Estancia's New Bites: James & Daughters

Chef Jonas Ang's James & Daughters is like dining in a fancy version of home. With beautifully curated dishes based on Chef Jonas' family's favorite dishes, it was easy for me to fall in love with this restaurant. And its mix of different cuisines will surely delight everyone! 

Hello, James & Daughters.

I was so thrilled when James and Daughter by Le Jardin opened its first restaurant in BGC. It being just a few steps from me made it an ideal place for lunch or dinner. But it had to move out after 11 months due to the developer wanting its space back. Thankfully, its Estancia store is now open and it has a few new favorites waiting to be discovered. 

First Bite: Papa Loa

I get so giddy whenever I see new restaurants opening soon and I go crazy when these restaurants invite me to sample their dishes. However, there are times when I had to painfully decline these generous offers because of the grumpy weather, my unpredictable tummy or other plans that were set earlier. Having to turn down Papa Loa’s private dinner invite was so hard especially after reading its mouthwatering list of dishes. I kept on dreaming about salmon aburi and the talked about eggplant skewer. And seeing all the posts of the other attendees made me regret not going. But it was just not meant to be as I already had dinner plan that same night. But food gods love me as Papa Loa got in touch with me again and invited me to its grand opening last night! I was feeling feverish that night but I didn't want to miss another opportunity to try their salmon aburi and eggplant!

Hello, Papa Loa!

It’s hard to miss this new tiki bar with its bright orange signage. Located at the old Distillery (or half of the old Distillery to be exact), this new drinking place also has two floors for dining.

The bright and warm interiors further emphasize the tiki bar feel. 

I was mesmerized by the adorable wall paintings on the second floor. 

We were immediately given menu and we were told that it is best to order the dishes one at a time just like in most izakaya restaurants. We were also warned that the serving sizes are small but are guaranteed to be delectable in each bite. 

However, we were famished and ended up ordering four dishes in one go— Aburi (PHP260), Tempura (PHP185), Eggplant (PHP75) and Beef (PHP115). For drinks, we ordered Little Grass Skirt (PHP250) and Kooky Coconut Margarita (PHP290).

When In Hong Kong: Go Crazy Over Salmon!

If I were to choose only one thing to eat the rest of my life, I would choose salmon. I just love it. I love the texture, the color… everything! (Well, except maybe the smell when it is still raw and extremely fishy.) And I saw a gold mine of salmon during our recent Hong Kong trip.

While exploring our hotel’s surrounding area, we noticed that there’s a line of stores near our hotel (located in Causeway Bay, near Canal Road) that sell salmon and hairy crabs. We decided to go to the one that sells ready to eat salmon and got Salmon, Salmon Roe and Sea Urchin with rice (HK$90) and Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet with rice (HK$38).

Despite the long queue, service was quick and we got our orders in less than 10 minutes. 

We enjoyed our rice bowls while standing as there were no dining tables or chairs available. They only had those bar tables on the opposite side of the showcases.

I first had a bite of the salmon bowl and it was so good. Though slightly expensive, you’d see that the store was generous with fresh salmon bits. The serving of sea urchin was a tad stingy but it was still okay given the price. The uni was soft and the taste made me reminisce the sea. The veggies added texture and crunch to the dish making it even more scrumptious.

The Fried Soft Shell Crab Cutlet was also delectable but it was quite dry without any sauce. I just wish that it had some salmon or something fresh and not deep fried. Then again… that price tag for one bowl is very attractive.

I wish we have this in Manila. 

First Bite: Sen-Ryo

Having Chinese food for dinner for 3 nights straight made me crave for Japanese food in a whole new level. And I was so glad when C offered to meet us for dinner in Sen-Ryo, a Japanese sushi restaurant which is a notch higher than Genki Sushi.

Hello, Sen-Ryo!

The place was packed when we arrived. We had to wait for a few minutes before getting seats. 

And since I am a sucker for sushi conveyor belts, we got bar seats.

Sen-Ryo has a lot of sushi, sashimi and maki dishes to choose from and it was a challenge for me not to over order.

After a while, we decided to go with Prime Salmon (HK$22), Seared Salmon (HK$22), Fried Prawn Roll (HK$28), Dragon Roll (HK$22), Deep-Fried Soft Shell Crab (HK$48), and Spicy Salmon (HK$18). (We ordered two of some of the dishes.)

The first dishes to arrive (or pass by) were the delightful salmon sushi plates. The Prime Salmon was prime indeed with its quality cuts. It was fresh and the smooth and melts in your mouth type.

The seared salmon was divine too. Served slightly warm, it was a feast in my mouth. The smooth and silky texture of salmon and the delightful pop of salmon roe made this dish quite addicting. 

We ended up ordering two plates of this.

Hong Kong Food Stop: Sushi One

It’s been a while since I last visited Hong Kong. I remember that I had a hard time there as I was not an adventurous foodie then. I was stuck with Yoshinoya and McDonald’s. But things change. I am now game to eat anything as long as it will most likely not make me sick and Hong Kong evolved into a foodie paradise.

R and I were not exactly famished yet when we arrived in Hong Kong but since we wanted to maximize our trip, we walked around Nathan Road (Tsim Sha Tsui) and entered small alleys near it. That was when we saw this Japanese restaurant with a sushi conveyor belt. And as a sucker for these sushi conveyor belt or sushi-go-round, we went in.

Konnichiwa, Sushi One!

I was thrilled to dine at Sushi One. And I waited for some sushi to be placed on the belt for me to take some photos and videos. Sadly, the place wasn’t packed so there were not as many sushi on the belt. (The foodie in me holding a camera cried a puddle.)

To order, we had to accomplish several checklists depending on what we fancy. We went with Seared Salmon (HK$17), Seared Fatty Salmon with Sauce (HK$19), Shrimp Tempura (HK$29), Grilled New Zealand Mussels with Mayo and Cheese (HK$36), and Dancing Spider Roll (HK$36).

First served were the two kinds of salmon sushi.

The seared salmon was your usual salmon sushi. What was notable here was the fresh salmon cut. It was the type that melts in your mouth. Delightful!

I preferred the seared salmon with sauce though as it had more flavor to it. It was slightly sweet. This was sooo good that there were fireworks in my mouth to celebrate such taste.

The shrimp tempura was nothing special but it helped fill the tummy. I would have preferred to order more salmon instead of this one though.

R loved the grilled mussels. It went really well with mayo and cheese. The mussels, just like salmon, were undeniably fresh. And for the price, it wasn’t bad at all. 

The silky smooth texture of the mussels with its faint sweet taste with the slight tanginess of the cheese and richness of the mayo was a killer combo.

Love at First Bite: Ooma Japanese Rice Bar

Bruce Ricketts is on a roll. (Not the edible Japanese kind of roll.) After the successful Sensei Sushi and the well-loved Mecha Uma, he opened another restaurant called Ooma. Since I haven’t tried the first two (with first being too far and second having a steep price tag), I just have to try the pocket-friendly Ooma… ASAP.

Hello, Ooma!

The place wasn’t as packed as I thought on weekdays. Half of the restaurant was for those who made reservations and the other half was for walk-in diners.

My mom and sister went there early and got us a table and they ordered the following: Salmon Tartare Aburi Maki (PHP295) and O-Gyoza (PHP235). When I arrived, I added Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki (PHP295), Uni Sashimi (PHP195), Tuna Tataki (PHP195), Soft Shell Crab Taco-Maki (PHP199) and Half Baked Chocolate Lava Cake (PHP185).

The O-Gyoza was meaty, juicy and delightfully cheesy thanks to the grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese. 

The togarashi and unagi sauce made it even more delicious. It was also served on a metal strainer which dripped out the excess oil.

The Salmon Tartare Aburi Maki was L-O-V-E. The combination of soft and fresh salmon and scallops with the cucumber, uni and shiso leaves was heavenly. There were different textures in every bite.

I also liked the Tuna Tataki. For its price, serving was generous. The sesame crust added texture to the soft tuna slices. The pickled mushrooms, fried shallots and pickled red radish and ginger garlic sauce added flavor.

Restaurant Love: Omakase

I absolutely love Japanese food. I cannot count how many times I mentioned that in my blog but… who cares? I love Japanese food. It never fails to make me smile (especially with a plate of salmon sashimi on the table). And those random Japanese dinner dates are loooooove~~~ <3

Hello, Omakase!

It has been a long time since I last visited Omakase. I still remember the maki platter and the super friendly prices. I think I went crazy over the platters.

This time, R ordered Spicy Tuna Salad (PHP250), Soft Shell Crab Tempura (PHP550) and Dynamite Roll (PHP250) while I got Salmon Sashimi (PHP240) and Zaru Soba (PHP195). I wanted to order one more dish but R said that I always waste food. TT_TT

After a short wait, the spicy tuna salad arrived.

It wasn’t really that spicy. I loved the salad dressing on the cubes of tuna and the crunch of the tempura crumbs.

The salmon sashimi was pretty okay too. Not the best as it was not the type that melts in your mouth (or so how my former officemate calls it—party in the mouth) but it was still delightful.

Soon, the soft shell crab tempura arrived and R noticed that the serving size seemed to be smaller than before. (Or that the serving size is still the same but is now more expensive.) It’s best to ask for an additional sauce when you order this.  

Dinner for a Cause...

The owner of Mango Tree Bistro invited our editor-in-chief to attend the newly founded organization named Chefs and Food Service Community of the Philippines. The organization aims to gather food suppliers, manufacturers and restaurateurs to promote the local food industry and to support its projects such as soup kitchen and several other outreaches.

Anyway, the fourth dinner (our first was the third leg) was held at The Loop, operated by the Institute of Culinary Arts and Food Service of Far Eastern University. I was quite thrilled since I’ve never been there. This time, I went with some other colleagues. The dishes I will show in this blog are not from the restaurant though.

The first dish that was served to us was toasted bread with cream cheese from S & L Fine Foods, Inc. (I heard that they have a store at Yakal and their line is similar to Santi’s Deli but cheaper. Tempting!)

The cream cheese was not overpowering. Quite pleasant and simple dish for an appetizer.

After finishing our plate of bread, they served some blood sausage. It was my first time to eat blood sausage so I don’t really know what to expect. There was a bit of white sauce over the sausages that tasted like cream garlic. The sausages on the other hand were extremely dry. Hope they placed more of that white sauce.

The next dish served was made by one of the chefs during the dinner. First dish served was Dinakdakan with Dilis and Adobo Salad.

The Dinakdakan was quite very flavorful and crunchy but it was a bit too heavy for me. I left like I was consuming a 1000 calorie dish and it was just a 4 tablespoon serving. The Adobo Salad had bits of adobo but it was a bit too hard. The Dilis Salad on the other hand tasted like laing but I enjoyed it the most.

I was starting to feel full (since I had a heavy lunch at New World Hotel and snack at Blue Leaf… yes, it was one eating galore day) when they served the Soft Shell Crab in Sinigang Soup. It was my first time to try soft shelled crab and I LOVED IT. It was quite chewy because of the shell but it was not hard at all.

The soup made it a bit tangy but I love sour dishes so it made me smile. I was not very fond of the breading being soaked though. (I was never a fan of soaked cereal and this is a similar case.)

To cap the meal, they served halo-halo shots. It was not your typical halo-halo served with shaved ice. Instead, it was just some beans, coconut (nata), and sweetened milk. It was served with a thin peanut brittle.

Surprisingly, despite the small serving, I find it still too much. It was really flavorful… and too sweet. Half of the shot was more than enough.

Aside from these, there was also a buffet that includes kare-kare, steamed fish, and some pastries (chocolates from Bakersfield).

Since we wanted to have something else to drink, we ordered margarita. I had one of The Loop’s bestsellers… Loop Margarita (PHP180). It was a bit icy thus less alcohol (I think). Nonetheless, it was pretty good.

I love attending this monthly dinner because I get to meet great chefs and food store owners and discover great dishes. Just last month I got the chance to try Pampanga’s Best bacon ice cream!