Banawe Chronicles – Coco Asian Cafe and Bistro

This is be a series of restaurant in the Banawe area.

Address:  989 Banawe Avenue, Barangay Manresa Quezon City (just at the back of starbucks coffee)

Tel No. 364-2281

Parking: lots of spaces available

This restaurant has been open for more than a year now and the food has maintain its quality. There were rumors that it was going to close, good thing it didnt.

THe menu spans the whole continent of asia, Representing popular dishes from all over the region.

Lumpiang Shanghai- this was just ordinary,nothing really great. Serving size was quite smalli

Fried Vietnamese rolls- better than the lumpiang shanghai, filed with vermicelli noodles, mushrooms, ground meat  etc. It uses rice paper so if not fried properly, tends to get a little oily, however they did it well as it wasn’t oily

Fried Catfish Salad- good version of the dish, the dressing was excellent blend of sour, salty and sweet tones.

Tinumok- another ordinary filipino dish.

Pad Thai- this was good, not as oily as those serve in thai restaurants here

Fried prawns  in shredded sweet potato- it came out like the plate was on fire, am not really a sweet potato fan. The prawn was big and plump.

Humba- this was very very good, pork was cooked till it was very tender, sliced so as it was not difficult to eat. The sauce was just sweet without going overboard.

Gambas- shrimps were perfectly cooked. Veering way from the traditional gambas, they used diced tomatoes to this dish making it more taste like an italian dish than a spanish dish.

Fried Tilapia- copying the dish from Recipes, they use a larger tilapia though and they friend it beautifully, keeping it moist inside

Seafood Basket- assorted seafood cooked in a thick coconut cream sauce. Then served on top of a fried potato basket. The sauce was a winner in taste.

Korean beef stew- instead of using short ribs, they used brisket. At first I thought it was going to be a tough. But I was mistaken as it was very soft and tender. The sauce was also reduced and thicken which gave the dish more UMPH and flavor

This is one of the restaurant which has the right concept,  dishing out good dishes..except for some misses, however, the location is not really at a prime spot.

Asian Twist – N.S. Amoranto, Quezon City

THis is the newest restaurant in this area, near Banawe Quezon City.  Specializing in Asian Fusion cuisine.. or so they say.

Located in N.S. Amoranto St or better known as Retiro. It has very nice signage.  Place was very brightly lit. Consist of 2 floors. Service is a little slow and expect little mistakes from the staff so be sure to let then repeat what you order to lessen the confusion

On the Table

Seafood Bibimbap-  i ordered the seafood cream bibimbap but this was the one served, i didnt have it changed anymore. Anyway, it was served in a traditional sotne bowl to keep the food hot and cook the egg. It has lots of seafood. the shrimps were plump and crunchy. My only rant here is that, their bibimbap then to be on the dry side, but still good.

Jane’s Pajeon-  Jane is suppose to be one of the owners of this resto, and having a dish named after the owner , i guess it really worth a try.  THe pajeon as you can see here is pan fried to a delightful golden brown crisp, which i different on what we usually get in korean restaurants. It is very tasty, and i love the crunch. Problem is it tends to be oily

VEggie and tofu tempura- there was a typo in the menu, saying they serve eggplant in this dish. However, there were no eggplant see, just the usual Kakiage and tofu. Fried to crispy perfecttion. A nice appetizer

Mango something shake(forgot the name)- Mango with calamansi syurp. Its a mango shake with a twist indeed. A wonderful thirst quencher

Banapple shake-  another shake, very very good. light and refreshing.

I didnt like how they didnt follow the order of how food is supposed to be served, you know…. appetizers before the main dish… THe first dish to arrive was the Bibimbap. Then the appetizers were served seperately. They should try serving sppetizers the same time and main dishes after appetizers.. I think that would be just right, however, food is very affordable and serving size more than adequate. TRy it:)

Chef’s Bistro – Quezon City

Address:94 Scout Gandia cor. Tomas Morato, QC

Operating Hours Monday – Thursday 11:00 – 14:00 / 17:00 – 23:00

Friday – Saturday 11:00 – 14:00 / 17:00 – 02:00

tel no: (02)4144515

Parking: Limited in front/ Street Parking

Little did i know that there has been a restaurant here in the Quezon City area that serves good food. Its unusual for a restauant to be there and me not knowing it, and i was surprised that this place has been in existince for close to a year now.

Its about time to try it.  Located in one of the side streets of Tomas Morato, i had to call the number for directions. THe place has 2 floors with a seating capacity of 30 maximun, ithink. Interios are kept to a minimal. Place looks pretty clean and well kept. The chef is said to be a graduate of Genes Gonzales School( to which i am not really a fan of, i fell chef Gene is overrated)

On the Table

Free Bread: Goooooooood

Pisa tower-(148) with shrimps, wild mushroom and tomato garlic sauce- i absolutely love the presentation.  the sauce reminded me of the tomato garlic sauce of Bravo.. the ones they sell in Bazaars and supermarket, the down side here were the shrimps were finely chopped. sna it was bigger pieces of whole it would be even better.

Assault and battery(278)- mixed fried seafood- good version of tempura, the sauce was not as good as i thought it would be. Lacks the wasabi kick, the mango was a good idea though

Baby Back ribs(368)- this was the best dish of the night, tender tender ribs, flavorful from the marinade, sweet, yet not too much.  THe accompanying sides were also a great match to the dish

Mushroom Pizza with truffle o(348)l- not really a good crust, but the cheese and mushroom and truffle oil lacing the top.. yummy… sana they would change their crust recipe…..

Lamb Chops(368)-the bad thing here, they used the cheap cut.. not the rack cut.

Crepes w Apples and Pecan aka Mortal Sin– nicely done crepe.. filling was also good. The apples were cooekd but still holds some crispyness.

Overall, the place hold promise. I hope the year in the business showed them ways to improve better.  Hope they would use better cuts of lamb. hehe

Ponzo’s – Magallanes

Address: Saint Alphonsus Mary de Ligouri Parish Center, Humabon St., Magallanes Village
Makati City

Tel NO: (02) 854-8736

Parking: Lot parking

Here is a small quiant cafe, hidden in the end of Magallanes Village, Behind Asia Pacific College, Beside Magallanes Church, it is one of the Kept secrets of the people who attends mass here. First got to know about the restaurant when I read about it on Margaux Salcedo’s Blog. And was yearning to try this place eversince.

They are open only until 830pm so either come here for lunch or early dinner.

On the Table

Buffalo Chicken Fingers 185- breaded boneless chicken fillets, tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, the sauce, more sweet than spicy.. I was surprised with this dish, there were a lot of fingers, around 8 pieces If I can remember correctly. Chicken was obviously cooked on the spot, nothing reheated here, I would prefer a more traditional buffalo sauce though.

Prawn Pasta 225- little prawns tossed in a parmesan cream sauce. Serve with sliced whole whear bread. It lack a little seasoning, the pasta was cooked nicely al dente, the Prawns were cooked nicely

Bacon Spinach Pizza 198- rectangular flat pizza, hmm.. I was expecting more from their pizza crust, because of how Margaux describe it and the chef. I was a little disappointed that it was pre baked, and cooked like a cracker. The toppings were nice though, the spinach, quickly blanched, Fair amount of Bacon slices.

They offer a lot in their menu and there are a lot of interesting stuffs, would come back and try it and update.

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:)