Restaurant Favorite: Barcino

Zomato Gold has been the talk of town ever since it was launched last year. And when it was finally available, it limited its subscription to a small number making it feel exclusive and in high demand. As the weeks pass by, Zomato opens up its subscription on certain days with a perk of hanging out with select local celebrities. And with its enticing give back program to users, each Zomato Gold user serves as the app's ambassador. But even without it, the app's 1+1 deal on food and 2+2 on drinks is enough to encourage anyone to spread the word. And if you're still thinking if it is worth your PHP700, one visit at Barcino will have you subscribing in a second. 

Hello, Barcino.

R's friends decided to have a get together a few weeks back and opted to go with Barcino, a group favorite. This time, they chose to dine at its Greenbelt 2 branch. And I was giddy with their choice as it is part of Zomato Gold.

It's Back: Mesa Rockwell is Now Open

Complex flavors and different influences make Filipino cuisine very interesting. There are several restaurants that offer great Filipino dishes and one of the best ones in town for me is Mesa Filipino Moderne.

Hello, Mesa Filipino Moderne.

The well-loved Filipino restaurant, Mesa, is back in Power Plant Mall!

First Bite: ¡OYE! Tapas & Grill

Is it just me or there is a crazy number of restaurants opening here and there? I used to be able to keep up with the new store openings within my area but I couldn't keep up anymore with the rate it's going. But I prioritize those I've been itching to try and one of the new restaurants I spotted a few weeks back is this tapas place in Uptown Bonifacio.

Hello, ¡OYE! Tapas & Grill!

First Bite: Nicandro Lutong Bahay

I usually avoid Filipino restaurants when I eat out as I could easily cook most of my favorite Filipino dishes at home. However, whenever I crave for dishes that painstakingly take time to prepare like bulalo and kare-kare, I’d eat out. Honestly, I have not heard of Nicandro Lutong Bahay as it doesn’t seem to be active in social media. I only came to be acquainted with this cozy Filipino restaurant tucked along the famous Lilac Street during a Marikina food crawl sponsored by Zomato and ABS-CBN. And I was not prepared to taste something different.

Hello, Nicandro Lutong Bahay. 

The first thing I noticed was its tables adorned with machuca designed laminate. It was the perfect flat lay background! 

As we wait for our food, we were served with two types of beverages, House Blend Iced Tea (PHP80) and Fresh Sugarcane Juice (PHP95, glass | PHP185, bottle). I got sugarcane and I wasn’t too happy with it. It tasted off and I just could not pinpoint what was wrong with it.

Restaurant Favorite: Locavore

After an afternoon date with my mom and sister, I headed to Kapitolyo for dinner with R’s family at Locavore. Auntie C made reservations but since the place was so busy during Mother’s Day, we were given seats at the al fresco area. At least we didn’t have to wait.

Hello, Locavore! It has been a while!

I think my last visit here was December 2014. It was memorable because it was the first time I met some of R’s friends. He made such a smooth move by asking me to recommend places to eat around my area. As an always-giddy-when-food-is-involved person, I recommended a handful and told him which dishes to order per restaurant. Then he asked me to join them so that they do not order the wrong ones. How can I turn down free food?! Anyways, fast forward to May 2016, I was back!

We ordered quite a lot as everyone was famished. Of course, part of the list were the bestsellers Lechon and Oyster Sisig (PHP360) and Sizzling Sinigang (PHP475). We also ordered Boneless Lechon Belly (PHP495), Baked Scallops with Aligue (PHP500), Garlic Baby Squid (PHP440) and Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (PHP220). For dessert, we got Sorbetes Gatas and Tsoknut (PHP150). 

The Baked Scallops with Aligue was served first and it was pretty good. It was buttery and the aligue added flavor to the typical baked scallops. There was also a generous serving of rock salt. However, the scallops were too small and too few for its price. 

The entrees were served next. 

The Sizzling Sinigang and Lechon Oyster Sisig were delightful as always. 

I loved the tanginess of the sinigang’s gravy. The crunchy veggies also added bite to the tender meat. This is best enjoyed with rice given its rich taste. So forget your no rice diet when you order this dish.