Mom & Tina's

I always pass by Mom & Tina's Bakery Cafe along Dela Rosa St. in Makati, but I have never tried their cuisine.  Eddie told me that the food was pretty good, and last weekend, he invited me to have dinner at their branch along Katipunan Avenue, just across from the Ateneo.  We were in the Loyola Heights area to help Korina with her groceries and it was a perfect time to try their steaks (Korina is a steak lover).

I like the bright lights and the fresh bakery atmosphere--decor is pretty and country styled, so  the mood is pretty much like home.  Service is fast--our steaks came in after just about 10 to 15 minutes.  The steaks were cooked correctly, mine was medium rare, Eddie had a medium while Korina took hers medium well.  Juicy and salted just right.  Prepare something like P700 per head for steaks, but if you will have other dishes, then the average check just comes to something like P400 to P500 per head.

Toni Braxton

I just love her husky voice.  Toni Braxton.  Super hot, super sexy songstress.  I listen to her songs with my eyes closed, and I can feel all sorts of emotions running through each note.  Sultry, definitely.  Provocative, even.

Kanin Club

Our stay-cation dinner at the Ayala Triangle was a Filipino treat over at Kanin Club.  All I recall of this restaurant is that a couple of years ago, Michaela celebrated her birthday at their UP Technohub branch.  We got some of the popular dishes that were recommended by our food attendant--crispy liempo, crispy dinuguaan (blood stew), kare-kare, and binukadkad na tilapia (fried fish).  The crispy dinugaan is their specialty and slightly out of the ordinary--I think it's got chicharon under all that blood sauce!  The kare-kare had real peanut goodness, and I like the thick texture of the sauce, the only drawback being the accompanying bagoong, which was slightly sweet and didn't have the proper zing to it.  Prepare something like P400 per head to savor the range of their local dishes.

A Gantea

Vicky and Monique took out some pastries from Bread Talk at the Ayala Triangle for our brekky.  I didn't realize that there must be some functional tie-up with the Taiwanese A-Gantea and Singaporean Bread Talk; the tea shop is right inside the premises, and I surmised that the local franchisee of both brands must be one and the same.  The kids just loved their tea drinks, a good midnight snack can be had here for under P200 per person.

Guevarra's

My kumare Susie held her 30th birthday bash at Guevarra's along P. Guevarra St. in San Juan. Pedro Guevarra was the resident commissioner from the Philippines to the US Congress in the 1920s; Chef Laudico took an old mansion along the street and named the buffet restaurant after him.  The food is essentially Filipino and judging from the huge crowd that filled the restaurant, the place is a big hit despite the fact that very little print advertising has been done since the restaurant opened a few months ago. The buffet spread includes a lot of roasts (including lechon and roast beef), drinks (sodas and iced tea), and ice cream!  The buffet costs anywhere from P400 (weekday lunch) to P600 (weekends) per head, very reasonable.  The old world charm of the renovated mansion was punctuated with pictures showing Guevarra at his prime, and this gives a good sense of history to the guests.  I do have a soft spot for homage restaurants!

Phoebe Cates

Talking about my birthday, I just remembered that I happen to have the same birthday as my teen-age pin-up crush, the gorgeous Phoebe Cates (who happens to be part Filipina). I remember her so well, reading all about her, and giving that kilig chuckle when I learned that we had the same birthday!

Wafu

My birthday fell on a rainy Tuesday, and since I promised Monique that we'd have a Japanese dinner, we braved the rains and went to the Greenhills Shopping Center to dine at Wafu.  You can see from the swank interiors that the place was conceived to give high standard Japanese cuisine, and judging from the menu card, the average food check would easily breach the P1,500 level.  It was very lucky that Vicky saw a promotional sign that gave Metrobank cardholders a hefty discount, and I immediately volunteered to go back home to get her card, which unfortunately, she did not bring along.

It was well worth the 20 minute return trip, and our food bill came to just a tad under P900 per head.  We had the works--Angus teppanyaki, oysters, ramen, ebi sashimi, gyoza, and beef stew, among others.  Of them all, the beef stew was the only one that was quite ordinary, the one dish I wouldn't order a second time.  Overall, food isn't bad, and I think it's a nice place to take corporate clients, but for family gatherings, I'd prefer a more homey atmosphere.

Heat

The Heat buffet restaurant at the EDSA Shangri-la opened its P888 promo last July, and we took the opportunity to invite Lola Dee and the rest of Vicky's family for dinner to jointly celebrate the birthdays of Tito Jorge and myself.  We were there promptly at 6pm, and we were delighted to be seated in a quiet nook, a semi-private area.  When you enter the restaurant a golden Buddha figure greets you, as if to say "Good Fortune to You and please have a Delightful Meal!"

I like the ice carving, something that you don't see much these days.  In the seventies and the eighties, wood carvers from Paete, Laguna, were very much in demand at the 5-star hotels.  I used to watch the Chefs on Parade competitions, and you could see that the ice carvers would complete their masterpiece in just around 10 minutes!  Truly, skills in sculpture are a gift worthy of praise.

The noodle station was the first target of Monique and Angie.  I had a feast with the roasts, and also tried the Indian dishes (the fish was quite spicy, and I just had to grin and bear it). Vicky, Becca and Jorge has much fun at the Japanese section, but the widest grin came from little Micah, who waived all the savory dishes to proceed straight to the dessert table, and started to have her cakes and ice cream.  The Callar boys had a bit of everything, and as expected, Bryan even went back to the savory section after eating his dessert.  We finished dinner at around 11pm, which made it a 5-hour leisurely dinner!  Did we gain pounds?  You bet we did!

Maitre Chocolatier

After dinner at the Red Engine Diner, we hied off to have dessert around the Jupiter area. Not having a definite plan, we wandered around aimlessly until Angela's eagle eyes focused on Maitre Chocolatier, which is located near the Paseo de Roxas corner.  We thought that this was only a store, and it was only when we entered that we realized that it was also a restaurant and dessert place all rolled into one!  The menu had chocolate written all over it--all items, including soups, salads, and entrees, use chocolate as an ingredient!  We were very curious about the taste, but since we already had a big burger each, not one of us wanted to have a second round of dinner.  But dessert?  That was something else, and we all took Bryan's lead in picking up a bowl each of the most delicious chocolate gelato in town--their signature Lindt ice cream!  Three scoops for P165, a real steal if you ask me.  The chocolate shines through, and the creamy goodness borders on a sinful dream as you sink your lips into each spoonful.  It tickles your palate and melts away all your angst.  It is the best chocolate gelato in Manila.

Red Engine

The Red Engine Diner at the Columns along Buendia Avenue in Makati is probably so named because of its proximity to the Makati Fire Station--I figured that the red, black and white interiors would simulate the fire truck experience.  I was with Monique and the Callars, and we noticed that the menu also had some Japanese short orders, which was pretty unusual for an American-style diner.  We were there for the burgers!

Not contented with a burger each, we also shared an order of rib eye steak.  The burgers were tasty and the fries were generous.  The beef taste of the patty, however, seemed to have been drowned out by the cheese and mushroom toppings.  The rib eye steak was on the tough side, and you'd need a good steak knife to cut through with ease and speed.  Prepare some P250 per head when you visit.

Iko's

It was at the height of typhoon Maring that I found myself at Vicky's office, waiting for a lull in the rain to venture outside.  Vicky and I finally took off at around 2pm, and since we wanted to make the most of the respite from the downpour, we headed off to the Kapitolyo area, and made a beeline for Iko's bakeshop. This place has relatively inexpensive pastries, and Vicky's favorite cheese rolls go for just around P20 each.  She found the boiled-icing chocolate cake irresistible, and we ordered a large one (9" x 13") for only P400.  Enjoyable dessert night for us!

Morelli's

Before going home, we went back to the second floor bridgeway of the Shangri-la Mall to have our dessert.  Morelli's Gelato has been around in the UK since 1907, and it's a growing brand that has store worldwide, including 2 in Manila (the first one opened at the Rockwell Power Plant).  I had soft-serve yogurt, and I was a bit disappointed because I was looking for really tart yogurt (their version is creamy and the tartness is subdued). Vicky, Monique and Andi, however, enjoyed their gelato thoroughly--pistachio, hazelnut, wild berry, and chocolate!  A cup of 2 scoops comes to around P150 and their biggest sundaes and parfaits cost a tad under P500 (this is good for a couple or maybe even a group of 3 people).  Next time I will go for their sorbets; the lemon and the mango sorbets look very appealing!

Wee Nam Kee

Wee Nam Kee has been one of the champions of the Chicken Rice in Singapore, and when this brand started off its stores in the Philippines, we were quite excited to try their specialty Hainanese Chicken.  Unfortunately, for almost a year now, we haven't been able to do so. Going around the Shangri-la Mall, we found time to have dinner at their branch there, which was conveniently located at the lower ground floor.  The wall collage gave us a flavor of the sights and sounds of Singapore, and we quickly ordered the dishes that had a star icon next to their names (specialties of the house, we figured).

The noodles that we got came in hot and topped with lots of good stuff--in the picture below you can't even see a trace of the noodles!  The sweet and sour pork dish came at a 50% discount for the users of BPI cards, so we quickly obliged the order.  Unfortunately, the squid that I ordered was also sweet/sour so we had 2 dishes that were very similar in taste.

Now you can see the noodles after Vicky quickly mixed the plate for her hungry family! Noodle texture was just right, not soggy at all.

The Hainanese chicken we ordered came in as the piece de resistance.  You have a choice of birds, the local white birds are tender (on the left side in the picture below) but the imported yellow birds, while more expensive, are supposedly better suited in taste and texture for steamed Hainanese chicken.  We ordered the yellow bird, and we were very happy with the results.  This came served on top of cucumber slices, basted with light soya sauce, and graciously topped with green onion shavings.  Have a feast here at around P600 per head!

El Mare

Vicky's client gave her a box of El Mare buko tartlets. This San Pablo based bakery is pretty popular around the Laguna area, and you can find their stores along the bigger highways.  Pies are freshly made, and the stores carry other kakanin and pasalubong items.  My only complaint--very sweet for my taste buds, although some people like it that way. 

Zao

Ninoy Aquino day was such a rainy day, so instead of crossing the Pasig to go to Manila, we decided to spend time around the Shangrila Mall, with a side visit to Monique's ninong at the adjoining St. Francis tower.  Vicky spied the Zao Vietnamese Bistro at the new wing of the mall, and we thought this would give us an interesting lunch.  We learned from the food attendants that the restaurant belongs to the Pasto group, and knowing this, we had high expectations as we sat down.  We started off with crunchy fried lumpia, Vietnamese style.

Without missing a beat, we started to scoop out the next viands that came in--prawns in garlic, and pork chop, which was flavored with toppings that were distinctly Vietnamese.  It was a good thing that the fried rice came just a couple of minutes after these viands were delivered--we were quite hungry and started to dig in fast.

The beef stew was a very delicious treat, one that I recommend you try.  It's not like the caldereta style that is tomato based, and while similar to the braised Chinese style, the flavor has a slight lovable twist.

The vermicelli (bihon) noodles were topped with cut lumpia, some barbecued pork and chicken bits.  We also had garlic kangkong, which a bland and a bit disappointing, but the hot seafood pho (noodle) soup, which came in last, was flavorful and delicious.  Prepare a budget of around P700 per head if you want a variety of flavors.  Service was reasonably fast, considering that there were only 3 or maybe 4 attendants, and that people had to stand in line to get a seat.