Love at First Bite: Fireside by Kettle

I can’t help it. I just can’t. I smile like a love struck fool whenever I see a new restaurant. And last December, I saw Fireside. I was really curious and wanted to check the place out but my favorite Dragon Lady and two Rs wanted to visit Linguini Fini then. Three weeks later, I made it happen.

Hello, Fireside!

I guess I wasn’t too observant when I went in as I was surprised to see that Fireside is owned by Kettle, the maker of “Manila’s best buttermilk fried chicken” or so what most foodies claim. And since I was in a hurry and was quite hungry too, we decided to go for the following: Grilled Chop House (PHP189, bowl | PHP389, platter), Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders (PHP489), Steak BLT (PHP389) and Homemade S’mores (PHP139).

First served was our salad.

Restaurant Love: Kettle

It has been a long while since I last visited Kettle. I think it has been almost a year! 2014 went by so fast. It was filled with so many changes, learning, challenges and a lot of food finds! I still remember the food I ordered in Kettle. The Mac and Four Cheese and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken definitely stood out. Anyway, since it was almost a year, it was time to visit again.

Hello, Kettle!

This time around, we decided to order the following: Oven Roasted Squash Soup (PHP269), Angus Roast beef Hash (PHP539), Angus Roast beef Sandwich (PHP459), Miso Glazed Salmon (PHP569), a carafe of green iced tea (PHP179), and a slice of Checkered Cake (PHP209).

First served was the iced tea.

It had a strong green tea taste that made it slightly bitter. In short, my sister didn’t like it.

Next served was the soup. I liked that it was creamy and the tidbits of shrimp added texture to the dish. It was heavenly!

Okay, my family loves roast beef. They ordered roast beef sandwich and roast beef hash. I was telling them that only one should order but no one wanted to change. *sigh* Fine.

After trying both, I realized that the only difference was that the sandwich was cheesier and that it had a banana inside making it a bit sweet. The hash was potato overload with the oh-so-soft-and-savory roast beef. The hash was also topped with a fried egg. Both were great but I would be more inclined to order the roast beef hash as it would be easier to share.

Restaurant Discovery: Kettle

I really have this thing for new restaurants. I get so excited every time I find out that a new restaurant is opening soon near my place. By near I mean Shangri-La, Megamall, Capitol Commons, and Kapitolyo. While I was trying to resist my foodie urges in the States, I was busy doing "research" on the new restaurants. One of the new places that caught my fancy was Kettle at Shangri-La's East Wing.

Hello Kettle! 

I met up with my good friend M for dinner for some intense catching up. I insisted that we have dinner there as I have to try its famous fried chicken.

Ordering was a breeze too as I know what I want. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad (PHP250), Buttermilk Fried Chicken (PHP519), and Calamari (PHP329). For dessert, we originally wanted to get the Checkered Cake but they ran out so we went for the Pistachio Cake instead (PHP229).

Service was pretty quick as our salad and calamari were served within 15 minutes. 

The salad was drizzled with black pepper for additional taste. The serving itself was pretty generous and I enjoyed it a lot. I would have enjoyed it more if there were more salmon though. The dill ranch dressing has that tangy taste that would make you eat more!

The calamari though seemed typical for me. It's your usual fried and breaded squid.

Kettle: Fried Chicken Heaven?

What is torture for food bloggers? Seeing food shots and new restaurants we cannot visit because we're at a far away place. Daaaaaaaaarn!

Okay, what's happening? I left Manila for a few months and I see all these new establishments popping here and there! I am dying here! Since I could not do anything for now, let me share with you the food finds/establishments I can't wait to try or visit soon. (Warning: To help ease the pain of not eating these yummy dishes, I will do the listing in parts. Please bear with me. Oh and share your finds too!)

Kettle.

Image from Kettle

Why must you open just now? I read at Yummy magazine that your fried chicken is superb! I love fried chicken to the point that I ate it for one whole week! 

Image from Munchingaroundmanila.com

Since Kettle was featured by my favorite food magazine, I decided to check its menu and if I could just order NOW, I'd get the Oven Roasted Squash Soup (PHP249) just because squash is so delicious and that they don't have my other favorite... tomato soup. 

Image from Dude4food.blogspot.com

The Pork and Potato Strips (PHP339) which was described as a combination of crunchy pork belly and fresh potato chips is tempting too. Fine, irresistible!