First Bite: Boa Kitchen + Socials

Breakfast spread never fail to make my eyes sparkle and mouth drool. And when I got word that Boa Kitchen + Socials offers some of my favorites, I made sure to visit this new foodie haven along Scout Rallos. 

Hello, Boa Kitchen + Socials.

Boa is one of the newest establishments in Quezon City's foodie district. Located on the mezzanine floor of ABDC building, make sure to look for a purple signage when you get to the corner of Scout Rallos and Scout Tuazon. 

Love at First Bite: Sabor Bar de Vinos

Novotel Manila Araneta Center has been known as a hotel of choice by many locals and travelers alike. Situated in the bustling part of Quezon City, this hotel is just a few steps away from malls like Gateway Mall and entertainment centers like Kia Theater and Smart Araneta Coliseum. It also serves as a great place for staycations with its impressive amenities. And just recently, Novotel came up with another reason why it is a hotel worth visiting. 

Hello, Sabor Bar de Vinos.

Sabor is Novotel's newest food concept that will delight any food enthusiast. It is a tapas bar that offers ample selection of small Spanish savory dishes perfect to be enjoyed with a glass or two of your favorite wine. 

First Bite: After All

I love knowing every restaurant's back story as it gives it more character and allows me to have a better grasp on what it aims to be. Some started out as passion projects while others wanted to fill the market's unmet needs or wants. One establishment I've recently visited sprung from the idea of the owners wanting a place to hang out and enjoy their favorite dishes. It turns out though that the food they always crave would be a hit with people outside their circle. After all, their favorites are classics.

Hello, After All Bar & Grill. 

This restaurant and bar in SM Jazz opened its doors to the public last month and it has been getting a steady following since then. It isn't surprising as After All offers a wide variety of dishes and drinks. 

I was greeted by dim lights and dark hued furniture when I stepped inside After All. It was still very quiet around 6 pm with only some of the owners at the other side of the restaurant. Diners came in around 7:30 pm and the place became very busy around 8 pm. 

First Bite: Cucina Peruvia

I have been curious about Cocina Peruvia ever since I read a few reviews about the place. The fact that they have Buy One, Get One Happy Hour daily and 20% discount on Mondays made me even more eager to visit this place and I did with some of my favorite foodies. 

Hello, Cocina Peruvia. 

We went here on a Saturday afternoon to avail of the Happy Hour promo. Its tempting buy one, get one deal was simply irresistible so we were surprised that the place was empty when we got there. The place was also a bit dim despite its light and bright colored walls.

We decided to order Salmon Skin Chicharon (PHP180) and Galera de Chocolate (PHP350), both under the Happy Hour promo. 

Service was quick and our food was served in less than 15 minutes. 

When in Cebu: Crimson Resort and Spa, Mactan

Since it’s Thursday, time for a throwback post! Okay, I just missed out on this entry which truly deserves to be posted.

Hello, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan! (Whew, that’s a mouthful!)

It was quite a trip from Bantayan Island to Crimson, Mactan. It took us roughly 4 hours just to go back to Cebu City and another 40 minutes or so to Mactan. We were weary from the hot ferry ride and crowded bus trip. And we were famished too since we skipped lunch. But this made us look forward to our stay. True enough, we were so delighted to see our room and the spacious bathroom (which was 6 times bigger than the bathroom in Kota Beach, Bantayan Island).

After freshening up a bit, we decided to head down to the beach area but sadly, it was already closed. So we just took a quick dip in the crowded pool (there was a Korean-Chinese event during our stay and the resort was PACKED).

While lounging, our tummies reminded us that we haven’t had a meal since 10am. And since it was happy hour, R and I ordered Mango Shake (I recall it was around PHP150 per glass) and a plate of Tuna Tataki (PHP220).

The mango shake was sour. Perhaps it was no longer in season. We also noticed the shortage of buko in the island. Bananas too! We heard that a huge company bought most of these fruits hence the shortage.

First Bite: Pablo’s

Working in Fort Bonifacio could sure dent your wallet if you’re not smart with your money. Temptation is very strong, especially on payday, as we are surrounded by restaurants and retail stores. There are even a few malls to choose from. And being stranded could also be costly. Believe me. As a person who brings homemade food to work, I make sure that I spend less than PHP100 a day, even less on most days. But when rain pours, sometimes, so does money.

Hey, Pablo’s!

Rain was crazy a few weeks ago. I was stranded for almost 3 hours for two days! And since I had no plans to brave the rain, I decided to join my officemates for dinner at Pablo’s.

It has Happy Hour until 8 p.m. but since I have some drinks at home, I focused on the real food. On my first night, I opted to get the Sirloin Beef Tapa with 2 Eggs (PHP245) and an order of Pablo’s Potato Chips (PHP170). On my second visit, I went for Basil Chicken (PHP245).

The potato chips confused me. Those were definitely not “paper thin” as what the menu claimed. It was fat potato cuts. At least it was crispy.

But it was smothered with spicy red powder making it difficult for me to enjoy.

My officemates kept saying that Pablo’s tapa is deeeelish so I had my palate ready for something awesome.

When it was served, first thing that came to mind was, “serving size is okay, it’s fragrant too, but is it better than my mom’s tapa?” Yes, I have never tasted better tapa than my mom’s. My mom’s tapa has this sweet and tangy taste that I love and so far, I have not tasted anything better.

It was okay. The tapa was tender and it was juicy. It was a nice mix of sweet and salty taste. I didn’t taste the tanginess that I want from tapa though. But it was pretty good for its price. And I loved that the rice was not your usual plain rice. It was mixed with tapa sauce and bits of marinated sirloin.

First Bite: Village Tavern

It has been 3 months since my office moved to Fort and till now I hardly explored the area (except the establishments in front of our building). For one, I want to go home before it gets dark. Second, it’s expensive to explore here! But I do treat myself a good meal on certain days when I feel I deserve it. And a few weeks back, I invited E to join me for dinner and we went to…

Village Tavern.

I was first to arrive and the server led me to a corner table (near the al fresco part of the restaurant) and I politely asked her to move me to another table as I noticed that the area had a lot of mosquitoes. I refuse to be the mosquitoes’ dinner. She then led me to the table near the bar and it was a lot better. Soon, E arrived.

Since we got there before 7PM, we managed to score some Happy Hour drinks. I ordered Red Sangria (PHP95 before 7PM, PHP180 regular price) while E went for Long Island Iced Tea (PHP95 before 7PM, PHP155 regular price). We also ordered Roasted Bone Marrow (PHP365) and Black Pizza (PHP550).

The Roasted Bone Marrow was sinful and quite weird too. We put a bit of bone marrow goodness on the sourdough and sprinkled a bit of salt and added the greens that went with the dish. 

It tasted okay but quite far from the bone marrow dish I had from Cue.

Friday Night Destination: Tipple & Slaw

Ever since we moved to a busier part of Manila, things felt busier at work too. But since temptation to eat out is stronger in our new area, dragging people for dinner became easier. Hence Friday Night Out with officemates!

Hello, Tipple & Slaw!

It has been a while since I last visited Tipple & Slaw. I recall it was way back August when I first (and last) visited.

The place remained the same and I got the same table too as last time. But this time, instead of just ordering one dish, we ordered six. I ordered Oyster Chowder (PHP180) first as I was famished. D got the Sriracha Mac N Cheese (PHP200) while C1 ordered Chicken Nuggets (PHP250). C2 and A ordered Peruvian Roast Chicken (PHP350) for sharing while M and I (ßthat’s me, not an initial I) got the Roast Beef (PHP550). We also ordered Meat-zza (PHP650) for sharing.

First served was my oyster chowder and it was super salty. It tasted like I was drinking creamy seawater! But I was really hungry to the point of being hangry so I kept slurping and I also ate the crispy (and oily) oysters on the side.

Next served was D’s mac n cheese and everyone reacted that it was spicy. Well, it really was but people who love that kind of kick will adore this dish. (P.S. It wasn’t super spicy.)

C1’s chicken nuggets order seemed to be a value for money. Not bad for PHP250.

Restaurant Love: St. Patrick's

My friends and I have been planning to have dinner in Kapitolyo for months after realizing that our offices are practically neighbors. But since everyone’s so busy, we just can’t find time to do it. Until one Facebook post made it possible. Then again, K suddenly had to back. But since F and I were stressed that day, we still went for it.

Hello, St. Patrick's!

St. Patrick's was rather packed when we arrived. Originally, we planned on having dinner at Red Panda but we decided to change venues due to the desire to drink. [No, we are not alcoholics. Just so we’re clear. ;)]

The menu covers simple dishes so it wasn’t that hard for us to choose which ones to order. We opted for the following: Spam Chips (PHP160), Calamari (PHP180), Taco Bites (PHP180), and Shepherd’s Pie (PHP250). I went for a glass of Margarita (PHP180) while F ordered beer.

First served was the plate of Spam chips. It was simply deep fried thinly sliced Spam and it was superb! Okay, I’m a bit biased as I love Spam!

Next served was the Calamari. It was your typical calamari with yummy garlic mayo! I enjoyed the dip so much that I ate the carrot sticks! (And I hate carrots!)

The Taco Bites were awesome! It was slightly spicy but very tolerable. I enjoyed the flavorful chili con carne and the generous dose of cheese. 

Las Vegas Stop: Border Grill

Eating out in the US is pretty expensive so I never had the chance to really eat out as I normally do here in Manila. But it's okay. It made me learn how to prepare more dishes and even bake! I manage to try a few restaurants though while I was in the US and I will be sharing them one by one this month. Let me start with Border Grill (after a little story of our Vegas trip).

My good friend J went to California for a short vacation and we decided to visit Las Vegas to make her vacation worthwhile. The catch though was... we'll just stay overnight.

 

I was pretty proud with myself as I was able to learn Las Vegas 101 in less than an hour. Soon, I found myself securing our bus tickets (thank you Greyhound) and hotel (the farthest in the strip but hey, it is still on the strip!).

Soon, J and I found ourselves in a bus ride to Las Vegas and it sure was a long ride. 6 hours to be exact with a scent of Marijuana. Yes, weeds. For some reason, some passengers just can't wait. I found out it that it was the smell of weeds from an elderly. I guess I still have a lot to know about the "real world".

When we arrived, we tried to figure out how to get to the strip as the bus stop is a few blocks away. We had 3 options then, cab, bus or walk. I didn't consider taking a cab as an option as the fare is ridiculously expensive plus with the traffic, we'll run out of money in no time. So we decided to walk until we found a bus terminal. We got a day pass for $8 per person. It's not a bad deal at all. It's valid for 24 hours! Our hotel was about 4 to 6 stops away from the terminal and sadly, while inside the bus, I got squished. Yes, squished by one of the passengers. 

After an hour of stretching and resting, we finally decided to head out and explore Vegas. We first went to the observation deck at Stratosphere for the view then took the bus to go to the farthest hotel, Mandalay Bay.