Love at First Bite: Buta+Wagyu

I have read a few reviews about this wagyu place in SM Aura that serves A5 wagyu beef. All reviews say that the place serve quality beef but it comes with an expensive price. I told R about it but we didn’t really bother going as even with us two, I’m sure that we have to shell out around PHP10,000 for a nice and filling meal. But then R’s dad wanted to bring one of their business suppliers there for dinner and R told me to tag along. So we got to try it for free! Yay!

Hello, Buta+Wagyu!

The wagyu restaurant is located at the Sky Park of SM Aura, beside Kettle. I didn’t notice it at first as the entrance of the place is flushed inside the walkway and is right beside the escalator going to Niu. It has another dining area right across where we dined. R, his dad and business suppliers were already there when I arrived. 

Since I was the resident foodie that time, I ordered for us. We got a Stone Grill Sampler (PHP8,500 + PHP300 cooking charge) and 300g of Sirloin Hida Steamed Wagyu (PHP1640/100g + PHP300 cooking charge). I also got a glass of Apple Cucumber Shake (PHP250) while R got Cantaloupe Shake (PHP160). 

While waiting for our dishes, I munched on the complimentary side dishes—anchovies and kimchi. (I hate kimchi but I was too hungry to be a picky eater. I actually finished the whole thing!)

Soon, our steamed wagyu was served. 

It was so soft and perfectly cut. I enjoyed dipping it in Ponzu sauce and putting a bit of wagyu spice and garlic chips for extra flavor. It was so good that we ordered rice to go with it and we also ordered another 300g right after we finished the first serving. That was another PHP5,220 to our tummies.

The platter of raw wagyu cuts was presented to us while enjoying the steamed wagyu. We asked the servers to prepare it medium and to just provide us with a hot stone grill for us to cook the meat even more if needed as some do not like seeing blood in their meat. 

It took about 10 minutes after we finished our steamed wagyu when the platter came. The Ohmi platter comes with Rib Eye, Sirloin, Chateaubriand and Chuckroll cuts. All were amazingly good! 

First Bite: Sushi Nori

New work, new lunch locations. Sort of.

My former office is a bit far from the malls and other food establishments if you were to walk (driving and parking are out of the picture because of the strict one hour lunch break). But my new office is just a couple blocks away. The temptation was so high that I went out for lunch on my first day.

I was thinking of having lunch at Tenya but the Market Market crowd was too much to handle, even on a weekday. I then remembered this sushi place I saw in SM Aura's pricey food court a couple months back. Sushi sounded really good that day so off I go to the pricey food court.

Hello, Sushi Nori!

There was only one other customer ahead of me when I ordered the Sushi Santi Temaki Handroll (PHP149). My order was ready to be picked up after a few minutes.

The size of the temaki which was stuffed with salmon, kani, tamago and cucumber was quite small but surprisingly filling.

Since enjoying the handroll would entail mess, I opted to not put soy sauce on my temaki. And I was glad that I skipped it as the sauce which tasted like teriyaki sauce, was a bit too salty and masked the taste of salmon and kani.

Kids at Heart Paradise: Jump Yard

With vouchers expiring soon, I asked R if he could accompany me to visit Jump Yard, an indoor trampoline place near Tiendesitas, beside Ark Avilon Zoo. We have a very tight schedule to work on so we decided to visit last night.

Hello, Jump Yard!

The place was packed with kids and their parents when we visited. There were a couple of teens but it was undeniable that we were among the oldest (but not the least fit individuals in the trampolines, I hope).

It was a good thing that the place gets cleared up every hour to make room for new jumpers. And when it was finally our time slot, there were not a lot of kiddos around.

We were a tad too excited that we started to jump without warming up. As soon as we saw available trampolines with hoops, we played basketball, super jump style. ⛹🏻

New Dish Alert: Precynct Berry Brioche

NEW DISH ALERT! Precynct launched a new dessert!

After a tiring hour of jumping around and making ugly faces, R and I headed to The Grove by Rockwell to have dinner at his favorite tempura place. Yes, I'm referring to Asakusa.

While parking, I spotted R's good friends M and K having dinner at Burger Pub. We approached them and decided to have dessert together to catch up.

After a delectable dinner (this will be a different review), we went to Precycnt to try the mouthwatering Dulce de Leche brioche (PHP350). I wanted to try The Garden too but I wasn't sure if they have good desserts. Since I want to give the impression that I am a very reliable foodie, I went with a place I am sure to serve great drinks and food... Precynct.

Precynct was quite packed last night with only a few stools available. I was decided to order the dulce de leche brioche till the server suggested their newly launched Berry Brioche (PHP375). New? Strawberry? Brioche? And with ICE CREAM? Gimme one of that! So that ends my craving for dulce de leche.

I also got a cup of Bitter Burnt Better (PHP180) while R got a glass of Small Victory (PHP90). K and M shared a glass of Faux Cappuccino (PHP160).

The Berry Brioche was L-O-V-E! ️

Soft and fluffy brioche topped with slices of strawberries, strawberry puree (or jam?) and ice cream... what is not to love?

Beat Summer Heat 101: Hot Star Soft Serve Ice Cream

Global warming. Climate change. El Niño. Crazy summer heat.

There are times when I just want to be indoors and not to leave my air conditioned room for days. And then I'll realize how expensive that will be. (I hate being an adult.) So a cheaper alternative is to head out and buy ice cream. Make that a gallon or two.

I remember one instance when I felt like my skin was melting and it was just January then! I was in Eastwood that time looking for a place to have dessert. I spotted Hot Star and remembered that they sell really affordable sundae cones. I dragged my sister with me and we immediately ordered a cone each. I got Black Gulaman while my sister got Almond (PHP15 per cone).

I loved mine! It definitely tasted like black gulaman. It had that sweet syrup and jello taste. *yum*

My sister on the other hand hated hers. I try to avoid almond flavored desserts or drinks because of its medicine-y and aiiiieeee-what-the-heck-is-this aftertaste. And my sister forgot that she also dislikes almond desserts and drinks. She ended up throwing hers. Some of my cousins who followed threw their almond sundaes too. (Such a waste but I wouldn't want to eat something I do not like.

I'm really happy with my sundae though and I would love to go back for more. 

Remember, get black gulaman! 

Hot Star is located at 2nd floor, Eastwood City Walk 2,E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue, Eastwood City, Quezon City.

Restaurant Love: Asakusa Home of Tempura

Jumping around is tiring. R and I could not even last five straight minutes jumping on trampolines. Oh how I miss being a kid. After an hour (well, more of 30 to 35 minutes) of playing with trampolines and questionably clean foam cubes, R and I built a huge appetite for heavy dinner. Since R fell in love with Asakusa and that we are just across The Grove, we decided to head there after Jump Yard.

Hello, Asakusa Home of Tempura!

The place was packed on a Saturday night. We had no choice but to eat outside. At least we were beside the fan and mosquito repellant machine.

R wanted us to stick with our usual Salmon Salad (PHP208) and Emperor Tempura Set (PHP578) but since I want to try something new, we also ordered Salmon Maki (PHP318) and Cold Soba (PHP98).

First served was salmon maki. We opted to make it mildly spiced as I have low tolerance for spicy food.

It was... not spicy at all. And the salmon bits were too few for us to get a taste of it. All we got a taste of were the Japanese rice and tempura crumbs. R gave me an I-told-you-so face after he saw my disappointed face. 

The salmon salad was served next. To make things a bit interesting, we got it with spicy sauce. But we played it safe by asking for the spicy sauce or dressing to be put on the side.

Summer Must Have: Razon's of Guagua

Summer is here and I am (except my fats) melting! How I wish I could have something cold to drink or eat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without getting fat or sick. But noooo, I get fat and sick. Oh cruel reality. But there's this place I simply could not resist even when I'm about to have lunch.

Hello, Razon's of Guagua!

I saw Razon's Eastwood branch while waiting for Big D's Smokehouse to open. Since my EQ is pretty low when it comes to food, I lured my mom and aunt to the halo-halo place for some sweet appetizer. 

Oh sweet air conditioned restaurant. I was instantly refreshed! (Please do not let me go back outside!)

I ordered a halo-halo (PHP105) for myself while my mom and aunt  decided to share. My aunt also got one plain silvanas (PHP35).

The silvanas looked sad being plated solo. It tasted sad too. It wasn't cold. It was hard and not the chewy type hard. It was also bland. The House of Silvanas is way better (and cheaper).

The halo-halo, as always, was a winner. Finely shaved ice and the basic yet best ingredients for halo-halo. I sparingly ate the leche flan. Save the best for last.  


I didn't want to leave the air conditioned place but after finishing my glass, we had to leave and check if the ribs place is already open.

Goodbye cold paradise. See you again!

Razon's of Guagua is located at 2nd Floor, Eastwood City Walk 2, Eastwood, Quezon City.

Love at First Bite: Kumori

I have been hearing about this Japanese cheesecake place for several months now. Aside from the delicately prepared cheesecakes, its milkshake also share the spotlight with its abundant photos on Instagram. It really made me curious but I do not want to brave the traffic even if Makati is quite near my place. But when R and I did our errands near SM North, I managed to convince the mall hater to drop by The Block and visit the cheesecake's branch there. It has been a long while since my last mall visit and honestly, I got dizzy. There were just too many people. And I can’t help wonder what these people do for a living for them to have time to shop around on a work day. After getting lost and making a few wrong turns, we finally reached Kumori.

Hello, Kumori!

The place was packed when we arrived. I didn’t really think of what to pick anymore. I just chose the one near the counter as it seemed to take the cashier a long time to finish one transaction. I got a Custard Butter Bun (PHP45), Hanjuku Cheese Original (PHP48), Hanjuku Cheese Chocolate (PHP48) and Cottage Cheese (PHP58). I also got Choco Hazelnut Milkshake (PHP175). 

When I placed my order for milkshake, the server/cashier told me that they ran out of mason jars and asked if it’s okay that they serve it on a take out cup. I insisted that I want it on a mason jar for blog purposes and she found a way to serve mine on a mason jar. I’m sure the person before me was pissed when she heard that as she also ordered milkshake and hesitated to say yes to the take out cup.

While waiting for our milkshake, we took a bite off some of our purchases. 

The Custard Butter Bun was delightfully chewy like mochi buns. I also love the faint taste of custard which made me appreciate the bun even more. 

As for the cheesecakes, I have to agree with the reviews on Hanjuku Cheese Original and Chocolate. These are amazing! It was soft, milky and undeniably packed. It is what I call quality pastries. I do not mind splurging on these small cheesecakes if quality is like this. I am in love. It was definitely love at first bite.

Love at First Bite: Cafe Shibuya

R and I had a few errands to do before the long weekend last week and to cap the tiring day, we opted to have dinner at this quaint restaurant right across SM Hypermart in SM North Edsa.

Hello, Cafe Shibuya!

I spotted Cafe Shibuya while waiting in line for the cashier at the supermarket.The brightly lit place had a very charming ambiance which appealed to me. So when R asked where I want to have dinner, I pointed the bakery looking shop. It was perfect as we were too tired to head elsewhere. After paying for our groceries, we went straight across and sat on the chairs outside the restaurant while signalling the server for menu. 

Peter, the friendly server told us that it is better to eat inside. We pointed out that we have a shopping cart which will obstruct the space between the dining tables.But he assured us that it was fine and began to pushed the cart inside and positioned it near the counter. He then served water right after taking care of our cart. Talk about great first impression!

We checked the menu and decided to go with Honey Lemongrass Chops (PHP295), Fish and Chips (PHP175) and Pink Passion (PHP85).

Service was fast too. Our drink was served in less than 5 minutes and our food soon followed. I was amazed!

Pink Passion was bubbly and slightly tangy. I loved that it wasn't too sweet and that it actually quenched my thirst. 

First Sip: Baguio Craft Brewery

Visiting Baguio is always fun. Aside from the cool and fresher than Manila breeze (sad that I have to make it relative as Baguio is turning into another Manila with its crazy traffic and trash problems), I love that I get to disconnect from everything. Yes, disconnect because I literally have no signal at R’s rest house. 

On my birthday weekend, we were crazy enough to head to Baguio during Panagbenga Flower Festival. But it wasn’t totally a crazy idea as traffic wasn’t that bad going to the land of strawberries and ube jam. It wasn’t even traffic in the city. Then again, must visit restaurants like Café by the Ruins are packed. *cries*

R2 happened to be in Baguio too that weekend as Grab had a GrabHorse promo in Burnham Park. We arranged to meet up on our last night there and R2 recommended Baguio Craft Brewery.

We agreed to meet up at the brewery around 10 p.m. and when we got there, R2 was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he was still around Hill Station that time.

While waiting for R2, R and I opted to get a glass of beer each. I went with Lagud (PHP170) while R got Rolling Fog (PHP170). 

If you're tired, you might not enjoy this place as there are very limited seats inside. There are only about 10 uncomforatble bar stools inside. I guess the owners do not want people lingering around.

After a few minutes, our drinks arrived. 

Lagud (5.04% ABV and 20 IBU), which is a strawberry flavored beer, tasted like beer with syrup. I felt that there was absolutely no harmony between the natural bitterness of beer and the sweetness of strawberries. 

Love at First Bite: Melt Grilled Cheesery

It has been a few days ago when I saw Chessie T’s review on Melt Grilled Cheesery and I have been pestering R ever since. I would call out his name and when he looks, I would say, in my most whiny voice, Meeeeelt~ And after a few days of being adorably annoying (or maybe scratch adorable as I was just plain annoying according to the recipient of my puppy eyes), he finally gave in.

Hello, Melt Grilled Cheesery!

Tagged as the cheese lovers heaven, this restaurant sure knows how to attract foodies like me. Cheese on almost everything turned me into a fly lured by light. 

We arrived around 7 p.m. and the place was quite empty with only two other tables occupied. 

After browsing the menu and struggling to limit my order, R and I settled with Tomato Soup (PHP185), Mushroom Truffle (PHP300) with additional Parma Ham (PHP160), Big Buff (PHP395) and The Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (PHP235). 

We sat farthest the open kitchen and watched the crew prepare some dishes for other tables and perhaps ours too.

After a few minutes, the server approached us and mentioned that they do not have enough parma ham for one order and that the chef we talked to will just give us the few left for free. Yay for free parma ham!

In about 5 minutes, our tomato soup was served.

I loved the consistency of this soup. It was thick but not too heavy. It had a nice tangy tomato taste and the grilled cheese croutons made the dish even more delectable. Gooey cheese on my piping hot soup! 

R's mushroom truffle pasta was served next and it was soon followed by the parma ham.

The serving size of the parma ham made us realize why they hesitated to charge us. It was indeed too small to be priced at PHP160.

But those bits of toasted parma ham made the the dish so much better. It balanced the creaminess of the mushroom truffle sauce and it complemented the parmesan cheese. It also added texture to the soft pasta. Ordering additional parma ham is not a bad move at all even if it will cost you PHP460 total for the dish.

Last savory dish served was Big Buff. The chef we talked to actually recommended The Classic Melt (PHP265) since it is lighter and it is also his personal favorite. But the chicken lover in me won and I went with what I really want to try. And I sort of regretted it.