Polu Kai – Serendra

I always believed deep in my heart that restaurant should make most of their food from scratch. Meaning. they should make sauces, bread, etc etc from scratch. Because if they are only gonna serve something that we can easily buy from the supermarket. Why would we eat there in the first place and it dishearten me when restaurants especially in high-end places like Serendra cant even make their own Chicken Burger

Here is the reason for my rant.

I ordered the Polu Kai Chicken Burger P270 de scribed as :”Crispy fried double chicken patty with cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato in a Kaiser bun, served with potato wedges and mac salad”

Here is what i got – How hard is it to debone a Chicken breast or thigh then bread it and fry it???  Look also at the tiny, very thin slice of tomato. and for the price….. wow…. DISAPPOINTING!!!

Eat well – Fort, Taguig

Address: Unit C, Ground Level Net Quad Bldg, 30-31st St, BOnifacio Global City, Taguig

Tel No: (02) 8569408

Parking- Pay parking lot available in front of the restaurant.

One of the up and coming Chinese Restaurant in the Fort area..or so i read.. Not a lot of chinese restaurant in the vicinity. Heard lots of praises about this place, so i have to give it a try. Located in the Deustche Bank Bldg, not part of the Fort strip, Serendra, High Street area.

THe head chef is said to be Cantonese who used to be the head chicnese chef in one of the Big hotels in Cebu.  He is always present here in the restaurant.

Place was bustling with people eating. Service was not very good, You have to call the attention of the waiter/waitresses a couple of times and remind them a couple of times before the request was granted.

On the table:

Siomai P88- 4  pieces of pork and shrimp siomai. As you can see the Shrimp was a bit dried up already.  It didnt look and taste plump and juicy

Hakao P125- a bit pricey for three pieces and tastewise, i find Gloria Maris winning in this category

Crispy Pork(lechon Macau) P200- a expected a lot with this dish when i saw it on this website http://guides.clickthecity.com/metro/?p=4386 ; so i was disappointed when our serving was considerably smaller compared to the one on that website. It was okay, the skin was crispy, the pork was not too fatty.

Yang Chow Fried Rice P148- Taste like the regular yang chow we get from any chinese restaurant. Nothing special here

SEafood Fried Noodles with XO Sauce P238- this was good. The XO sauce was very evident in the dish, giving it a seafood essence and a kick to the dish. THe crispy noodles soaking up every bit of sauce.

Steam Egg white with seafood(P238)- silky egg white topped with chopped seafood.  My comment here is to lower the price, then use bigger chunks of seafood

Sweet and sour Fish Fillet P180- This dish could have been great if the use bigger pieces of fish, the crispyness of the coating was perfect, the sauce was also good, but like i said the size of the fish pieces were too small

Deep fried spareribs in spicy salt P220- this was a letdown, the spareribs were too dry. too meaty. not enough fat in between to keep it moist and succulent

Mango Sago with Almond Jelly P48-- love this dessert. affordable and refreshing

White Chocolate Masachi P55- another thing i love. warm dish that soothes the tummy after a big meal.

Overall, the place remind me of ZONG when it newly opened. I recommend the desserts here. Aside from that.. it was not really great.. Just good.

Mezzaluna – Serendra, Fort

Mezzaluna is stricly speaking a italian is translated as Half Moon. Its a cooking instrument used for chopping. THis restaurant in Piazza Serendra had a change of chef since the last part of 2008. Was it for a good Change? I would think so. THe current chef is Chef Seiji Kamura. One of my favorite Japanese Chef, More into the neo Japanese Style of Cooking however still keeping the strict Japanese code of freshness and cleanliness.

On the Table

Bread(priceless)- warm bread.. very good.

Chorizo Picante P250- made in house, thsi serving was already half eaten as i arrived late for the dinner. Nicely spiced. Cooked perfectly. Served with bread toasted in the chorizo and olive oil

Ebi Haru Maki P380- Shrimp Spring roll, using rice paper as the wrapper then fried. Not oily at all, the shrimp was cooked through. THe differetn vegetables used was very fresh

King Crab Salad P360- doused with home made wasabi dressing. THe crab meat was sweet and moist. THe green was fresh and picked without any bits of discoloration. THe dressing suited the dish nicely.

Baked Japanese Oyster P560- the difference compared to our local oysters is the size. Baked with a spinach cream sauce. this was good , good good.

Margherita Pizza P290- one of the better pizzas in the Serendra Area. Thin CRust. THe difference of their margherita is that they added anchovies giving it a salty kick which was very good.

Duck Salad- marinated in sake, mirin and light soy sauce, also cooked in the marinade which penetrated the whole breast. Made the duck taSte less gamey

Strawberry Napoleon Pie- a wonderful and beautiful dessert, layers of puff pastry and whipped cream plus the strawberries glazed with reduced balsamic syrup and mint. Lovely dessert.

Would definitely be back here to try the other dishes. Good food. Great company.

Larry’s Cafe and Bar – Serendra

Address: G/F Serendra, Bonifacio High St., Bonifacio Global City

Taguig City, Metro Manila

Tel no:(02) 856-0527

Parking: Basement available

Larry J. Cruz, a foodie, an icon in the restaurant industry here in our country. I dont know of anyone who has his vision. Imagine, turning a place like malate to what it is in its prime, when all his restaurants were at the top of their game. You have Cafe Adriatico, Ang Hang, Bistro Remedios, In the Mood, Cafe Havana… etc…  SAdly this great man, past away last year, leaving us his legacy of fine restaurants… okay there are a few misses… hey.. nobodys perfect.

This cafe and bar is one of the quiet places in Serendra. Focusing on its comfort food. Done simply.. no fancy presentation, no fancy names, just simple good food.

I am focusing this meal on desserts that are being offered in this place.  Let me share my finds

On the Table

Grand Marnier Souffle (P195)-This souffle came in a very big ramekin. Puffy and fluffy, just as what a souffle should be. Made upon order. It was good, but it would be better it they offer it with a sauce.. wither a creme anglaise spike with grand marnier or a chocolate sauve again spiked with grand marnier

Banana Caramel Crepe(P135)- freshy prpared thin crepe, doused with warm banana caramel sauce then topped with vanilla ice cream and toasted nuts. THe caramel was a little overcooked, which was obvious by the hint of bitterness that u can taste.. a flaw that can not be dismissed. THe crepe was cooked just right.. the thickness was just perfect. THe warm sauce and the cold ice cream  will give your mouth a nice contrast in temperature

Overall, this place is good. i have yet to try the hot items here, and their list of alcoholic drinks are also interesting…

Tatami Japanese Restaurant – Serendra

Address: G/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City

Taguig City, Metro Manila

TEl NO:(02) 901-1870

Parking: Basement PArking Available

Serendra was built with the vision of having restaurants of different cuisines. Until now i think they are still true to their vision. THere might be more than one coffee shop though,.. hehe

Here is the only Japanese Restaurant in the complex. Even High Street doesnt have a japanese resto… correct me if i am wrong please.

Tatami– which in japanese means, the type of  flooring usually used in old japanese houses, made from wooden soft rush straws.

Salmon Sashimi P250- fresh salmon slices..no fishy odor.. good quality salmon.

Beef Rolls- this was just okay, nothing unusual.

Angus Rib Eye Fried Rice P170- this was highway robbery, i think the beef here was less then 5 grams, so miniscule, the rice wasnt even off great quality.

Assorted Seafood Teppanyaki P315- For a high priced japanese restaurant.. where have they learn that Squid balls considered as seafood???????

Everytime i pass here, the people eating here are becoming less and less. I think its just a matter of time until this places closes shop. Unless they revamp their food and make it better.

Barcino Gourmet – Fort, Taguig City

Address: Unit 101/102 Forbeswood heights condominium. Rizal Drive cor West Cresent Park. Global City Taguig City

(02)4685942

Capacity- 65 to 70 pax

Parking- Street Parking Available

Spanish cuisine… one of the oldest foreign cuisine that started here in the country.. well, We were conquered by the Spaniards for a long long time. This is where some of our native pinoy food got some of its beginnings. For me, Spanish cuisine boast of big flavors. Stewing is one of the base of Spanish cooking aside from their penchant in curing different meats which I think is one of the traits we learned from them. Spanish cuisine like Filipino cuisine.. a lot of their dishes are not freshly done, because of the cooking process…

Now, this restaurant has its humble beginnings in Ortigas a few years back, then bought buy a couple of young Spaniards… taking over the place and changing the concept a little. Who would have thought we would enjoy Spanish wines and tapas nightly. This place in Fort they decided to open bec the one in Ortigas is getting crowded. From a seating capacity of less than 50(in ortigas) they up it more to fit close to 70 people. But still maintaining the “factory/warehouse” feel.. with the boxes of wines scattered all over the place..

On the Table

Lengua Estofado- 290 – Slices of Beef tongue and sliced potatoes, stewed till tender, with olives and mushroom. Tomatoes, olive oil, sugar…. Love this dish.. the intense flavor coming from the long hours of stewing rewards the diner with excellent tasting Lengua.

Bread- 40 – The server will ask you if u want bread… not saying that they will charge u for it… hehe. Well, its was good bread.. Buti na lang…

Tapas Gourmet( the signature tapas dish with Manchego, chorizo, Serrano ham, and Russian salad) 560. A little overprice if u ask me, but well, u get good quality meats.. The Russian salad(potato salad) was a surprise.. but the pairing was still good.

Vallformosa. Semi-seco 500 – a CAVA / sparkling white wine, excellent with Spanish food… love the bubbly.. while eating the tapas… and for the price, definitely worth it..

Nice place to unwind, talk about things, sip ur CAVA and let loose. Wish there would be more places like this:)