First Bite: Banh Mi Kitchen

I have been eying Banh Mi Kitchen for a while now but it being in SM Megamall discourages me from trying it out. Just thinking about the horrific parking mayhem and the insane crowd make me cringe. So when I found out that they opened a kiosk in BGC Stopover, I jumped and twirled with glee!

Hello, Banh Mi Kitchen! 

It is hard to miss this wooden kiosk located at BGC Stopover ground floor near Jollibee and Bono Gelato. The warm hues and friendly staff sure lured us just like those Poke Stops. 

R and I got some gift certificates (for one regular banh mi and drink) from Foodgrammer.ph and I decided to use mine right away. I went with Wagyu Tapa banh mi (PHP189 | PHP129) and Iced Milk Tea (PHP60).

First Bite: UMU Japanese Restaurant, Dusit Thani

I hardly visit Makati on a weeknight as I try my best to avoid wrinkles caused by stress and road rage. But this whole I-will-not-go-to-Makati is often forgotten when the words "free food" is in the picture. Oh gluttony, no wonder you’re part of the seven capital sins. Anyway, R invited me to join him, his parents and some of their company’s VPs for dinner at Dusit Thani. And since we’re talking about good food, I quickly said yes.

Hello, UMA!

UMA is Dusit Thani’s Japanese restaurant tucked inside the ground floor of the fancy looking hotel. We were welcomed by wait staff donned in kimonos and they quickly ushered us inside the huge restaurant. 

It is well decorated and every corner looks very Japanese. 

We spotted private dining rooms with Japanese sliding doors, a Japanese stone garden and lovely orchids on our way to our teppan table.

The teppan area is a bit cramped so make sure that you have done your business before sitting down. 

First served was our fish appetizer on some salty clear sauce. It didn’t really leave much impression except that the fish was rather chewy because of its skin.

The ginormous California Maki was served next and it made me wonder if I was just hungry but it was pretty good. The Japanese rice was delectable and wasn’t the type that would make you think if you were munching on rice or paste. 

The mango, kani and other ingredients also delighted my tastebuds. 

Maginhawa Food Park StrEat Find: Lost Bread

Instagram was once invaded by milkshakes with cotton candy on top. Every foodie I know posted a photo of two of what seemed to be a mouthwatering beverage and dessert in one. But I could only avail of this drink in Maginhawa and it’s quite far from my place. Despite my burning desire to buy a glass or two, I have to wait till I find myself in that area. And with a bit of planning and coordination, my looloo friends and I finally did a Maginhawa food crawl and visited StrEat to indulge in Lost Bread’s milkshakes. 

Hello, Lost Bread!

Lost Bread is one of the two stalls with air conditioned prepping areas. But unlike Magpie, Lost Bread’s air conditioned area is only good for placing orders. You have to go out right after. (Yes, by go out I mean get kicked out after paying.) 

It’s easy to spot Lost Bread’s stall. Just look for the one with the longest queue! 

It didn’t take us that long to line up though as we were inside the cool room in less than 10 minutes. We decided to share one milkshake to make room for other sweets and went with The Carnival (PHP120) as it’s the most Instagrammed drink. 

The Carnival comes with vanilla butter cake, popcorn and cotton candy so it will surely delight anyone with a sweet tooth. 

I’d hand it to them, the drink did look pretty. But the charming drink quickly turned into a nightmare once we started to pinch the cotton candy. It was one sticky mess! The vanilla base was not as chilled as I hoped but it was definitely sweet. I also liked how the popcorn added texture to the drink. So to average it out, it was so-so.

Though I was happy to finally try Lost Bread, I still like mine simple. I guess I’m a conservative milkshake fanatic. 

Lost Bread is located at Maginhawa Food Park StrEat, 91 Maginhawa, Teachers Village, Quezon City.

Maginhawa Food Park StrEat Find: Bricks & Copper

Food parks are popping out here and there. But one of the first and established food parks in Manila is in Maginhawa and it sure has a witty name to boot. 

Hello, Maginhawa Food Park StrEat!

StrEat has became a must-visit food park ever since Lost Bread became trending in Instagram. Its attractive interiors is also a hipster magnet. 

There are several food stalls inside but we decided to stick with a few namely: Lost Bread, Bricks & Copper, Egg-It and Schmidt’s Hot Dog. 

It was a bit crowded when we visited around 5:30 pm but the food park organizers were prepared for it and placed ample number of tables and chairs for diners. We didn’t have a hard time getting a table for 5. First on our list is Bricks & Copper.

R and I ordered Chicken and Beef Kebab (PHP100 per piece) without rice as we wanted to save space for other finds. 

Service was good as our orders were served within the 10 minute mark. 

The two kebabs were plated in a no frills manner and we were given a small serving of red and white sauce on the side. 

The chicken kebab had a weird texture. It was also a bit tough making me think that the chicken was still raw when it was served. In short, I didn’t like this one. 

The beef kebab was a lot better. It was initially served with just the red sauce; but we had no problem requesting for some white sauce for it. 

This was was a lot better than its chicken counterpart. But it wasn’t exactly outstanding for me to go back for more. 

Looking back, it was a bit expensive for its quality. 

P.S. Parking could be hell here. If you’re on a food crawl, it might be better if you park elsewhere and just walk here. 

Bricks and Copper is located at Maginhawa Food Park StrEat, 91 Maginhawa, Teachers Village, Quezon City. 

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).

First Bite: Coffee Project

I love adorable cafés. I really appreciate it when owners invest time, money or both in designing their coffee shops. And when I saw a few reviews about Coffee Project, I knew that I have to visit this place! 

Hello, Coffee Project! 

The very feminine coffee shop is screaming beautiful in every corner. I just have to take snapshots of the overly yet tastefully decorated ceiling and hallway before placing my order. 

Since we were expecting to visit a lot of restaurants, I opted to share a breakfast rice meal with R. We ordered Garlic Beef Tapa (PHP295) and I ordered a glass of Caphe Sua Da (PHP155) for my drink as I badly needed coffee yesterday. (I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before.) 

After placing our orders (or was it before?), J and I had fun with our mini photoshoot by the corridor towards the quaint washroom of the establishment. This is the perfect spot if you want a new profile picture! 

First served was the Caphe Sua Da. It was served with the condensed milk at the bottom of the glass and the dripped coffee on top of it. There was also a separate glass of ice where you pour the sweetened coffee after. 

It was good though I find it too sweet. It would have been nicer if they put the condensed milk in a separate glass or container so that I could control my drink's sweetness. 

Our food arrived within the acceptable 15 minute mark and first served was Abe's and Jai's deconstructed 3 piece Garlic Longganisa (PHP295 each). It came with two sunny side up eggs, half of a tomato and garlic rice. Surprisingly, they didn't feel that there was not much longganisa for the rice. I guess serving it deconstructed is a nice way to portion your viand well. 

First Bite: Catabolic Café

It was a few weeks in the making but we finally made it to Maginhawa for an epic food crawl. 

We didn't exactly plan our stops but thanks to looloo and Waze, we managed to find the rainbow cake store, Catabolic Café.

Hello, Catabolic Café!

The store was pretty empty at 2 p.m. with only two tables occupied. 

We quickly placed our orders namely Pares Rice with Crispy Tadyang (PHP350) and Chicken with Waffles (PHP330).

The Pares Rice with Crispy Tadyang was a hit. The rice was flavorful and complemented the slightly sweet and tender beef ribs. I would have liked it better though if the beef was more succulent. 

Foodie Alert: Morganfield's 5th Year Anniversary Platter

P never fails to make me giddy whenever I see an unread email from her. It always mean one thing… good food! This time around, we were invited by Morganfield’s to try its anniversary platter called Presidential Platter priced at PHP3,295. After a few coordinations here and there, we all decided to enjoy the humongous platter on a Saturday. 

Hello, Morganfield’s! 

After celebrating my sister’s birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings (and used up the gift certificates I got from looloo’s 12 days of Christmas contest + R’s Bistro card discount and coupon), I headed straight to Morganfield’s for some serious eating. 

C and N were already inside when I arrived. We were given a pitcher of Tropical Fruit Tea which is a refreshing blend of mango and orange puree with fresh calamansi and orange bits. 

I loved that despite the puree overload, it wasn’t overly sweet and did the job in quenching my thirst.

After a while, the hefty platter—composed of half slab Hickory BBQ Spare Ribs, half slab Garlicky BBQ Spare Ribs, Chili Cheese Footlong Dog Pork Schnitzel, Beer Battered Prawns, Chili Cheese Nachos, Caesar Salad, corn bread and french fries—arrived. Just the sight of it made us gulp. 

How could we finish a feast that seems to be made for 6-8 persons? But we put that thought aside and went from one table to the next in search for light to take nice photos. 

First Bite: Xiu Fine Cantonese Dining

Xiu has been making a lot of noise since it opened last week. Socialites and food bloggers have been posting their favorites on Instagram and I could not help but get curious. Luckily, I was not the only one eying this place. R's dad wanted to try it too and asked R to make reservation arrangements given that he knows one of the owners. But the place was fully booked on its first week so we had to wait for the following weekend. And finally, the wait was over! 

Hello, Xiu Fine Cantonese Dining!

R's family was already there when we arrived and they did the ordering and picked Roast Goose (PHP1,980, half | PHP3,800, whole), Tiger Lobster Baked with Cheese and e-fu noodles (market price, ours reached over PHP10,000), Mashed Taro Puff with Scallop and Truffle (PHP1,080), Fried Squid in Chili and Salt (PHP580), Sweet and Sour Pork (PHP480) and Mixed Mushroom with Truffle Paste (PHP680).

While waiting for our food, we were served some crackers and vinegar which we paired with... our Malvasia-Chardonnay. Odd pairing but it was better than being (h)angry. 

First dish served was the Roast Goose. Given its price, we expected it to be good. 

The skin was slightly crispy and the meat was fatty. The darker meat on the other hand was quite chewy and tough. 

Taste-wise, it was flavorful enough to be enjoyed alone or with minimal sauce but its fattiness and toughness made this dish a disappointment. R's mom even said that we should have just ordered from all-time favorite Summer Palace.

The Mixed Mushroom with Truffle Paste was served next and it was delightful! I loved the soft yet subtly crunchy bite of mushrooms and the heavenly taste of truffle. It was so good that I had to get three servings of this! 

While still in mushroom heaven, the Fried Squid in Chili and Salt was next to be devoured.

There was really nothing much to say about this one as I always believe that it would be hard to mess with a deep-fried dish, especially if you claim to be a good restaurant. The squid used was fresh and not tough at all. The breading was not oily and the dish was not overly salty. 

The most anticipated dish of the night, Tiger Lobster with Baked Cheese and e-fu, made quite an entrance. We were so lucky to be able to get the last lobster for the night as a bunch of diners seemed to have placed their orders in advance.