lumpia – Jellybeans in the City

Family-style dining at 121 Restaurant, Allegro Center

Makati is a pretty bustlin’ place during weekdays but come the weekend, many of its happenin’ venues turn into relatively quiet spots where you and the fam can go for a meal.

Take 121 Restaurant at Allegro Center for example. After hours during weekdays, it may be a watering hole for Makati’s young urban professionals.

During one Saturday, however, it was the setting for a nice family-style lunch where my fellow foodies and I enjoyed 121’s take on down-home Pinoy dishes, such as:

121 Pork Sisig (Php289 solo | Php1,029 barkada). The staple of any Filipino dine-out experience, 121’s version is meaty and crunchy.

Empanada (Php39 per piece | Php159 for 5-piece sampler). Available in vegan steak picado, ham and cheese, chicken pastel, pulled pork and beef picadillo flavors.

Lumpiang Shanghai (Php219 solo | Php839 barkada). Remember those lumpias that are practically all wrapper? Well, these are overflowing with minced pork, surrounded by a thin layer of golden brown crispy lumpia wrapper.

Pork Sinigang (Php279). The Pinoy’s go-to soup dish!

Grilled Liempo (Php249) and Grilled Porkchop (Php249). We Pinoys sure are fans of inihaw! These are juicy, smoky pork belly and pork chop pieces that go so well with good ole’ steamed rice and 121’s very own secret sauce!

Champorado Cheesecake (Php119). The Pinoy’s favorite breakfast cereal is now in cheesecake form! Need I say more?

These specialties are best enjoyed surrounded by your nears-and-dears during a boisterously happy lunch, just like we did!

Many thanks to Daryl and Issa of 121 Restaurant for having us!

By the way, with Zomato Gold, you get a dish free when you dine at 121 Restaurant with a friend. 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.

This 121 Restaurant branch is located at Second Floor, Allegro Center, Pasong Tamo Extension, Magallanes, Makati City, open Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 1am. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 88560529.

Other branches are located at:

121 L. P. Adamson building, Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Ground Floor, Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig
Third Floor, BGC Stopover Pavillion, Rizal Drive corner 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Eastwood Citywalk 1, Libis, Quezon City

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 Filipino restaurants:

Rediscovering Filipino comfort food at Kusina Moderne, Poblacion

Do you remember the food served during your family’s get-togethers? The recipes passed down from your great-grandmas? The dishes that your mom and titas magically put together in the kitchen before calling everybody in to partake of the meal?

These are comfort food: down-home cooking that evoke a feeling of well-being. They may not be haute cuisine nor even exciting at times but they do call to mind the joys of childhood and family.

At Kusina Moderne, the recently opened restaurant in Poblacion, the comfort food passed down through generations of Filipino families are elevated through imagination and technique.

Tucked away in one of Poblacion’s side streets, Kusina Moderne is a hidden gem for ardent foodies to discover and share.

The restaurant’s modern yet warm interiors welcome guests into an exciting gastronomic experience: wood tables, benches and chairs provide color contrasts to the industrial-type unpainted concrete walls and exposed ceilings, and diners can take a peek into what goes on during food preparation through the open kitchen. Small bric-a-bracs and potted plants add some personality to the space, evoking the feeling of home even in such a modern setting.

Kusina Moderne offers classic dishes we grew up with but prepared using French cooking techniques and presented in a deconstructed manner, adding a veneer of sophistication and excitement to familiar viands while still remaining affordable for families and friends to enjoy.

During a #ZomatoXListerine foodie meetup, my fellow foodies and I got a taste of Kusina Moderne’s menu items such as:

Mechado Tacos (Php195). Honestly, I almost never eat mechado unless my mom prepares it but this reimagining of the braised beef dish is so refreshingly different from its usual iterations. The tender shredded beef seem to melt in your mouth in a burst of flavor enhanced by the addition of guacamole, cilantro, sour cream and pickled onion, with a satisfying crunch with every bite thanks to the fried wonton wrapper which takes the place of the taco shell.

Adobong Pusit (Php195). Sauteed squid heads on a bed of garlicky squid ink adobo sauce. Never have I seen adobong pusit served as prettily as this!

Embutido Scotch Egg (Php195). Your tita’s embutido gets a makeover with this dish: a runny soft-boiled egg is placed inside chicken embutido, and deep-fried theb served with banana ketchup.

Lumpiang Sariwa (Php200). In this classic merienda dish, sauteed veggies are wrapped in freshly made crepes and served drizzled with sweet and savoury peanut sauce.

Sotanghon Soup (Php345). A rainy day favorite, this Pinoy-style chicken noodle soup is made with thin glass noodles and sauteed veggies in flavorful chicken broth served with a soft-boiled egg.

Halaan Soup (Php395). Manila clams in a clear broth flavored with chili leaves, ginger, corn and kamote tops, and served with garlic toast.

Isda Tanigue (Php395). The tanigue or chub mackerel is often served plainly fried in Filipino dinner tables but this version it is served seared, sandwiched between a bed of pureed vegetables at the bottom and a medley of chopped and sauteed carrots, papaya, cabbage and pumpkin on top. If this was served to me when I was a kid, I would have eaten more fish and veggies!

Tuna Belly with Chimichurri (Php450). Marinated tuna belly is broiled then charred for that smokey flavor, and well-complemented by its chimichurri sauce.

Binagoongang Baboy (Php395). Roasted pork belly drizzled with binagoongan sauce and served with strips of green mango and radish salad on a bed of pureed roasted egg plant.

Cheesecake Flan (Php175). Graham cracker crust topped with smooth and creamy leche flan served with mango bits, sliced walnuts and Marie biscuit crumbs giving this dessert nice contrasts in flavor and texture.

Sans Rival (Php215). This dessert is definitely without rival. How else can you describe balls of meringue studded with chopped walnuts and filled with buttercreama and served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream?

With these creative reimaginings of classic Pinoy dishes, Kusina Moderne adds a bit of excitement to its comfort food.

Check them out for yourself!

Many thanks to the management and crew of Kusina Moderne for the warm welcome and awesome food, and to Zomato and Listerine for making this event possible!

Oh, and watch this space for my blog post on the importance of mouthwash for foodies, coming soon!

Get a free dish when you and a friend dine at Kusina Moderne, thanks to 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 VOLT0979 to get 10% off the membership fee.

Kusina Moderne is located along Caceres Street, Poblacion, Makati, open Sundays and Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11am to 10pm and Fridays to Saturdays from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 927 0830688.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here wherein food and drink items were served to allow us to sample the fare. These were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Reimagining Filipino food at Moonshine PUB, Ortigas

Look back on your favorite homespun food, the ones that your mom or lola used to cook for the family during special occasions.

Now imagine them with a fresh twist, a little change that makes them keep the nostalgia that you harbor for them but, at the same time, gives them a new dimension that gets you so giddy with excitement for a taste of something new.

That is what Chef Jehrad Dolino achieved when he unveiled his latest creations of reimagined Filipino food for Moonshine PUB.

Moonshine PUB is a cozy public urban bar situated in the hip and happenin’ Sapphire Bloc in Ortigas Center. It has a relaxing atmosphere with muted lights, dark leather furniture and brick decor reminiscent of 1920s underground speakeasies.

This is where Ortigas-based yuppies can go and unwind, enjoying the pub’s signature drinks which include these cocktails:

Calamansi Gin Smash (Php335). A refresing gin-based cocktail made with muddled sugar, cucumber and basil leaves and flavored with calamansi.

Smoked Old Fashioned (Php310). A whiskey-based cocktail made with muddled sugar and bitters accented by a lemon peel. It is smoked then covered for full effect.

Whiskey Sour (Php310). A whiskey-based cocktail made with lemon juice and sugar.

Chef Dolino’s new set of #FilipinoReimagined dishes take advantage of locally-sourced ingredients that are in season and allows Moonshine to continue to provide fresh takes on classic Pinoy cuisines. These include:

Chori Burger (Php395). Made from scratch by the chef and his team using vinegar and a lot of garlic and allowed to marinate in the chiller for two weeks, the chorizo patties give the burgers an exotic taste and feel. Each burger is served in a brioche bun with the house slaw and a sunny side up, plus some fries on the side.

Crispy Palabok with Crablets (Php350). Crispy glass noodles drenched in made-from-scratch palabok sauce made even heartier with the crablets and chicharon bulaklak.

Pizza Margarito (Php465). Chef Dolino’s twist on the Pizza Margherita, adding some house-made longganisa to the toasty pizza. This dish was inspired the chef and his wife’s trips to Italy.

Longganisa Shanghai (Php280). Also incorporating the house-made longganisa, this is the chef’s take on the classic Lumpiang Shanghai.

Laing with Chicharon (Php240). Inspired by the traditional family of one of the chef’s long-time cooks who hails from Bicol, this dish is not the blow-your-socks-off spicy kind of laing but, especially with the addition of crunchy chicharon, it is well-suited for a Manileno palate.

Spicy Sardine Pasta (Php320). The chef and his staff make the resto’s sardines from scratch using fresh, locally sourced fish. Added to some al dente pasta, these make for quite a filling dish.

Prawn Pakbet (Php380). Made with traditional bagoong, the vegetables here are prepared by blanching them in boiling water then shocking them in iced water, allowing them to retain their crispy texture and vibrant color. And seeing how the shrimp is mostly treated as an add-on in the usual pakbet dishes, he made it the star of the show with the addition of large grilled prawns in his version of the dish.

Salt and Pepper Prawns (Php700). Also inspired by his memories of meals at his lola’s seaside home, this seemingly simple dish pan-fried prawns accompanied by a refreshing cucumber salad presents a lot of pleasing complex flavors.

Angus Beef Adobo (Php540). Taking advantage of the resto’s abundance in tender and flavorful Angus beef, the chef applied classic adobo preparation for this dish with the addition of pan-fried potatoes for added texture like his grandma used to make, and some soft-boiled quail eggs for added richness, as inspired by his tita’s version of the dish.

Langka and Mango Biko (Php190). The classic kakanin (rice delicacy) is given the added twist of mango ang langka (jackfruit) bits, making this reminiscent of the Mango Sticky Rice dish from Thailand.

These new creations highlight the variety and versatility of Filipino cuisine.

Now, if you’re one Moonshine’s loyal patrons and have already developed your favorites among the items in its menu, don’t fret. These new dishes are additions, not replacements. You can still indulge yourself with your old favorites.

This Moonshine branch is located at The Sapphire Bloc, Sapphire corner Onyx corner Garnet Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, open Sundays to Thursdays from 10am to 3am and Fridays to Saturdays from 10am to 4am. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 927 8000920.

Planning a trip to Moonshine soon? Drop by between 2pm to 8pm from Sundays to Thursdays for Happy Hour:

Get Php1,000 off on Black Label, Grey Goose and Hendricks
Buy 1 Take 1 on Superdry, Cerveza Negra, Brew Kettle and San Miguel Premium
Buy 1 Take 1 on wine (Php350 per glass)
Buy 1 and get 50% off on Signature Cocktails
San Mig Light and Pale Pilsen at Php50
Drop by from 6pm to 10pm every Saturday to Go Hard or Go Home:

Get Php1,000 off on Jack Daniel, Black Label, Grey Goose, Hendricks and Botanist
Buy 1 Take 1 on Jose Cuervo and Jagermeister

Did you know you can buy two drinks and get the same two drinks for free at Moonshine through Zomato Gold? Zomato Gold provides members with 1+1 deals on food or 2+2 deals on drinks. All you have to do is sign up for a Zomato Gold membership here. Use my code JELLYB to get 20% off the membership fee.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held at 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 bars and watering holes in the Metro: