Revisited: Genki Sushi

A concept born in 1968, Genki Sushi has grown from a Japanese sushi bar into an international brand. It opened its first store in Manila 3 years ago and it has been expanding ever since. Its success can be attributed to its extensive menu of pocket-friendly sushi and maki and interesting way of having it served. And Genki Sushi beefed up its offerings even more by adding bentos and rice toppings. 

Hello, Genki Sushi. 

It has been a long while since my last visit at this quirky sushi bar. I still recall how much fun I had ordering my favorites and the giddiness I felt whenever my "race car" or "train" arrives with my orders. This time around, I didn't focus much on the novelty of how the food's delivered and focused more on the dishes. And for this visit, I got to try some of Genki Sushi's newest dishes. 

Love at First Bite: Toast Asian Kitchen and Tasting Room

I really love how our food scene evolved throughout the years. These days, we don't have to board a plane just to get a taste of other cuisines. And with restaurants and malls popping here and there, sometimes we don't even have to drive around. The residents near Meralco Avenue have it good as they are near the newest Ayala mall and one of my new restaurant favorites, Toast.

Hello, Toast Asian Kitchen and Tasting Room.

When in Pampanga: Amare by Chef Chris

I have been bugging my foodie friends to organize a Pampanga food crawl as this city is a foodie paradise. But every time we plan to visit, it never pushes through. Hence I was so happy when ForkSpoonManila invited me to his Pampanga food crawl with some of food and lifestyle influencers. It was a mix of restaurants, retail and recreational stops making it a trip to remember. Our first stop… Amare by Chef Chris. 

Hello Amare by Chef Chris!

Our first stop has a fancy feel to it given that it’s at the ground floor of Royce Hotel. 

We were warmly  greeted by the very hands-on Chef Chris and introduced himself in a way very familiar to us… that he used to be the chef of C’ Italian Dining famous for its rollizza. 

First Bite: Grind Bistro

As a sucker for trying out new places and dishes, I digitally dragged with me K and J to try this new restaurant called Grind Bistro. 

Hello, Grind Bistro! 

The place was pretty empty on its first day of operation. The only group there was... just my bosses and their friends. Yeah. That's how I roll. 

The dimly lit restaurant shouts sophisticated and a not so friendly price tag on its dishes. True enough, when I checked the menu, you could easily spend over a thousand by ordering a couple of dishes. The steaks alone range around PHP1,600 to PHP2,200. 

While waiting, I had a chat with Thea, the restaurant manager and she told me more about Grind Bistro and recommended some dishes. She mentioned that the name of the restaurant is called Grind because they grind their own beef for the burgers. Also, their chef, Mr. Carl Steven used to be the executive chef of Hyatt hence the impeccable dishes. That small talk made my expectations shoot up! 

K arrived a couple of minutes after my talk with Thea and we decided to order Poke Nachos (PHP495) while waiting for J who was having an intense battle with traffic.

The nachos were served after a short while and we did our best not to touch it till J arrives. And we succeeded. 

Complimentary bread was served a couple minutes before J arrived. Yes, it was served after our nachos. I guess they might have thought we were just there to sit and drink free water hence the reluctance to give us a wait snack. 

The nachos were delightful! The chips which were sweet potato, taro and wonton were all crisp and added texture to the pico de gallo, ahi tuna, local chevre and wasabi tobiko. 

First Bite: Fire Lake Grill

Celebrating new year's with R's family was fun. There were several kids running around and their reaction to fireworks was priceless. I also learned a bit of mahjong which is a more sophisticated and complicated version of well-loved Filipino card game Tong Its (rummy-type game). When the clock hit 12 midnight, we all cheered for 2016 and also greeted cutie pie P a happy birthday. It must be fun to have the whole world anticipate your birthday with you. And to celebrate P's birthday, we all headed to Cliffhouse Tagaytay for lunch.

Hello, Fire Lake Grill! 

It was drizzling when we arrived but that did not hinder us from enjoying the nice view Cliffhouse offers. 

When we got settled, I realized that the P's parents already had everything prepared. All we have to do is choose between steak or salmon for our main course. R opted to get the grilled pepper-rubbed Australian strip loin steak while I went with the baked Norwegian salmon fillet. 

First served was our Greek-style petite salad tossed with red wine-oregano vinaigrette. 

Presentation-wise, it was like I plated it myself. The dressing had that slightly bitter after taste which I dislike. The greens though were fresh and I loved the tangy flavor brought by the small cubes of cheese.

A small cup of leek and potato soup in demitasse sour cream and chives was served next and it was probably the best leek and potato soup I have ever tasted! It was creamy and rich in flavor! I went to soup heaven when I got a taste of the sour cream that balanced off the saltiness of the soup. The only thing I did not like about this dish is that I could easily finish it in one gulp!

Love at First Sip: Kissako Uji Matcha Café

Friday nights are meant for munching and discovering new food. I am not so fond of eating the same food twice as there are just so many restaurants to visit and so many dishes to try. Just thinking about it makes me so giddy.

Last Friday, I made an 8 p.m. reservation for three at Locavore thinking that my sister’s last class ends late. But we all got together at 6:30. So to kill time, I asked them if we could visit the new Japanese tea and coffee shop I spotted a few weeks ago.

Hello, Kissako!

The place is quite small and could only accommodate perhaps 5-6 groups at a time. Choices are also limited making it easier for me choose. I went with Strawberry Shortcake (PHP170), Chocolate Mousse (PHP170) and Horiguchi Coffee (PHP130) in medium roast.

The cakes arrived in cute dark colored clay plates. I am already in love without even tasting the cake yet.

Restaurant Discovery: Corner Tree Café

A has been telling me that there’s this good vegetarian restaurant along Jupiter street in Makati. I never really bothered to visit the place right away as I’m not vegetarian and I was going crazy with the number of restaurants popping here and there in Kapitolyo. But I guess I was fated to visit the said vegetarian restaurant when I went to Mystery Manila the second time around.

Hello, Corner Tree Café.

The quaint café is located at a corner hence its name. The place is pretty small too and could accommodate perhaps 20 people maximum.

J and her friends were already there when I arrived. I then hurriedly ordered as we only have less than an hour to go to Mystery Manila. I went with Vegetable Dumpling (PHP150), Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna (PHP445), Chocolate Mousse with Dark Toblerone (PHP220) and a glass of Organic Lemongrass Iced Tea (PHP99).

Service was slow. I waited for over 20 minutes before my first dish arrived.

American Pie: Marie Callender's Restaurant and Bakery

I love it when I get to visit a new place. Dropping by Trader Joe's for the first time made me giddy for days. Everything that could be covered in chocolate was covered in chocolate! I was in heaven! But that's in another blog. Today, we'll talk about pies. Well, fine, pie. 

I'm not really a pie person as I prefer cake over pie. And I think the only pie I enjoy eating is egg pie from Goldilocks. My taste buds are easy to please. But I had no idea that my taste buds will be spoiled by a heavenly pie.

 

We were almost on our way home when Auntie asked that we pass by Marie Callender's. She wanted to check the pies as she saw a commercial saying that they have a pie sale. True enough, they do.

The place somehow reminded me of Porto's though this one has a more feminine touch to it. 

Black Day Snacks at Milky Way Tea

I just realized that more often than not, whenever I go out with friends, we usually have at least two stops—one for a real meal and one for just-because-we-want-to-eat-more-even-though-we-are-already-full or more to put it simply, pure gluttony. This entry is the part 2 of the Black Day celebration where I was the only one in black. *pouts*

Hello Milky Way Tea!

 

It took me quite a while to pay this place a visit. But since Black Day is a special day, I just have to visit it with my Dongguk friends (minus one since D has another date *hurt*).

Lunchtime at Chatime

I just love going on a date with my dad! These dates give us the needed father-daughter bonding plus heart-to-heart talk. I find it extremely funny though how much our conversation topics evolved from me being a spoiled brat begging for a new toy or whatnot to us talking about career, life, and everything in between (which mostly involves food and me being shipped to another country!).

My dad randomly called me around 11:30 a.m. on a weekday (which means I was at work). He asked me if I want to have lunch and since I only have meatloaf as lunch that day, I said YES as I normally decline because of the long line to the elevator. We planned to have lunch at Milky and Sunny but there was no parking space. Same for Nav and Poco Deli. We then decided to have lunch instead at Chatime as they now serve food.

 

We were lucky as the line was still short when we arrived. I ordered two orders of Pepper Salt Chicken Chops with Annatto Rice Pilaf (PHP75 for the chicken chops and PHP18 for the rice pilaf) and Parmesan Fries (PHP65). I had my usual ChocolateMousse while my dad tried one of the newest drinks of Chatime.

 

The chicken chops and rice annatto rice pilaf was served in about 10 minutes and surprisingly, it was served lukewarm. My dad had to ask the server for a new bowl of rice as he doesn’t want his rice reheated. 

L.A. Food Find Favorite: Porto's Bakery

“I need to buy some potato balls” was what our family friend said. Potato balls? Baby potatoes… those you bake and dip with butter? Apparently not. It was so much better.

After a quick stop at Ross, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom, and Staple, our friend asked us if we could drop by Porto’s on our way back home. Since we were clueless what that is, we said, “Sure!”

We were greeted by brown interiors and furniture (what’s with cafés and the color brown?) and I can’t help but notice that there was also a party store on the second floor.

*Confused* I wasn’t sure if I could check the pastries first before lining up (for people might think that I was cutting in line) or if I should patiently wait for my turn, take my time browse through the different mouthwatering sweets and savory dishes. Anyway, with the help of my dear (how I wish it was longer) neck, I was able to find something I fancy (plus the famous Porto’s Potato Balls). I called out to my mom and pointed out the Triple Chocolate Mousse while my sister stared at her so eagerly and pointed with her mouth the Chocolate Éclair and Tiramisu. Since we heard that the Cheese Rolls were popular too, we ordered 3 of that as well.

 

We hurriedly went back home to try the goodies.