First Bite: Katsu Sora

R's impeccable taste never fail me. Every single restaurant he mentioned to be great is indeed a haven for foodies. And when he mentioned that one of his favorite katsu restaurants is Katsu Sora, I was giddy to give it a try. But it felt like I have a curse with this place as all our planned visits to Katsu Sora gets cancelled. Then again, I guess 9th time's the charm. 

Hello, Katsu Sora. 

Known as a premium katsu restaurant offering four kinds of pork tonkatsu--Japanese Kurobuta, Spanish Shimofuri, Canadian Sakura Pork and Spanish Iberico, it has been a favorite by many. Unlike most katsu places that offer unlimited cabbage, Katsu Sora offers a bit more with its salad, soup and rice buffet bar filled with various kinds of greens, dressings, two types of miso soup and three kinds of rice. 

Love at First Bite: Canton Road

I have been wanting to visit Canton Road ever since I saw its panda bun stuffed with salted egg yolk. It was a powerful combination of two things I love and I couldn’t help nag R about it. However, our weekend schedules were uncooperative and we couldn’t find the time to drop by this new Chinese restaurant in Shangri-La at the Fort. And while I was weeping with sadness, I got an invite from the lovely gals of Zomato to feast on some of Canton Road’s spectacular dishes. Woohoo!

Hello, Canton Road. 

I have never been to the hotel and residential side of Shangri-La at the Fort so everything looked so new to me. But as expected from a notable establishment, the hotel lobby was majestic and every single staff member was courteous and assisted me to Canton Road.

As I walk closer to Canton Road, I was greeted by beautiful interiors in dark hues and touches of gold. The place screams Asian elegance. 

First Bite: Morganfield's

When I find a new restaurant, I stalk. I visit its social media pages. I check all hash tags with its name and occasionally drool on several food photos I see posted. I lurk in Looloo and read every single review about the place. And one of the places I stalked last month was Morganfield’s, the new ribs place in town that recently opened in the hardly open Uptown Mall in BGC. (Take note, BGC. It is not the UPTown Center in Quezon City. It’s the one beside Valkyrie and The Palace Pool Club. Clear? Okay, let’s move on.) So just imagine how happy I was when the adorable P of Looloo invited me to Morganfield’s for their first eat up (known as rendezvoos by the Looloo users) for 2016.

Hello, Morganfield’s!

I arrived a bit too early (I did the same last time with Le Petit Soufflé) and got to have a one-on-one chat with E, marketing head of Morganfield’s. 

From our short talk, I found out that Morganfield’s is a brand developed in Malaysia that focused on delivering delectable American dishes and specializing on ribs. 

I asked how they differentiate themselves from other ribs places here and in the US and she told me that it all boils down to the ingredients. E was proud to say that their ribs are sourced from Spain and that they are one of the few, if not the only, ribs place that serves “full slab”. She even told me to see it for myself on what a full slab should look like. (Cue: *Oooooh~*)

After a while, the others arrived and we all went gaga over the adorable mugs. And I was pretty amazed that they made the mugs gender specific. The blue mugs have pig snout with mustache and were given to the guys and the pink mugs with snout and lipstick were given to the ladies. I loved that the server took time to make sure we get the right ones. And I do hope that they keep it that way even when they're packed and busy. 

Here's the other mug design. 

Even their aprons are adorable!!!

I was starting to see flying pigs and imaginary ribs on the table when our drinks were served. I got the Agua Fresca (PHP195) which was a blend of watermelon chunks and juice with lime juice, served with rose syrup and a scoop of calamansi sorbet. The serving size of the drink was decent and could last me the whole meal if I'm not too thirsty. My issue though with my drink was... it was not thirst quenching. It was too sweet! I didn't even got a hint of lime or calamansi. All I got was the taste of syrup. Good thing the servers were very quick with my request for hot water. (Note: Hot water helps me eat more.)

As soon as everyone got their drinks, our first dish arrived. And it was the... Smokin' Duck Salad (PHP395). I absolutely loved this one from the salad dressing to the duck meat! 

The soy vinaigrette has that Asian flair to it. It was slightly sweet and salty and unlike other vinaigrette dressings I tried, this one had no weird and bitter aftertaste. Delightful! 

The greens were crisp and definitely fresh. There were slices of boiled egg and century egg too but I didn't notice that there were only two wedges for each kind. I felt really bad for getting one wedge of century egg just for myself. >.<

The applewood smoked duck was superb! Not sure how it was prepared but it reminded me of applewood smoked duck bacon. It had the right amount of fat and it was very flavorful but not overpowering. 

After putting together the greens, applewood smoked duck and century egg... my guilt for getting one wedge of century egg went *poof*. (Well, thanks too to K for saying it's a-okay for me to have it.) It was a must-order dish! Oh, did I tell you that this is not even their bestselling salad?

And just when we were about to finish our salad, the Awesome Threesome (PHP495) plates were served.

This set reminds me of the Trio platter of Chili's. This one also comes with spicy chicken wings and some carrot and celery sticks. But instead of some wraps, this set comes with Crab and Spinach dip and Russet Potato Skins.

Everyone loved the spicy chicken wings. Though flavorful enough to be enjoyed on its own, it was also great with the sour cream dip. (Note: Non-spicy food lovers rejoice! It is not that spicy. In fact, it was very very mildly spiced.)

I dipped the nacho chips on the crab and spinach dip which was very thick and creamy. It was a bit bizarre at first as my taste buds were yearning for spinach and "artichoke" instead of crab. It was good and had a nice seafood flavor to it. Though I still prefer to mix my creamed spinach with artichoke.

And I felt bad for the Russet Potato Skins. It was cold when I got to take a bite. The cheese also solidified. I bet it would have tasted so much better when it was eaten hot and fresh from the oven. But we have duties... click before lick. (Okay, it sounds terrible but I couldn't come up with a wittier way to say that we foodies have to take photos first before eating.)

I blame the scrumptious Jim Beam BBQ Iberico Baby Back (PHP950) for making the potato skin wait. It was served right after the Awesome Threesome.

But... boy oh boy! I can't turn my back from this baby! Named as the king of all glazes, this piece of juicy (and tender) meat was oozing with flavor. Why is it called Jim Beam, you ask? In order to prepare this dish, they use 300ml of Jim Beam to marinate the baby back with. Yes, we're referring to the alcohol brand. And no, you won't get drunk but you'll be intoxicated with its aroma and succulent meat.

And then finally... the skateboard ribs.