Second Bite: Backyard Kitchen + Brew

I've been a fan of Chef Ed Bugia's Pino and Pi Breakfast & Pies restaurants for years and I was so giddy to try Backyard Kitchen + Brew back in 2015. And it was a memorable experience at that as one year later, I could still remember its succulent baby back ribs and delightful cheddar chips till now. But just to make sure, let's do a second take on the baby back ribs.

Hello, Backyard Kitchen + Brew!

First Bite: Sunrise Buckets

I’ve never been a chicken wings fan as I always feel that I get less for paying the same amount for a piece of chicken. I’d always go for breast or thigh as these parts have more meat. This is also the reason why I’ve never been interested to try Sunrise Buckets. But I guess I’m fated to dine here as this is one of the food stops of Food Hop 2017 by Zomato and The Grove by Rockwell.

Hello, Sunrise Buckets!

We were greeted by interiors in nautical theme and a retro looking open display chiller filled with various canned and bottled drinks.

First Bite: Hanamaruken

I have been hearing a lot of good feedback about this ramen joint at The Grove. It made me curious when two of the foodies I know and trust mentioned that this is their favorite place for their noodle fix. However, I could never seem to find time to visit as I usually head elsewhere. Luckily, I got the perfect opportunity to drop by last Saturday.

Hello, Hanamaruken.

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?

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.

Love at First Bite: Asakusa Home of Tempura

I have been dying to visit this tempura place at The Grove for months but it gets cancelled every single time. I blame the lazy weekend bug! There was one time though when we finally braved the Saturday traffic and we were greeted by… a closed sign. I heard my heart break and my tummy whine the moment I saw the glass door signage. But the Year of the Monkey seems to be my year as when R and I visited The Grove during Chinese New Year for dinner, the place I have been eying for months was open. OPEN! *insert creepy mega giant smile here*

Hello, Asakusa! 

The foodie in me found it so surreal that I finally managed to get inside the “home of tempura”. It was a long wait and I hope that it won’t disappoint.

Famished, we ordered Salmon Salad (PHP208), Emperor Tempura Set (PHP578) and Gyudon (PHP288). For beverage, we settled with the complimentary house tea.    

Service was quick as it was not even past the 5 minute mark when the salmon salad was served.

I loved it! The fresh salmon cuts drizzled with what seemed to be teriyaki sauce went really well with the crisp veggies and tempura flakes. The contrast between the soft and crunchy textures was delightful as well. Though flavor was a tad strong as appetizer, it was still a great starter!

Gyudon was served next and we were perplexed with its appearance. It did not look like the gyudon we know. The meat looked a bit too dark. Tastewise, the flavor was overpowering. It was too sweet for gyudon. 

Love at First Bite: Alley

I think the Year of the Monkey is my foodie year. Just last weekend alone, I managed to visit 5 restaurants in my must visit list. Among the restaurants I have been eying and finally visited is Alley, one of the new players at The Grove.

Hello, Alley!

This adorably designed restaurant serves several light snacks. Or so I thought.

It opened its doors just a few days ago but I am already familiar with its offerings thanks to my stalking skills. (Okay fine, it was because of Chef Angelo Comsti’s mouthwatering photos of Alley’s dishes.)

I went here after finally visiting Asakusa since I wanted some sweets to cap the night. I was a bit disappointed though that they only have two desserts to choose from, Financier (PHP229) and Caramelized Banana Bread (PHP249). I went with the latter because “house-churned cashew ice cream” sounds so delectable. (I was warned by the server that the banana bread is huge. It made me wonder if it’s because I smelled like tempura or if the phrase YOU-MUST-DIET is plastered all over my face.) I also ordered a cup of Cappuccino (PHP139) to balance the sweetness of my dessert.

First served was my cup of cappuccino and it was lovely. I got regular instead of decaf and it was still not that strong making it “night-friendly” if there is such a term. I didn’t get to appreciate the aroma though as I was about to get sick that night. Also, serving size is a tad too small for the price.

My dessert was served right after and the server was right. It was HUGE and definitely good for at least 3 hungry fellows.

First Sip: Precynct

Checking Looloo or my Instagram feed never fails to make me drool. I always see new dishes, drinks or places I have yet to try or visit. And one of the drinks that made me drool (and stalk) was the Faux Cappuccino of Precynct, one of the new coffee shops at The Grove by Rockwell. I planned to pay Precynct a visit last December only to be greeted by a closed sign. Apparently, they made last minute announcements on their holiday shutdown. Boo! But my curiosity remains strong and I tried to stop by again last week and it was a successful visit!

Hello, Precynct!!!

We arrived around 3PM and we were famished given that we skipped breakfast AND lunch. I was starting to see flying crispy pata and fried chicken when we got to the small and quaint coffee shop.

The server gave us the menu and it was all drinks. Nothing else. I got confused why they didn't offer any savory dishes and it made me check their Instagram account again and confirmed that they do serve meals. However, I didn't know that it is only available during lunch and dinner time. >.<

Anyway, we opted to have lunch elsewhere (*ahem* Backyard) and come back here for an after meal drink. 

When we got back, I finally ordered Faux Cappuccino (PHP160). YAY!

The server told me that it is best enjoyed by sipping from the cup. I read it somewhere too  so I gave it a try. It was a messy, not exactly cute, sip.

First Bite: Backyard Kitchen+Brew

I still remember the first time I visited Backyard. We only ordered its famous butter beer since we saving space for our Mecha Uma tasting menu dinner. And since there are just too many new restaurants here and there, I didn't get to visit Backyard again till last week. Well, we didn't really plan to visit Backyard but since we failed (once again) to have lunch at Asakusa, we ended up stuck between Backyard and Burger Pub. Thinking that I just recently blogged about the latter, I convinced R that we go for Chef Ed Bugia's restaurant. 

Hello, Backyard Kitchen + Brew! 

This time around, we ordered non-alcoholic drinks Lemonade (PHP65) and Home Brewed Iced Tea (PHP85). For our hot meals, we went for Slow Roasted Pork Belly (PHP275) and Backyard Burger (PHP285).

First served were our drinks and both were very refreshing. The lemonade was delightfully tangy while the iced tea had a nice citrusy flavor with a tinge of honey. Yum!

In less than 10 minutes, the Slow Roasted Pork Belly was served. Now, that's fast service! 

As one of Backyard's specialties or recommended dishes, it did not fail in the taste department. I truly enjoyed the rich flavor of the pork belly. Succulent meat covered in a sweet and mildly spicy sauce. 

In order to offset its overwhelming taste, I ate some of the crunchy and slightly tarty coleslaw and delightfully cheesy mac and cheese after each bite of the pork belly. It was a harmonious dance of flavors! And the good thing about this affordable dish was its generous serving size! 

First Bite: Burger Pub

The Grove by Rockwell has evolved from a mere events area for birthdays or bazaars to a foodie haven. Indeed, it does not offer a lot of choices yet but it has a pretty good variety from Filipino dishes to Japanese, Indian to American staples. I have been eying the tempura place there for quite some time but every time I plan to visit, it gets cancelled. I blame traffic (and lazy bug) for it. And when I finally decided to visit The Grove, the tempura place was closed! *ugly cry* But a new burger joint made me smile. 

Hello, Burger Pub.

The place is quite small and could perhaps sit at most 25 diners.

Positioning itself as a no-frills burger place, its interiors have an industrial, semi-finished look. Even the menu was very simple. (Though not sure if they'll make it more extensive since they seem to be still testing out their menu.)

I ordered the Pub Original (PHP345) while my mom went with the server's recommended off the menu Ragu Bolognese (PHP335). We also ordered iced tea (PHP120) for beverage.

First served was the iced tea and I noticed its very dark color. It somehow reminded me of milk tea. And it... doesn't taste like one. It had a very strong tea taste to the point of it being too bitter for iced tea. It wasn't that refreshing too because of the after taste that stays in your mouth. It was not worth my PHP120. (And we ordered two glasses of it so that makes it PHP240!!!) 

My mom's pasta was served next and serving size was quite generous and good for two. 

It was also delightfully meaty. Each bite was guaranteed to be packed with meat. I also liked the firm pasta complementing the soft and juicy meat sauce. The parmesan added a tinge of tart and further enhanced the dish's taste.