First Bite: Pompoms

I can never resist French fries. As much as I would love to lessen my carb intake, I could never find myself saying no to some of these crisp and heavenly goodness. And when I spotted Pompoms, a casual restaurant that serves twice-fried, thick-cut French fries, I giddily skipped my way towards its cute shop. 

Hello, Pompoms.

Located at the Ground Floor of Robinsons Place Manila, one could easily spot this fries haven if you frequent Pedro Gil wing.  

Freezer Burn's Latest Flavor: Lemon Chicken Ice Cream

We fell in love with Freezer Burn since it launched one of the weirdest desserts, Ketchup ice cream and Fries. Such unique and never heard of flavor raised eyebrows and made some dessert lovers iffy to try it. But for some reason, it worked and made us foodies nostalgic about our fast food runs where we top our sundaes with fries. But Freezer Burn’s latest creation got me very intrigued as I never imagined lemon chicken as a sweet treat.

Hello again, Freezer Burn. 

Chef Miko’s teaser message about its latest creation, Lemon Chicken, got me so curious that I kept thinking about it during my El Nido escapade. Yes, I was thinking about lemon chicken while snorkelling! 

Love at First Bite: Ping Pong Diplomacy

I've been waiting for Ping Pong Diplomacy's opening ever since I saw its board up in SM Aura a couple of months back. Clueless of what this restaurant will offer, I was sure of one thing... that it'll be superb given that it's the brainchild of the Tasteless Group. From hits like Wrong Ramen, Le Petit Souffle, Hey Handsome, Fowl Bread, Freezer Burn, Bad Bird and so on, it's guaranteed that this new foodie destination will be just like its big brothers (or sisters?). And when I found out that they finally opened this week, I just have to be one of the first to indulge in its mouthwatering dishes. 

Hello, Ping Pong Diplomacy! 

Before I drool again as I recall all the dishes I enjoyed during my visit, let's do a bit of recap on history. 

Ping Pong Diplomacy is actually part of American and Chinese history and an important one at that as it was the first contact of both countries after two decades of neither diplomatic or economic relations. So why ping pong? The two countries' first exchange was through a game of table tennis during the 31st World Table Tennis Championships. If you've seen Forrest Gump, you'd get what I mean. 

First Bite: Hey Handsome

Hey Handsome has been receiving praises from notable influencers from the foodie community for a month now. Actually, just knowing that the minds behind this concept are the ones who brought Your Local already convinced me that I have to visit this place ASAP. I really respect these young talents as they are not afraid of the insanely crazy restaurant industry we have now. And to use unconventional raw ingredients such as keluak,a big poisonous fruit found in Indonesia, among others, proves how passionate they are in their craft and in bringing new flavors to Manila. The restaurant was scheduled to open last Friday but since the owners want to make sure that everything is perfect, they had to delay the opening and moved it to August 17 instead. (Thank you, Charlie Paw for the heads up!) And finally, Hey Handsome is open!!!

Hello, Hey Handsome!

I was greeted by lovely interiors that reminded me of Your Local, only brighter and more Instagram friendly (given the abundance of light). The modern mixed with industrial feel, high stools and white and green tiles turn every corner of this restaurant perfect for shoots. 

I guess Nicco Santos, one of the owners, head chef and a photographer himself, considered how foodies love to take snapshots of food and restaurant interiors. 

The restaurant aims to infuse more “real” Asian flavors such as Peranakan, Thai and Malaysian. Though some of the ingredients are sourced in other Asian countries for more authentic flavors, some are sourced locally. I honestly could not really tell which ones are authentic tasting or not. As long as the dish tastes good, I’m a-okay with it! 

I have read several positive reviews about the Beetroot Paneer (PHP480), Nam Tok (PHP580), Bebek Penyet (PHP680) and Nasi Lemak (PHP645). I decided to go with last one knowing that is considered as a complete meal in Malaysia and Singapore.

Quite unfamiliar with the dishes, I did a quick research and found out that Nasi Lemak is usually composed of meat, salted peanuts, coconut rice, hardboiled egg and dilis. But it is wrong to expect “usual” when dining at Chef Nicco’s restaurant. Instead of serving nasi lemak (coconut rice) with meat, Hey Handsome paired it with sea bass otah infused with spices that is wrapped and grilled in banana leaves served with sambal, pickled soft boiled egg and peanut brittle with dilis.