Back To Basics: Savage

Savage has been one of the most talked about restaurants in town. Raved about by taste makers, I was excited to try its grilled pulpo. However, our frequent out of town trips pushed back my plan to dine at Arya Plaza's crowd favorite restaurant. Thankfully, R's sisters made plans to have a get together here and we were in town for it. 

Hello, Savage. 

With all the frills and complexities of cooking in this modern age, Chef Josh Boutwood went back to how cooking all started, with flame and smoke. And this is how Savage was born. 

Restaurant Love: Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters

I have always been a fan of Toby's Estate. I love its Flat White coffee as I need not add sugar to make it drinkable. I still remember the first time I tried it in Century City Mall after exploring Hole in the Wall, then a new foodie place. It was love at first sip. But I never get a chance to try its other offerings such as savory dishes and desserts till last month.

Hello, Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters!

I finally got to visit the Salcedo branch of Toby's Estate which serves savory and sweet dishes! Yay! But since we were all full from our Tsumura Sushi Bar & Restaurant  lunch, we just focused on drinks and desserts.

I was planning to order Toby's Estate's popular dessert Bucky's a la mode (PHP260) but J mentioned that it is not as good as the Sticky Toffee Pudding (PHP190). I trust J's taste so I went with the latter. For beverage, I went with my favorite Flat White (PHP150) and R ordered the Iced Chocolate (PHP150, 16 oz).

First served was the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Served on a dented tin bowl, the others commented on its poor presentation. "It looked like a dog's dish!" says one of my companions. And to be honest, it does look like one. Some restaurants do the same but manage to pull it off nicely. I'm just not sure if it was the dents that made it look so sad. 

Love at First Bite: Karen's Kitchen

When you get older, Christmas is no longer about getting gifts. It is now all about getting... fat. But if I get to stuff myself with good food, I am a-okay with it! And thanks to the long break, I finally got a chance to visit the restaurant in Kapitolyo that I have been eying for almost a year... Karen's Kitchen!

Hello, Karen's Kitchen!

The place is oozing with charm. Each corner is Instagram-worthy and every piece on display has a story to tell. I have never been to a place as warm and beautiful as this one. It was definitely made with love and a lot of thought. 

Since the place is small, I made sure that we get a table and dropped Karen a message to reserve one for us. She then suggested that we pre-order as some of the dishes take time to prepare. (Some dishes take as much as 45 minutes to cook.) It sounded like a great idea. Less waiting, more eating! 

I ordered Squash Soup with Squash Flower (PHP175), Mushroom Truffle (PHP395) and Karen's recommended Dalandan Chicken (PHP345). We also ordered Strawberry Juice (PHP165), Red Velvet Cupcake (PHP96) and Sticky Toffee Pudding (PHP144). Karen insisted we try Raclette Japanese Cheesecake (PHP205) and gave us one on the house.

First served was the squash soup and it was divine! It was the perfect texture for pumpkin soup. It was thick and creamy, sweet with a bit of spice. The bread stick was perfectly soft and flavored too! We were off on a good start.

Next served was the mushroom truffle pasta and it smelled heavenly. You could undeniably smell the aroma of truffle.