First Bite: Tenya Lokal Menu

It has been more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic hit the Philippines. With new variants coming in, it doesn't seem like the battle is ending anytime soon. Sadly, for many, this is not the only war they face each day. Thousands of Filipinos have lost their jobs and livelihood because of the pandemic. Countless faces struggled each day to make ends meet. But it was through dark times when the true essence of Bayanihan shines. And one stellar example is how restaurants uplift the local producers. Tenya did just that and more.

Hello, Tenya!

Tenya launched its farm-to-table initiative, where they complemented the Japan-sourced ingredients with those from our local farmers and fisherfolk. 

Go! Salad Celebrates Anniversary with P99 Fresh Farm Salads

Salad was never a staple in a typical Filipino meal. It was often associated with diet and seen to be not as good as other savory dishes like fried chicken, bulalo, crispy pata and so on. But that was all in the past. Filipinos today are smarter consumers and understand the importance of greens in one's diet. And thanks to Go! Salads, it's so much easier to have a healthier lifestyle. Its promo this month makes it even more pocket-friendly too!

Hello, Go! Salads.

Go! Salads celebrates its 7th Year with a great treat for everyone! Grab your favorite Farm Fresh Salads for just PHP99 from March 13 to 17, 2020.

First Bite: Soil Modern Dining

The words “softopening” attracts me like a fly to light and the thought of being one of thefirst ones to sample a new restaurant’s offerings delights me… a lot. And just like any typical night, I browsed through the looloo app and a review caught my attention. Soil Modern Dining, a new player in Molito is on its soft opening. It was just perfect as I was going to visit my aunt who lives in Alabang that weekend and R was game to head there for early dinner. Yay!

Hello, Soil Modern Dining.

We were greeted by nice modern, industrial interiors and I was instantly charmed by its simple yet beautiful table setting. 

Since we got there a tad too early (Soil resume operations at 6PM for dinner service), we decided to just wait outside and enjoy the cool breeze. We headed back after 20 minutes and took the bar seats, right across the open kitchen.

We ordered Bone Marrow Escargot Spread with Lemon Brioche and Onions (PHP180) for appetizer, Tea Smoked Salmon with Potato Gnocchi, Atchara and Orange (PHP335) and Pan Seared Duck with Fresh Pasta, Foie Gras and Mangoes (PHP400) for mains and Basil Lemonade with Blueberries (PHP80) and Warm Tarragon Tea with Star Anise Syrup (PHP80) for drinks.

While waiting for our meals, we were given complementary malunggay bread with seaweed butter. It was served warm and it sure hit the spot. I loved the softness of the bread and the lovely crunch of the crust. I also fell in love with the subtle salty taste of the butter. It was great!

I was still savoring the delightful bread and spread when our appetizer arrived.

I loved the wooden serving plate where the bone marrow was placed. It added a bit of warmth (aesthetically) to the food.

I scrapped a bit of bone marrow, sprinkled a bit of salt and spread it on a piece of bread and it tasted… oily. The taste of the bone marrow escargot was very weak and it was overpowered by the buttered bread. I then realized that this dish is best to be enjoyed without the bread or have a bite of it after getting a taste of the bone marrow escargot. Without the bread, it was actually a tasty dish. It was still oily but it had a nice light taste perfect for an appetizer.

My Tea Smoked Salmon was served next and it was a lovely sight.

The salmon was cooked just right. It wasn’t overly cooked hence leaving the rather small slab of salmon very fresh and moist. It was like enjoying salmon aburi! I also enjoyed the potato gnocchi which was so soft and slightly seasoned to give more flavor to the dish.

The unique atchara (made with some wild greens instead of shredded papaya relish) gave a nice sweet taste and the salted egg cream added a bit of saltiness. It was a great balance of flavors and definitely a must order dish.