La Mesa Grill – Trinoma Mall

Trying to find a place to eat in Trinoma is sometimes, hard because of the number of restaurants that you wanna try everything at once but you cant, and sometimes the places you wanna try have a long line.

This grill is the 2^nd branch of this resto, the 1^st one located in SM Mall of Asia. A couple of friends told me that they are a good alternative to the more famous grillery like Gerrty or Dencios. And being that aside from Chinese food, Filipino food are one of the cuisines that entrees come in big family sizes. We gave it a go.

ON the table

Pork Sisig- this was an average dish, serving size a little small, good for 2 to 3 persons only.

Tofu Sisig- the concept of tofu sisig is supposed to be the healthy alternative, but what they did was they loaded it with mayonaisse which defeats the purpose. And the beklnd of the mayo and the tofu wasnt in sync..

Molo Soup- i was expecting a clear broth, it came out as an egg drop soup with molo or what i call as pinoy watons.

Sisig rice- noting great here, i still like Bacolod Chicken Inasal’s version of Sisig rice

Tinapa Rice- mixed everthing together and u get the blend of the saltiness of the egg and flaked fish, the acidity and tartness of the tomatoes.

Stuffed Squid- Everyone agreed this was the best dish that was ordered. Huge Squid, stuffed wuth ground meat and vegetables, breaded, fried the  sliced and doused with a sweet and slightly salty sauce reminiscent of oyster sauce.. THe Aquid was cooked just right, easy to chew and eat.

Binagoongan Baboy – they added coconut milk to the binagoongan, This restuarnat like their food rich and creamy.

Well, the meal was nothing to rave about. Three are other places in Trinoma that have much better food than this place. If ever you will be dining here, My recommended dish would be the squid.

Persia Grill – Makati City

Address: Valero Carpark 2, Valero St., Salcedo Village

Makati City, Metro Manila

Tel no:(02)818-9090

Capacity: 25pax

Operating hours: 10:00am– 11:00pm

Parking: Available

A little Indian Mediterranean inspired restaurant tucked in Salcedo Village. Located on the Ground floor of a multilevel parking lot. The owner of the place is Kazemi. Said to be one of the people who joined Pinoy Big Brother. I don’t know anything about it cause I don’t watch the show. Based on my research, he studied culinary arts in College of St Benilde and loves middle Eastern cuisine and decided to open this restaurant.

Small place, fits 20-30 people at the most, pack during dinner time, so come here early or late to be sure to get a seat. Nice ventilation.. you wont go ome smelling like what you eat. The place has articles featuring the owner. And pictures of their food. Well, I hate it when what they serve is different looking form the ones in the pics.. oh well…..

Hummus95- Pita bread- 12- velvety ground chickpeas with tahini, garlic and drizzled with olive oil. Perfectly paired with Pita Bread which is said to be prepared fresh daily.

Chelo Kebab Kabideh 195 Two sticks of charbroiled ground beef prepared with Persian spices with fresh grilled tomato and steamed cooked long grain rice. Love the long grain rice. Fluffy, perfectly cooked, add the butter and mixed it in while melting.. wow. THe beef was marinated with just the right amount of spices. THe eggplant puree added a different dimension coupled with the grilled tomato..

Chelo Morg 195 Two sticks of charbroiled chicken breast fillet marinated with Persian spices and herbs served with fresh grilled tomato and steamed cooked long grain rice. I dont know why they keep on hiding the meat. The Chicken was tender and juicy.. Flavorwise… it was just right.

Yogurt Shake-50- tangy, sweet, refreshing. A nice drink to compliment the taste of all the dishes and the heat in them. Comes in various flavours, but I ordered the plain one

THis place can be packed at night so better call to reserve seats. Nice place to unwind. Good ventilation, you wont smell like your food when u eat here.  Would order the GBX(ground beef express) next time… REad lot of raves about it in other blogs

Japonica Japanese Cafe & Kitchen – Makati City

Address: 2nd Level Liberty Plaza, H. V Dela Costa cor. Valero St., Salcedo Village
Makati

Tel no:(02)8842148

Unless you work in the area or unless u keep looking up when your in De la Costa Street. I don’t think you will ever notice this restaurant.

Safely located on the 2^nd floor of Liberty Plaza

This Japanese Bar and Café serves, a lot of Japanese dishes. And they do it fairly well. I guess this place is jampacked during lunch time.. dinner time makes this place a bit of a private place… we were the only people dining here

On the Table

Cold noodles with cream and mayo(priceless)

Set one (235)– Ebi Karaage, Chicken Karaage, Tamago, Cold Noodles, 6 pieces California Maki, Miso Soup and Banana, For the price and the selection, for me it’s a good deal. The California maki were of good size. The Ebi and Chicken Karaage were done nicely. The miso soup was ok.

Set two-Mini Tendon Moni Ketsuni Udon(275) Mixed Tempura rice, Udon noodles with tofu- The tempura batter was nice and light. The Udon was very good,

Frosted ice tea… very refreshing very nice…

Don’t expect authentic Japanese taste here, its more of Japanese food done to suit the Filipino palate. The likes of Teriyaki boy and Tempura Grill. But for a change. They have a lot of interesting dessert offerings but sadly they weren’t available.

Chi’s Brick Oven Kitchen – BF Sucat

Address: Unit 105, 209 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes
Parañaque City
Tel: (02)820-7210

Operating hours: Tuesdays thru Fridays: 11:30 am to 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 11:30 am to 10:30 pm

Parking Available in front of the restaurant

I love small homey restaurants wherein you can just seat down, unwind. And eat good food. And this is exactly how I feel everytime I go to this place. Owned by Chi and Apple Tirona. Very nice people and very accommodating. No wonder people flock here to eat and have a good time.

The brick oven is the star of this resto, located behind the counter . It is where they cooked more than 50 percent of their dishes..

Interiors are kept to a simple. Service is fast and efficient.

On the Table

Phillycheesteak Pizza(330)- near perfect pizza crust, just the right thickness. Good amount of cheese. My only comment and suggestion here is that they should not use tomato based sauce. An authentic phillycheesteak is just a blend of cheesewhiz, sautéed caramelized onions and tender beef strips.

Molten Chocolate Cake(120)- LAVA cake!!!, oozing with chocolatey goodness.. yummy, I wanted it to come with a straw so I can suck the chocolate:).

Appie Pie Pizza(105)- some people would not think of pizza for a dessert. But I think people who have tried Chi’s dessert pizza would argue otherwise. Perfect combination of sautéed apples, cinnamon, crushed graham and dollops of vanilla ice cream. Served hot from the brick oven, the vanilla ice cream slowly melting on the pizza, It was indeed yummy.

I love little places like this in BF Sucat. One more thing to rave about,. hey don’t charge you for corkage so to those wine drinkers, just bring your own bottles and enjoy.

Taste of L.A. – Quezon City

Address: 171 A. Roces Ave. cor. Tomas Morato
Quezon City

Tel: (02) 374-2461
(02) 525-13

Capacity: 100

Parking: Available in front and back of the restaurant

A lot of restaurants have come and gone in the Tomas Morato Strip and this restaurant has been there since the early 90s, maybe even before, I don’t know. One of the first restaurants to have its own brick oven.. They make use of that oven quite a bit in a lot of their dishes, especially their pizzas that I keep on coming back to.

The layout of the place is kinda different, The have a lot of dining areas, perfect for groups and dates. Very dim lit, so I hope u can forgive me with the pictures that I have to use a flash…

Lots of items in the menu, lots of things to try, from Continental fare to Asian. Seafood to Meat, Salad etc etc…

Service was not really top notch, there are a number of times that the waiters are not that attentive.. and u really have to call their attention.

On the Table

Baked Oysters Rockefeller-(320) 8 pieces of Fresh oysters, topped with cheese, spinach and bacon, baked in their Pugon oven, till it forms a nice cheesy crust. Very very good, Oysters very cooked just to the right point of doneness. The topping blend was fabulously done.

Lamb Pizza- thin to medium crust pizza, freshly rolled out, topped with lamb meat, black olives, mushroom, rosemary, mozzarella cheese. Their pizzas for me is among the best here in Manila. They also have an extra thin version, this is the regular version.

The lamb exudes the gamey flavor that is distinctly lamb. The cheese was rubbery and creamy at the same time… another very good dish.

Seafood Pasta—Well, I usually partner a pizza order with a pasta dish.. Taste of La’s pasta dishes are not really exceptional. It as wasjust ok…

I still love this place and I always recommend it to people who ask whats a nice place to eat in the Tomas Morato area, aside from Katre and Uno and Zuchinnis

Mr. Choi’s Kitchen – Robinsons Galleria

Mr Choi Kitchen opened at Robinsons Galleria during the last 90s. Amidst the popularity of North Park and Hap Chan.. They wanted to capture the Chinese food eating market. Tied up exclusively with Robinsons Mall.. You can find it only inside Gokongwei’s malls.

The place uses black and red for the interiors. Service is brisk. Food always prepared upon ordering.

On the Table

Chips with sesame seed and seaweed(priceless- nice pica pica to nibble on while waiting for the things you ordered

Siao Long Pao- 80- 4 pieces of steam buns with very little amount of the glorious soup people are looking for inside the bun when eating a Siao long pao.. Delicious when eaten with the ginger/black vinegar dip

Seafood with Vegetables Fried Noodles168- Fried egg noodles.. topped with assorted seafood, veggies in a clear sauce.. Good, Nice crunch of the noodles some absorbing the sauce making it soft but still aldente… fairly good amounth of seafood.

Fish Fillet with Garlic230- Steamed perfectly in a sweet light soy sauce. Soft and flaky. The garlic penetrating the fish. Giving the fish the essence of garlic

Beef with Butter sauce 210- Looks good, however the beef they used here was really tough. Too bad…

Lemon Chicken 185- Crispy fried Chicken pieces.. doused with a tangy lemon sauce. Good version..

Scallop Egg Foo Yung 180- filled with lots of tiny scallops. I find this dish good , and for the price.. excellent

Eggplant with ground pork and palm sauce- 180- soft peeled eggplant.. ground pork nicely marinated.. flavored by the sauce made from palm sugar..with the right amount of heat.

Yang Chow Fried rice 150- ordinary ….

Now for the dishes that makes this place unique against the other Chinese Restaurant. Their Baked Rice

Curry Beef baked rice170- tender pieces of beef, curry sauce.. topped on rice then baked.

Seafood with white sauce Baked Rice170- this is my favorite. Bechamel sauce and seafood on top of rice then baked. Mixed it all together and eat.. wow…

Fresh Taho 100- nothing like freshly made soy bean dessert.. with the arnibal and tapioca balls… a great way to end a Chinese meal..

All the dishes are meant for sharing.. good for 3 to 4 persons. What I like about this place is that service is quick. Food is hot. Prices are affordale. This place will always be an option when looking for a place to eat in Robinsons Mall

Chariya Thai Kitchen – Makati City

Address: 1766 N. Garcia former Reposo
Corner Milagros St.Makati City.
Tel No:(02) 382-16-16

Seating Capacity: 40pax

Parking: Street

One of my favorite Asian Cuisine aside from Japanese is Thai. I love how they use fresh ingredients and the right amount of spices to kick the taste buds up a notch. They also love using different herbs like Thai sweet basil, Lemon Grass, Galenggal. The newest Thai restaurant being this one in Nicanor Garcia.

Located in the spot where Soms used to be(the 2^nd Makati branch which closed down.) not the Rockwell branch.

The owner is also thai and is said to be related to the owner of Soms. According to a blog i read, they are cousins

The place is alfresco, No aircon. Good thing I got to dine here when the weather was very cool, it just rained. They maintained the old tables of soms, but they ipened up the area so that air would circulate thru out the whole restaurant.

On the Table:

Crispy Catfish Salad-(130) flossed catfish, deep fried, served on top of a green mango salad with a tangy dressing made from thai fish sauce, lime juice, sugar. The Catfish was fried to perfect crisp. The green mangoes sliced just right, not too thin and not too thick. The dressing was just perfect. Better than the ones at Soms, both in amount and in taste.

Pandan Chicken(140)- 5 pieces of Boneless Chicken pieces wrapped in Pandan Leaves then fried. Better than the ones at Soms. I didnt like the sauce here… it was too salty.

Squid in Garlic and Basil(140)- The squid was cooked correctly, Tender, not a challenge to eat, very good. The sauce was a nice blend of the sweet basil and garlic. Very fragrant.

Crab Fried Rice(130)- huge serving. Good for at least 3 people. The flaked crabmeat was evident in every spoonful.

Tom Yum Gung(140)- Spicy and sour. Right blend of these two taste. What was lacking here was a little more veggies. But the soup was delicious and warms the tummy on a wet rainy night.

Thai ice tea-I always order it in a thai restaurant and their version was good.

For my taste, this place has better food than SOMS.. to all SOMS lovers, try this place and see for yourself…

Apartment 1B – Makati City

Address: G/F One Lafayette Square, 132 LP Leviste corner Sedeno St., Salcedo Village
Makati City

Operating Hours: 7:00 AM-11:00 PM

Tel No:(02) 843-4074

Capacity: 60pax

Parking- Street Parking

Gourmet comfort food… This is how this place described their food. For me Comfort food, like taste, like subjective. What maybe comfort food for me is not really comfort food for everyone. Anyway, this place has been open for 2 years now and it surprise me that this is the first time I am gonna eat at this place. Located where “Confusion” was before. A restaurant which I haven’t eaten at also. They redesign the place to be more attractive. With see thru glass and lighting that make u see and enjoy your food, place has a upper level where u can reserve for private functions.

On the Table

Crabcakes(250)- interesting appetizer because not a lot of restaurant serve this. I remember watching Gordon Ramsay in Kitchen Nightmares and he would gauge a restaurants appetizer menu by the taste of their crabcakes. Apt 1B’s crab cakes is encased in shoe string potatoes the fried. I was expecting the inside to be smoking once cut. But was disappointed It was just warm…

Tastewise.. it was seasoned well, the mustard dressing was a great companion to the dish. Was it freshly picked crab meat? I don’t think so…

Roasted Chicken(380)- Half a chicken smeared in herbs, garlic and spoices then baked. Keeping the juices intact. The flesh still moist. Served with Garlic mashed potatoes and Herb Gravy.

Prawns in crab fat—I remember seeing this dish in a blog… but I was surprised by the size of the prawns they used… wow.. the 3 pieces were large enough to cover the entire plate… And the Crab fat…. Grr…. I wish they served free bread so I can soak the bread in this glorious fat and eat everything.To crab fat lovers.. Forget diet, forget your arteries, forget your heart even for just tonight and indulge.. Wonderful dish. The prawns were indeed fresh and cooked perfectly. No effort in removing it from the shell.. The sauce would transport you to crab fat heaven. The linguini was cooed al dente.. even when it was soaking in the aligue. Wow..

The Aftermath

White Chocolate Cheesecake(150), , I requested them not to put the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake like I saw in a number of pictures. I want to taste the cheesecake not the cream. Their cheesecake was velvety smooth, just the way I like it. Dense. With the right amount of Sweetness. The crust was not your ordinary Graham Cracker here. They use Gingersnap cookies..

Well, Definitely a place to return to.. again was surprised why I never went here to eat before..

Hanakazu Japanese Restaurant – Sucat, Paranaque

Address: 108 Aguirre St. BF Homes
Parañaque City

Seating Capacity: 65-70 pax

Tel No:(02) 565-5246, 8502512
(0917) 886-7276

BF homes in Sucat Paranaque is a Mecca for foodlovers. How I envy people from the south who live in this area because of the diversity of the food available here. From Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Filipino, Middle Eastern, German, Continental, Korean, name it and I think u can find it here all within one village.

One of the place that I have been seeing everytime I come here is this place Aguirre Ave. cor Vinzons. Hanazaku. A fine Japanese restaurant that can give those Japanese restaurant in Makati a run for their money. Opened in 2005, this place is simple, cozy and yet serves a mean Japanese meal. The Chef…Mr.Otsuka has been cooking for the past 26 years and for that amount of experience you can be sure of the quality the food he prepares.

On the Table.

Ebi Ten Maki(270)- all the blogs or articles I read about this place, always make mention fo this dish, do I just have to try it. A little expensive if u ask me.. consisting of Tempura made into a maki with a delicious sauce embedded inside it. What makes a great maki is the rice… the rice they use here is definitely top notch, cooked perfectly, it maintain its shape and texture , not mushy but cooked throough soft..… u can feel the stickiness u get form Japanese rice, flavoured very well, with vinegar and some mirin… one of the best sushi rice I tasted…

The maki as a whole was wonderful, crispy filling counteracting the softness of the rice. Dipped it in the usual Soy sauce Wasabi….

Take note, they serve freshly grated wasabi… After tasting the fresh wasabi I don’t wanna go back to the tube type we get from the supermarket and other restaurants.

Tori Teriyaki Don- 270. comes with miso soup and pickled veggies. The Chicken was plump and freshly cooked. The teriyaki sauce has the right blend of of sweetness and saltiness. Not too sweet unlike the ones from the other restos we are so used to. Again the rice here is very good,

Mixed Tempura 390. 3 pieces of Ebi, 1 asohos, 1 egg plant and 1 kakiage. Perfectly crisp batter. Light and crispy.. not too oily and no oily aftertaste which mean the cooking oil they used is not old. Everything was fried to perfection, Crispy outside, soft inside.. except for the ebi which was succulent and crispy inside too. Telling us that the ebi used is fresh.

Another different thing they serve here is the house green tea. Freshly brewed, bot the ones in the tea bag… Very refreshing tea…

I love that their menu has pictures of a lot of their food and what u get is exactly the same as what u ordered.

The place is definitely one of the better Japanese restos down south. They serve a lot of wagyu items as well, will try it mext time… Will be back here for sure…

Katre – Quezon City

Address:103 Dr. Lascano St., Brgy. Laging Handa

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Operating Hours:11:00 AM-10:00 PM

Tel No: (02) 373-4705, (02) 374-6650

Capacity: approx 80-90

Parking – Ample spaces available in front of the restaurant

Short for Katrina, the name of the daughter of the chef/owner. Rox Cailao. This mediterranean theme restaurant, had its humble beginnings in one of the side streets of Tomas Morato. Transferring in the early 2000’s to their new location still one of the side streets, but now more visible to the public.

Famous for the beautiful way the plate their dishes with the wonderful play of colors. And being so affordable .defintely value for money.

No problem with parking here, have ample spaces in front of the restaurant.

On the Table

Pita wedges with 3 different dips(90)—a delightful appetizer, everything was fresh tasting. Made in the traditional meditterenean way. The dips were very good.

Greek Salad(185)- like I said, the plating of their food were wonderful, Nice colors, the salad green were fresh , the dressing light yet flavorful. Lots of feta cheese

French Onion Soup(165)- hmm, this was kinda disappointing. They used pre sliced processed cheese her, I love the more rustic look where the sides of the bowl would be dripping with melted cheese. . Soup itself was ok, didn’t really wow me.

Seafood Pasta(395)- Aldente Pasta. Good amount of seafood, Good amount of cheese, Sauce hugging every strand of pasta.. Great Dish

US Beef Belly(Angus Bacon)(455)- Think of thick slices of bacon, but instead of pork.. they used beef belly. Very tender beef, perfectly seasoned.

Grilled Mahi-Mahi(355)- a nice size fillet, good for one.. grilled till cooked , but still moist and flaky.Painted with a sweet barbequey like sauce Served with dollops of scallop sauce on the side. Wondeful…

One thing I noticed about their dishes is that they love using fried thinly sliced onion rings. I wonder why…

Pandan Ice Tea- refillable. Refreshing ice tea blend flavoured by one of the favorite leaves by Filipinos that we used to flavour rice, gelatin etc…

Crème Brulee- silky custard dessert, one of the cheapest if not the cheapest among casual fine dining restaurants, not too sweet, just right

Chocolate cake-This chocolate cake was a bit dry, maybe more than a day old most probably..

still decedent though so it was still finished with ease..

Still one of my recommended “to eat” restos in the Tomas Morato Area. Affordable, yet filling and delights the senses both the eyes and the tongue:)