Very nicely done…..

Pancake house

2009-06-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

Pancake house been with us since 1970, it was the first place to serve pancake and waffles all day everyday(you know!, hehe). We always remember the decors of this place having posters of different movies. We already ate dinner and wanted dessert only, so we went to pancake house to try their dessert offerings.

Strawberry MIlk Shake

Elle: cold and creamy strawberry flavoured milk shake. Wasn't too thick so it wasnt difficult to sip. Refreshing

Cody: Runny, milkshake, not really one of the better milkshakes i have tried. I hope they would improve in this category

Waffle with ice cream

Elle: The waffle was crunchy but a bit to bland. The ice cream complimented the waffle.

Cody: THe serving size was huge, the Waffle was crunchy, but i would have like it more if the middle was still moist. However it was still a good dessert.:)

EL POLLO LOCO - SM Mall of Asia

2009-06-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

Remember those yellow chickens grilling side by side , looking oh so delicious. In SM megamall Well, we haven’t eaten it for a long time now, and its about time to try it again and see if it still taste the same

This branch in Mall of Asia was still busy even on a weekday dinner. Place was bright, and very cold.. hehe

2 piece Chicken meal with pita bread. We always order their chicken with pita bread:)

And this is how we eat it, we debone everything first,

fill up a pita bread with their fresh salsa

Cody: Crispy thin skin, moist juicy meat, perfectly seasoned, comes with fresh salsa. What more can you ask for. A healthier alternative to the more common fried chicken. I suggest you eat here more often if u can. Not being fried didn’t compromise the taste. It is still yummy.

Elle: Haven’t had Pollo Loco in ages but the first bite brought me back to childhood. The chicken meat was very tender and it was easily removed from the bones. Taste was simple and yet was very tasty. The pita was amazing. It was a bit chewy and it reminded me of roti.

This is comfort food:)

Uncle Moes Shawarma Hub- Citigolf Plaza, Julia Vargas, Ortigas

2009-06-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Shawarma craze came to this country decades ago, almost every street has its own Shawarma stall, serving mostly beef shawarma. A lot of these places already closed down and there are but a number of good shawarma places left like Shawarma Snack Center, Cafe Mediterranean, etc etc..

Theres this place in Citi golf plaza that i have been rea

ding on several blogs that serves good shawarma so we just have to try it out.

Located in one end of the complex. It has both alfresco and airconditioned dining areas. Service was quick and friendly

Mix Kebab(P150)

Cody: Freshly grilled upon order, the meat very very juicy, evident in the meat juices on the plate even before slicing it. The seasoning was also perfect. Good with rice or pita. Ordered two pitas here. Comes with freshly made salsa

Elle: The meat was very tasty and soft. The chicken was also very good.

Chicken Shawarma(P90)

Cody: One of the best if not the best Chicken Shawarma in the country. Worth every peso, its packed with juicy chicken pieces and freshly chopped veggies. Add a splash of garlic yogurt sauce and chili sauce and sit back and enjoy this fantastic shawarma

Elle: Delish!!! This had lots of chunky meat pieces and a healthy serving of vegetables. The chicken was chewy but not gummy. Perfectly roasted without burning the outer meat.

WE highly recommend the Chicken Shawarma..... really really yummy

Crustasia - Powerplant mall, Rockwell

2009-05-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Red Crab as been around since the late 90s, bringing in crab dishes cooked in a lot of ways. Later on having branches in different cities in Metro Manila. The Red crab group then decided to open new concept restaurants and the 1st one being this.. Crustasia, which specializes in seafood dishes cooked in different asian styles. First opening here in the Powerplant mall. LOve how they are concern with hand hygiene.:)

Carrot and Singkamas Sticks

Cody: a healthy free appetizer. Love how they serve it. Comes with three different dipping sauces.

Elle: the vegetables are fresh and crunchy

Crab Maritess

Cody: One of my fave Red Crab/Crustasia creation. I love how they baked the crab yet maintaining its succulent juices in. The mixture of garlic, white wine chili and olive oil adds so much flavor to the meat. One more great thing, it is not overcooked.

Elle: the crab was very soft, creamy and garlicky. It was actually a plus that it was swimming in olive oil. The crab itself was small, good thing they served two pieces of it.

Very very good crab dish.. Perfect with a cup of plain rice... just topped it with the things on the above pic.... heavenly:)

Osonho portuguese fusion - Jupiter St, Makati CIty

2009-05-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

Portuguese Cuisine hasn't really taken off here in our country. If you ask us, we love it, try going to Macau.. well the nearest place to taste portuguese cuisine. We love the food there. IT was a bit of a good news to hear there is a new portuguese restaurant opening. Barely a yeard old, this restaurant is said to be more of fusion.

On the table

Mozarella Veggie Fritters P220 Bell pepper, cauliflower, eggplant, jalapeno and shitake mushroom coated with creamy mozzarella and fried to a golden brown.

Elle: Crispy breading that doesn’t fall apart when it was cut open. The cheese was perfectly melted and gets stringy as you pull it away. The pepper popper was stuffed with cheese

Cody: I was surprised by the quantity of the dish. Though it didn’t have the other above mentioned veggies, like shitake and Jalapeno(which we weren’t informed about and I hate that) It was a novel idea of adding cheese to vegetables. The breading was just a tad bit thick, but it was otherwise fried beautifully

Peri Peri Chicken on Fragrant RiceP310

Elle: Well Cooked chicken with crispy golden skin which tasted very Mediterranean. The rice has parsley bits and the sauce was a delicious blend of spices.

Cody: Wonderful dish, flavorful chicken meat, crispy skin, The rice was cooked just the way I like it,”buhaghag”. It was worth every peso.

Espetada De Carne P390.00

Two large skewers of delicous shrimps, scallops, US tenderloin cuts and succulent vegetables seasoned with O'sonho's own herb paste. Served with there freshly baked pita bread

Elle: It was just okay, nothing great and it did not have a distinctly different or new taste. I only liked the big scallops.

Cody: ON the contrary I find the scallops not fresh. The saving grace for me was the lamb and tenderloin cuts.

Freshly Brewed Ice Tea with Peppermint

Elle: It was served in a large fish bowl which I found really cute. It smells like a glass of freshly brewed tea bag. Upon tasting the hint of peppermint hits you like peppermint toothpaste. Good thing was the taste didn’t linger

Cody: love the size, love the taste and I agree, the non lingering taste makes it more delightful coz you willl keep on sipping it

Definitely recommending the Peri Peri Chicken, Try it.... Nice resto, hope it will last, only two tables were occupied when we ate here.

New from Yellow Cab - Dear Darla Pizza

2009-05-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yellow Cab Pizza... at first we thought this place was a franchise from some restaurant in the states.. Lo and Behold, the its all filipino. Great concept, started out strongly. Our favorite being the Shrimp and Garlic which was back then loaded with shrimp, but as the years went by, the shrimp was dwindling in quantity...

They just introduced a new pizza in the market. Like the famous panizza of C italian(which we will feature soon) and the allegedly copycat version of Foccacia

Dear Darla pizza... we added some shrimps to our darla pizza, surprised that it came chopped...

Elle: the crust was very thin and crispy, but it lacked the cheese that I wanted. It was a bit bland. It could have used a bit more garlic. The extra shrimp was sliced too small. But overall, it was good.

Cody: Their version of the pizza roll was passable. Not as great as the C Italian version, but as a fast food version, I think they did their job right. Like Elle, I would have wanted more cheese and the extra shrimp topping I ordered was surprisingly chopped…WTF….. well, I love how the dough was crispy yet soft enough to be rolled.

Something we both would recommend. Try it…..

Buffalo Wings and Things - Ortigas

2009-05-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

While walking around trying to find a place to eat in Ortigas home Depot, We chanced upon this bright restaurant. Serving.... of course what else but Chicken wings, but not only Chicken Wings.. they have other stuff as well....

All the items are written on the board . THey have an open kitchen where you can see your food being cooked. Servers are dressed in ultra shorts short.

Cheesy Fries

Elle: Fries were really good. They were large wedges cooked just right, very warm and soft. The cheese was very gooey and the amount of cheese was enough to cover the last piece of fries.

Cody: Nothing beats thick cut fries as compared to the thin fries we get from fast food chains, lot of cheese, every fry had cheese sauce on it

1/2 pound Buffalo wings.

Cody: the wing sauce was excellent, wings were freshly cooked, it was juicy anf hot, the only bad side here is that the breading was a tad too thick for my taste. another surpirse was haf a pound is only 3 wings, cut by the joint giving you 6 pieces.

Elle: Chicken wings were perfectly cooked, golden and crispy and the meat was very tender. The sauce was a combination of sweet, spicy and tangy.

We love how they give each table a whole wad of thick tissues to use, cause its always better to eat with your hands... right?:)

Kagura - Little Tokyo, Pasong Tamo, Makati City

2009-05-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Restaurants in Japan are usually specialty restaurants. Meaning they only do one type of dish and they do it well. There would be a place that specializes in fried items or in Nabe(hot pot dishes), a ramen house, a udon house and the list goes on and on. Here in our country its usually not the case. Except for this little restaurant inside the Little Tokyo complex in Pasong Tamo Makati.

Okonomiyaki to those who are not familiar with it, it is a Japanese Pancake or a Japanese pizza, it’s a complete meal by itself, consisting of veggies, noodles(which you may have the option of not putting it) assorted meats and seafood, cheese. Everything comes together using a flour mixture that keeps it intact.

Cody: Since I tasted it few years back, this has been one of the things I usually order in a Japanese restaurant to know if the chef is truly knowledgable of Japanese cooking. Of all the okonomiyakis I have tried. This is so far the best. In this country. Every order is cooked fresh

Elle: Yummy! The pancake was thick and filling. It was a combination of crunchy and soft - I liked the balance. Overall it tasted really good.

Squid teppanyaki

Cody: I like this because it was cooked well, the squid was fresh, and it was also seasoned just right. A little expensive though

Elle: Squid wasn’t gummy, cooked right but nothing great or uniquely Japanese about the dish. It was average. Won’t order this again.

Spinach with peanut something

Cody: this was also good, unique, and the taste grows on you.

Elle: Not a fan of peanuts but this one was good. It was probably the sesame seeds that made it memorable.

Hai Shin Lou - Pasay Road, Makati City

2009-05-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

Chinese Restaurants are not really a popular choice in the Makati City Area, most of the very good Chinese restaurants are in the Manila, Malate area. However there stood a chinese restaurant in Makati that has been there for quite some time now. And for Cody this was his first time to eat here.

Freebie- Wanton Skin crisp

Cody: bottomless!!!! Love it, crunchy and seasoned very well, I asked for sweet and sour sauce 3x but it never came….

Elle: crunchy, not oily. A little bit salty

Peking Duck-Skin wrapped in Chinese pancake

Cody: Its nice that u can order half a duck for a small group of people. Pancake was made just right. The duck was tender and wonderful. The skin was very good

Elle : I like the pancake, it was thin and chewy, the duck skin was not really fatty, but it was still oily; as a whole it was very delicious

Fish Lip soup

Cody: it was good. Didn’t need the usual splash of black vinegar.

Elle: Warm and filling, not too salty and not too sour. I like it

Chili Garlic Fried Crab

Cody: Crabs here can be expensive but prepared very well.

Elle: The crab shell was so thin and crispy that I was tempted to eat it. It was cooked with a lot of chili and garlic. The meat was soft. And tasted a lot like the seasoning.

Fried Tofu w Veggies

Cody: not really a dish I would order. The tofu was not of the silken variety. The veggies were cooked perfectly.

Elle: the tofu was crispy but softened by the sauce. This dish is something vegetarians would like.

EFU noodles

Cody: Veering away form the usual Birthday noodles, this is what we ordered. Sauteed quickly with few ingredients. This dish doesn’t have much flavor but it helped in filling up the tummyJ

Elle: I liked the blandness and simplicity of the noodles. It was not too complicated and did not have to much ingredients

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Cody: They do their yang chow wonderfully. Not oily. Every grain bursting with flavor from the seasoning and accompanied diced meat and veggies

Elle: their fried rice is really good. Seasoned well, with visible shrimp pieces and roasted pork asado

Minced duck in Lettuce Cups

Cody: After devouring the skin, this was our choice of cooking style for the rest of the duck. Salty and sweet, served with fresh lettuce leaves that are crisp. It was good. Too bad they only serve a few pieces of the lettuce leaves. Didn’t bother to ask for more

Elle: Perfect combination of the soft duck meat and crispy singkamas cubes and fried noodles. Very tasty

Peppercorn Spareribs

Cody: Ribs were friend to crispy perfection. The marinade penetrated the meat to the bone. Delicious eaten with vinegar dip

One of he family's favorite restaurant to eat at to celebrate events or just to satisfy Chinese food craving. Always recommended. Always good

Okura Fusion Japanese Restaurant - Jupiter St. Makati City

2009-05-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Driving thru Jupiter street, there are a number of newly opened restaurants. One of interest is this restaurant which is perhaps the only Japanese restaurant in Jupiter, not counting Teriyaki boy.

Formerly known as Hae Song, they maintained almost all of the interiors.. you can still see the name sand blasted on the glass panels. Although the msenu has changed. Showed more dishes and incorporated some fusion items.

Service a little disappointing. You have to call their attention even when the place is not that full.

Funny menu typos---they serve crap!!!!!

Freebie: Salad-

Cody: fresh, served with a miso dressing. Love the freshness of the salad, Crunchy, clean. The dressing has the right amount of tang and sweetness

Elle: I liked the miso dressing as well. The dressing was unique but had that Japanese taste. Would have been more interesting if they used other vegetables rather than the usual iceberg lettuce, sliced carrots and raddish.

Drinks: Mango Kiwi- P100

Cody: Never thought that this combination would be nice. It suited each other .

Elle: Great, great, great! Perfectly blended without milk/cream! Presentation was funky…a thinly sliced kiwi seen through the glass made it more than just a regular fruit shake.

Manhattan Roll- Filled with mango, Cucumber, Kani, wrapped in Fresh salmon Slices, drizzled with Japanese mayo, thousand island and sprinkled with crunchy tempura batter bits. P380

Cody: I just love this roll, big and satisfying. The sushi rice was excellent, the salmon outside was indeed fresh and the filling was just a wonderful medley of flavors.

Elle: A unique sushi roll. I liked the presentation- it was inside out. Not really a fan of salmon but this was good and fresh. It didn’t taste too fatty and oily. Too bad the wasabi didn’t have that much of a kick no matter the amount

Agedashi Tofu with cheese: Stuffed tofu with cheese, battered then deep fried, served with tempura sauce. P220

Cody: Combination of silky tofu and gooey gooey cheese. Terrific. Good thing the cheese didn’t melt away while it was being fried. Would have loved it if it was served agedashi style meaning swimming in a sweet soy sauce

Elle: Disappointed with how it was served. There was another dish called Agedashi tofu on the menu which was served in a sauce with mushrooms. So I was expecting this dish we ordered to be served in the same sauce the only difference was the tofu. However, this was totally different. Redeeming factor was the soft and creamy tofu which was perfectly fried. Dipping sauce was bland.

Ebi Tempura P250

Cody: I was surprised the serve their tempura head on, but it was fried beautifully, the batter being light didn’t overpower or cover the ebi too much. The head you can eat as is. Tastes like crunchy shrimp cracker. One bad note here is the accompanied fried items. They were all sweet potato, it would have been nice if they used different veggies like eggplant or onions.

Elle: Crispy ebi. I liked the crunchiness of the shrimp head. Overall it was just okay.

Chicken Teriyaki Don P340

Now this is the bomb.. and I mean the bomb.. look at the pictures closely. This dish consists of thinly sliced chicken breast. Brushed with teriyaki sauce. The chicken was OVERCOOKED. And sliced again.. THINLY. It was hard and argh!!!!! A mistake to order. Worst chicken teriyaki dish I’ve ever tasted. Tokyo Tokyo Chiken teriyaki is better than this place. And for the price… Outrageous.

Elle: DISAPPOINTING! This has got to be the worst chicken teriyaki don I have ever tried. The chicken pieces were too thin and hard – it’s a battle to eat the chicken. For the price of the dish I would have expected a better dish. Not only was the chicken as stiff as a board but it didn’t even taste like teriyaki. If you want a Japanese version of chicken tocino/Chinese beef jerky try this dish.

Freebie: Pineapple. Sweet J

Sushi California

2009-04-30T01:55:00.000-07:00

The Fort has a lot of restaurants opening at the ground level of new condominiums. This was an accidental discovery was drivong around the fort area trying to find Bistro Filipino.

Boasting of serving modern Japanese cuisine. This restaurant is barely two months old. And we are glad to share with you our experience.

First and foremost, parking can be a problem, the restaurant doesn’t have a parking place for customers. We parked at the UCC/Sakae Sushi complex and just walked here

.The menu has a lot of pages and a lot of food to offer. WE only tried the sushi rolls here. Note. Every sushi roll has “etc” written in the description. “etc” is a combination of kani, cucumber and mango

Free Appetizer- Snapper in sweet glaze

Cody: one of the better Free appetizer. The fish was cooked well. The sauce was great too, Had to ask for 2nds

Elle:: THe fish meat was creamy and very soft. The sweet sauce coated the fish well and suited the taste of the fish

Corn Snow Maki P380

Cody: The picture in the menu enticed me to order this dish. Unique in how the prepare it, being baked before serving. This roll was warm. The sauce was sweet not really my type.

Elle: I liked how the sushi was a bit chewy, since the rice was very sticky. I found the sauce too sweet. But I liked the slightly burnt sauce.

Dragon Maki P480

Cody: This was one huge maki. Made use of one whole slice of Unagi. Presentation was cute. The mound of crunchy thingies on the side gave a texture change form the soft chewy sushi roll.

Elle: Interesting presentation. With a dragon head. The crunchy Tempura batter bits on the side gave a good contrast to the sushi, however the sushi roll itself wasn’t any different from the other sushi rolls

Spicy Tuna Maki P310

Cody: Fresh chopped tuna, great sushi rice, wonderfully unusual chili sauce. Combine them all together and u get a wonderful dish.. Really really spicy.

Elle: The best sushi among the three. IT tasted really different compared to the others. The tuna tasted a bit like arrabiata which was interesting.

The meal was okay. Nothing great. Service was very good

. This place can be an alternative to other Japanese restos in the area. Would try the other dishes here, if ever they would have parking for customers next time

SuperBbowl of China

2009-04-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Being a country populated by Chinese immigrants, we are never surprised by the number of Chinese restaurants here in the country. There are the fine dining places like Shang Palace and Summer palace which can be found in Hotels, then there are the humungous chinese restaurants like Emerald Garden, President(which unfortunately closed down), Dragon gate, Gloria MAris. Then there are the medium size chinese resto franchises like North PArk and this one.

Usually located in Malls, Superbowl, followed the foot steps of North Park. First opening at Jupiter Street in Makati then later on Branching to different malls in the city. Serivce was quick.

Kroooopeck

Black Gulaman P65

Superbowl Fried Rice P295

Cody: now this was a big serving with a lot of toppings, great eaten with chili garlic sauce

Elle: The rice was too dry and if served to stand alone without the toppings it would not have been tasty enough to be called fried rice.

Fish Fillet stuffed with Melted Cheese P250

Cody: it looks much much nicer on the menu pictures, they used camaron rebosado batter which I didn’t like. The cheese component was measly. THe fish was bland.

Elle: The first bite was just okay. Then the succeeding ones kinda got boring. The fish itself was soft and creamy however the batter overpowered the fish. It tasted too much like baking soda.

Shanghai Chicken P220

Cody: another uninspiring dish, the sauce was sweet and sour. That’s about it

Elle: I was expecting a special chicken dish. The picture made it look good but it was just regular.

The unfinished dnner
Mango Sago P80

Cody: one of the worst version, its not even icy cold when served. So sad.

Elle: I agree…this was not a happy and uplifting mango sago. The sago was too small and soggy, the mango used was a bit too ripe.

AS you can see in the unfinished meal picture, we were very unsatisfied with what we ate. We still remember having great meals at this place before, we wonder what happened to the place. We hope they can shape up.

EL FAV Creamery - Pergola Mall BF Sucat Paranaque

2009-04-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

Dessert places in Paranaque are very scarce. We were lucky to find this place in the 2nd floor of Pergola Mall here in Sucat. From the Makers of El Favorito ice cream, let us introduce theri ice cream store.This place is bright with a self service counter where you have to order by the counter and they wiill just bring your order to you. At each table there are little board games where you can play and entertain yourself and let time pass by. You can have toppings for the ice cream that would cost little. There are free toppings available too.

Beer Ice Cream

Cody: base ice cream that did taste like beer, I don’t like the nutty component though, but it was a good… not so great rendition

Elle: It tasted like a bland, fizzed out and watered down beer. The nuts made it seem like you immersed the pulutan in the beer which was not so good.

Tequila Rose Ice Cream:

Cody: now this was great. . This tasted like it has more alcoholic kick than the beer ice cream. Strawberry base with a hint of tequila.

Elle: This ice cream melted so fast and as it melted I realized how not so creamy it was. It was just okay, a cool alternative to your regular strawberry ice cream.

Note: Elle: I tasted the Wasabi ice cream hoping it was as creamy as the Green Tea ice cream of Haagen Dazs but unfortunately it was as icy as a snow cone.

The only similarity was the color. I was very disheartened since Wasabi is one of my favorite condiment

Hanazaku - Sucat, Paranaque City

2009-04-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Located in Bf homes Sucat, a small cozy neighborhood restaurant hat surprisingly serves good Japanese food. From the outside the place doesn’t look appealing. It was design more like of a mediterranean restaurant on the outside than a Japanese place.

We love the freshly brewed green tea that definitely taste so much better than the ones in bags

Appetizer: Deep Fried Tuna Pieces. freebie

Cody: Freshly cooked tuna pieces, seasoned with soy sauce, lightly floured, I love that they made this dish only when we came, It was obvious it came out from the frying pan, still hot, the meat marinated nicely

Elle: Crispy tuna pieces with very minimal flavouring. Tastes much like very fresh tuna fried Japanese style.

Next dish: Ebi Ten Maki

Cody- very very good sushi rice, the tempura was of average size but fried excellently.

Elle: Very crispy ebi. The crispiness compliments the softness of the sushi

Hanazaku Yakisoba

Cody – this was a surprise, the sauce covering the whole dish, add a dash of togarashi and woah, the sauce was god enough to be wiped off with anything. The noodles gave a nice contrast of crispy and al dente

Elle: The noodles were fried into a cake and it was covered in a thick and nicely seasoned sauce. I liked that the noodles weren’t just simply boiled and thrown onto a plate. It was not like your regular yakisoba. This was a better version of the popular dish.

This restaurant will rival the more popular restaurants in Makati like Nanohana, restos in Little tokyo, NIhonbashitei, etc etc. WE love a great neighborhood restaurant. Too bad we dont live in the area

Carlos Pizza - Various branches

2009-04-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

A restaurant with branches in Tagaytay, Quezon City, Baguio, Paranaque. We read different reviews about this place, but with branches in key cities here in Luzon, they must be doing something right. Ate at this place during lunch time and we were the only people dining here. Ordered one Appetizer, one past and one pizza dish.

Buffalo Wings

Cody: reminiscent of the buffalo wings of Don Henrico’s(same owners?) Big, juicy and succulent, coated in a sweet bbq sauce instead of the Wing sauce they use in Buffalo N.Y. But the Chicken itself is the star.

Elle: The serving size was a champ! It was a WING! It was cooked just right, soft meat with crispy skin but it was a bit too sweet for my taste. I would have wanted it more spicy.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Cody: Spaghetti noodles tossed in a creamy pesto sauce topped with grilled chicken breast slices. The pesto flavor was mild, the cream giving it more body, but making it less healthy. The chicken was miniscule but gave the dish the protein content I always look for.

Elle: Not a fan of pesto but gave it a shot just to taste what it was like. It was actually good. The pesto was not too strong and didn’t steal the show. I liked the balance between the pesto sauce and the cream. Noodles were kinda soggy.

Pizza- Four Cheese, half topped with Italian Sausage

Cody: Thin crust, 4 cheese, however it was missing something.. pizza sauce, I didn’t know if they did it intentionally, or they just forgot, I didn’t ask anymore. IT was okay. The Italian Sausage was just okay

Elle: The crust was thin but a bit soft. Would have been better if it were crispy thin. The blue cheese was a bit overpowering. And of course it lacked the tanginess and freshness that tomato sauce brings to pizza.

Its a toss up betweem us if we are coming back here or not. THe chicken wings were fantastic but the other dishes were not that great.

Hana - little tokyo, Makati City

2009-04-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

We have been in search for the most authentic and best takoyaki here in our country, so far we have been disappointed. People say its good in Kozui, we have tried it and all we can say that it doesn’t taste as good as it looks. We have tried different takoyaki in different stalls and was again disappointed until we bumped into this guy

TAKOYAKI!!!

Cody: Here in Manila, this is indeed so far the best I have tasted, very moist inside, nice thing they have real octopus also inside. It still fails in comparison to the ones in GINDACO. But we have to be contended with what we have here.

Elle: it was very good, there is really a piece of octopus meat in each takoyaki. The cooked takoyaki are not soggy and maintained its shape even after a long time before it was eaten.

Priced at 100pesos for 6 pieces, its all worth it. Aside from the Takoyaki, Hana serves good japanese food which we have to try yet.

Il Ponticello - Valero St, Makati City

2009-04-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

This place is more known as a hang-out place or a gimmick place rather than a fine dining restaurant. But we have read in a number of blogs and magazines that this place serves nice Italian food. It is even said that this is a nice place for dating,. I dont know if you guys know this fact, but this place has been open for more than 19 years now

Havent really eaten at this place… went here a lot of times but only to drink… the famous Azzuri. Now is the time to try their food.

Freebie- Grissini, something to munch on while waiting for the food

Spinack Artichoke Spread

Cody: Italiannis introduced me to this dip, but the quality of food at that restaurant has greatly deteriorated. Ponti’s version was great, piping hot, melted cheese, served with great bread. A wonderful starter

Elle: gooey, warm and cheesy-the dip practically drips form the utensil …definitely yummy and a MUST TRY!

Pizza- Half Arugula, Half Quattro Formaggio

Cody: delicious crust, asked for split flavors and they gladly obliged. The four cheese had slices of delicious mushroom incorporated in it. The Arugula half was also wonderfully done.

Elle: The pizza was cheesy in just the right way. It wasn’t overloaded with cheese. Crust was thin and crispy. It was light and not too heavy

Fetuccine Marinara

Cody: It was evident that the seafood was cooked together with the sauce here because you get to taste the no just the tmatoes but also the essence of the seafood. Bad point here was the pasta

Elle:great-tasting sauce but soggy pasta :( It has a strange balance between the freshness of the tomato sauce and the seafood.

Azzuri

Cody: Surprised that it was a frosted(blended ice) ice. Anyway. It was still god and packs a wallop.

Elle: I can’t remember exactly how this drink tasted but I’m pretty sure it went well with dinner! I left the place very happy! One thing though…the ice they used was regular ice. It would have been better if it were semi-frozen or if not tiny tiny crushed ice.

It is in deed a nice place to bring a date. The restaurant is not too full during dinner time. Food is excellent.

Piazza Pazzo - Rockwell

2009-04-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Before Cantinetta, before Cibo, there was only one italian restaurant here in Rockwell. THe name was Piu Pazzo. Opened 8 years ago, they had a makeover last year and changed the name to Piazza Pazzo. Interiors are now brighter and cleaner looking than before. THey have a new dish that called our attention.
Pazzo Rolls - A relatively new dish they came up with. Comes in different blending of meats and veggies. WE got the one with shrimp and veggies

Cody: this was indeed a great creation. Instead of baking it, they deep fried it, keeping everything inside moist and delicious. The dough has just the right thickness. Mixture of crispy and moist and elastic cheese plus the shrimp, drizzle with the mustard vinaigrette. It was indeed a wonderful explosion of textures and flavours

Elle: Warm and gooey cheese, with yummy shrimp, but wouldn’t hurt if there was more. Rolled into a crispy pizza dough. It was a bit bland but still very good.

Aside form excellent pizzas they also have good gelatos. Interesting flavors. We got the Irish cream and the Biscotti. Both were very very good. Creamy and filling. No wonder this palce is still open even after years of operation and seeing a lot of their neighbors closed down shop. Food here is still good.

Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino - Fort Taguig

2009-03-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

This place has been open for close to 3 years now and for those who haven’t dined here yet this is the perfect time to try this place. They offer a weekend brunch buffet. And they do it Ala carte style, meaning everything will be cooked upon order. They sized up each order to half a regular serving. There are 59 items on the buffet menu, not counting drinks, Clean plate policy applies and if the plate is not empty or close to empty you will be charged 100 pesos for each half eaten plate. The price is 788++ per person, unlimited drinks included.

Specializing in Filipino cuisine, cooked and served in a contemporary way. We appreciate how Chef Laudico did his homework and created dishes to preserve the taste of true Filipino food presented in a way to please the sights and taste of people around the world.

Pandesal. Freebie. Baked in house. Served with Anchor Butter.

Cody: Dense and creamy bread, not the airy kind we are used to

Elle: On the contrary I thought the bread was airy and not creamy.

Sampaloc juice/Lemongrass Ice Tea

Cody: refreshing, the drinks will initially surprise the taste buds, but it grows on you. I kept on drinking it the whole time.

Elle: unique drinks. I liked the lemongrass iced tea since it did not taste too much like the commercially made lemon flavor throat lozenge. The sampaloc juice also tasted good, sweet and tangy.

Sisig Basket- chopped pigs head with liver incorporated in the mix, served in a crisp rice paper cup with half a hard boiled quail egg in the shot glass topped with garlic cream.

Cody: One thing I noticed about this dish was it was oily, so be sure to check inside the cups for residual oil, aside form that, the Sisig was one of the best tasting I’ve tried. The garlic cream on top suited it perfectly, it lacked the spiciness though. And to those who are worried about the cholesterol , the quail egg didn’t really give much uplift to the taste. A small amount of scrambled egg would have been suffice and would have lowered the cholesterol content

Elle: Had less than 1/3 of a bite of a cup. Meat filling was very soft but I agree it was oily.

Tuna Kilawin Rolls- chopped tuna pieces marinated in vinegar rolled in fresh rice paper topped with a calamansi Capsicum emulsion

Cody: A nice dish, the tuna was fresh. The vinegar marinade penetrated the tuna perfectly, the calamansi emulsion suited it. Perfect appetizer.

Elle: probably one of the best kilawin dishes I’ve tried. The tuna was not overcooked in the calamansi emulsion. It tasted very fresh.

Prawn Sinigang Martini- mix of hot and cold component, the cold being the sour soup gelatin, the hot being the coconut cream. Scoop it together with your soup spoon to get the marriage of flavours and temperatures

Cody: when it was presented to me, it didn’t have the coconut cream yet. When the waiter poured it, then I smelled the sourness of the soup. It was indeed a wonderful blend. A wonderful concept as well

Elle: it was not your regular sinigang. It was more like Tom Yum. The sour gelatin blended well with the bland coconut milk. Something unexpected and different from your usual sinigang.

Shitake Mushroom Soup- fresh pureed shitake mushroom with cream described as cappuccino, topped with crunchy fried minced garlic

Cody: the woody taste of the shitake blended very well with the crunchy garlic. Not too heavy even with the incorporated cream. It’s always nice to have mushroom soup freshly made and not coming out of a can.

Elle: This was really delicious. I liked the burnt taste of the fresh mushrooms with the cream topping.

3 Kinds of Mango Salad- Mesclum salad with dried, ripe and green mango slices, with a Dijon bagoong dressing, topped with kasuy crusted fried kesong puti.

Cody: beautiful looking dish, nice blending of the fresh sweet mangoes, the sour crunchy green mangoes and the sweet dried mangoes. The dressing has a little spicy kick to it, the cheese added another level of texture that only added more points to the delicious factor of the dish.

Elle: The vegetables were fresh and the mangoes added a whole new flavor to it. It was interesting to see dried mangoes in a fresh salad. The dressing did not overpower the salad and the fried kesong puti was just fantastic!

Eggplant Torta with Spicy Crab—sliced eggplant grilled to be soft and creamy, mixed with egg then pan fried, the things on the side are the crabmeat

Cody: the eggplant torta almost melts in your mouth. The chilli crab meat didn’t have any spicy taste in my opinion. Again I love the torta.

Elle: the minced spicy crab was not spicy at all but nevertheless compliments the eggplant. One of my favorite salads so far!

Tuna in Burong Hipon- Tuna cooked medium well, the burong hipon was blended together with the greens

Cody: love the way the tuna was cooked. Still pink in the middle. The Burong Hipon in my opinion was too salty with sour tones all over. The flavor was too strong

Elle: Favorite!!!! I was expecting to see shrimp pieces in the dish but it was I assume pureed shrimp that looked more like sauce. This was really the good. The tuna was grilled but still soft and juicy. The rice was soft and creamy and the kangkong was still a bit crunchy. the balance between salty and sour was perfect.

US Angus Beef Tapa Si log- strips of angus beef tapa, on top of a beautifully fried egg which was on top of Garlic rice encased in a half tomato

Cody: Another beautifully plated dish. The Angus beef has the right amount of fat in the meat that didn’t dry up after cooking. It looks like beef bacon. Hehe, The egg was cooked perfectly sunny side up.

Wagyu and Lengua Estofado- Wagyu beef cheeks and US Beef Lengua, Braised in a Tomato sauce, served with grilled veggies

Cody: Is there anything bad I can say about Wagyu? No. It was uberly tender and gelatinous, melts in your mouth. The Lengua, I wish was sliced a bit thinner. The rice tutong crisp added a different texture to the soft meats in the dish. The sauce was very good.

Elle: Great tomato sauce… and the soft grilled vegetables and the crispy rice was a good combination.

Prawns and Burong Mustasa- Spaghetti tossed with chopped prawns, anchovies and bur0ng mustasa

Cody: A light pasta dish. No heavy sauce here, the flavors of the anchovies and prawn pieces being the highlight of the dish.

Elle: Simple and refreshing pasta with no sauce. The burong mustasa gave the dish its flavor.

Pandenini- Angus Roast Beef with Tomato Salsa

Cody: Tasted like Adobo rather than roast meat. This was just ok, Saving grace was the sun dried tomato dressing on the side of the dish

Elle: Tasted the Panini style bread and left out the meat. It was just okay and yes the better part of the dish was the tomato dressing/sauce on the side.

Prito Trio- peeled shrimps, calamari, dilis cooked “okoy” style with sauce blend of Pinakurat, Garlic and Aligue

Cody: Ordered this dish at the end of the meal but this is supposed to be an appetizer and liked it so much we ordered it twice . The ingredients were fresh, the shrimps were crunchy, the squid was soft and tender. The sauces were incorporated in every piece. Very Very good.

Elle: shrimps were soft, squid rings were not gummy. It was deep-fried but not oily. It had a bit of a kick as well. I liked the concept of the sauce in the small servings.

Chocolate Truffles-mango and calamansi

Cody: it was okay , had slight hints of the fruits it represented

Elle: regular truffles, I could not taste the mango and the calamansi.

Maja Blanca Cheesecake

Cody: Imagine a cheesecake with creamed corn.

This is it. It was just okay. Drizzled with arnibal.

Elle: Same opinion. I was expecting it to be as soft as Maja Blanca. It wasn’t great.

Banana Q Tart

Cody: The banana pieces were a little tough to eat, I love the ice cream though.

Elle: I liked the part when the waiter presented the dessert complete with a flambee. It looked good but the bananas were hard and slightly burnt and separated from the tart. The ice cream was good though.

We appreciated how Chef Laudico presented Filipino food. We wouldn’t be surprised it ever there is a Filipino restaurant outside the philippines ; they would served food this way. We recommend this brunch buffet. Serivce was excellent, They change our plates after every dish. Warm plates to boot. Noel , our server was indeed a gentleman. He knew the food very well and served us well. One of the perks was the drinks were bottomless and we could order one drink from another. They also served bottomless Twinnings tea and excellent brewed coffee!

Chilly Willy - Mandaluyong Cty

2009-03-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

Chilly Willys- Robinsons Place Pioneeer, Al Fresco Section

Mexican restaurants are really not that popular here in the metropolis, as compared to let’s say Los Angeles where they sprout like mushrooms. Here, there are only a few Mexican restaurants. Taco Bell, Mexicali, Agave and this new one called Chilly Willys,

Located at Robinsons Place Pioneer, this restaurant has already been featured in a couple of blogs and both were very happy with their experience here.

Cheese Stuffed Shrimps wrapped in bacon w aioli dip P185:

Cody: The picture in the menu made me order this dish, thought it would be great being combination of my favorite food items Shrimp, Cheese and Bacon!! however the serving size was small, it was cooked as well as it was in the picture in the Menu.

Elle: Average in taste and presentation. The shrimps were small and looked like they needed hydration. Saving grace was the bacon.

Chicken and chorizo Enchilada 180 baked and stuffed with chicken and chorizo then topped with tomato and three cheese sauce .

Cody: THis was a very filling dish, i like the play of flavours by the combination of cheeses. THe chorizo overpowered the chicken here.

Elle: I liked the thinness of the tortilla and the softness of the enchilada. Would have been better with mashed beans. The rice was cooked well and it did not look like a big clump of mashed goods.

Because of the scarcity of Mexican Restaurants here in the metro, this place provide a new option. We would come back here, but i am looking forward to trying AGAVE's Chile Shrimp Relleno.. hehe

Mastercook - DAMPA, Macapagal Ave

2009-03-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

There are a lot, and we mean a lot of cooking establishments in Dampa, some full of people, some empty as a desert. There are a few that we have tried and really like, like Aling Tonyas. This place was jampacked, and when there’s a lot of people it could mean there’s good food. Located at the back of the complex near the parking, the executive chef of this place is said to be from hongkong. Lets see how their food fares.

Clams in Taosi –

Cody: The clam dish was the first dish to arrive, steaming hot, the taosi sauce wasn’t salty unlike the other taosi I have tried at other restaurants. The clams were cooked beautifully, just right, it wasn’t chewy.

Elle: It tasted really good. Not too salty as other taosi dishes.

Sweet and sour pork-

Cody: believe or not, I like their version , the sauce was more on the sweet side than sour, the consistency was very thick so each piece was coated with it. The pork pieces were lean with a minute bit of fat, however I didn’t like the way they sliced it since it was too thick.

Fried Chicken-

Cody: another surprise, the breading was indeed flavorful, and the chicken was fried to crispy perfection, the breast meat was still moist…

Elle: It was okay. I was not really a fan of this version of fried chicken but it kinda resembled Chickenjoy. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Chicken juice was still dripping from the meat.

Fish Head soup with tofu and vegetables-

Cody: the soup was essentially the essence of the fish, the tofu was very firm, the vegetables were cooked just right.

Elle: Cleanses the palate after every sip.

Chili Crab-

Cody: not as red as the version of other restaurants. And the spice factor was at the low side, well, I still liked it.

Elle: I didn’t like this version of chili crab cause it wasn’t spicy enough and I kinda felt the sauce was too watery. Although the crabs were very soft (including the exoskeleton) and the meat tasted sweet .

Prawns w sotanghon—

Cody: this dish is great, the sotanghon absorbing the flavours of the prawn plus the condiments used in cooking it. Prawns were cooked just right, plump, moist, crispy that tell the freshness of the crustacean

Elle: One of my favorite dishes. I liked the way the sotanghon absorbed the sauce of the prawns. It was a unique noodle dish in the sense that it wasn;t your regular birthday noodle dish. It looked like it was cooked in soy sauce but of course it wasn’t. It had that seafood taste I was looking for.

Crab Rice-

Cody: the dish would look like a bland brown rice, but

to describe it truthfully, it is more like a semi wet risotto, served steaming hot, this is very good. Each morsel very tasty and having a hint of crab flavor.

Elle: I agree. This dish was very good. The rice was moist but the grains weren’t sticking to each other. Very “crab-y” .

Stir Fried Squid with Celery-

Cody: quickly cooked squid tossed with fresh celery that was cooked yet still crispy and tasted very fresh. Seasoned very well.

Elle: Squid wasn’t gummy, celery wasn’t overcooked.

Steamed Whole Fish-

Cody: the fish was definitely fresh, as you can see in the position of their fins, the flesh was flaky and was indeed cooked through. The sauce was the usual sweet soy sauce we are used to in Chinese banquets.

Elle: I noted that steamed fish tastes pretty much like the others served at other restaurants. Nothing unique about the dish but nevertheless the fish was

very fresh.

Great food, the bad thing here was the service, too slow, they lack waiters. Anther thing is that customer have to buy their own seafood unike in other restos where if you are lazy you can just tell them how much of a seafood you want and what kind.

Pizzeria Pronto

2009-03-05T02:35:00.000-08:00

Who would have thought that there would be a good pizza place in SM Bicutan. Located in the topmost floor. This little Italian gem has been quietly making a name for itself. Though we don’t like the name. It took us a while to try this place because of the location. Was it worth it? Read on.

Fried mozzarella-

Cody : I love the size of the mozzarella pieces, they are not the usual finger length pieces, their version is bite size which I like better, served with a pomodoro sauce, the crust was crispy and the cheese was gooey.

Elle: Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. It looks more like a rectangular piece of ready made chicken nuggets. The sauce compliments the appetizer.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta –

Cody: Cooked in olive oil, garlic, mushroom and black olives, this pasta dish was not drowning in any tomato or cream sauce. The main ingredients were shrimp and garlic and those flavors stand out in the dish. The pasta was cooked al dente…as it should be everytime in any restaurant that serves pasta.

Elle: Not really a fan of oil based pasta. This version was a bit bland but nevertheless still a good eat.

Four Cheese Pizza, half with Italian sausage –

Cody: Combination of blue, cream, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. On a thin chewy and crispy crust. Love the crust, love the sauce, love the cheeses… great combination, great pizza.

Elle: I agree to the last bite. A great pizza. Cheesy but not oily…a rare find.

Bad name, excellent food, they have a branch in SM Megamall named Gotti. We havent tried the place yet. Will definitely be back to try the other food here.

Introduction

2009-03-05T02:29:00.000-08:00

We are a couple that loves doing things together, may it be just a quiet day of watching T.V., to shopping, to going to the weekend market. One of our favorite past time is eating, and here is our food adventure that we would like to share with anyone interested in EATING.

We are not really that choosey, we can eat from ordinary street hawkers, to the hotel restaurants that are expensive but occasionally worth the bucks you spend. And we love trying out new stuff.

There will be times when we don't have the same views in the taste of the food. Well, taste is in fact subjective. So differences will appear once in a while:)