First Bite: Hiyas Modern Filipino Comfort Food

It has been a foodie dream of mine to try all the restaurants in Kapitolyo. But it was difficult as there seem to be a new restaurant that pops out of nowhere every month. A few months back, I was down to my last 5 but now, I think I’m back to 10 or even more! And it gets even more challenging when you’re with people who are not so adventurous with food. But a few weeks back, I was able to convince my family to have a late dinner at Hiyas Modern Filipino Comfort Food.

Hello, Hiyas!

The place screams Filipino with its décor and wall mural. I love it that they have books and board games to keep the diners entertained. I also enjoyed the wait dish—fish balls.

We decided to order the following: Creamy Kalabasa Soup (PHP195), Salmon Sisig (PHP255), Hinuburan na Lumpia (PHP220), Laing (PHP295), Inasal na Manok (PHP195) and Pritong Sorbetes (PHP170).

Service was pretty quick as we were the only diners that time.

My squash soup was creamy and the serving was good for sharing. It was slightly heavy though for an appetizer.

Restaurant Love; Avi

I’m so glad that some of my favorite people work near Kapitolyo. After months of planning, we finally get to have our schedules matched and agreed to have dinner at Avi.

Hello, Avi!

K was the first one to arrive as she is blessed to have 5 p.m. as her clock out.

She already ordered Clam Chowder when I arrived and I took a sip as I was famished. It was rather spicy and I was quite surprised as I never had a spicy clam chowder before.

Soon, K and I ordered our meals. K went with Papa Jack’s Crispy Chicken Adobo Overload (PHP210) while I ordered Basil in Red (PHP165) and Sous Vide Hanging Tender Steak (PHP330). I also ordered the Lover’s Limerick Cheesecake Lime (PHP150) and a glass of their House Blended Iced Tea (PHP75). We ordered Papa Rico’s Paborito Chicken Pesto (PHP210) for F. We also got the Seaside Samba Diablo Pasta (PHP300) for sharing.

The Basil in Red was a hit! I love it so much that we ordered another bowl. It had this tangy and creamy taste that would make it hard for you to stop.

Fondue Haven: Eleven Tables

1... 2... 3... Hold on. I can only see 10 tables. What happened to the 11th? Oh well.

I have always wanted to visit this place ever since I got an email about it from Leslie Go. It is just a few steps away from my place but every time I pass by, the place is closed. And two years later, I found out why. They are open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and resumes from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.. 

N arrived late that day and I was really famished. We decided to order the Chorizo Cheese Fondue (PHP420) and the Seafood Bourguignonne (PHP880) without much thought to it. And we didn't regret. 

The Chorizo Cheese Fondue was served warm and it was so stretchy that it made it difficult for us not to make a mess. I always end up getting too much cheese as I had to keep on wrapping the stretchy cheese on my broccoli, carrots or potatoes. (I skipped the bread.)

The cheese though was flavorful though not as tangy as I wanted it to be. Perhaps the chorizo's flavor was a bit too strong.

Restaurant Discovery: Greeka Kouzina

I have been a fan of Cyma for years. But I have been hearing that there’s another restaurant that serves great Greek food and that’s Greeka Kouzina. E and K planned that we have our next lunch there but our schedules never seem to meet. Then I was surprised to discover that Greeka Kouzina’s newest branch is just a few blocks away from my office. I am fated to eat there! Luckily, V was open to the idea of visiting the place. So…

Hello, Greeka Kouzina!

Located at the ground floor of the new D Strip along United St., the place has limited parking slots (which is also the issue with all other establishments in the area). Fret not though as the place has a lot of tables to accommodate more than 20 people. It was a rainy Wednesday night when we visited so there were only a few tables occupied.

Since I’m not so familiar with Greek food, I asked the server for the bestsellers. After being a pesky customer, we went with the following: Hummus (PHP155), Kotopoulo (PHP455), and Beef Souvlaki (PHP495). For our side dishes, we got the Garlic Arugula Pasta and Moussaka. The side dishes cost PHP195 each but you get it for free if you order a main dish.

First served was the hummus. The chickpea dip with roasted garlic and tahini was quite thick and rough. It was a good dish to start the meal as it wasn’t that heavy. Just don’t finish all the pita.

I enjoyed the Garlic Arugula Pasta. I love pasta dishes that are not cream based as it helps me appreciate the other ingredients more. I’m not so sure though if it made my breathe stink afterwards.