First Bite: Flatterie by Todd English

With the success of Pound and Hook comes another mouthwatering concept that started at the foodie haven Todd English Food Hall--Flatterie. This newest addition to the growing brands under Foodee Global Concepts specializes on flatbreads while keeping the signature posh ambiance the Todd English Group. I was expecting for the usual flatbreads but... let's just say my taste buds had a grand time!

Hello, Flatterie. 

Located on the ground floor of SM Mall of Asia's South Arcade, it would be hard to miss Flatterie as it is situated by the mall's side entrance. 

First Bite: Bánh Nǎm

I love how Manila is turning into a melting pot of various cuisines. The city that used to be dominated by American fast food joints and Filipino eateries is now a thing of the past. Fast forward to present, we have all kinds of dishes from different countries with some we still could not even pronounce correctly. One of my favorites lately is this delightful sandwich popular in Vietnam. Yes, I’m talking about banh mi. And recently, I discovered this shop that sells really good ones. 

Hello, Bánh Nǎm.

This Vietnamese shop offers two of the yummiest things Vietnam has to offer and it is serious in providing the best kind.  

First Bite: Bistro United

I miss living close to Kapitolyo, one of the best food havens in the metro. Though it’s technically just 20 minutes away from where I live now, the traffic makes it seem a far away land. But good food conquers all and I found myself in front of this new restaurant in Kapitolyo one Tuesday afternoon. 

Hello, Bistro United.

This new restaurant by Chef Mia of The Round Table is one of the handful delectable additions in Kapitolyo. 

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 Discovery: Burp

I get so excited every time I get to read a list of new restaurants near my area. Well, aside from being excited, I get frustrated too as there are times when I hardly know any from the lists. It means that I don’t get to explore that much and it makes me wonder what I do on weekends. Anyway, one list covers the restaurants in Mandaluyong and I was surprised that out of 20 or so, I was only able to visit 5. FIVE. It made me a bit disappointed with myself as a foodie. I must bring back the foodie the explorer in me. And so on my anniversary with work I decided to visit…

Burp!

I’m not exactly sure when this restaurant opened but it was part of the list I “reviewed” a few months back. It was pretty small but it could accommodate around 20 diners. Parking though is very limited.

The menu had a handful of choices from appetizers which are mostly soup and salad, sandwiches, breakfast meals, mains such as ribs and pork chops, pasta and desserts. There are a few shakes and frappes as well.

I decided to go for the Truffle Mac and Cheese (PHP245) and Stuffed Chicken with Garlic Cream Sauce (PHP245) while R went for the Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce (PHP345). For drinks, I opted for the house blend iced tea (PHP55) while R got the Dulce de Leche Frappe (PHP125). We also ordered a slice of Blueberry Cheesecake Frost (PHP125) for dessert.

First served were our drinks.

My iced tea tasted like tamarind candy while R’s frappe was quite light (rather than thick) and milky.

Restaurant Love: Kettle

It has been a long while since I last visited Kettle. I think it has been almost a year! 2014 went by so fast. It was filled with so many changes, learning, challenges and a lot of food finds! I still remember the food I ordered in Kettle. The Mac and Four Cheese and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken definitely stood out. Anyway, since it was almost a year, it was time to visit again.

Hello, Kettle!

This time around, we decided to order the following: Oven Roasted Squash Soup (PHP269), Angus Roast beef Hash (PHP539), Angus Roast beef Sandwich (PHP459), Miso Glazed Salmon (PHP569), a carafe of green iced tea (PHP179), and a slice of Checkered Cake (PHP209).

First served was the iced tea.

It had a strong green tea taste that made it slightly bitter. In short, my sister didn’t like it.

Next served was the soup. I liked that it was creamy and the tidbits of shrimp added texture to the dish. It was heavenly!

Okay, my family loves roast beef. They ordered roast beef sandwich and roast beef hash. I was telling them that only one should order but no one wanted to change. *sigh* Fine.

After trying both, I realized that the only difference was that the sandwich was cheesier and that it had a banana inside making it a bit sweet. The hash was potato overload with the oh-so-soft-and-savory roast beef. The hash was also topped with a fried egg. Both were great but I would be more inclined to order the roast beef hash as it would be easier to share.

Weekend (Endless) Eating: F1 Café

I simply cannot resist buffets despite the intense guilt after eating a lot. When N invited me to a buffet lunch last Saturday at F1 Hotel, I immediately texted back, YES! *Darn gluttony!*

I instantly said yes because it was pretty convenient as I stayed at F1 the night before as I helped out with the ingress for the Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run. All I have to do is head down and EAT.

N and I met around 11 a.m. and the buffet was still closed as they open at 11:30 a.m. but the waitress told us that we could help ourselves with whatever was out that time.

The bread, desserts, salad and sushi stations were ready to be "attacked" so N and I took some photos and started our 3-hour lunch challenge.

San Francisco Food Stop: Boudin

A trip to SanFrancisco would not be complete without visiting the Fisherman’s Wharf. Best dishes to try? Clam chowder and sour dough. And it was just perfect as our faces were turning into some stone figures due to the cold fall wind. (Note: FALL, it was not even winter then.)

 

Hello, Fisherman’s Wharf! I’ve heard a lot of stories about you!

 

It was past 12 then when we arrived and since we were part of a tour (meaning, there’s a schedule to follow), we decided to ride the ferry first that will go under the famous Golden Gate Bridge (which happens to be red and not gold… anyway) and Alcatraz. We got a great view of the skyline of San Francisco and got quite close (too close at times) with some seagulls.

Restaurant Discovery: Sandwicheese

It's so much fun to do research. It makes me feel... younger (as it brings back college memories). 

 

Some colleagues and I decided to go to the Rizal Library of Ateneo to do some research for planning and before going college mode all over again, we decided to stop by Sandwicheese, a small sandwich restaurant along Katipunan for lunch.

First thing we noticed was that it seemed to be owned by the same owner as Banapple as there were stickers of Banapple on the window. 

The place is so adorable as there are bread displays on the wall. It is like you're in bread paradise or a possible Yakitake Japan shooting place.

Drunk with Pandesal: The Bread Bag Pandesal Bar

Pandesal. What could be so special about it anyway? It is just… pandesal. Bread. Pandesal. Round messy-to-eat bread. I hope that you won’t think that I dislike it as I prefer it as my Sunday morning breakfast. It’s just that I was wondering what made it, well, special. One gloomy Thursday afternoon, a small quaint café showed me how special pandesal could be.

 

After “window” shopping for a big project, my colleagues and I stopped by The Bread Bag Pandesal Bar. Who knew that there’s a “bar” for pandesal?

 

We entered the place and practically loved everything we saw—from the scribbles on the glass outside to the chalkboard menu, up to the tape used to seal the cups.

Gone French in Hollywood: The French Crepe Co.

I always loved crepes but I never considered it as a possible lunch especially when dear tummy grumbles like there’s no tomorrow.

It was one sunny but chilly day in Hollywood when we decided to do a bit of museum hopping. We arrived a bit past 12NN and we were hungry. Unwilling to eat at McDonalds, we searched for a better option.

I wanted to eat at this bistro place but my mom and sister wanted to eat something else which was not on the bistro’s menu. But since we were extremely hungry, we decided to eat at a promising place named The French Crepe Co. (which was just across the bistro).

Fine, since I was not the one going to pay anyway.

Hand-pulled noodles anyone?

As part of our Rizal Rediscovery tour, we walked around Binondo for some authentic Chinese food. (Now that I typed it in, it doesn’t make sense.)

Anyway, we went to this small noodle shop called Lan Zhou La Mien (no, I wasn’t able to read the signage… I relied on what our “tour guide” told me).

We ordered Beef Lamien (PHP120), Beef Kan Pan Lamien (PHP130), Ba Bao Sha Guo Lamien (PHP140) and pork dumplings (PHP100). Our other friend ordered Seafood Lamien as she’s vegetarian.

While waiting for our food... we watched how the noodles were made.

First dishes to arrive were the Beef Lamien and the Beef Kan Pan Lamien. Well, the two are pretty much the same only the latter does not have soup. I prefer the Beef Lamien because I can’t help associate noodles with soup. Also, I find the Kan Pan Lamien a bit hard to swallow. A bit thick for me.

Beef Lamien

Beef Kan Pan Lamien

The beef however was very tender and flavorful. It was not salty at all and I’d say that it was seasoned well. Also, the noodles played a major part in the dish. You’d know that the noodles were cooked well. Chewy but not hard or of the texture of overly cooked rice.

Ba Bao Sha Guo Lamien

I wasn’t able to try the Ba Bao Sha Guo Lamien but I was told that some ingredients added were quite bland. I just took one quail egg so I can’t really comment about it.

Pork dumplings... not really photogenic. :(

The pork dumplings on the other hand were just right. Not really outstanding. I had better pork dumplings. I also prefer dipping it in soy sauce but the only one available there was black vinegar. I’m not very sure if that’s the proper way to eat dumplings as I am not really fond of Chinese food (though I’m Chinese).

We “stared” at the restaurant that served vegetarian dumplings. I’ll try that one next time.

Craving for some Cravings’ Roast beef

Since my birthday fell on a weekend, I had a 2-day celebration. *Woohoo for my tummy but boohoo for my wallet.* On the last day of my 2-day celebration, my family and I decided to have dinner at Cravings at Shangri-la after “hunting” for a gown for my sister.

I usually order salmon but for some reason, I craved for roast beef on that day. Knowing that Cravings’ roast beef is good, I decided to order that (and I get to have Splurge on Salad for free). My sister and mom were not very hungry so they opted for club sandwich and triple cheese macaroni (and added Splurge on Salad).

I love Cravings’ salad bar. The macaroni salad is a guaranteed yummy and the veggies are always fresh. I noticed that they added nachos with salsa dip. As for the soup, it was supposed to be chicken soup but it tasted like chicken BROTH soup.

                        

I was also disappointed with the roast beef. It was quite dry. At first I thought that it just needed more gravy but it did not help at all. The beef itself was dry. Good thing though that the mashed potato was good.

As for the club sandwich, it was quite savory. No wonder my sister is addicted to it. It is a bit hard to eat it since it is very uh… tall. But the tomato, bacon, and everything else added flavor to the sandwich which made it so good. The stick used to make the sandwich stay put was also very interesting. Normally, restaurants use toothpicks for that but Cravings use this edible thin stick (bread stick?) instead. I was so surprised when my sister munched on the stick.

We were not able to eat the triple cheese macaroni anymore since we “abused” the Splurge on Salad. But it looks and smells good. J

Verdict:

The menu has a combination of affordable and expensive dishes. It is best to order one main course to get the free Splurge on Salad than pay P290 for the eat all you can salad. The service was quite good and the ambiance is relaxing. My UA&P Alumni card is no longer valid though. So, good bye 10% discount. L