Restaurant Love: Summer Palace

Summer Palace is our go-to place whenever there’s a special occasion or if there’s a guest in town. I never really bother to visit this place before as I used to be not fond of Chinese food. R though was raving about this place and shared how much he loves some dishes served here. And one bite was all it took for me to fall in love with it too.

Hello, Summer Palace.

Summer Palace has been around for several years. As one of the successful dining establishments of Shangri-La Hotel, Summer Palace has garnered a lot of recognition under its belt all thanks to its top notch food and service.

Sundays Made Better: Mercato at Heat

Don't you feel that the day is not enough to do all the things you want? Sunday seems to be the only day with an acceptable traffic that would make us more productive. But we also want to spend this day with the good ol family which again makes time a bit more scarce for everything else. Edsa Shangri-La got our backs though and thought of something brilliant.

Hello again, Heat!

It was my first time to visit Heat for lunch so I didn't know what to expect. Though I already know that Heat offers a bountiful and impressive spread from breakfast to dinner, I was not prepared to be awed further. 

Fancy First Bite: Senju

I noticed that I hardly blogged last month and it wasn’t exactly because I was busy with work (though I did get busier). I started to eat out less. Yes, I have been eating out less and less these days. *cries* I usually find myself stuck in a home-office-home (with lots of chores in between) routine. But R wants to change it by inviting me to…

Senju.

Okay, I wasn’t able to take much photos as I wanted to act less touristy given I was at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. I wanted to act… classy. (*insert canned laughter here*)

R and his parents took charge of ordering the food and they chose a lot. They ordered Aburi Shake, Shake Sashimi (PHP575), Uni (PHP325), Ebi Tempura (PHP505), Saba Shioyaki (PHP515), Unagi Maki Tamago (PHP325), Agedashi Tofu (PHP395), Crazy Maki (PHP715), and Kuro Buta Sirloin (PHP850).

Dinner started with a mouthwatering appetizer… Gindara Teriyaki. The soft and sweet dish sure made me crave for more.

First served was the aburi shake and it was lovely though I think Tsumura has better aburi shake.

The shake sashimi was delightful as well. The slices were just right and it had a soft and smooth texture.

The unagi maki tamago had a slightly sweet taste which complemented the salty freshwater eel.

Restaurant Discovery: Poetry & Prose Patisserie

I just love tea. (Okay, I love coffee more but I chose to give that up this lent.) Combine it with a new tea place and I'm practically someone you could easily drag. Add a bit of movie talk and I'll definitely be there. And that's the reason why I got to try Poetry & Prose Patisserie.

Why hello there, Poetry & Prose Patisserie.

F was already inside when I arrived and I felt so guilty for being 30 minutes late (but I had a good reason, I swear!). The place was pretty small and could sit around 15 to 20 people max. The server was pretty attentive as she gave me a menu as soon as I sat down. 

I haven't had lunch yet when I arrived so I went for something filling.  I got the Eggs Benedict (PHP355) and a pot of Jasmine Tea (PHP125). F ordered a salad with honey mustard dressing. (Yes, that made me feel a tad guilty ordering something heavier.)

Since there were only a few customers, service was pretty quick. I got my tea in less than 10 minutes (well, it was just a tea bag and water) and my dish arrived in less than 15 minutes. F's salad arrived at the same time as my Eggs Benedict.

First Bite: Green Pastures

Organic. This craze is getting stronger and stronger as time pass by. I guess it's actually a good craze as people are becoming more health conscious. I'm not too fond of organic food though as I think it tastes the same as the usual non-organic kind and because it is way pricier than its "unhealthy" counterpart. Don't get me wrong though as I try organic or healthy food from time to time. Like when I tried Juju Cleanse and Slice. And because of my desire to visit all new restaurants, my friends and I visited Green Pastures.

Hello Green Pastures!

There's a short wait before we could be seated. Oh the charm of new restaurants. This one was featured on T.V. and my aunt told me to give this a try and so I did.

I just came from Kimukatsu so I was still pretty full when I met A and L. (AL?) So I decided to go for the Local Artisanal Cheese (PHP325, single; PHP425, choice of 2; PHP850, full) and MilkEggsHoney (PHP155) for dessert. A went for the Meat On Meat Classic Cheeseburger (PHP595) while L ordered Octopus Bone Marrow (PHP425) and Duck You fries (PHP185). We all ordered Hibiscus Iced Tea (PHP90 per glass, PHP135 refillable) out of curiosity on how different it would be from a typical iced tea.

Service was quite quick as the Duck You which was served with a mini spray bottle of sauce, which happens to be vinegar, arrived in less than 10 minutes. The Duck You fries are your typical fries cooked in duck fat and topped with duck skin and duck confit. This dish is rather unhealthy but something duck lovers would enjoy.

Next served was my cheese order. I got the Neufchatel Cream Cheese with Smoked Salmon. The serving of cheese wasn't that generous but it was definitely enough for the four slices of bread. I wasn't very experimental though and ate the nuts, grapes honeycomb and cheese separately. I enjoyed the cheese though I hardly tasted the salmon.

Restaurant Discovery: Kimukatsu

People change as time pass by. Priorities shift and some friends come and go. That's how life is. Dwelling in how great things were will just hinder you from appreciating the present. I admit, I used to be guilty with reminiscing about the past, how happy and carefree college was. Okay, perhaps it wasn't as carefree as I recall as I do remember sleepless nights because of those financial models we just could not balance. But I am thankful for one thing... the people who stayed. 

It has been a while since I last saw J and M. The last time I met J was way back in 2010 while it was 2012 for M. I guess we all got busy but interestingly, kept in touch thanks to Facebook. Hey, this could be a movie, eh? Uh, not really.

Anyway, we all decided to meet up at Shangri-La (since I'm the youngest and I get the first pick!) and went to Kimukatsu, a new Japanese restaurant at the East Wing.

For some reason, I had an impression that it is just like its neighbor, Ikkoryu Fukuoka. But when we got there and saw the menu, it is just like Yabu. KimuKATSU... duh! Since we're there and comfy, we decided to go for it. 

I ordered the Black Pepper Katsu (PHP390) while J went for the Tatsuta-Age (PHP180) and another katsu viand I forgot to note. M on the other hand went for the Kimukatsu Plain Sandwich (PHP210) and Agedashi Tofu (PHP180). I also ordered Japanese Panna Cotta for dessert (PHP110).

First served were the complimentary miso soup and cabbage followed by the Tatsuta-Age and Kimukatsu Plain Sandwich. I had to take quick snapshots of the dishes as I was not with people who are used to being around a food blogger who believes in "picture before satisfying the tummy". 

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.

Restaurant Discovery: Woo Galbi

I think I'm sick. I'm suffering from an ooh-a-new-restaurant-we-have-to-eat-there-NOW disease and I think I have reached stage 4. 

Lately, I haven't been going on hardcore food trips where I have to stop by 4 restaurants in one day. (Awww T3, I miss those days!) But one thing is for sure, if there's a new restaurant in Shangri-La or Megamall, I have to go there. True enough, when Woo Galbi opened, I begged my mom and sister that we hold one of our Saturdate lunches at the new Korean restaurant. And we did.

We arrived a bit past 1 p.m. as my sister came from school and I was trying to lead a healthier lifestyle by going to the gym for circuit training and studio for yoga. (Yeah~ <3)

The place wasn't packed so we easily got a table. I got slightly confused as there were Japanese dishes on the menu too such as tempura and sashimi. While reading the menu, the only thing in my mind was, "hey, the food here is pretty pricey" upon seeing the price of the bibimbap. PHP450 for a bowl?! Well, worth it, I guess.

It took us 10 minutes or so to decide on what to order and finally, we ordered a solo serving of Cucumber Prawn Salad (PHP176), Japchae (PHP298), Grilled Boneless Shortribs Bulgogi (PHP595) and Shrimp Tempura (PHP232 for three pieces and PHP350 for 5 pieces). 

While waiting, we feasted on the side dishes which I find okay. The serving though wasn't very generous. 

First to arrive was the salad. I must admit, it was pretty tasty! The dressing was superb. Slightly tangy and sweet. It somehow reminded me of the dressing Vietnamese restaurants serve. The greens were crisp and fresh though there were only two prawns included. I guess if I upsize it'll be four or more.

Promo Alert: Dine at HEAT Restaurant at 50% off!

My friends know that I have this thing for buffets. I just can't resist it. I remember as well that my first date with N was also in an eat-all-you-can restaurant (and found out later on that it's a no-no for first dates. I guess it doesn't give that romantic ambiance given that you're surrounded with people with mountains of food on their plates).

But since I am stingy, I do not go to the hotels for buffets. I'm satisfied with a PHP299 deal from Don Day or Sambo Kojin or even Yakimix (for unlimited salmon).

Then one lucky day, I saw a photo on my news feed. Overheated? Oh shoot! HEAT! Edsa Shangri-La's HEAT is having a summer buffet promo!

The price is so tempting as for only PHP715++ (for lunch Mondays to Saturdays for the whole month of April), you get to eat awesome food! The catch though is that you need to bring along with you a company of 4 or more to avail the promo. Still, it's not a bad deal at all!

I'm booking a reservation soon to celebrate someone's birthday. Book now too! :)

For reservations, contact 633-8888 ext. 2777. Note that prior reservation is needed.

HEAT is located at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel,1 Garden Way, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.