pancit – Jellybeans in the City

Bold takes on Pinoy dishes at Soleras, Banawe

Banawe is known as the go-to place for car parts and Chinese food. This newly opened Filipino restaurant is setting out to change all that.

If you ever thought that Pinoy food lack imagination and pizzaz, you are in for quite an eye-opener at Soleras.

Situated at the ground floor of hardware and construction store BuildPlus in Banawe, Soleras provides shoppers and walk-in diners another welcome dining option within the premises (the other one is the steak and pizza restaurant Megawatt). Similar to its sister restaurant, it takes its name from the solar panels that serve as its tables and provides a casual vibe among its diners as well as a convenient location within the store.

In line with the New Normal, Soleras operates with safety protocols already in place, such as:

Requirement for face masks and face shields for all customers
Mandatory temperature check
Contact tracing (either via paper forms or via a QR code for an online form for greater convenience and less contact)
Positioning of diners one seat apart for physical distancing

What really sets Soleras apart from other Filipino restos is its fresh and bold take on classic Pinoy dishes, tweaking ingredients or presentation in ways that produce “awesome-thentic” and “gastronomically exotic-citing” viands that will excite discriminating tastebuds and sate hungry tummies, all while not breaking the bank.

The stars aligned and my luck held because I was able to sample them together with my fellow food bloggers – Anj of AnjColumna.com, Jen of SandUnderMyFeet.com, Nix of IEatAndIWander.com and Chryz of Chryzpontaneous.

Together, this intrepid group of titas feasted on Soleras’ signature dishes such as:

Espesyal na Bulalong Lugaw (Php280). Lugaw (glutinous rice porridge) has long been a Filipino comfort food, especially during chilly or rainy days. Flavored with garlic and ginger and accompanied by bits of meat, hardboiled quail eggs and chopped scallions, this offshoot of the Chinese congee is best served hot, all the better to warm our tummies during cold days. Soleras kicks the awesomeness level of this dish up a notch with the addition of bulalo (beef shanks with bone marrow), making the dish extra special indeed.

Keso Dinakdakan (Php290). Dinakdakan is an Ilocano delicacy similar to the Kapampangan sisig. Our ancestors up north are not wont to waste any food item so they grilled and finely chopped “unwanted” pig parts such as cheeks, ears, liver and tongue, then tossed them in a tangy dressing together with minced ginger, onions and chili peppers. Soleras added tiny cheese cubes to the mix which lends more richness to the dish.

Angus Pares (Php145). I was late in joining the Beef Pares Appreciation Society, having only developed a liking for this dish last year, but I sure am making up for lost time. Beef Pares is so named due to the pairing of slow-braised beef stew with sinangag (garlic fried rice). I go crazy over spoonfuls tender bits of beef and melt-in-your-mouth tendon and garlic rice. The people behind Soleras – bless them! – improved on perfection by using Angus beef in their version of this dish, including a decadent roasted bone marrow, and made the dish available to pares lovers like me for only Php145! Woah!

Pancit Sampler (Php185 for small | Php499 for medium | Php699 for large). The pancit is another example of how we Pinoys took a Chinese influence (noodles in this instance) and made it our own. Soleras updates the usual sauteed noodles with meat bits and veggies by adding the distinct flavors of known Filipino dishes such as Sisig, Bicol Express and Pares.

Pritong Itik (Php225 for small | Php345 for medium | Php450 for large). Instead of the usual fried chicken, Soleras instead serves crispy fried itik (native duck). The bird is first simmered in water with salt, ginger and other aromatics, then properly dried before deep-frying until golden brown.

Ginumis (Php185). For dessert, we had an Ilonggo version of the halo-halo (shaved ice dessert) made with sago pearls, gulaman (cubed gelatin), pinipig (toasted pounded rice), coconut milk and sugar syrup.

Gulaman (Php85). Our drinks were the classic samalamig (sweet chilled coolers) made with sago pearls and gulaman topped with shaved ice and flavored with muscovado sugar and pandan leaves.

Thanks to our Soleras sojourn, my friends and I were able to rediscover our appreciation for Pinoy food. Thanks to Midz of GastronomidaPH.com for extending the invitation!

Why don’t you take a break from your usual ulam, head on to Soleras and get a fresh perspective on Filipino cuisine?

Soleras is located at 686 Banawe Street, Barangay Siena, Quezon City (beside Megawatt Pizza & Steak), open daily from 10am to 10pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 917 1827583 or send a message on Facebook. Soleras also delivers via Grabfood (together with Megawatt).

Disclosure: Together with fellow food bloggers, I was invited to sample Solera’s offerings. All the food items mentioned here were served for us to taste the fare to facilitate our honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Lunch delivery from Belly Good Boneless Lechon, Maybunga

In the time prior to the community quarantine, I haven’t been so conscious of the need for variety among the viands I serve my fam (probably we didn’t usually spend every lunchtime together until now).

Apparently, the kiddos sometimes get tired of the same-old chows.

Well, I also get tired of wracking my brain coming up with fresh takes on the dishes to serve.

So one day, an hour before lunchtime, I just took out my phone, opened the food delivery app and started scrolling.

And lo and behold, the salvation of my family’s lunch came at the hands of Belly Good Boneless Lechon, a Pinoy resto specializing in boneless lechon belly situated less than two kilometers from my home.

After a few more taps on my phone, my family’s lunch soon found its way to our table.

This included:

Family-size Bellychon (Php430). What a wonderful time to be alive when you can just order lechon anytime you crave for it. And no, you don’t need the whole lechon, right? Just the good parts will do, like the tender and flavorful meat and the crunchy skin.

Bellygood Pancit (Php220). Feel like carbo-loading? The serving size of Belly Good’s stir-fried noodle dish is quite large (filling up two bowls!), more than enough for the fam. It does tend to get a bit dry, and its presentation could use some work.

All I had to do was make sure we had enough steamed rice and iced tea, and just like that, a potentially disastrous lunch was averted without too much demand on my poor brain cells.

I felt quite nourished and refreshed that I had an excellent idea on what to have for dinner that same day.

But that’s another story.

Belly Good Boneless Lechon is located at Second Floor, Hampton Gardens Arcade, C. Raymundo Avenue, Maybunga, Pasig City. For deliveries and store pick-ups, send a message via Facebook or call/text +63 917 5420130. You can also order through GrabFood, FoodPanda and LalaFood.

Download the Grab App on the App Store or Google Play. 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.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Bench Cafe opens newest branch in Trinoma

The clothing brand Bench has been around for as long as I can remember. One of the “proudly Filipino” enterprise success stories, it has been a major player in local fashion and has even expanded its sphere of influence to that of a lifestyle brand with its personal care producrs, skin care services and hair salons.

It even ventured into the food business, notably with the opening of the first branch of its eponymous restaurant Bench Cafe last year.

Fast forward to today and Bench Cafe has already opened its fifth branch at Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. Such speedy growth is proof that its concept of combining traditional and modern takes on Filipino food works and has found its place in Metro Manila’s highly competitive food scene.

The cafe held a special preview for bloggers the day before its Grand Opening. Together with my fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH, I got a taste of how Bench Cafe’s Chef Carlo Miguel melds local flavors together and updates classic Pinoy favorites such as:

Binagoongan Ceasar (Php149). Romaine lettuce with dilis and croutons tossed in a creamy dressing made with bagoong (shrimp paste) and queso de bola.

Tinapa Cones (Php129). Homemade lumpia wrappers formed into crispy cones and filled with tinapa (smoked fish) mousse and salsa.

Gising Gising (Php195). A spicy dish of chopped beans cooked in coconut milk and chilis.

Sisig Skillet (Php249). Pork cheeks and belly cooked in two ways and served topped with calamansi foam.

Fried Chicken (Php480). Whole spring chicken fried to a golden brown with crispy flavorful skin and juicy meat served with a honey patis sauce.

Dancing Fish (Php400). Crispy butterfly tilapia doused in escabeche sauce.

Pancit Guisado (Php239). Stir-fried noodles with shrimp, meat and chopped vegetables.

Silogs (from sinangag or “garlic rice” and itlog “egg”) are breakfast staples for many Filipinos. Bench Cafe serves these with garlic rice, fried egg and homemade atsara. The silog variation we’ve tasted here is the Tendon Silog (Php199) made with melt-in-your-mouth beef tendon in pares sauce.

Bongalmusal (Php349). If you’re ever at a loss on what to have for brekkie, this hyped-up silog meal serves up everything you could want! Spam, US beef tapa, tocino, daing (dried fish) and corned beef. Best of all, this dish is good for two so do share it with someone special.

Bench Cafe also introduced Bench-Tos which are glamourized takes on the fare available at a Pinoy turo-turo. This small roadside eatery is where diners point out the food they want and a serving is placed on their plates. Bench Cafe updates this concept by merging it with the Japanese bento – the chosen viand is served on a tray along with vegetables, homemade salsa and atsara as well as steamed Ifugao rice. Variations of this offering that we tasted include the Bagnet Kare Kare (Php339) which has a rich peanutty sauce that has no need for bagoong to have flavor, and the Inasal Liempo (Php299) which is Bench Cafe’s take on the Visayan grilled pork belly.

To cap out meal, Bench Cafe serves up its own takes on dessert classics with the smooth and creamy leche flan it dubbed Flan B (Php185) topped with macapuno and Classic Turon ala Mode (Php49).

Bench also applied its own twists on the popular dessert called Halo-Halo, which consists of sweetened fruits and other fixings topped with shaved ice and served with milk. Its variations include White (Php85 for 12oz | Php129 for 16oz) made with coconut shaved ice with garbanzos, caramelized banana, leche flan, nata de coco and coconut ice cream; Mango Otap (Php90 for 12oz | Php109 for 16oz), mango shaved ice with crushed otap, mango puree, cream and fresh mango cubes; Ube (Php95 for 12oz | Php149 for 16oz), ube halaya and palm beans added to the White Halo Halo; and Mais con Hielo (Php60 for 12oz | Php100 for 16oz), corn- flavored shaved ice with milk and kernels of sweetcorn.

I had a great time discovering fresh ways to enjoy the food that I grew up with at Bench Cafe.

Many thanks to the management and staff of Bench Cafe for having us and to EJ of #ILoveToEatPH for extending the invitation.

This Bench Cafe branch is located at Ground Floor, MRT Wing, Trinoma Mall, Bagong Pagasa, Quezon City, open daily from 10am to 9pm.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Bench Flagship Store, Bonifacio High Street, 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Level 2, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City
Ground Floor, Padre Faura Wing, Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila

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:

Enjoy a sunset feast at Padi’s Point, Antipolo

“Sunsets are proof that, no matter what happens, everyday can end beautifully.”

– Kristen Butler

The original Padi’s Point along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo is known for its magnificent sunset views. It has long been considered a landmark in the area, with families, barkadas or even couples, making the trek up from all over the city to this restaurant to enjoy the chill ambiance, the homegrown food served here and, of course, the amazing scenery.

Recently, my friends from #WeLoveToEatPH visited this restaurant to sate our hunger after a rousing game at Lazer Maxx. After shedding our battle mode, we were in the mood to chill and eat our fill.

So how did we chill?

We amused ourselves by taking in the amazing view. Lit by bright sunlight, the greens and colors from nearby vegetation were made more intense against the wide vista of the metro. Lit by a softer light at the golden hour, however, the same view became gorgeous silhouettes of trees against a gorgeous sunset.

And with what did we eat our fill?

Well, Padi’s Point offers a wide array of homegrown dishes that are best enjoyed family style. These include appetizers like Cheesy Cheese Sticks (Php190) and Nacho Grande (Php399), merienda staples such as Pancit Canton (Php160) and Mexican Pizza (Php310), and classic main dishes such as Padi’s Original Sisig (Php299) , Sinigang na Baboy (Php270) and Crispy Pata (Php699).

And since we’re a big group with jumbo-sized appetites after our adventures earlier in the day, you better believe we went for jumbo-sized bundle meals such as the Barkada Supreme (Php850) – classic finger-foods such as onion rings, cheese sticks, french fries, chicken nuggets and mushroom poppers – and the Barrio Feast (Php1,150) – fried and grilled dishes that include tilapia, chicken, pork, bangus, liempo and squid.

Also taking center stage are the Tropical Threesome: Boracay Chill, Palawan Chill and Miami Chill, cocktail drinks at Php150 each that combine icy fruitiness with a slight kick of alcohol. As their names imply, these drinks are great for chilling and relaxing.

Want to have a chill sesh with the fam or your buddies? Do chase the sunset at Padi’s Point and feast on great Pinoy food. It will surely be worth the trip.

This Padi’s Point branch is located at Alpha D Compound, Sumulong Highway, Santa Cruz, Lower Antipolo, Rizal, open daily for 24 hours. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 3443028.

Other branches are located at:

Ground Floor, Century Imperial Suites, South Triangle, Quezon City

Second Floor, SKY Garden, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City

Ground Floor, Coliseum Center, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City

Third Floor, Femar Arcade Philcoa, 34 Masaya Street, Diliman, Quezon City

375 Quirino Highway corner Tandang Sora Avenue, Sangandaan, Quezon City

Robinsons Nova Market, Quirono Highway, Novaliches, Quezon City

Exterior Second Floor, Star Mall EDSA-Shaw Boulevard, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong

Gil Puyat Avenue, Libertad, Pasay City

Second Floor, Empire Center EDSA Mall, Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, Libertad, Pasay

463 Remedios Street, Malate, Manila

A.H. Lacson Avenue across SM San Lazaro, Santa Cruz, Manila

Second Floor, The Grandz Commercial Center, MacArthur Highway, South Caloocan, Caloocan City

The Grills, Yellow Building Filinvest, South Station, Filinvest City, Muntinlupa

Alabang-Zapote Road, Pamplona, Las Pinas

Disclosure: Together with other 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 Filipino restaurants:

Delicious Holiday Food Finds at Ilustrado

Make your holiday gatherings and gift giving more special with unique and delicious finds from Ilustrado Restaurant.

Ilustrado’s Holiday Tienda offers something for everyone. The cheese lover will surely love homemade cheese wheels in Boursin, Pimiento (a sure kids’ favourite!), Spicy Cheese – Edam with garlic and spices, varieties. You cannot go wrong with bottled Atsara, Bagoong, Moringga Pesto, Gourmet Tuyo and Chimichurri.

Tea Cookies come in boxes of 12 cookies in flavors of Double Chocolate, Coconut, Matcha Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Snickerdoodles. Brownies come in boxes of 4 bars with Cashew, S’mores, Salted Caramel, Pretzel and Cream Cheese flavors. Ready to serve for a party are Cake Squares in a box with these delectable selections – Baked Cheesecake, Chocolate Fudge and Sans Rival. Cheese Pimiento Wreath and Quezo de Bola Ensaimada Tree are both unique, festive and appetizing.

A new addition to their lineup are fun Artisan Holiday Boxes dubbed “Christmas Morning” – a selection of cookies, brownies, loose leaf tea and tablea chocolate while “Holiday Cheer” is a Graze Box with Jamon Serrano, Chorizo, Stuffed Lychee with Roquefort and Pistachio, Chorizo Puffs, Spicy Cheeseball, Boursin Cheeseball, Chocolate Dipped Dried Mangoes, Crostini and Pretzels, Mandarin Oranges, Marinated Tomatoes and Olives. These are the perfect hostess gifts to bring to a party or as gifts in themselves to those you hold dear.

To spruce up your Noche Buena table, choose from a long list of mouthwatering selections: the stellar Twice Cooked Angus Beef Short Plate is a must order along with Adobong Bagnet with Taba ng Talangka, Callos Madrilena, Kalderetang Kambing, Lengua con Setas, Hamon de Hacienda, Stuffed Chicken Ilustrado (ala Relleno), Pineapple Glazed Leg of Ham and U.S. Prime Rib.

Your meal will not be complete without Ilustrado’s Signature Paella. Choose from Paella Ilustrado (Meat and Seafood), Paella Marinara (All Seafood), Paella Negra (Squid Ink)or Paella Bacalao.

Those who like pasta and noodles can pick from Classic Carbonara, Espanyola (Spanish Sardines, sun-dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil) Filipino Spaghetti, Ilustrado (Shrimp, olive oil, Paprika) Machito (Tenderloin Bits and Mushroom) Palabok with Bagnet and Pata Pancit.

To know more offerings and other details visit Ilustrado at ‪744 General Luna Road‬, Intramuros, Manila (‪527-3674‬, ‪527-2345‬); Café Ilustrado, 4th Level SM Makati (‪818-6760‬) or Pasteleria Ilustrado, 2nd level, Alabang Town Center (‪0919-845-9503‬) or email caterings@ilustradorestaurant.com.ph or log on to www.facebook.com/ilustradorestaurant/.

Disclosure: Menu details and images provided by Ilustrado Restaurant in a recent press release.

Check out my previous post about Ilustrado Restaurant’s Degustation Menu here.

A feast among friends at Gerry’s Grill

I usually dine at Gerry’s Grill in Tomas Morato for quick, no-frills lunches with my coworkers but in this branch in SM Marikina, I feasted with new friends. After participating in an outreach activity in a nearby charity institution, hubby and his car-clubmates decided to have lunch at SM Marikina. After a considerable time waiting, a table was found for our large group.

Among the hearty fare we enjoyed were classic Filipino favorites:

Crispy Pata (Php635 for family size)
Nilagang Bulalo (Php345)
Gerry’s Fried Chicken (Php265)
Pancit Bihon (Php165)
Sizzling Sisig (Php207 – who would dare forget to order this at Gerry’s?!?)
Buko Pandan (Php85)

When dining in large groups, Gerry’s Grill seems like a great choice as practically everyone would have something to like. We ate family-style which also helps in fostering new friendships.

This branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City Marikina, Calumpang, Marikina City.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

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