Quarantine Favorite: Hungry Apron PH's Hainanese Chicken

Time flies by so fast. I can't believe that I'll be giving birth in a few weeks. And as much as I dread it, I am considering to do ge lai as it is said to help post-partum. But I discovered a dish that I think would make me look forward to eating gingery food!

Hello, Hungry Apron PH. 

I love Hainanese chicken. Sadly, I seldom find good ones here in Manila. More often than not, I'd end up having dry or bland ones that are highly dependent on the ginger spring onion sauce. Thankfully, the brilliant people behind Matt's Waffles decided to share their amazing Hainanese chicken with us.

Cheap Bites: Above Sea Level

Above Sea Level has been one of the most successful concepts that started in food parks. It started in January 2017 and grew to over a hundred branches and franchises nationwide. And last April, it found a new home at Pobstacion. Its fragrant dishes made it hard for us to ignore its famous battered butterfly squid. 

Hello, Above Sea Level.

Consistent with its vision to be identified as the first seafood fast food brand in the country, our crunchy treats were served within 10 minutes.

Makati Chronicles: Hawker Chan Philippines Opens its Third Branch in Glorietta 3

Hawker Chan is easily one of my favorite brands last year but it having branches in polar opposites made it hard for me to visit it regularly. The struggle will finally end though as Hawker Chan opens its Makati branch!

Hello, Hawker Chan Philippines!

Our beloved soya chicken is finally available in Makati starting TODAY, March 4, 2019!

Prost! Celebrating Oktoberfest at Brotzeit

Wake me up when September ends... not! With Oktoberfest happening as early as mid September, several European restaurants are joining the celebration and have some interesting menu and events lined up! And when it comes to real German vibes, I could only think of one place... Brotzeit!

Hello, Brotzeit.

I've been to Brotzeit during the month-long festivities back in 2014 and all I could remember were people laughing and pint after pint of beer! Everything else was blurry and I blame the beer for it. Fast forward to this year's Oktoberfest, I made sure to take note of everything and not go crazy with Brotzeit's great selection of beer.

First Bite: Above Sea Level

If you love food parks, then you must have noticed some customers carrying around or munching on giant squid on stick. A common sight in the busy streets of South Korea and Taiwan, this delectable treat is usually found in the likes of The Yard and other food halls in the metro. But guess what? The stall that offers such mouthwatering snack is more than just deep-fried giant squid. In fact, it now has a full-scale restaurant in the foodie haven Maginhawa. 

Hello, Above Sea Level. 

Positioning itself as the first fast food seafood restaurant in the country, Above Sea Level offers quick and simple seafood dishes at affordable prices.

First Bite: Cable Car

If you have been partying for the past two decades then Cable Car won't be a stranger to you. Considered as one of the pioneers in the restaurant and bar industry, Cable Car has been around since 1992 satisfying late cravings of night owls and party goers. And to celebrate its 25th year, it prepared a handful of surprises that will delight even the morning foodies and non-drinkers.

Hello, Cable Car.

I always see Cable Car whenever I pass by Fort Strip but for some reason, I found it to be a place for pre-game and post-game drinks and meals. Since I don't really go out late at night to party, I didn't find the place appealing. I had no idea though that Cable Car is more than just beer and small bites. In fact, it is known for its sisig rice. 

Love at First Bite: Hook by Todd English

I'm so thankful that I live in a country that has access to several kinds of seafood. However, some of my favorites cost me an arm and leg (at times two legs). But that was about to change thanks to this new Todd English concept called Hook. 

Hello, Hook! 

Just like the other Todd English restaurants, Hook has dark interiors and a bit of pub/bar vibe to it but with a touch of class. 

I was first greeted by a beautiful showcase of seafood ranging from humongous fishes in different colors to the freshest oysters I've laid my eyes on. 

Eric welcomed us and ushered us to our table and suggested that we try the Three Tiered Seafood Platter (PHP3,500) and (Not) Paella (PHP750). As clueless diners, we let him surprise us with his choices. 

While waiting for our food, we were given glasses of champagne to pair with our meal. And it was a pretty good way to cap the week. 

First Bite: Wasabi Warriors

Wasabi Warriors caught my interest when it first opened on the ground floor of the posh The Gramercy Residences. This Japanese sushi place exuded a cool vibe as I’ve seen the local “it” people raving about Wasabi Warriors’ rolls. And when it opened a branch in Serendra, I went to look at its menu and was surprised that its rolls are quite affordable. For a sushi place that started in a classy building, I had the impression that it would be pricey. I’m not complaining though as more affordable prices mean more food! 

Hello, Wasabi Warriors!

This small well-lit Japanese joint was the first stop of our sponsored Good Food Tour and I literally ran towards this place right after work. Luckily, they were still serving miso soup when I got there. 

First Bite: The Glass Jar

I was thrilled to try crocodile meat a few years back and visited a couple of restaurants just to sample this not so usual piece of protein. I first had a bite of it from a  Japanese restaurant in Manila and followed by a small café kiosk in Wilcon. And I was underwhelmed both times. It was not as special as I thought. And it was very tough too. In short, crocodile meat didn’t leave a good first and second impression. But third time’s the charm!

Hello, The Glass Jar.

This adorable restaurant on the second floor of Wilcon Home Depot along Chino Roces Avenue is the newest baby of the kiosk inside Wilcon serving crocodile dishes. And this one is not just nicer and bigger. It also revamped its dishes and turned me into a fan of this healthier source of protein.

We started our meal with some Classic Cocktails and I chose Woo Woo (PHP140).

Restaurant Love: Fish & Co.

R is such a big fan of Fish & Co. and that is the very reason why he avails of a Bistro Group card each year. He gets perks such as 30% discount on Mondays and 20% on the other days of the week. Not bad if you frequent the Bistro Group establishments. And during a long break, I managed to visit R at work and we had lunch together at… yes, Fish & Co.

Hello, Fish & Co. 

The place was not packed when we arrived. We easily managed to get a table and ordered R’s favorite Pork Knuckles Platter (PHP995) and a liter of Jungle Freeze (PHP335) split into 3 mugs. I also ordered a cup of Mushroom Soup as I was really hungry.

First served was the messily poured Jungle Freeze. 

The nice blend of pineapples and rambutan made this drink very sweet. No wonder R loved it. I hardly managed to finish my mug and R gladly finished it for me. 

The mushroom soup didn't leave much of an impression and I could not recall anything about it. 

The platter arrived next and it looked delectable!

Love at First Bite: Buta+Wagyu

I have read a few reviews about this wagyu place in SM Aura that serves A5 wagyu beef. All reviews say that the place serve quality beef but it comes with an expensive price. I told R about it but we didn’t really bother going as even with us two, I’m sure that we have to shell out around PHP10,000 for a nice and filling meal. But then R’s dad wanted to bring one of their business suppliers there for dinner and R told me to tag along. So we got to try it for free! Yay!

Hello, Buta+Wagyu!

The wagyu restaurant is located at the Sky Park of SM Aura, beside Kettle. I didn’t notice it at first as the entrance of the place is flushed inside the walkway and is right beside the escalator going to Niu. It has another dining area right across where we dined. R, his dad and business suppliers were already there when I arrived. 

Since I was the resident foodie that time, I ordered for us. We got a Stone Grill Sampler (PHP8,500 + PHP300 cooking charge) and 300g of Sirloin Hida Steamed Wagyu (PHP1640/100g + PHP300 cooking charge). I also got a glass of Apple Cucumber Shake (PHP250) while R got Cantaloupe Shake (PHP160). 

While waiting for our dishes, I munched on the complimentary side dishes—anchovies and kimchi. (I hate kimchi but I was too hungry to be a picky eater. I actually finished the whole thing!)

Soon, our steamed wagyu was served. 

It was so soft and perfectly cut. I enjoyed dipping it in Ponzu sauce and putting a bit of wagyu spice and garlic chips for extra flavor. It was so good that we ordered rice to go with it and we also ordered another 300g right after we finished the first serving. That was another PHP5,220 to our tummies.

The platter of raw wagyu cuts was presented to us while enjoying the steamed wagyu. We asked the servers to prepare it medium and to just provide us with a hot stone grill for us to cook the meat even more if needed as some do not like seeing blood in their meat. 

It took about 10 minutes after we finished our steamed wagyu when the platter came. The Ohmi platter comes with Rib Eye, Sirloin, Chateaubriand and Chuckroll cuts. All were amazingly good! 

A New Breakfast Lovers' Hotspot

I just love breakfast and I get grumpy when I miss the most important meal of the day. We Pinoys just love food that most of us eat 6 times a day (breakfast, brunch, lunch, merienda, dinner, and midnight snack). But nothing beats breakfast. A great breakfast is the perfect way to start the day. 

Another restaurant I would love to try is π Breakfast and Pies by Chef Ed Bugia. 

Photo from Pepper.ph

Yet another gem waiting to be flocked to by (since it has been discovered already), it has a lot of reasons why it should be your next breakfast destination!

Photo from isabelladepano.tumblr.com

Aside from the typical Eggs Benedict (called Eggs Benny in Breakfast and Pies), they have interesting gourmet waffles such as Salmon and Waffle at a very friendly price of PHP155! Topped with Salmon gravlax and fried capers, this will surely hit the tummy's happy bone! (Okay, that sounded weird and not just because the tummy doesn't have bones.)

Restaurant Love: Mesa Filipino Moderne

We hate Tuesdays. It’s the day our car is coding meaning we have to leave the house past 7 if we want to eat out. But my mom just got a surprise birthday gift, our car went *kapoot* while it was parked in a mall. In the end, my grandma, sister and I have to take a cab to meet the birthday girl. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and very famished.

As the foodie in the family, I was tasked to look for a place to eat in SM Megamall. (I wanted to go to Shangri-La hoping to see another new restaurant but my mom insisted we dine at Megamall. The birthday girl wins!) I suggested Kichitora since they have never tried dining there before but my grandmother wasn’t in the mood for ramen (actually, is never in the mood for ramen as she only eats tempura and chicken teriyaki, two dishes not available there). So we moved a little bit and ended up at Mesa.

 

The place was a bit crowded given it was a Tuesday night. We were lucky though to get one of those tables with couches. Yeah! <3

I was slightly grumpy around this time as I was really really hungry and one thing I do not like is feeling hungry. So I immediately ordered the following: Talong Salad (PHP80), Sisig in a Pouch (PHP190), Inihaw Sampler (PHP725), and Crispy Leche Flan (PHP70).