All about good food…. hopefully

September 25, 2009

Yellow Chicken – Banawe St. Quezon CIty

Filed under: Banawe, Family servings, Filipino — gourmandtales @ 12:28 pm

Address: 808 Banawe Street. Quezon City, Philippines;

Phone: 467-0808

Parking: Lots of spaces in front of the restaurant

Just looking at the name, made me smile.. it was catchy and nice. What other Chicken dish is colored yellow, aside from curry?? But of course. Inasal. The Pride of Bacolod.  THere has been a lot of New Inasal places being open in the city and here in Banawe this is one of the newer places.

The interiors were kept simple. wooden chairs, and tables, I love the myriad of sauces and the nams that they conjure for the achuete oil :) SP_A2795

Lets get down to the food

Pork Sisig-SP_A2797 this was good, but the serving size was quite small. AS you can see in the pic there sizzling plate was not full. But tastewise, it was delicious. It could do without the mayo though..

Sizzling bulalo–SP_A2798 base on the pic.. you would think we got a good deal, but in fact…. there was more bones than meat… it was tender though and the sauce was good on top of rice/

Now for their specialty- THe yellow chicken Inasal. Pitso- SP_A2799SP_A2800Breast and wing part-  It looks very ncie, but sad to say, it was dry. Not only dry, buy VERY dry.. Sayang, i hope it is not like this everyday, maybe a bad day for their grill chef?  Will i give it another try?… Maybe.. but there are a lot of new place opening in Banawe…. Arrrgghhh SP_A2796

August 14, 2009

Aristocrat Restaurant – Roxas Blvd, Pasay City

Filed under: Family servings, Filipino — gourmandtales @ 12:51 pm

Address: 432 San Andres St. cor. Roxas Blvd., Malate

Manila, Metro Manila

Phone number (02) 524-7671 to 80 loc. 225 or 230

Parking Available in front and side of the restaurant.

Different function rooms available

 

This restaurant has been opened since 1936, and i have been eating here since I was a little kid. Even before I can order my own meal. :) This place has been there and has been always open even during the solemn holidays like Maundy thursday, Good FRiday ad black Saturday. Its was even opened during the worst weather in the metro. I remember eating here once when Metro Manila was flooded all over.  

This is comfort food.  And their Chicken Barbeque has always been the top choice. But what i will be showing are other things i like here that you can order aside from Chicken BBQ.

Lumpiang Shanghai P234 -aris6  their version is among the top three lumpiang shanghai in the metro. It is fried to a beautiful crisp, The filling was meaty and tasty and cooked through.  comes with a sweet and sour .

Chicken Honey Half P212 -aris7  now instead of the usual chicken bbq, you can order this chicken,  which is marinade in honey.  The skin was thin and crispy, the meat was still juicy and soft. They usually serve it with ketchup, but i still prefer the Java sauce with it. 

Pancit Palabok P172-aris5 this was just okay, nothing extraordinary.

Cliffhouse small P175-aris3 now this is my favorite aristocrat sandwich. Whats not too like about a FRIED sandiwch right, they have a large version of this, and recently came out with this cute small version, doused with cheese sauce, the filling are layers of chicken ala king, bacon/ham layer and egg layer. Absolutely love it and i bet it is also exploding in calories!!!!

Sagot  Gulaman -aris2 a tall glass of shaved ice with arnibal syrup and tapioca pearls and gelatin cubes. REFRESHING

Java rice and their plate of saucesaris

Before it was served in bottles , now its individually packed

I know a lot of you have been eating here. Well, they have been here for more than 70 years, so they must be dong something right

 

August 10, 2009

I Have Two Eggs – Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Filed under: Family servings, Filipino, Quezon City — gourmandtales @ 11:14 am

Address: 238 Sct. Bayoran cor. Tomas Morato

Quezon City, Metro Manila

TEl no:(02)4113105

Capacity: 60pax

Parking: Ample Space available in front of the restaurant

 

Located in the dizzying area of Tomas Morato with the numerous restaurant to choose from. We ended up eating at this place with a funny name:) All rice meals are served with what else…. but two eggs. 

Place was well lit, clean and big.  There is an LCD TV showing your favorite sport  show, either Basketball or any other sports . There is a big function room for private parties.

Serving primarily Filipino cuisine with a few “americanized” versions of  dishes. 

Let go to the food

Ground pork wrapped in Cabbage- 2eggsthis looks more like a chinese dish than a filipino dish. Ground pork wrapped in cabbage leaves and nori  then braised till cooked. It was a average appetizer, not something i would order again though. The meat inside was substantial and seasoned just right.

Steak and Eggs- 2eggs5served with two eggs cooked the way you like it. I asked it to be cooked sunny side up and it was done perfectly. Dont expect any Angus or Wagyu beef here. you will get local beef and if you are lucky it will be tender. Good thing i was lucky anf i got a tender piece. Cooked medium well to well. I cant blamed them coz it hard to cooked a steak this thin. But i least i got my meat craving with this dish. It would have been a perfect breakfast to have this every morning:) right carnivores???

Archie’s Special- 2eggs2this is pert of the “americanized” dishes, they have another one called Popeye’s, which is just spinach and eggs, i got this dish because it got bacon and ham. The sour cream drizzled on top gave it a tart taste, i know some of you wll either love it or hate it. I like sour cream so i love this dish.

Binagoongang Baboy-2eggs4 served crispy on a bed of sliced eggplants, the bagoong penetrating the pork pieces very well, imparting a salty taste but not getting overboard with the saltiness. Nice to eat it with rice:).

2eegs01

June 1, 2009

Dumaguete series – Lab-As Seafood Restaurant

Filed under: Dumaguete City, Filipino — gourmandtales @ 12:55 pm

Dumaguete City, a province in the Central Visayas also called the City of Gentle People. Its the most Populous City in the region of Negros Oriental.

Lots of restaurants here in the City, Our host gave us the oppurtunity to try one of the better seafood restaurant here. Named Lab-As. Cebuano for FRESH, some would say it is the best seafood restaurant in Dumaguete.

Instead of ordering ala carte, we were presented with a buffet spread of different dishes.

dumaduma1duma2duma3

 

Everything was fresh, everythign was seasoned well, everything was cooked well. No wonder people from dumaguete are proud of this place. img_1233duma4

May 25, 2009

Bibingkinitan – various branches

Filed under: Filipino, Malls — gourmandtales @ 1:46 pm

Bibingka – the ever famous rice cakes that are not only popular during Christmas but all year round.

Lo and behold, theres this cute  stalls found in different supermarkets and department stores. Selling freshly made bibingka… mini bibingka. looks so cute

And now they have a new variant.. Bibingkidonuts. bingka

Ingenious. i love  it, instead of the usual salted egg and cheese topping, they used powedered suagr then they fill the bibingka with different kinds of fillings.bingka1 Just make sure, they fill it properly, remember, bibingka is a bit dense so if the server dont put in properly baka sa dulo lang magkakaroon.bibingka

try it.. 20pesos…

February 28, 2009

1521 restaurant – Shaw Blvd; Mandaluyong City

Filed under: Asian, Filipino, Fine Dining, Mandaluyong City — gourmandtales @ 8:24 am

Address: 547 Shaw Boulevard, Brgy. Wack-Wack, Mandaluyong City

Tel. Nos. 794.0433; 0917.8606678; 0906.4904712

Capacity: 40 pax

Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

A lot of people have been trying to make ways to globalize Filipino cuisine. Its really a hard endevour if your gonna ask me. This restaurant tries its best to showcase filipino cuisine at its finest.

Place looks great, clean and nice smelling. Not a lot of people were eating that night. WEll, for one the location is not at a prime spot. Its along a busy road in Mandaluyong and if you drive fast and look straight, you will definitely miss this place. Located near Pan de pugon and Mr Poon. THe menu have cathy names of the different dishes, but upon inspection, its more of an asian fusion rather than purely modern pinoy cooking.

On the Table

No-See Sisig Stuffed crisp empanaditas filled with crunchy minced pork and liver pate served with sinamak and cream cheese and sweet chili sauce P200-sp_a3014 this little things were nicely done, i love the stuffing, could have used more though, the empanada dough has just the right thickness, crunchy and chewy at the same time/ THe sauce… very tiny amounts of cream cheese to be contributory to taste, the sinamak was very good.
Anyhow na Liempo Lean, perfectly seasoned, bacon-cut grilled pork belly with a beautiful side salad of reg eggs, tomatoes, onions and a touch of crushed pork cracklings P230sp_a3016- Layers upon layers of fat and meat, deep fried perfectly, crispy outside, still juicy and moist inside. if u noticed there is a sail made from bacon.. yummy…
Tom Yum InasalGrilled chicken teriyaki in reduced Tom Yum soup with mustasa. P230sp_a3015- this is more asian fusion than modern pinoy cooking, however i like this dish. Boneless Chicken Thigh.. soaked in ginger, sugar and other spices then grilled beautifully, the sauce was really strong flavors of tom yum…the combiination was terrific.
Shrimp Popcorns-  Battered, crunchy shrimps with a sweet chili sauce P230sp_a3013- this was my least favorite dish, batter too thick, shrimps overcooked. dressing was obviously coming from a bottle.

Pipino-mint Cooler- P60-sp_a3012 refreshingly different. :)

This place is worth trying, there are other dishes that would make me wanna come back and try. sp_a3017

February 9, 2009

Cebu Food Chronicles – CNT Lechon

Filed under: Cebu, Filipino — gourmandtales @ 12:09 pm

I know, i know, you guys will say that CNT is not really the best Cebu Lechon. It is just commercialized. Well, i am not a Cebuano and this is the onyl Cebu Lechon i know so here i am at CNT ordering lechon to bring home to Manila.

I was full to the brim with my lunch in another location all i want was to order lechon that i will bring home the following day, but why ordering this is what i saw…..sp_a1840 Imagine, lechon scraps.. selling at 260 per kilo… this are the bits and ends of the lechon pieces they sell by the kilo, and for me these bits and ends have the most flavor, i just cant resist to order me 1/4 of a kilo.. for only 65pesos!!!!!

This is the most artery clogging, cholesteroil laden dessert i have ever eaten:)sp_a1841

January 14, 2009

Razons of Pampanga – the search for the missing Marrow

Filed under: Fast Food, Filipino — gourmandtales @ 9:29 am

Place of incident- Razons Banawe Branch

Time of incident- 1215pm

Ordered the Bulalo Steak…. which looked so good in the picture…photo-0040

came out sizzling…. but missing something….. the prized bulalo. or the marrow… horror above horrors… where is it?photo-0041 keep on looking at the sizzling plate but to no avail… If only i want worried about the cholesterol level of that damn thing.. i would have returned the order… hehe

one Side note..photo-0042 one of the better sisig here in manila, consistent in quality and taste

October 30, 2008

La Mesa Grill – Trinoma Mall

Filed under: Family servings, Filipino, Malls — gourmandtales @ 4:13 am

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 2nd branch of this resto, the 1st 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.

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