Tony Romas – Makati City

Ground Floor, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila 1200
Manila, Philippines
Tel: (63-2) 757 1926
There are restaurants who claim they have the Best ribs in town. This place is in my Top 3. They have been open since 1972 in the USA, then later on opening in Makati at Glorietta 4 in the late 90s.
Serivce was excellent, our server was very nice and spoke very well.
French Baguette— free:) with two kinds of butter.. baked fresh daily, i love crusty bread thats soft inside
Onion loaf, half 295- Love the presentation, makes me wonder how they make this dish. The batter used is just a thin coating, not the breaded type. The garlic mayo complimented the dish very well. It can be a bit only.
French Onion Soup 115—this was just okay, Very cheesey which I like , but the soup itself was not that great. Lacks flavor.
Star Studded Sampler 1175- Composing of their Baby Back Ribs and St Louis ribs in 3 different sauces. Love it, falling off the bones, tender and the marinade penetrating the meat to the bones. The fries were also done the way I like it. Fried extra crispy.
Cajun Chicken Pasta 575- Written as having Andouillle sausage which I love, in a creamy Asiago sauce. I was so excited to try this dish because there are few places in the country that serves andouille sausage. Lo and behold, when I saw the pasta dish, I noticed the sausage slices looked familiar. Its reddish,. Fatty and sweet. The taste remind me of CHINESE SAUSAGES!!! The ones used in fried rice. I was so disappointed with what was served. How dare this place advertised as saying it has Andouille sausage then replaced it with Chinese Sausage. Its either their supplier is not giving them the right stuff, or the Chef don’t know the difference between the two sausages.
Forgettable Shrimp dish.. i forgot the name of this dish.. it was forgettable, the shrimp so small…..
Well, I learned my lesson, better just order what the restaurant is famous for. Get the ribs… nothing else…..

Basix – Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City

Basix; this is the international theme all day dining restaurant  of Dusit Thani Hotel. Makati City. They are offering an Overload buffet wherein you don’t only get unlimited food, but unlimited drinks as well, which includes canned softdrinks, Chilled juices, local beers, and white and red wine. For 1299 net. Is it a good offer, read on and find out

The restaurant is located in the ground floor of the hotel.  Tables are nicely spaced and lighting appropriate for dining.

There are different cooking stations, like the grill station, the wok station, the roasted items station and the dimsum and carving station and dessert crepe station. Then the other items are when you can find in the usual buffet spread.  The cold shell fish station which you can have them heated and baked to your liking.

The bottomless bar station with different chilled juices,  red and white wines, canned sodas and different local beers.

Appetizer plate no.1 – Smoked Salmon with dill sauce, Mozzarella with tomatoes. I made this combination into a sandwich, the smoke salmon was good, very moist and without a fishy taste. The mozzarella was lovely, soft and just melts in your mouth upon every bite.

Appetizer plate no.2- Roasted duck wraps-  it was just okay, nothing special here.

Salad- the salad station, is a do it yourself where you can toosed you own salad, I love that they provide anchovies  and you can add it to the ceasar dressing if you think it doesn’t have enough anchovy taste.  I made myself the classic ceasar dressing with extra anchovies and topped it with lots of bacon bits and grated parmesan, very very good.

Dimsum platter: they steam your dimsum as you order it so expect to wait 10 to 15 minutes. The prawn in lemon grass was a delight ibecause they used freshly chopped prawns and very little extenders, my only rant here was it lack in taste.  But the texture was excellent. The pouch which was filled with seafood was  bit hard to eat, the pouch itself was dry and tough.

Griiled Items- freshly prepared as you point the meat that you want. The star here was the lamb chops, cooked perfectly medium, it was very tender and juicy. The Prawns were also a delight to eat having the crunch I always look for when eating prawns, indicative of the freshness. Surprisingly, the squid was filled with chopped veggies and CHEESE!!! Yummy!!!! And it was cooked just right, not gummy and tough, but was easily chewed and swallowed without any effort.

Plate no 5,  Chicken Shawarma and Pasta Marinara.  The chicken was dry and didn’t have much seasoning. The pasta was soggy, though the seafood was cooked just right. Too bad, I suggest they make a separate pasta station because it’s a pain to eat soggy pasta.  Very bad

Plate no 6- Hot Dishes:  Egg fried rice, Chicken Tikka,  Scallops, Tempura, Veal Loin -  the tempura was kinda like a mini tempura.. not like the ones served in UMU, however it was freshly cooked so it was hot and delicious.  The scallops was also nice and sweet, cooked just right. The chicken tikka was also bursting with flavours with the right spices seeping in the chicken meat. The veal; loin was forgettable and not recommeded

Plate no 7: Roast beef- here is one of the disappointing moment in this dinner,  we arrived at 8pm. Started eating, by 830pm, the roast beef already looked like this.. I ask the waiter if they are gonna put out another slab of beef, they told me, they are and it was just cooking in the oven, so I patiently waited, asking every 20 minutes with the progress.. It took more than an hour  and where was the beef?? Still nowhere in sight. The carving station has always been the main hightlight of any hotel buffet for me.  After another round of questioning if the beef will be put out, I again approach the waiter and ask if they could give me a slice of beef from the aforementioned “beef still cooking in the oven” this was what I got. A thinly sliced beef. Good thing it was tender and seasoned well.  I would have liked to have another sliced but thinking it would take another hour, I didn’t try anymore. To the F and B manager of Dusit I hope you can correct this. The time of the dinner was supposed to be from 630 to 10pm, at 830pm and with miniscule quantity of beef, you should have brought out another slab if not half a slab, there were still diners coming in the restaurant and there are people like me who still haven’t eaten the roast beef at that time.

Plate no.8 Dessert crepe- Mango with mango ice cream and vanilla sauce. Crepe made very well, thin and slightly chewy. Mangoes very sweet. The vanilla sauce was a little runny. The mango ice cream was excellent.

Another comment: there was no restroom inside Basix. You have to walk to the other end of the lobby to get to the washroom.  It was inconvenient.

This promo is offered till the end of the month.

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..

Grams Diner – Rockwell

Breakfast is not really a meal i am used to eat. Schools starts too early, nobody awake to cook breakfast. All i have was a piece of pandesal and a glass of MILO

GRams diner, first opened in rockwell in the mid 90s, following the concept of Pancake house serving breakfast all day. This place has always been a nice place to eat when your hungry, Servings are huge, Service is fast and quick

I got the breakfast platter P195- which consist of a dozen of silver dollar pancakes. Country Style Potatoes, A thick slice of SPAM,  2 eggs cooked the way you like it and 2 slices of Bacon. All i can say was.. WOW.. when this plate arrived. Peso for Peso one of the best breakfast plate in town.

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…

Thai Patio Greenbelt 5 – Makati City.. a tale of two thai restaurant

Address: Ground floor Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati City

Tel no: (02) 7290742; 7290650

Here we are the newest Thai Restaurant in the City. One of my friends was craving thai so i suggested this place because i havent tried it yet. It came from the same group that brought us, Oliver super sandwiches, Max Brenner, Haagen Daz, Madison Grill.. I love most of the restaurants so i have high expectations of this place.

The interiors were nicely done, mostly white, the seats where made of plastic loking very unergonomic, but once seated, it was comfortable. Not much people in this place..hmm..a bad sign??

on the table

Assorted Deep Fried Thai spring rolls(Chicken, Vegetable, Prawn and Crab)- P450.. hmm.. i was expecting to get at least 2 pieces of each for the price.. but lo and behold, we got one of each, decorated with deep fried basil leaves(which i enjoy munching) the serving size was indeed very small, now i was a little skeptical of the things to come..

Trio of Fish, Prawn, Corn Cakes with Cucumber Salsa(P320)-  this was a bit better, though the Corn cakes were a bit dry, the Shrimp Cake in Lemon grass skewer was the highlight of this dish

Green Mango Salad with Crispy Catfish(320)- The catfish gave an oily aftertaste and it wasnt too crispy, it absorbed too much of the dressing.

Red Roasted Duck Curry with Lychee and Grape(P440)-  the curry here was exceptional, nice consistency, great taste, the duck slices however are miniscule. THe lychee and grapes fave a nice contrast to the dish.

Grilled Giant Prawns with Chili Jam, Lemon Grass and Fresh Mint sauce (P495)- hmm.. Whatever do they mean by giant? i purposely have my spoon alongside the supposedly giant prawn and it was about the same size, i could get bigger prawns at DAMPA.. the dish itself was undercooked,  the sauce was refreshing though.

Fried Rice noodles with Seafood(P385) - this dish was ok, the only seafood i found here was cuttlefish and mussels

Fried rice with crabmeat(p250)- this dish is a filler for tummies but then again, with the small servings, we werent full.

Thai ice tea(P120)- in the menu the prices of the drinks arent indicated.  i wonder why,..because it was too expensive?? nothing great here…

Because my friends werent satisfied, we headed to Chariya Thai Kitchen

on the Table

Tom Yum Soup-(P140)- with 3 pieces of prawns a lirrle bit smaller than the supposedly “giant” prawns of Thai Patio. Heat was well balanced. Sourness tones just right,

Crispy Catfish Salad(p130)- flaked, Still crispy even when doused with teh dressing, meaning they used just the right amount..

Pad Thai w Shrimp(P150)- not as good as the one in Benjarong but still better than Soms.. good amount of tofu, chicken, egg and Shrimp.

Bagoong Rice(P120)- this was good excpet for the sweet pork that came with it, it was tough! the bagoong was not overpowering.

Green Curry Beef(150)- i was a bit hesitant in ordering this, thinking the beef might be tough, well, i was wrong, it was soft and tender, the green curry was also good.

Fried tilapia Fillet with Tamarind sauce(P120)- Presented as a whole big tilapia, filleted and cut in cubes, fried to crisp yet soft and juicy inside. The sauce is good if  only it wasnt too thick.

SO this conclude the tale of two restaurant, The first trying to be elite and be at the pinnalce of Manila’s Thai dining establishment, but in my opinion failing at that, the other one, humble and meek yet winning against the giant..

I love eating and i consider people who love to eat as my friends so i posted this as soon as i can as a warning to foodies out there who loves trying out new restos.  Be careful of those restos who have lavish set up and charges very high prices.  A lot of times they are not worth it. Do i regret eating at Thai Patio? well, i charge everything to experience, and i hope that i help some of you to avoid this place and places like this. Thats enough already for me as a consolation. Happy holidays everybody. God Bless us all.

Museum Cafe

Address: Greenbelt 4, Makati Ave.
Makati City
Tel: (02) 757-6000
(02) 757-3000

Operating hours: 10am to 8pm

Sunday Brunch or Breakfast and lunch is becoming one of the trends this year. A lot of restaurants are offering this already, Even hotels have join like Edsa Shang(paparazi and Senju), Makati Shang(Heat). amd Dusit(all 4 dining establishmants).

Heard a lot of raves about the Jazz Brunch of Museum Cafe so when the oppurtunity to try it came, i quickly grabbed it

The spread was placed in different areas of the resto. THeres a carving station where theres a choice of fish and steak, The different sections for appetizers, salads, breakfast food, waffle station, desserts, pastas. I was looking for a egg station but couldnt find it.

1st plate- Appetizer and salad-

good smoked salmon, good ceasar salad THe duck wrap was also nice. Dimsum and sushi was forgettable though

2nd plate– bec the duck was good i have to get a 2nd serving.

Also on the plate Egg benedict which i liked,they broiled the hollandaise sauce to created a brown layer which i enjoyed. Also on the plate is a slice of roaste beef.. a little dry and sone beef battered fish fillet… a little oily

3rd plate:

lightly steamed asparagus which holladaise sauce, soft boiled egg, chorizo slice amd tuna suhi

4th plate:  Laksa Soup,, Roast herb crusted salmon and another piece of beer battered fish fillet.

THe soup has the intense flavor of chilies, coocnut cream and asian spices. THe salmon was just so-so

5th plate– while walking around looking at what to eat, i saw them taking out a new slab of roast beef,

so i just have to get slices again, not more succulant and juicer….  came with 2 sauces, a reduced au jus and a creamy mushroon sauce

7th and 8th plate- desserts -

the have a make your own waffle station wherein u can have a choice of topping. They also have a chocolate fountain and different cakes.

Chef  SAu has left Musuem Cafe and was replaced by Chef Nurul , so the ala carte menu has changed a bit.  I have yet to try the new ala carte menu, there are some interesting things.

Sunday brunch here is relaxing, u can stay from 1030am to 3pm, prices are P780++…

What i want to try now is the sunday brunch of dusit wherein u can try all four restaurants(benjarong, Basix, Umu and Tosca) for 1450++ anyone who has tried this please give me a feedback. Thanks:)

Lulubelle – Powerplant Mall, Rockwell

More and more people have been putting up frozen yogurt stores.  Among the newest one is this baby from the people who brought us FIC(fruits in ice cream) which is for me the top local ice cream in town.

Yogurt is said to be healthier than regular ice cream, being les in fat, more calcium, friendly for lactose intolerant individuals, etc, etc..

Heres my take on Lulubelle

Location: A little out of place, its located on the corner of the top most floor of the mall, where the bowling alley used to be..

Basically two flavours, regular vanilla and strawberry, u can have it as a single flavor or combination.

u can also make a smoothie out of it,  THey have assorted topping from cereals to dried fruits to fresh fruits and cany topping like chocolate, sprinkles, gummies. etc..

And if you dont eat yogurt, they also serve their FIC ice cream..

THe yogurt was okay, not as smooth as i would want it, i felt some ice crystals when i was eating this, but the taste itsled was fine, not too tangy as some frozen yogurt tend to be.

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…

Sala Bistro – Greenbelt, Makati

Address: Unit 114 G/F Garden Side, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center

Makati City, Metro Manila

Operating Hours:11am to 11:30pm

Tel No: 729-7500

Colin Mackay came here with a mission, to open a European Restaurant that will be better than restaurants found inside hotels.. He was able to accomplish that, and even with the weird location in Malate, Had a cult following. Decided to transfer Sala to Makati… Locsin Building to be precise.. He then open this little bistro maintaining the Sala name and the Sala quality of food.

Upon entering the bistro, you will be transported to a place design in prestine black and white. The patrons here were more than 70 percent causasian and other non-filipino nationality, so you will feel you are not in Manila when u dine here. Well, at least that’s how I felt.

Service was fast. Waiters were courteous and always smiling. All male, I noticed.. hmmmm…

Limited menu items, though they have their specials for the day.

On the Table

Crusty Sourdough bread – served with butter- delicious bread, I just love bread, and I love their bread, crusty outside, soft and pillowy inside.

Sala’s Homemade Beef Burger with Gruyere, Onion Relish and ChipsP490.00-juicy juicy beef  patty, Love the bread they used here, the thick cut fires was also lovely.  Definitely a tunny pleaser for burger lovers, a bit pricey though

Porterhouse steak- more than 300gms of Cartified Angus porterhouse. Thick, cooked perfectly medium just the way i like it. THe seasoning didnt over power the taste of the beef.

Chocolate tart with Vanilla Bean Ice cream 290- Valrohna chocolate… married with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.. rich.. silky, decadent. Not really a chocolate lover here, but I guess people who loves chocolate will love this dessert

THis restaurant will be a classic here in greenbelt even if the mother restaurant is a few minutes walk away.