First Bite: Hey Handsome

Hey Handsome has been receiving praises from notable influencers from the foodie community for a month now. Actually, just knowing that the minds behind this concept are the ones who brought Your Local already convinced me that I have to visit this place ASAP. I really respect these young talents as they are not afraid of the insanely crazy restaurant industry we have now. And to use unconventional raw ingredients such as keluak,a big poisonous fruit found in Indonesia, among others, proves how passionate they are in their craft and in bringing new flavors to Manila. The restaurant was scheduled to open last Friday but since the owners want to make sure that everything is perfect, they had to delay the opening and moved it to August 17 instead. (Thank you, Charlie Paw for the heads up!) And finally, Hey Handsome is open!!!

Hello, Hey Handsome!

I was greeted by lovely interiors that reminded me of Your Local, only brighter and more Instagram friendly (given the abundance of light). The modern mixed with industrial feel, high stools and white and green tiles turn every corner of this restaurant perfect for shoots. 

I guess Nicco Santos, one of the owners, head chef and a photographer himself, considered how foodies love to take snapshots of food and restaurant interiors. 

The restaurant aims to infuse more “real” Asian flavors such as Peranakan, Thai and Malaysian. Though some of the ingredients are sourced in other Asian countries for more authentic flavors, some are sourced locally. I honestly could not really tell which ones are authentic tasting or not. As long as the dish tastes good, I’m a-okay with it! 

I have read several positive reviews about the Beetroot Paneer (PHP480), Nam Tok (PHP580), Bebek Penyet (PHP680) and Nasi Lemak (PHP645). I decided to go with last one knowing that is considered as a complete meal in Malaysia and Singapore.

Quite unfamiliar with the dishes, I did a quick research and found out that Nasi Lemak is usually composed of meat, salted peanuts, coconut rice, hardboiled egg and dilis. But it is wrong to expect “usual” when dining at Chef Nicco’s restaurant. Instead of serving nasi lemak (coconut rice) with meat, Hey Handsome paired it with sea bass otah infused with spices that is wrapped and grilled in banana leaves served with sambal, pickled soft boiled egg and peanut brittle with dilis.

Kumori Favorite: Krone

I fell in love with Kumori’s soft buns ever since I got a bite of it. It was the best part of the milk shake I ordered as it somehow offset the sweetness of the hazelnut chocolate. Though I had the whole thing for myself, I felt that it was not enough. I wanted to buy a pack of three (PHP25) then but R stopped me as we have a lot of food to finish or else it’ll spoil. Hence, I stopped myself from buying and heard my heart break a bit. But it wasn’t that long till I get to buy some of that lovely soft buns. 

Hello, Kumori in Makati!

After enjoying my banhmi from Bon Banhmi, I roamed around for some dessert and figured that I’ll try Kumori’s Krone (PHP49 per roll) and buy a pack of soft buns for breakfast. 

Wait. What?

A krone is a hallow, flaky, Danish pastry tube that is freshly piped with a creamy egg custard filling and sprinkled with a snow sugar powder (confectionary sugar).

My krone was given to me as soon as I paid and I just could not resist licking the custard filling overflow. I quickly took a few shots and tasted the filling. 

It had a nice light and smooth taste. It was sweet but not overly sweet. Its smooth texture was well complemented by the crispiness and flakiness of the Danish pastry. Just think of it as crispy cream puff. Actually, that’s exactly what it was… a crispy cream puff.

It was good and one order was enough to satisfy my craving for dessert. 

See you again, Kumori!

Kumori is located at Basement, Landmark Food Court, Makati Avenue, Makati City. 

Restaurant Love: Happy Cream Puff

I have a few favorite places that I go to whenever I’m lazy, tired or just wanted to have a quick break. One of which is Happy Cream Puff at Shangri-La Plaza Mall’s East Wing. (Wow, that’s a mouthful!) The place is not as crowded as Starbucks and they have free wi-fi (which fails me at times). And since they also serve savory dishes, it’s one of my top choices when I’m hungry and need food ASAP.

It was already 4 p.m. when we got to Shangri-La and with no food in our bellies; we were starting to get cranky. My sister and I decided to go to Happy Cream Puff for a quick meal before doing other errands.

Konnichiwa, Happy Cream Puff!

This time around, I decided to go for the Nagoya Spaghetti (PHP230) while my sister ordered the Salisbury steak. We also got Banana Nama Éclair (PHP105) for dessert.

For some reason, I was so addicted to spaghetti that week. Just the day before, I also had spaghetti. I felt like I was possessed by Hetty Spaghetti. Anyway…

Restaurant Discovery: Happy Cream Puff

My mom and sister were both raving about the food at Happy Cream Puff that we decided to have one of our lunch dates there.

Hello, Happy Cream Puff.

I never noticed that Happy Cream Puff serves savory food. Well, the name itself is pretty deceiving. I just buy cream puffs and I'm gone. But true enough, they do serve savory dishes and other drinks aside from brewed coffee.

After checking the menu, I went with the Beef Stew (PHP260) and Coffee Jelly (PHP120) while my sister went with Chicken Karaage (PHP180) and my mom ordered the Spaghetti a la Carbonara (PHP180). (Prices are very pocket friendly.)

First served was my coffee jelly drink and it was sweeter than expected. Definitely not something you would want to order to quench your thirst. 

Next served were our meals.

The beef stew was great! The meat was so tender and I actually ate the carrots! I normally hate carrots and I would only eat it if I like the sauce or dip that goes with it.

My First Bite: Sancho Churreria Manila

Ever since I saw a post claiming that a quaint restaurant along Maginhawa serves the best churros in town, I’ve been itching to go back to Maginhawa to try it myself. I’ve always been in love with Dulcinea’s churros and I wondered if I’ll have an affair with a new one.

 

We were still in our “Invade Maginhawa” mode but it was almost 5PM then. We didn’t care if our tummies were about to explode. We just have to check this place out.