First Bite: Made Nice Supper Club

I have been an active looloo user for over a year now and it never seems to get old. I just love the looloo community and I truly enjoy listening to each and everyone’s food and adventure stories. Coming from different walks of life, each member are like spices and herbs that make the community a lot more interesting. And what’s a fun community without regular meet ups, or in our case, eat ups? Our resident PRO, J, arranged a looloo holiday dinner open to all active reviewers and it sure was a festive one! Our venue? The new restaurant across Your Local called Made Nice Supper Club.

Hello, Made Nice Supper Club!

It could be challenging to spot this place if you have no clue where it is along the foodie Esteban street. It is across Your Local and beside a bridal store. With its minimalist MN signage, you have to remember those two landmarks to avoid missing it, as some of us did. 

Love at First Bite: Dohtonbori

Thanks to the mouthwatering photos I see here, I had a few sleepless nights and experienced intense FOMO (oh yeah! I feel like a millennial) when looloo held a rendezvoos in this popular okonomiyaki restaurant along Missouri Street. And after months of drooling and waiting and more drooling, I have finally set foot inside... DOHTONBORI!!! 

PON POKO PON NO PON!!! (Did I get it right?) 

We were asked if we would like to dine in the tatami mat area and I immediately said YES. Let's eat Japanese style! Woohoo!!!

Water was served right after we sat down. (Plus points for that as the heat was too much!)

After browsing the menu, we settled with Deluxe Okonomiyaki (PHP360), Kalbi Yakiniku (PHP280) and Grilled Salmon Chanchan (PHP380).

The kale yakiniku was served first and the server prepared it for us due to our fear that we'll mess things up if we do the grilling and flipping. In less than 10 minutes, the kalbi yakiniku was ready to be enjoyed. 

It was good. Tender beef with lovely sweet sauce. However, it was a bit on the bland side. 

The deluxe okonomiyaki and salmon chanchan were prepared next and it took longer than the yakiniku. 

Restaurant Love: ArroZeria Manila

I have been planning to visit Le Petit Soufflé for months now but every time I plan to, it gets cancelled. *sigh* I had my heart and tummy ready for a French dinner after my sister’s graduation but since we failed to reserve a table, we had to move elsewhere and our second option was not bad at all… not at all.

Hello again, ArroZeria Manila!

It has been a few months since I last visited this place and I recall that service was a bit slow given that they only prepare the paella after you order (though you could actually call in advance for them to prepare it before you arrive). But the food was awesome so I didn’t mind the wait. I went crazy over the Valenciana and risotto. We ordered Paella Valenciana (PHP295, minimum of two orders) again that night as well as Carpaccio de Atun (PHP195), Pepito de Ternera (PHP250), Fideua Negra (PHP295, minimum of two orders) and Cochinillo (PHP650).

First served that night was the paella and it was surprising given that was one of the last dishes served the last time I went.

The texture seemed to be tougher this time but the lovely flavor was still there. I felt a bit short of the chicken as there were 6 of us sharing paella good for two. (Okay, fine. It was actually good for four persons.) The manager scraped off the burnt paella and distributed it amongst us and it was pretty good too! The crunchy texture with the sauce of Valenciana made my tummy happy.

Next served was the Fiduea Negra. I loved the chewy texture of the octopus and thin noodles. It wasn’t that salty too. But there was one problem. The black squid ink sticks to your teeth. Avoid this when you’re on a date.

Love at First Bite: Seryna

Most of my friends tell me that one of the best sashimi places is Seryna. Some of my friends even invited me to visit the place but every time we plan it out, it gets cancelled. But J wanted to really eat there one time and I figured that it’s about time to make it happen.

Hello, Seryna!

Tucked inside Little Tokyo hides a Japanese gem or so what foodies say. I actually had a bit of difficulty finding the place. But once you know Makati Cinema Square, you’ll find it.

I was surprised that the place was packed when we visited. I thought that since the place is not exactly convenient to visit and with so many other restaurants to choose from, people will not visit this establishment. Well, I was wrong.

It took me a while to decide on what to order because Seryna has a wide range of dishes from appetizer to sukiyaki, from ramen to bento meals. After 15 minutes or so, I went with Salmon Sashimi (PHP240), Tako Wasabi (PHP160), and Gyu Don (PHP320). J went with one of the bento meals for PHP380 and I was surprised that it was such a steal. (Think Yabu/Saboten meal.)

First served was my salmon sashimi (with J’s uni in the background).

Restaurant Love: Todd English Food Hall

I have been planning to visit Todd English Food Hall for the longest time but for some reason, the people I’m with are not game or something happens hence having to change plans. But my favorite Dragon Lady wanted to visit it too before 2014 ended so, it finally happened!

Hello, Todd English Food Hall.

It’s pretty dark inside giving it a bit of classy and intimate vibe despite the food hall set up. But we didn’t really care as we were famished. After 5 minutes or so, we decided to get T.E. Pork Chop (PHP440), Charred Octopus (PHP380), and Home-Cured Bacon (PHP450). We also ordered rice to share since we were advised that the bacon’s taste might be a bit too overwhelming.

The 48-hour brined pork chop arrived first and the size was pretty generous. We were surprised with how soft the pork chop was and it was really flavorful. It went really well with the marbled potatoes and the French beans and demi-glace sauce.

Restaurant Discovery: Boqueria

When you get older, it's so hard to schedule a regular lunch date with your friends. There will always be someone who would be busy, someone who has to cancel last minute, and someone who's too in love to meet the friends. But when we do meet, we talk like there's no tomorrow with a few breaks to chew our food. I'm usually the resident PRO so I schedule the meet ups and this time, we decided to block March 8 and explore the Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.

Since we didn't decide on where to eat, I took the liberty to decide for us. I've been targeting Boqueria for quite some time but my mom wanted burger (thus a trip to 8 Cuts) during my first trip to the new hall and I saw a new Japanese place (Osaka Ohsho) the second time I went. So, third time's the charm I guess. ;)

The place wasn't packed when I arrived and managed to get a table right away. They seem to have a shortage with menus though as the server asked if he could borrow my menu for a while. He returned it in less than 5 minutes though. 

I browsed the menu long enough to make me look less of a loner and decided to get the following: Pulpo a la Gallega (PHP280), Salpicon de Mariscon (PHP198), Cocido de Madrilena (I forgot to take note of the price), and a glass of Apple Iced Tea.

Since I was already hungry, I started getting a few bites off the appetizers but I try to spread the food to make it less obvious. The baby octopus was delicious! It wasn't as chewy as squid and I just love munching it. One order is good for two but I can finish it myself. (It's the glutton me talking here.)

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.