First Bite: The Belle and Dragon

We often associate bars and pubs with just drinks and maybe a handful of bar chows. But I've noticed lately that several drinking spots have been paying close attention to their food offerings and making it not just good pairings with their drinks but superb too for dinner! And one of the places worth visiting for dinner (or even lunch) is The Belle and Dragon. 

Hello, The Belle and Dragon.

Located along the busy street of Carlos Palanca, its green facade would be the first thing to catch your attention, a nice contrast against the urban concrete city like Makati. 

First Bite: Abacá Baking Company

Abaca is not a foreign name to those who frequent Cebu. As one of the popular restaurant groups in the city, a visit to any of Abaca Group’s restaurants is a must. I’ve been to Maya, Abaca’s Mexican joint last 2015 after my trip to Bantayan Island and I was impressed by its nachos and very flavorful Asada Fajitas. This time around, I made sure to drop by its cafe counterpart, Abacá Baking Company.

Hello, Abacá Baking Company.

Located a few steps away from Maya, this place has a very chill and New York bakery vibe. 

Since there are only high stools on the ground floor, we decided to head up to the second floor. I was hoping that some of the staff would help us carry our luggages (as we were on our way to the airport then) upstairs but we didn’t get any assistance from anyone even when some were just idle when we arrived. 

We were approached by a server with a very red nose and handed us menu. With hoarse voice, she mentioned their bestsellers and we decided to go for Tomato Soup (PHP195), Skillet Breakfast (PHP495) and Calamansi (PHP55). For dessert, we went with Fresh Fruit Tart (PHP225).

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.

First Bite: Wild Ginger

I feel terrible when I pay for a dish I find “meh” or worse… “blargh”. I had that sentiment last Friday when I had lunch at a ramen place in Rockwell. The broth had a very odd taste and the appetizer we ordered was too salty. It’ll take me a long while before I decide to visit that place again. The only perk I got from the lunch was when my colleague mentioned a list of restaurants I have to try. One of the restaurants she mentioned was Wild Ginger.

Hello, Wild Ginger!

I always pass by this restaurant and it never really made me curious as I only see a few people eat here. But since my colleague mentioned that this quaint restaurant serves good food, I had to give it a try.

R was indecisive that night so I ordered for the both of us: Pad Thai (PHP245), Thai Green Chicken Curry (PHP285), and Asian Tomato Soup (PHP135). I also got a glass of cold Calamansi juice (PHP75).

I was a bit iffy to order the tomato soup as it mentioned “spices from the East Indies” but I assumed that it wouldn’t be spicy. WRONG. It was so spicy that it made me cough and tear up. People who love spicy dishes would like this though.

Restaurant Discovery: Feta Mediterranean

Whenever I see new restaurants, I salivate. Okay, that didn’t sound so girly or proper but sadly, it’s true. I tend to be less picky when I’m hungry. Anywhere will do (as long as it’s a place I’ve never been to). And on our way back to the parking, we spotted Feta Mediterranean.

Hello, Feta Mediterranean!

The place is located a bit away from the strip of other restaurants so you could easily miss this one. But since we were walking, we spotted it.

There were only a few tables occupied when we arrived. We managed to get some couch seats and ordered Tomato Soup (PHP140), Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce (PHP490), a beef wrap I totally forgot its name and price, and a glass of their House Blend Iced Tea (PHP90).

First served was the tomato soup and it had bits of mozzarella to make it thicker. Somehow though, the mozzarella all clumped together making it seem like soggy and chewy bits of bread. It was served warm though and was quite okay as 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.

Beer Night: Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant

It has been a while since the last T3 meet up. With busy schedules, our plans normally get cancelled and *sniff sniff* forgotten. But it was different last week. We finally got to have dinner. Yahoo!

We decided to have dinner at Shangri-La as N was around the area and J and I work nearby. We all met around 7 p.m. and we were all very hungry. (Well, I was.)

 

We had a hard time choosing where to eat as they avoid places I have been to already. (Aren’t they the most supportive friends?) But since I’ve been to all the restaurants already (except for that new Korean place at the 6^th floor), we stalled for a bit. Given that they are not in the mood for Korean, and I wasn’t too, we went down again and visited BrotzeitGerman Bier Bar & Restaurant.

Given that it was a weekday and it was raining hard, the place was packed. We ended up sitting between the tables of two couples. Thank goodness only one of the two was in intense PDA mode.

We controlled ourselves with ordering as we tend to go overboard when we are all together. We ended up ordering Würstelplatte (PHP980) and Griebenschmalz (PHP290). I also decided to order Tagessuppe, or a fancy way to say Soup of the Day (PHP220). I was pretty stressed that day so I went for a glass of beer. The server said that the sweetest one is the Original Münchner Drunkel Lager (PHP200 for a Klein after 6 p.m.) so I ordered that one. N got the Banana Beer while J, a beer expert went for something N and I were not interested in.  :P

Happy Late Lunch: Cibo

I just realized that I really play favorites when I am at Shangri-La. Well, there are limited options but my top picks are always Cibo and Pages Deli. (I miss Fish & Co. though.)

One Sunday afternoon, my family and I decided to have lunch before heading to a kiddie party in Makati. Since we plan on having lunch somewhere near, we opted to drop by Shangri-La which is just 5 minutes away from our place and headed straight for Cibo.

 

It was already past lunchtime when we arrived and we were really famished. I opted to order Pappa Al Pomodoro (PHP173), Porchetta (PHP390) and a glass of Pomelo Shake (PHP119). My mom and sister on the other hand decided to share a Parmigiano Pizza (PHP325).

Delizioso! C' Italian Dining

The morning after arriving from Florida-Texas-Japan (too many connecting flights so I’m not really sure which one to mention), I had yet another food trip. This time, an out of town food trip… for the second time this year.

A friend invited me to a Pampanga food trip and I got excited with the thought of eating lots of exotic dishes (as for some reason, I have started to be fascinated and addicted to trying weird and plain exotic delicacies). 

However, Mother Nature was against my goal of eating a lot of bugs that day. It was one gloomy Friday. My friend suggested that we go to this place where the guests eat in nipa huts but that idea was deemed "not feasible" since it was raining. T.T