First Bite: Vera's Place

Visiting Pearl Drive brings back memories as I have spent 5 years of my life there. No, I was not a homeless Ortigas girl; my alma mater is along that street. I would remember visiting Food Channel, Starbucks and Hotshots across my university. I have witnessed several restaurants come and go and shed a few tears when my favorites were among those that had to go. And fast forward to present, there are now more buildings and food choices around and one of which is located in Pearl Place called “Vera’s Place”.

Hello, Vera’s Place. 

To be honest, I was originally planning to eat at this Japanese restaurant along San Miguel Avenue but we had to change plans after seeing the prices of sashimi, sushi and wagyu. We headed back to Pearl Plaza with gloomy faces to match the grumpy weather. But the inviting homey Filipino restaurant adjacent to Where’s Marcel captured our interest. 

There were no customers when we arrived and we could not help feel iffy dining here. Then again, the weather was not exactly pleasant for people to go out so we assumed that it was because it was such a lazy Saturday night. 

Vera’s Place offers pocket friendly Filipino fare and we decided to go with solo servings of Gising-Gising (PHP135), Lechon Kawali (PHP250) and Kare-Kare (PHP300). Solo servings are inclusive of one cup of plain rice per viand. You could also order a sharing size portion of kare-kare for PHP550. 

Service was quick and our orders were served all at the same time. Presentation-wise, it was like the ones you’d expect from home. It was simple and zero frills. 

Gising-Gising had a nice combination of coconut milk and pork flavors. It was also a bit spicy making it slightly addicting. It also made me finish my cup of rice. I liked the winged beans too as it was not too hard nor too soft. 

First Sip: Where's Marcel?

Pearl Drive was my place to be back in college because my alma mater is located there. I’d frequent a few establishments that offer pocket friendly dishes and I would occasionally splurge on a meal or two when I feel like I deserve it after a gruelling long exam. Fast forward to present, I would still find myself being a stingy foodie. But I wouldn’t scrimp on a cup of coffee especially if it receives a lot a good reviews. And that’s how I found myself in front of Where’s Marcel.

Hello, Where’s Marcel?

Why is everyone looking for Marcel? And more importantly, who is Marcel?

Well, for those curious, the coffee shop is named after Marcel Ruggieri, a coffee enthusiast who often wanders off to Costa Rica and Columbia, two popular coffee regions to look for the perfect beans. It takes pride in being a strong supporter of local businesses and engage in direct trading with farmers. The crop-to-cup concept has developed Where’s Marcel as an establishment that is more community-based. And this Melbourne born shop decided to have Manila as its first location offshore.

Aside from its expansive coffee menu, it also offers a bunch of savory dishes such as sandwiches and pasta. But since I planned to have dinner elsewhere, I settled with one Revel Bar (PHP55) and a cup of Marcel’s Dirty Chai (PHP170, 12 oz). 

The place was pretty empty on a Saturday night so it was a perfect place to hangout and catch up with friends. The place also offers WI-FI so this place could also be a nice spot to do those term papers. 

First served was the revel bar and it was delectable.

The oatmeal gave the snack a lovely chewy taste and the melted chocolate chips made the bar sweet yet not overwhelming. For PHP55, it was a pretty good find. 

Love at First Bite: BBQ Chicken

(Continuation of the Hunger Games day) Archery sure is a tiring activity. Our arms were stretched out and we were hungry. We were planning to go to Brotzeit for some sausages but something else caught the eyes of T and K while we were at Pearl Drive... a small Chimek (Chicken and Mekju [beer]) place. We just had a Korean dinner a night ago but that didn't stop us to check the place out.

Hello, BBQ Chicken!

The place was empty when we arrived. T guessed that perhaps they do better with deliveries than dine-in as the delivery guy comes and goes the whole time we were there.

We were torn between Spicy Chicken and Rice Syrup Chicken (both PHP320) but the server told us that the Rice Syrup tastes better so we chose the latter. We also ordered Spicy Dduk-Bokki (PHP220) and Cream Chicken Pasta (PHP255). Then we all ordered a glass of beer for a chimek restaurant experience but I also ordered a can of cola (as I really am not fond of beer).

Service was pretty quick as our orders arrived in less than 15 minutes.

We were glad that we were given an option to have the chicken deboned so that eating it will be less messy as it was covered in sauce (think Bon Chon). 

Restaurant Discovery: Marufuku Japanese Restaurant

Eating out. It’s always fun especially when you go out with your loved one/s. Since I have been going out less and less these days (as I am really saving up and at the same time trying to trim down the holiday happiness stuck somewhere in my torso), I get stumped when asked where to eat. 

I had a lunch date with my dad a few Saturdays back and it was a day full of… well, revelation.

First, we need to secure a place that isn’t noisy so that we could actually have a conversation. Second, we need to make sure that the place can cook its food in healthier oil (for my dad’s sake). And lastly, it’s somewhere near.

After a few minutes of driving, we finally decided to eat somewhere along Pearl Drive and my dad remembered that there’s a new Japanese restaurant that used to be an Italian restaurant. We decided to give it a shot.

 

Konnichiwa, Marufuku!

 

The place is quite spacious and it exudes the Japanese restaurant feel. It felt though that we reserved the entire place for ourselves as we were the only diners when we arrived.  

Without any hesitation, we ordered Shoyu Ramen (PHP250), Salmon Sashimi (PHP450 for five slices), Salmon Onigiri (PHP100), Shrimp Tempura (PHP400), Japanese Style Fried Chicken, California Maki, Chicken Teriyaki and Wafu Steak (PHP780).

Black Day Lunch at Jang Ga Nae

I just adore my Dongguk friends. (Note: Dongguk is one of the universities in Seoul, Korea where I studied for 5 months with some students from UA&P and UP.) Without them, I won't be able to spend the fun Korean "traditions" or events such as Peppero Day (11-11) which is similar to Valentine's Day and Black Day (4-14) which is celebrated by those who did not receive any chocolates during Valentine's Day and White Day (3-14--which is when the guys give the girls they like chocolates).

Happy Black Day! Well, I am not sure if I said it right as if you reword it, it'll be "Happy Single Awareness Day!" For some reason, it sounds... wrong. 

Anyway, channeling the Korean in us, we thought of eating at Jang Ga Nae, a popular Korean restaurant along Escriva. We all decided to meet up at 12:30 p.m. but ended up meeting a bit later. 

I was the last one to arrive and to my surprise, T, K, and D were a NOT IN BLACK. *shocked*

Oh well. We were too hungry to be bothered with the lack of color coordination and decided to order. We chose ultimate favorite Bulgogi (PHP300), Gal Bi Jim (PHP300) and Dak Gal Bi (PHP350) as to avoid us looking too addicted to beef.

 

First served was the side dishes. K's eyes went from (-.-) to (o.o) as one of the side dishes was her favorite peanuts with sweet sauce (it tasted like sweet soy sauce). Other side dishes were kimchi, macaroni salad, greens, and bean sprouts (one of the side dishes I finished myself without offering a single strand... oops).

Hey Mister... Kabab!

Clueless of where to go to while waiting for our other friend, A and I found ourselves circling\ around Pearl Drive.

Japanese?

Nah.

Filipino?

Not feeling like it.

Argh! I’m too hungry, let’s go to Mister Kabab!

 That was how my friend and I ended up in the homey Mister Kabab.

The place was pretty much empty compared to the first time I went there with some colleagues. Perhaps it was because it was a Saturday and the restaurant’s regular customers are students from the university nearby.

I was too hungry that day for someone who had breakfast twice. I ordered Special Chicken Chelo Kabab (PHP150), Keema with Eggplant (PHP90), and Yogurt with Fresh Fruits (PHP66). My friend on the other hand settled for Special Beef Chelo Kabab (PHP155).

The service was quite prompt but they served my yogurt before my main dish(es). I had to ask them to serve it later. (Perhaps it’s actually an appetizer?)

Restaurant Discovery: Asagao

I used to frequent Pearl Plaza for lunch or early dinner during my college days and I missed it so much (and more so when my colleagues and I had lunch there a few months ago).

So many things changed. I noticed that there are new restaurants around thus I asked my mom to have our early dinner there instead of the usual mall-based restaurants.

I really missed Pearl Plaza. It used to be my third home (UA&P as my second).

We checked around and we were stuck between Adobo Republic and Asagao. Since my mom was not in the mood for adobo (well, I was not sure if they serve other dishes), we went to Asagao.

The place had very simple interior… not intimidating making it very welcoming to students.

SELF SERVICE

After 30 seconds of the servers’ non-movement, we realized that we had to approach the counter to order. Well, there was a small sign near the counter as well. I guess we got spoiled with the other restaurants.

We ordered Beef Teppan (PHP215), California Maki (PHP125), and Salmon Sashimi (PHP210).

First dish that arrived was the California Maki.

Well, it was the typical California Maki. The thing I liked about it though was that it used Japanese rice and not the usual that was cooked with too much water.

Next served was the Salmon Sashimi.

At first, I thought that the salmon was not fresh because the color was a bit different from those I’ve tried before. But I was proven wrong after taking a bite. It was sliced a bit thick but it was still the soft salmon that almost melts in your mouth sashimi love. For PHP210, it was a steal!

As for the Beef Teppan, it was average.

The beef was tender but it seemed to be a bit too oily and salty (I guess it should be eaten with rice). Also, the vegetables were a bit too hard. I wasn’t so sure if the vegetables were meant to be served a bit raw. It added some crunch though.

The place offers pretty good Japanese food at student-friendly prices. Not bad at all.

Asagao by Kamirori is located at Pearl Plaza, Pearl Drive, Ortigas, Pasig City.