asian cuisine – Jellybeans in the City

Savor Asian flavors at Hawker Lane, SM Megamall

If you’re craving for the bold flavors of Asian cuisine, Hawker Lane at the Eatogether Food Hall in SM Megamall should be right up your alley.

Inspired by the hawker centers in Singapore where tasty Asian dishes and more are sold from stalls inside these large food courts, Hawker Lane brings the the same vibrant colors, textures and flavors to its diners.

Together with fellow foodies last weekend, I headed to Eatogether Food Hall to sample some of its signature dishes which include:

Deep-fried Salt and Pepper Squid (Php290 ala carte | Php220 with rice). A Cantonese dish made with pieces of squid which are deep-fried and tossed in a mixture of garlic, ginger and hot peppers.

Fish Fillet Tofu Claypot (Php220 ala carte | Php180 with rice). Another authentic Chinese dish made with shallow-fried fish fillets braised together with tofu in a flavorful sauce and served in a claypot.

Crispy Fried Garlic Chicken (Php300 ala carte | Php240 with rice). Chinese-style crispy fried chicken infused with the flavor of garlic.

Theses dishes surely sated my cravings for bold tastes and textures!

Want to have your own taste of Asia? Drop by Hawker Lane!

This Hawker Lane branch is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, Eatogether Food Hall, SM Megamall Building A, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.

Another branch is located at Eatogether Food Hall, Second Floor, Unimart Supermarket, Oranbo, Pasig City.

Disclosure: I attended a food-tasting here together with fellow foodies. All food items mentioned here were served for us to sample the fare and elicit our honest feedback.

Check out my posts on other stalls at Eatogether Food Hall:

Best Asian fusion dishes from Bistro Charlemagne

Ever since I had my first taste of Bistro Charlemagne‘s celebrated dishes during a foodie meetup held at its Ayala Feliz branch two years ago, the restaurant has occupied a special place in my heart.

Then, the flavors my fellow foodies and I tasted were at once familiar and novel to our palates. This is because this high-end restaurant offers to its clientele a fusion of Asian and European cuisines.

I was also able to introduce this resto to Hubby and the kids, and a family favorite came to be. Bistro Charlemagne became our go-to restaurant for family celebrations, including birthdays and get-togethers with visiting relatives.

It was forced to pause its operations during the enhanced community quarantine but re-opened in the second half of the year for delivery. It was just in time for my daughter #ExhibitA’s birthday, who has declared Bistro Charlemagne as her favorite restaurant so I had some her favorite dishes delivered to our home for her birthday lunch.

As community quarantine restrictions have lessened, Bistro Charlemagne has also re-opened for dine-in service but with safety protocols in place.

I’m looking forward to dining in at Bistro Charlemagne soon. However, since my son #ExhibitB is below 18 years old and can’t enter malls, I decided to have our holiday lunch from Bistro Charlemagne delivered to our home for the whole family to enjoy.

Our family feast included:

Pares Rice (Php365). Slow-braised shredded beef shank with anise-sweet soy in fried rice topped with fried beef.

Japanese Beef Fried Rice (Php145). The fam’s favorite fried rice made with Japanese rice, ground beef, vegetables and egg.

Scallop Gratin (Php445). Baked bay scallops with garlic-chorizo cream sauce topped with cheese.

Golden 17 Chicken (Php375). Traditionally prepared soy chicken perfumed with an intricate blend of seventeen herbs and spices and served with yummy ginger sauce. Hubby discovered that its mild flavor is a perfect match with the Pares Rice.

Drunken Lengua in Brown Mushroom Sauce (Php445). Pan-seared ox tongue with mushrooms, asparagus and white wine. I’ve been raving about this dish for years now. It goes so well with the Japanese Fried Rice that these two dishes are my automatic orders.

Lengua in White Sauce (Php445). I decided to also introduce Bistro Charlemagne’s other lengua dish to the fam. Made with braised ox tongue with rich cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms. While this is an exceptional dish, the fam’s loyalty is still with our favorite Drunken Lengua.

The fam’s holiday lunch was so special because we were able to taste our old favorites and discover new ones as well.

Hoping that things normalize soon so we can all dine in at Bistro Charlemagne soon.

This Bistro Charlemagne branch is located at Fifth Floor, Ayala Malls Feliz, Dela Paz, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 8pm. Orders may also be called in via +63 956 4507704. Digital payments via BDO and GCash are accepted.

Other branches are located at:

Paranaque: Third Floor, Cinema Building, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Parañaque City
Laguna: Solenad 3, Ayala Malls Solenad, Nuvali, Don Jose, Santa Rosa, Laguna

Bistro Charlemagne also delivers via FoodPanda, GrabFood and Mangan.

Got our food faves from Bistro Charlemagne at home

There are places and food that just become family favorites.

Take Bistro Charlemagne, for example.

I had my first taste of its unique and tasty takes on Asian cuisine in its then newly-opened Ayala Malls Feliz branch and it was only a matter of time before my whole family got hooked. Since then, we have visited this resto again and again for intimate dinners or big celebrations with the extended family. We even stopped by for a meal at its Ayala Malls Solenad branch on our way down from Tagaytay.

Unfortunately, it had to pause its operations during the enhanced community quarantine. The fam missed our enjoyable dinners there (and I missed my chance to celebrate my birthday in our favorite place). Sigh!

Thankfully, the metro has transitioned to a general community which provided people some freedom of movement and less restrictions on dining out. That said, I still have qualms about my family, especially the kiddos, leaving the safety of our home.

Well, the solution came when I heard that Bistro Charlemagne has re-opened and has made most of its menu items available for delivery and pickup.

Just in time, too, for my daughter #ExhibitA’s natal day. (She has been hounding me about having her faves from this resto for her birthday lunch.)

And wouldn’t you know it! Ordering was so easy: I just called the Ayala Feliz branch at +63 956 4507704, gave my orders, and then paid via GCash. On the day of my daughter’s birthday, I simply booked for the pickup of my orders from Ayala Malls Feliz Loading Bay for delivery to my place.

Just as #ExhibitA wished for her birthday, we feasted on several orders of:

Drunken Lengua in Brown Mushroom Sauce (Php415). Tender pan-seared ox tongue with mushrooms and asparagus in white wine sauce. This dish is particularly memorable for #ExhibitA, as she was the one who picked this dish out from the menu when I took her and her brother to eat at Bistro Charlemagne a few days after my first dining experience there.

Tenderloin Beef Rolls with Cheese (Php415). Tender, thinly sliced beef wrapped around cheese and sauteed in teriyaki sauce. This dish is absolutely irresistible for my little boy #ExhibitB, who just can’t keep himself from putting roll after roll onto his plate.

Japanese Beef Rice (Php135). Japanese rice, ground beef, mixed veggies and egg, all mixed together in one flavorful rice dish. This goes so well with the other viands that we can’t imagine our meal without this!

I may not be able to bring the whole fam outside yet, but I’m glad I was able to bring one of the best dining experiences home to my family.

Miss dining out? Bistro Charlemagne is also open for dine in and follows strict sanitation and physical distancing protocols for your safety.

This Bistro Charlemagne branch is located at Fifth Floor, Ayala Malls Feliz along Marcos Highway, Dela Paz, Pasig City. Call in your orders or book your table by calling +63 956 4507705 or +63 2 77299496.

Other branches are located at:

GFF-6, Building B, Ayala Malls Solenad 3, Nuvali, Don Jose, Santa Rosa, Laguna. (Tel: +63 049 2580846 or +63 917 8334223)
Lot 2, Third Floor, Cinemas Building, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Entertainment City Paranaque (Tel: +63 2 79149082)

Bistro Charlemagne also delivers via GrabFood, LalaFood and FoodPanda.

Download the Grab App and get a discount on your first food order when you use my code: GRABJELLYBEANS.

Use this link to download the FoodPanda app and get Php100 off your first order.

Download the LalaFood App and get a free delivery coupon when you use my code: BEINGJMR53.

Fresh changes at BOA Kitchen + Socials

Always changing is so integral to BOA Kitchen + Socials’ concept, it’s actually written on the wall.

Well, the collaborators behind this resto decided to change things up yet again by focusing on Southeast Asian cuisine.

“We decided to take a space,” says owner Joey Manuel. “We decided to niche down where we are strongest. Our chef, Julius Necor, is really good in regional Southeast Asian, so we positioned ourselves as comfort Asian.”

Comfort Asian, as Joey defined it, is the traditional regional favorites with some modern twists.

“For example, the authentic Beef Rendang would be really dry. But we (Filipinos) don’t like dry Beef Rendang here so we made ours a little saucy.”

Along with the change in menu, they also decided to cater to women, to give these titas a place to have fresh gastronomic adventures and enjoy chill time with their friends, whether as a brunch get-together or a night out drinking.

These decisions did bode well for Joey and Julius, with BOA Kitchen + Socials being recently hailed by Spot.PH as one of Metro Manila’s Top 50 New Restaurants.

Want a preview of BOA’s new menu? Check these out:

Laksa (Php425). A Peranakan dish made of shrimp, boiled egg, tofu, bean sprouts and fish cakea in a spicy curry coconut milk soup. I split this order with a friend so this is actually good for two.

Chicken Rice (Php325). Inspired by the Singaporean dish, this consist of Sous-vide ginger chicken, chicken rice, served with cucumber slices and sprinkled with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), ginger-scallion oil and chili sauce.

Nasi Lemak Rice Bowl (Php245). The fragrant Malaysian rice dish cooked in coconut cream and pandan leaves, served with sambal (Indonesian chili sauce), dilis (dried anchovies), peanuts and soft-boiled or fried egg. You can opt for either Beef Rendang or Thai Fried Chicken to accompany this rice dish.

Deconstructed Banana Pie (Php175). A fresh take on the banana pie, this dish is made with caramelized banana strewn with streusel crumbs and served with vanilla ice cream.

House Blend Iced Tea (Php80). BOA has its own blend of iced teas which you can have as the classic or infused with mango or peach.

So, if you feel up for a change, drop by BOA Kitchen + Socials, and feel right at home.

Did you know that if you and a friend ordered 2 drinks at BOA Kitchen + Socials, you can get the same 2 drinks free via Zomato Gold?

Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 (Buy 1 Get 1) deals on food or 2+2 (Buy 2 Get 2) deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use the code JELLYB to get 45% off the membership fee.

BOA Kitchen + Socials is located at Mezzanine Floor, 45 ABDC Building, Scout Rallos corner Scout Tuazon, Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 11pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 1am.

Check out my reviews of other restaurants serving Asian cuisines:

A delicious taste of Asia at KopiChan, Cubao

Cubao in Quezon City is a hustlin’ and bustlin’ place with various malls, shopping centers and bus stations in the vicinity.

Well, there’s a piece of good news for the hungry shopper or commuter in this area as a new and exciting restaurant just opened last month.

KopiChan translates to “coffee eatery.” It’s a place to have a sip of coffee while munching on some tasty and affordable Asian dishes.

The restaurant is styled after the old-timey Chinese restaurants in Binondo which are near and dear to us Pinoys, albeit with a few modern and colorful touches.

Together with my fellow foodies, I got a taste of its food offerings crafted by Chef Isaac Bravo and his team, which include:

Kung Pao Chicken (Php218 for solo | Php398 for sharing). Tender fried chicken fillets tossed with peanuts in a sauce made of sweet chili and soy sauce.

Soy Chicken (Php178 for solo | Php335 for sharing). Poached chicken leg in soy sauce with steamed bokchoy.

Tausi Beef Ribs (Php278 for solo | Php518 for sharing). Beef ribs with tofu cubes in tausi sauce.

Shrimp Paste Pork Ribs (Php248 for solo | Php458 for sharing). Pork spare ribs marinated in shrimp paste.

Beef Rendang (Php258 for solo | Php498 for sharing). Mildly spicy Indonesian-style beef stew in which the ribs are coconut milk.

Beef Noodle Soup (Php198 for solo | Php378 for sharing). Tender braised beef pieces in beef broth together egg noodles and bokchoy.

KC Spaghetti (Php138 for solo | Php248 for sharing). Spaghetti noodles topped with Asian spaghetti sauce and curry cheese sauce.

Salt and Pepper Squid (Php268 for solo | Php518 for sharing). Lightly battered pieces of fried squid tossed in salt and pepper.

KC Chopsuey (Php188 for solo | Php368 for sharing). Stir-fried mixed vegetables with shrimp, chicken, Chinese sausage and quail eggs in oyster sauce.

Gravy Eggs (Php48 for solo | Php118 for sharing). Hard-boiled eggs in Asian gravy.

Rendang Eggs (Php48 for solo | Php118 for sharing). Soft-boiled eggs in spicy Rendang sauce.

KC Clubhouse (Php218). KopiChan’s take on the clubhouse sandwich with bacon, egg, ham and special KC spread.

Kaya French Toast (Php198). Milk-soaked loaf bread toast topped with kaya spread, condensed milk and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Banana Pancakes (Php258). Pancakes with caramelized bananas and crunchy peanut butter.

Salted Egg Pao (Php98). Steamed salted egg custard bun.

Fried Kaya Buns (Php88). Fried mantou stuffed with kaya custard and served with vanilla ice cream.

KC Sundae (Php178). Three ice cream flavors – salted caramel, cookied and cream and vanilla – topped with crunchy cornflakes.

KopiChan will also launch new items on the menu soon so be on the lookout out for:

Yang Chow with Egg. A sunny side up egg is added to stir-fried rice with Chinese sausage, ham, egg and vegetable.

Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang and Boiled Egg. A rice meal featuring the fragrant Malaysian rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf, accompanied by beef rendang and boiled egg.

Nasi Lemak with Charsiu Belly and Fried Egg. Another take on the nasi lemak, this time as KopiChan’s approximation of the Pinoy tocilog with charsiu pork belly and a sunny side up egg.

Soy Chicken Congee. The Asian style of rice porridge (similar to the Pinoy lugaw) served with a piece of soy chicken.

Enjoy your meal with tasty drinks that the kitchen can whip up for you:

Coffee with Condensed Milk (Php100). KopiChan’s take on the Vietnamese ca phe sua nong but this time, the condensed milk is poured into hot freshly brewed coffee.

Teh Tarik (Php100). The national drink of Malaysia, it is made from strong black tea blended with condensed milk.

Milo Dinosaur (Php135). Also known as Milo Tabur, it is a popular drink in Malaysia and Singapore wherein undissolved Milo powder is added on top of an already prepared iced Milo drink.

Horlicks (Php195). A cold drink flavored with horlicks powder primarily made of malted wheat and malted barley.

With Kopi Chan’s extensive array of affordable Asian food choices, Cubao just got itself a new foodie destination that opens of new worlds of dining for its locals and visitors!

Many thanks to Chef Isaac and team for the delightful meal and the warm welcome and to Harvard of AlwaysHungryPH for extending the invitation.

KopiChan is located at Shopwise Arcade, General Romulo Street, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, open 24/7. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 82515863 or +63 977 7486064.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a food tasting held in this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Chinese restaurants:

Crema & Cream Bistro + Coffee Lab, Tomas Morato

Coffee culture is steadily gaining ground in the metro, with cafes and coffee shops offering high quality and specialty brews. Coffee has evolved from being just another beverage to a social lubricant.

In the foodie-friendly Tomas Morato area in QC, for instance, a new coffee establishment has sprung up, ready to elevate the coffee experience of local foodies while paving the way for friends and family to get together over their favorite coffee blends.

Crema & Cream Bistro + Coffee Lab started as a specialty coffee roaster not just supplying aficionados with coffee beans especially roasted to highlight their unique flavors, but also providing training and consultations to budding coffee experts.

Early this year, it opened its flagship store along Timog Avenue where it not only serves its quality brews but also a well-curated menu of dishes that will appeal to the metro’s epicures. It also features an inviting space for coffee lovers to work or hang out in solitude or dine together with like-minded companions.

Together with my officemates, I ventured out to Crema and Cream to experience it first-hand. Our lunch repast included:

Asian Chicken Salad (Php325). Honey-soy-and-garlic glazed fried chicken cutlets tossed into seasonal greens doused with wasabi mayo dressing and topped with fried wonton, mango, toasted almonds, corn, red radish, pickled red onion, edamame, nori, bonito flakes and toasted sesame seeds.

Mushroom Trio Toast (Php225). Mushroom jam served over arugula, tomato, feta cheese and topped with a poached egg over a slice of sourdough toast.

Chicken Waffle (Php325). Fried chicken cutlet served with a rosemary and cheese waffle topped with a fried egg and drizzled with a honey brown butter sauce.

Sausage and Egg Toast (Php255). Diced sausage and scrambled eggs served with caramelized onions, tomatoes and cheese on sourdough toast.

Pan-seared Salmon (Php565). Pan-seared salmon fillet served with French beans, cherry tomatoes, diced vegetables, herb pesto mashed potato with lemon butter cream sauce.

We also enjoyed some of Crema & Cream’s signature brews together with our meal. This included:

Hot Chocolate (Php140).

Mango and Peach Black Tea (Php120).

Flat White (Php150).

Cappuccino (Php140).

While the viands are not as hearty as we would like our lunch meal to be, the flavors presented are new and exciting. I wouldn’t mind returning to taste more of Crema & Cream’s offerings.

Crema and Cream Cafe Bistro + Coffee Lab is located at 116-B Timog Avenue corner 11th Jamboree Street, Bgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City, open Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays from 8am to 11pm, and Fridays to Saturdays from 8am to 12 midnight. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 2 7130662.

Check out my blog posts on breakfast/brunch joints around the metro:

Affordable Asian flavors Hainanese Delights, Eastwood

Hainan cuisine is derived from the cooking styles of the people of the Hainan Province in China which is lighter, less oily and more mildly seasoned than those of mainland China.

Hainanese Chicken Rice, in particular, is based on the well-known Hainan dish Wenchang Chicken, but has been adopted and considered the national dish in Singapore. It is traditionally prepared by poaching a whole chicken at sub-boiling temperatures , with some of the resulting stock combined with ginger, garlic and other aromatics used to cook the accompanying rice, producing a yellowish, flavorful and oily rice. It is usually served with three dipping sauces: a spicy red chili sauce, a dark soy sauce, and freshly ground ginger.

While out shopping with Hubby in Eastwood Citywalk, we decided to have lunch at Hainanese Delights.

We eschewed the more traditional preparation of Hainanese Chicken and instead opted to each get a Hainan Fried Chicken (Php149) since we favor its crisper and more flavorful skin which we think goes better with the refillable Hainanese rice. We also shared an order of Eat the Heat (Php190), the spicy fried squid adding some kick to our meal.

It was pretty much a no-frills and no-fuss meal, with servers just prompt to serve the orders and nothing else. The restaurant itself is quite plain and bare, not a place you would think to linger in after finishing your meal.

Still, if all you’re after is an affordable taste of Asian flavors, then drop by this store and satisfy your craving.

This Hainanese Delights branch is located at the 2nd Floor, Eastwood Citywalk 2, Libis, Quezon City. Other branches may be found at:

Manila: Robinsons Place Manila in Ermita, Robinsons Otis in Paco
Quezon City: Robinsons Magnolia in New Manila, SM City Fairview in Novaliches, Waltermat North EDSA in Project 7, Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, Robinsons Nova Market in Novaliches
Mandaluyong: Robinsons Forum along Pioneer, Starmall Asia along Shaw Boulevard
Las Pinas: Robinsons Las Pinas in Talon Uno

This post contains affiliate links.

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