Love at First Bite: Lulu

I love birthdays. It’s the day of the year when I feel special. I spoil myself with sweets and a gift or two. But more than that, I love making the people I love special on their special day. This is why I had big plans for R’s big day. But it was ruined by APEC when they cancelled my flight back to Manila and I had to stay in Seoul for 4 more days. *cries* Good thing, I have Plan B ready.

Hello, Lulu (now named as Catch)!

I spotted a deal on Lulu’s scrumptious steak while checking Deal Grocer a few months back and figured it would be a great meal to share with R on his special day. For PHP1,800, we get 600 grams of Lulu’s rib eye steak and two sides—garden salad and one of your choice.

Since I missed R’s actual birthday, I made dinner reservations at Lulu the following night and it was perfect as we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was as if I reserved the whole place for us. Sweet!

It was a bit chilly that night so we opted to order a bowl of Organic Squash Soup (PHP250) along with our U.S. Prime Angus Rib Eye with garden salad and truffled fries.

The squash soup was served first and it was pretty good! It was slightly creamy with a bit of earthy flavor from the spices. I enjoyed it the crisp toasted bread.

The rib eye steak was served after quite some time. I think it took them at least 20 minutes to serve the steak but when it was served… wow oh wow~

It was huge! I was scared that 300 grams might be a bit too small for us but I was wrong. Pairing the steak with truffled fries made the dish even heavier.

We asked them to make our steaks medium rare and it was spectacular! I loved how soft and juicy the steak was. Each bite was succulent and packed with flavor from the rich mushroom gravy sauce. I just kept having one mouthful of steak after another like someone who was deprived of food for days. I also loved smothering the seasoned fries with the thick gravy. It was a lovely meal.

Restaurant Discovery: Salt

I’m going crazy here. There are just too many new and hidden restaurants to visit. Every time I check my Facebook or Instagram, I see articles, food shots, and whatnot that make me drool. And I mean droooool. I’m very happy and “hashtag blessed” (ewww) though that I have a handful of close foodie friends to bug when I feel like eating or exploring. For instance, E told me a few weeks ago that he’ll try SALT, a pretty hidden restaurant near the yoga studio I frequent. Since it serves salmon, I got curious. And E was to eat there again and K was game too. Soooo…

Hello, Salt!

The place has very few parking slots so it might be a good choice to just park at Powerplant Mall and walk to the place. It’s parallel Kalayaan so it’s pretty near.

When we arrived, only two other tables were occupied. (I guess there are more people during dinner.) We decided to go for: T-Bone Steak (PHP190), Grilled Tuna (PHP220) and Baked Salmon (PHP320).

Service was pretty quick as I was still digesting the churros I ate from La Lola when the food arrived.

Restaurant Love: Franco's

I love my alone time. It’s quite sad to know that some people assume that being alone means being lonely. For me, spending some time with one’s self is proof that you are not dependent on people to do things. I know some people who can’t eat alone. Some can’t even go shopping alone. Well, I have been through that phase too. And yes, saying, “Table for one, please” still makes me giggle.

While walking around Rockwell to canvass some items for work, I passed by the strip of restaurants and realized that I was famished. Given, I haven’t had breakfast yet and it was already 1 p.m. that time. I was thinking of having a light snack at some coffee shop but realized that it’s such a waste if I don’t try something new. So after some thought, I decided to visit…

Franco’s.

Apparently, Franco's is also owned by the management handling Myron’s Steaks, Ribs and Seafood. I noticed though, unlike the steakhouse counterpart, the dishes offered by Franco’s are much more affordable.

The place is pretty charming. (Fine, I like wooden tables and cute chairs.)

After a quick look at the menu, I decided to go for the Pumpkin Soup (PHP120), Grilled Salmon (PHP350), Crème Brulee (PHP160) and Butterfly Iced Tea (PHP90). Yes, I wanted a light lunch.

The pumpkin soup was served first and it was deeelightful! It was creamy and it had a great balance of sweetness and saltiness. I finished the whole bowl in less than five minutes.