First Sip: Magnum Opus

My college friends and I have been planning to visit Aguirre for the longest time but it always get cancelled, moved or totally changed to another location. But it finally happened! Today is an Aguirre food trip. 

Our first stop was Bread and Botany but it didn't leave much of an impression. And honestly, I was disappointed. The only good thing I got from it was that it is beside Magnum Opus, a well-loved coffee shop along the popular food street. 

Hello, Magnum Opus! 

I went straight to the menu as soon as I set foot. Well, the place is pretty small too so you'll hit the counter as soon as you open the door. 

I went with the famous Belgian Heartbreaker (PHP175) as I have been reading and hearing a lot of good reviews about it so I was excited with my cup.

I was surprised that it was served on a 9 ounce glass without handle. "How will I hold it?" Or so what I thought. But it was lukewarm. And I doubt that it was because I took a few snapshots of it. It was less than a minute. 

I took the first sip and... it was okay. The Belgian chocolate taste was evident but not too strong. It wasn't as sweet as I thought as it had espresso in it. Overall, it was good, but not as good as I thought. It was very similar to the mocha drink I whip up at home and it does not cost me more than PHP50 to make a giant cup of it. 

Iced Belgian Chocolate

Would I go back? Not anytime soon. 

Magnum Opus is located at 2nd Floor, Prime Building, 115 Aguirre Street, BF Homes, Parañaque City.

First Bite: Holy Crab!

Part of our Aguirre itinerary is E’s sister’s seafood restaurant. I haven’t been to this place before and it didn’t really make a lot of noise as well hence being out of the looloo radar. But I’m sure glad we stopped by.

Hello, Holy Crab!

The not so new seafood restaurant has the same concept as Boiling Crab in the US and Shrimp Bucket here in Manila. I heard though that Holy Crab was the first one to bring such concept here in Manila. It’s just that the other player was a bit more aggressive in expanding. 

The smell of shelled fish was the first thing I noticed as soon as I stepped inside the restaurant. It reminded me of dampa. It wasn’t funky; but it wasn’t exactly pleasant as well. 

Since we just came from Bamba Bistro, I was a bit hesitant to order a dish for myself so I decided to just share with E and K. 

We ordered Mussels in Garliky-Lime and Salted Eggs Sauce (PHP330), Grilled Tuna Belly (PHP260), and a pitcher of Raspberry Cooler (PHP175). 

Service was fast and first served was our drink which was refreshing but dilluted. 

Mussels were served next and it was a pretty generous serving. One order was definitely good for sharing. 

Love at First Bite: Kiwa Korean Grill Dining

It was a crazy week full of eating with R's family. We went to several fancy restaurants and one of which is this Korean restaurant in Solaire Resort & Casino. I have never been to Solaire but I recall making a pitch for the high end establishment when I was still with the publishing business so I know that this pale is pretty grand.

Hello, Kiwa Korean Grill Dining!

This posh Korean restaurant is located in what seems to be a new section of Solaire as R could not remember this area before.

It opened just a few months ago and it has gained quite a following for those who are very particular with food. The place is beautiful and those who sit near the windows could enjoy the wonderful sunset view. (We reserved a private room though so we just took snapshots of the sunset before placing our orders.)

The menu of Kiwa is very limited. There are only five courses to choose from which comes with sashimi and appetizer assortment, Korean pancakes, Stir-fried Glass Noodles (Chapchae), Spicy Tofu Soup and Dessert. You also have to order in pairs if you plan to get this.

We decided to go with Saenggalbi but Rib Eye version (PHP3,200), Bulgogi (PHP2,800), Grilled Samgyupsal (PHP2,000) and Yangnyumgalbi (PHP3,000).

While waiting for the meats, the side dishes were served.

The sashimi assortment looked amazing and mouthwatering.

I first had a taste of the salmon cut and it was not as soft as I wanted. R told me that the reason why the texture was like that was because it was not sashimi but smoked salmon. No wonder.

The other seafood cuts were great! Tuna was lovely and the squid cuts had a nice chewy texture. I loved it!

Chapchae was pretty good too as it was not overly oily yet flavorful.

The Korean pancakes are your typical pancakes. If you are trying to watch your weight or save tummy space, you might want to skip this one.