La Dolce Vita Bar and REsto – Polaris St, Makati City

Address: Polaris St, Makati City

Parking: Available in front of the restaurant

This is perhaps.. to date the newest italian restaurant in the City of Makati. Just a few months old. This establishment is where the old La Taverna(which i sorely miss) use to be.

Setting is quite dark.. Furniture, tables and chairs doenst look like they are a new restaurant.  Doesnt even look like they are an italian restaurant. I was a little bit skeptical of the place, but what the heck. I am already here, why not try a few dishes..

On the Table: pls pardon the picture as the flashing green neon lights were creating problems to my camera

Pasta Vongole:  Suprisingly, they made good vongole, the clams were all cooked.. which was a good sign, THe pasta was lightly flavoured by the clam broth, white wine, olive oil and some fresh herbs. You can taste the freshness of the clams and the simplicity of the way it was cooked

Pizza – Half  Gamberi Half Italian Sausage - For me the crust will always be the main event. If the crust is not good, no matter how good the topping is, it will fail in my standards.  THe crust here is excellent. thin, but not paper thin, with the burnt edges i love munching on. THe topping were a bit scarse, i love the tomato sauce they used and the amount of cheese they put were just right.  Overall, it was a good pizza.

Drinks- i forgot the name of this drink, but i like the way it was served, very unique. THey didnt scrimp on the alcohol content too, which was good also. THey have a lot of combinations that makes you wanna try everything at once but you just simply cant.

WEll, overall, despite the ambience,.. which was calling for some renovation. even if the place is new. THe food here was very good.  TRy it and tell me if you like it..

Tale of two appetizers

I just love appetizers, may it be the ordinary Onion rings to the elaborate appetizers of hotel restaurants. Sometimes i like appetizers more than the main dish because a lot of restaurants do appetizers differently or their appetizers are more interesting than their main dishes.

PASTO

Chicken Pate Crostini P105- They serve their crostini differently, In regular restaurnts, crostinis are sliced baguettes topped with either veggies or meat or cheeses. Here, It was presented as pizza slices without the toppings, then it comes with either one of their choice of condiment. I choose the Chicken Pate. THe bread was baked upon order, hot and crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. THe Chicken pate was very good. Buttery in texture. THe taste was perfect. Not too bitter. Just right. Am not really a chicken liver fan but this one i liked.

Texas Roadhouse Grill

Santa Fe Nachos P220- from italian food lets go to tex mex cuisine. Now this loaded nachos is one of the better nachos i have tasted. Loaded with meat, bacon bits,cheese, sour cream, jalapeno slices(my fave!).  Kulang Nalang Cold Beer. Hehe.

Both establishment can be found in El Pueblo REal in Ortigas. Enjoy:)

I am not saying these are my favorite appetizers, but this is a break from my usual chicken wings and gambas and i found the two both great and pleasing to the palate.

CEbu Food Chronicles – Giuseppe Pizza and Roast

A trip to the Queen City of the South, in search of good food, particularly a good italian restaurant, and out of all the names that were researched. La Tegola, ROma Mia, La Gondola..etc.. This is the one that is the most interesting for me. Giuseppe Pizza and Sicilian Roast. Well, for me, anyone who would put his name in his restaurant really will tell you that he is proud of his creations.

Giuseppe Genco is a veteran Chef, worked in a lot of hotel.. the last two being, Manila Peninsula and Shangrila Mactan.. before deciding to make it on his own.  Having over 30 years of experience on his belt. He decided to open his own resto. Located ion Maria Luisa Park Road. this restaurant is not big.. just right to be manage by the Chef. He mans the kitchen himself.

This restuaarnt is already 6 years old and still going strong. People come here because of the consistency and quality of his food, not to mention the beautiful brick oven and homey ambience

On the table

Pizza – Salsiccie / Prosciutto e Formaggi (p420)

Its good that they allow the pizza to be ordered in half sections so we can try at least 2 flavours. What makes any pizza worth eating… its the crust, and they done it as good as it gets. Crispy on the outside.. a little burnt but who cares.. soft and chewy inside… between thin and being medium, the crust was absolutely delicious.  The toppings.well its could use a bit more meat. hehe,  the cheese were excellent, the pizza sauce was freshly made…

Pasta – Spaghettie Marinara in white wine sauce.. u can choose a tomato sauce if u want(P420) – aldente pasta.. loaded with perfectly cooked seafood.  THe white wine sauce just heighten up the flavors of the seafood, nothing masked here by heavy laden cream sauce of tart tomatoes, just plain seafood goodness:)

Dessert – Pistachio Gelato- this was just okay

Warm chocolate Cake ala mode – this was a winner, warm cake.. oozing with delicious chocolate… topped with vanilla ice cream made with real vanilla bean.. yummy

This place for me  is one of the best italian  places here in our country.. the other two places would be C italian dining and Cafe CAruso…

Cafe Otello – Makati City-CLOSED

Address: U 202 100 Rufino St. corner Dela Rosa St. Legaspi Village,
Makati City

Operating hours: 10am to 7pm

Walking along Dela Rosa St in Makati, a person wouldnt notice this restaurant unless he or she is looking upwards or he/she is walking along the covered elevated walkway(overpass) along the street. This quaint italian restaurant is the little brother of L’ Incontro.. which i found out after eating here; so i was really surprise by the quality of food.

Not knowing at first that it is a little branch of L Incontro, i was a bit hesitant  to order looking at the one page menu. but what the heck, the foodie in me wanted to try this restaurant since a year ago, so here i go

On the table

Crepes Stuffed with ham and cheese in Truffle oil and porcini sauceP170- now.. after reading that, who would not want to order this…. the sauce is fantastic, creamy, savory, wonderful. the stuffing was also good.  great appetizer…

Tortellini Padrin0- Spinach ricotta cheese ravioli in tomato sauce and eggplant(P180) the tomato sauce was very good, taste fresh with the right spicyness to lift up the flavors, the cube eggplant does its work on contrast in texture but not really add much to the taste. The stuffing inside the tortellini.. well,, it wouldnt hurt if they could stuffed it with more filling

Spaghetti GambarettiP180 with fresh tomatoes and small prawns- now this was a surprise,  lots of gambaretti, lot of fresh tomatoes, pasta cooked aldente, mixed with olive oil and white wine. Refreshing taste, nothing heavy, light and good.. a winner here

Pizzeta Margherita P120-  Sadly, this was the sad part of the meal, crust was too thick,  that alone wontmake me order this dish again.

Dessert– complimentary fried pasta showered with powdered sugar.. a nice ending to a good meal.

THey serve lunch buffer for only P265 which features 2 main courses, 2 or 3 pasta dishes, a good buy, if u ask me, but be sure to be hungry.

Overall, the food here surprised me, didt expect it to be this yummy, will definitely come back here…

Dusit Thani Hotel – Makati City

Address: Ayala Center, Makati City

TEl NO: (02)8673333

Buffets have been around the country for a very long time, the most popular being the ones started by the Triple V group, which consist of Kamayan, Dads, Saisaki, then a lot of hotel restaurant have upgraded their buffets to have live cooking stations so we are assured of getting freshly prepared food.

One of the hotels with the most number of dining outlets is this 5 star hotel in Makati. Dusit Thani.

Having a wide array of choices, from the ultimate in Thai Cuisine, Benjarong, to the two of the upcoming great restos in their own cuisine. UMU for japanese and TOSCA for italian, Plus the international cafe BASIX they also have Fiesta San Miguel, which serves the best beers in town,

I was very intrigued by the (Family Sunday Brunch) Crossover buffet they are offering. Imagine, 4 hotel restaurants serving their items all at the same time for only P1450 all in.

To those who want to avail of the buffet, here is my story about it.

Process-

Patrons are to register at the lobby, near the Fiesta San Miguel area, then you will get a tag(that looks like a ride all you can from enchanted kingdom,) which will give you the go signal to go to all the buffet stations of all the restaurants

Station

- there are four stations, namely the 4 restaurants. YOu have to choose where you want to be your base station. I prefer UMU for its laid down atmosphere and very spacious interios

Umu Dishes-

This is where we started. THe Sushi and maki bar, the also serve trhis dish which i thought was cubed salmon but later on realiuzed it was ebiko in in cubed form, which was good actually. THe maki weres also nice, ver nice japanese rice used.

Umu- grill station..

various yakiniku prepared in front of you. also available is the delectable GINDARA teppanyaki.. melts in your mouth, the sauce penetrating the fillet . yummy

The grill skewers were also very good,

the beef was tender, the chicken succulent, the chicken sakin was well.. fattening. If u can see in the pic, i also got a fried lapu lapu collar bone, this was a loetdown cause it was over cooked and dry.

THe beef sukiyaki was heavenly, thinlly siceld well marbled beef, tender tender tender:)

The Tempura Station

was dishing out HUGE prawm tempuras, the coating was light and delicious:)

Next stop-Benjarong,

- THis is the restaurant Dusit is most proud of. With their Executive chef really hands on with the food here. Everything is prepared according to the strict standards of the chef. Food here is not as spicy as the usual Thai restaurant, but you can have it cooked to as spicy as you want it to be.

Here is the chef in action

cooking the PAd Thai was you order it, and believe me , it was fantastic, Just the right amount of all the ingredients…you can ask her to adjust the level of spicyness.

Benjarong- There is also a fried food station

which served arguably the best Shrimp Pancake in town, crispy on the outside, moist and juicy in the inside

Next Stop- Tosca= For me, the best new italian restaurant in the city. They serve bottmless sparkling wine which u can add mango juice and make it to a bellini.. refreshing

Pizza Station-

serving freshly prepared single size italian pizzas, Chewy crispy outer crust, topping u can choose from there.

Tosca- Risotto Station-

Two kinds of Risotto , cooked in front of you. Asparagus and Shrimp /Zuchinni(too bad walang mushroom). THe italian chef was looking at the way his sous chef was cooking. So Rest assured of the quality.

THe shrimp and zuchinnis

was a little was a little wet but the asparagus was perfect. Creamy and cooked al dente.

Tosca- they also have a grill station with different seafood and meat, i chose the sea bass which was just excellent. Grilled perfectly, seasoned well, a few more pieces of this and the 1450 price tag is already worth it..:)

Tosca- other items on the tosca spread

are the different smoked salmon, ribs, fish(overcooked) and a pasta station as well

Next Stop-Basix-

trying to be at par with the other live station buffet restaurant such as Circles, Paseo Uno etc. They have different Stations as well, Roast Station, Dimsum, MAke your won Taco Station, Shawarma Station, Chinese Station, Grilled Station, Crepe Station Etc ETc

Here is the chinese STation,

where the chef will makew you a duck roll, i was intrigue by their use of Melon Slivers instead of the usual cucumber slices. It was good.. nice contrast…

Basix- freshly cooked curry prawns

skewers whic are excellet\nt, fresh ingredients. Good flavor. ONe letdown though teh Roast Beef, it was cold, and overcooked.. sayang.. but i think this is just an off day..

Now for Desserts:

Tosca: Flourless Chocolate Cake-

Topped with Vanilla Ice cream. Cooked in a turbo brioler, i had my doubts, but once u get a spoonful… wow… i am not a chocolate lover but this one is good. Beside it ia creme Brulee.. it was okay..

Other Dessert Offering-

this beautiful plate of flan with a shot glass with mixed fruits in a fragrant syrup. It was beautiful and taste good. Next plate is addorted goodies like mango crepe pouches, Chocolate comething and flan with fruits

Last Plate: Mango Crepe

topped with Vanilla SAuce and Strawberries

Drinks- drnks are included, here in UMU you will be served with Greentea which they brew in house themselves, Tosca has the sparkling wine, Benjarong and Basix have their own ice tea conconctions..:)

What can i say about the experience- it was a revelation all the restaurants have a complete offering, meaning from appetizer to soup to salad to main courses and desserts.

for 1450 all in, it was worth it. My choices(not to be missed) are the Sea Bass, THe Pad Thai, Tempura, Sukiyaki,Gindara Teriyaki, Shrimp Pancakes, Prawn Spring Roll, Pizza, Risottos, Smoked Salmon, Tom Yum Goong, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Some interesting notes: Dusit has a lot of offerings this coming Holiday season

Chritmas eve dinner for each of the outlet UMU 8 course Kaiseki for 3,700. Benjarong 5 course for 1850net, Tosca 4 fourses for 2250, BASIX for 1600net .and Christmas day crossover brunch for 1600 net, a little more expensive but with added surprises..

New year Countdown crossover buffet- for P3800 net, aside from the crossover buffet, u get unlimited open bar drinks and entertaiment coutesy of the New Minstrels so u can celebrate in style and welcome 2009 with a happy stomach:)

Inquire at 02-8673333

Focaccia Update

THis restaurant has been getting a lot of hits here on my site.  THe Chef has been accused to have stolen the recipe of Chef Chris of C italian and is doing the panizza without Chef Chris Permission.

I dont know what really happened.. i would like a reaction from the chef himself..if ever he does read about this blog and all the accusation against him.. oh well

i did like the food, not at par with c italian but for manila standards it worth another visit…

On the Table

Insalata Caprese-P200 slices of tomatoes, fresh mozzarela and basil, drizzled with olive oil. I am sad that the tomatoes we have here in manila are not as red and juicy s the tomatoes they have in other countries. Our tomatoes are usually pale and doest taste much. I do love the mozzarella they use, very soft, juicy… The salad could use  a splash of balsamic vinegar to give it more taste….

Spinach Artichoke dip P240.-  nothing extraordinary, served piping hot, the beauty here is that if u consumed all the bread, u can request for more at no additional cost.

Baked Canneloni P240-  tubes of pasta rolled with ground beef and cheese.  THe sad thing here, the dish is obviously not freshly prepared, its reheated in a microwave,. THe dish was heated unevenly.. that how i could tell, there are hot spot and cold areas in the dish… Bad…

Capelini Angela Shrimp pesto P340- A very hefty dish.. Good amount of Shrimps, nice pesto sauce, clinging to every strand of pasta, not too oily, and not too dry, just right.

Osso Buco P350 – Braised beef shank serve with fettucine pasta. THe shanks were braised in a red wine tomato sauce with hints of orange. Very fragrant. Any meat lover would love to devour the marrow served here. THe meat was tender and the flavour of the red wine, herb, tomatoes and orange seem to penetrate the meat.

Overall the dinner was good, not really super duper great…

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.

Focaccia – Makati City

Address: Ground Floor A-Venue Mall, Makati Avenue
Makati City

Tel No:(02)7299403

Seating Capacity: 25-30pax

One of the newest restaurant in Makati. I saw this when I ate at Artina at A. Venue Mall, but didn’t gave it a second look cause I thought they were not offering anything different… then I got to know what they offer/serve from one of the blogs I regularly read.. Heart to Heart. . They have a dish they named Crazy rolls, that is reminiscent of the Panizza of C Italian dining… well, to travel 90kms…is really a far drive so I decided to give this place a try and see how they compare to Chef Chris version.

Place is relatively small, Well lit, with a view of the kitchen.

On the table

Focaccia slices served with balsamic/olive oil/Parmesam cheese.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken in Parmesan Cream Sauce(250)- described as baked Garlic Chicken with Fettucine tossed in cream- I was expecting at least a quater chicken baked with garlic and herbs… this is what i got. the chicken was tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned. But, was it baked? Hmm.. it looked fried to me, but what the heck.. they say baked.. it was delicious. So no complaints here, expect the marble potatoes were a bit undercooked.

Crazy rolls- It looks exactly like the ones in C Italian, a little thinner Maranello(shrimps salami) P350. Came with Arugula and alfalfa sprouts. Roll everything together.. then pop it in your mouth. So, how does it compare? Hmm.. they have a thinner crust.. but ill say they have duplicated it 70-75% of the way.

It was delicious but it lacked something.., they have a smaller personal size of this dish.. I wonder how small is it.. ill try it next time.

Very few dessert choices.. aside form the gelato which was not available (except for one flavor)

They have items on the menu that are the same as the ones in C Italian.. maybe the chef was an understudy of Chef Chris.. well I am just assuming here.. hehe

Anyway,  to the people who love Chef Chris’ Panizza. Give this place a try and eat the crazy roll and tell me what u think

C Italian Dining – Clark Field, Pampanga

Address: 1210 Don Juico Ave, Clarkfield Pampanga.

Tel No. 045-8924059

Open form 11:30am to 12:00am, Tuesdays to Sunday

If japanese food is light and healthy, for me Italian food is the heavy counterpart, heavy yet healthy. One of my favorite Italian restaurant which I think is also one of the best in the country is this restaurant in Clark, Pampanga

Voted one of the best restaurant for 2 years in a row by the Philippine Tatler.. though I really do not agree with some of the Tatlers choices, this one I agree with them.

C Italian Dining. The “C” I guess came form the name of the Chef, Chris Locher. Despite not being a true blue Italian, does Italian food really, really well.

Service is excellent, Waiters are attentive and knowledgable of the menu.

Reservations are recommended, because sometimes the place get full and if u are coming from Manila, it would be a waste of time to go there and not having a table.

On the table

Crusty Italian bread(priceless)- with parsley oil .. Baked fresh daily, lovely outer crust. Soft dough..

Panizza Peppone(P580)- Chef Chris Creation… ultra thin rectangular pizza, served with arugula and alfalfa sprouts wherein u roll everything in, and pop it in you mouth, the combination of the peppery arugula, the cheese, the morsels of meat or seafood, the crunch of the crust and alfalfa sprouts… the combination was just terrific that u will just keep on rolling and eating…

Bramata Peidmontaise(P570)- written as a gnocchi.. when this dish arrived, we were surprised by the appearance, it didn’t look like the usual gnocchi, it looked more like a cake, made from corn meal, topped with bleu cheese, served with roasted tomatoes, potatoes and mushrooms. Initially, I was kinda disappointed, but once I got a piece of it with bleu cheese, a little of the tomatoes, a little of the mushroom,… by golly wow… it tasted wonderful.. To blue cheese fans, this dish is for you. The mushrooms were so juicy and the flavour of the rosemary and pepper, soaked in the mushroom meat.. combined with the saltiness of the cheese, the corn potato combination of the cake, plus the sweetness of the tomatoes. Bravo chef Chris!!

Linguini bottarga di tonno- Now this dish is more of an acquired taste dish. This tasted like a more refined tuyo pasta.

US Angus Flank Steak (half order) – cooked medium well, accompanied by frien potato and sautéed spinach. Beef… Tender.. Heavy on the stomach. A wonderful main course, good enough to be shared by the whole group.

We were too full to have dessert.

Defintely one of the best Italian restaurant here in the Country… Worth the 90km trip:)