salted egg – Jellybeans in the City

Enjoy delish Filipino hotplate your way at Butter Grill, The Landmark

Who would have thought that dining at a mall food court would give you such a superb dining experience?

Sure, food courts have their own appeal due to a variety of reasons: the variety of cuisines offered at affordable prices, easy accessibility, fast service and liveliness and bustle of the crowd.

However, the entrance of a brand new concept stall at The Landmark’s Supermart Foodcenter presents an exciting possibility for diners: personalization!

Buttergrill, The Landmark Supermart Foodcenter

Butter Grill offers sizzling plates classic Filipino dishes and foodcourt faves but with a fresh twist: the diner can mix and match various items on the menu to craft a hotplate according to their specifications.

Here’s how:

First, choose your meat among Butter Sliced Pork (Php159), Butter Sliced Beef (Php249), Mixed Seafood (Php285), Peppered Bangus (Php298), Angus Burger Steak (Php315) and Beef Tendon (Php345).

Second, choose a free sauce to complement your meat: Pares Sauce, Bicol Express Gravy, Kare-Kare Gravy, Honey Binagoongan Gravy, Steakhouse Gravy, Sinigang Gravy, Kaldereta Gravy and Salted Egg Gravy.

Lastly, choose a free side to complete your meal: Butter Rice, Pancit and Sourdough Pan de Sal.

Combining items from this menu produces tasty hotplates such as:

Butter Sliced Beef in Kare-Kare Sauce with Buttered Rice

Angus Burger Steak in Steak House Gravy with Buttered Rice: my absolute fave!

Sliced Pork in Kaldereta Sauce and Pancit

Beef Tendon in Honey Binagoongan Gravy and Buttered Rice

Beef Tendon in Sinigang Gravy and Buttered Rice

Buttergrill, The Landmark Supermart Foodcourt

With the Lenten Season coming in, you’d be happy to know that Buttergrill’s got your back for Meatless Fridays with a Buy 1 Get 1 Offer on its seafood hotplates for just Php298. Promo is available every Friday from February 24 to April 7, 2023.

Peppered Bangus in Salted Egg Sauce with Buttered Rice

Mixed Seafood in Pares Sauce with Pancit

Mix things up a bit and try some of the dishes with Butter Grill’s Sourdough Pan De Sal!

Cap your meal with something sweet and refreshing: Buttergrill’s Clear Gulaman available in Bulilit (Php49) and Giant (Php99) sizes!

Here are some tips to further enhance your Buttergrill experience:

Unsure of which combination to try? Ask the servers for their recommendations!
Mix the hotplate contents well to distribute the flavors from the sauces evenly.
Allow some of the rice and gravy to caramelize (forming a flavorful tutong I’m you’ll love!)

So if you fancy a fresh take on your favorite Pinoy dishes and more, be sure to drop by Butter Grill!

Butter Grill is located at the Supermart Foodcenter of The Landmark, Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Stay updated on its promos and offers by following Butter Grill on Facebook and Instagram.

Let’s #ChooseTheSarapEveryday with Chewsarap

Despite the pandemic that still rages on, life continues.

Amid the trials and challenges we face, and continue to encounter, there are moments that we choose to savor, and milestones that we celebrate. Those are the times when we choose the sarap out of life.

One such moment is the birthday of my eldest. My unica hija – whom I usually refer to in this blog as #ExhibitA – is now a young adult, and I wanted to mark the day with a special meal.

However, with my busy work day, I didn’t have time to shop for ingredients, let alone spend time in the kitchen putting together various dishes.

Fortunately, I won’t have to, thanks to Chewsarap!

Operating on the philosophy that good food need not be expensive, this cloud kitchen offers a well-curated menu consisting of Chinese, Korean and Filipino cuisines, affordably priced and available in portions ranging from solo to family and party trays.

#ExhibitA’s birthday feast consisted of:

Hot Prawn Salad (Php350 for 2-3 persons | Php600 for 4-5 persons | Php900 for 7-8 persons).

Succulent prawns tossed in mayonnaise and cream then topped with sweetened fruits.

Salted Egg Chicken Wings (Php240/3 pcs | Php900/12 pcs).

Juicy chicken wings covered in Chewsarap’s special salted egg sauce.

Roast Beef (Php450) half portion | Php850 full portion).

Beef belly cooked sous vide for forty-eight hours and served with gravy and barbecue sauce.

Hainan Chicken with Curry Rice (Php300 for 1-2 persons | Php500 for 3-4 persons | Php900 for 6-8 persons).

Chicken cooked sous-vide on top of curry rice and served with ginger and soy dipping sauces.

The fam loved the varied dishes I served for my baby girl’s birthday dinner. Our intimate feast included old favorites as well as new flavors that broadened our culinary horizons, all made fresh on the day of delivery.

Plus, ordering this feast was so easy. Here’s how:

Visit chewsarap.com.
Select your orders.
Upon checkout, fill up your delivery details and choose your shipping option (pickup or delivery).
After getting the total bill, make your payments (cards/e-wallets, bank deposit and GCash are accepted).
Send proof of payment via Viber or by messaging Chewsarap on Facebook or Instagram.

Want to cook show-stopping viands such as these without the work of food prep?

Order Chewsarap’s Ready-to-Cook Meals such as:

Chicken Tenders
Beef Tapa
Japche Noodles
Pork Sisig
Beef Stew

Why should we choose the hassle, when we can #ChooseTheSarap, everyday?

Disclosure: Product samples were provided.

Eggs-perience eggs-tasy with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ new Salted Egg Chicken line

Guess what, foodies? Kenny Rogers Roasters has new menu items that will give a truly egg-ceptional eggs-perience: the Salted Egg Roast, the Unfried Fried Chicken and the Unfried Fried Chicken Bun.

Our all-time favorite Kenny Rogers Roasters dishes were given an egg-citing makeover, elevating them with salted egg flavors to bring about eggs-tasy with every bite!

Egg puns aside, this new line incorporates one of our well-loved ingredients: the salted egg!

From the time it was introduced into our shores when our ancient forebears traded with the Chinese, the salted egg has become a staple addition in many of our much-loved native dishes, adding a rich and exotic flavor to our cuisine.

Today, fast-food chain Kenny Rogers Roasters incorporates this ingredient into its healthy chicken variants, such as:

Salted Egg Roast.

Generous chicken pieces marinated in special herbs and spices, roasted to juicy and smokey perfection, then garnished with salted egg powder and salted egg sauce. It is best enjoyed with steamed rice, your favorite Kenny Rogers Roasters side dishes and corn muffin.

Salted Egg Unfried Fried Chicken.

A healthier and more exotic alternative to fried chicken, this consist of chicken pieces cooked through an oven with circulating hot air instead of being deep-fried, cooking the meat in its natural oil. The resulting juicy and crispy chicken pieces are then given an generous coating of salted egg powder and served with salted egg sauce. Partner this tasty viand with steamed rice, your favorite Kenny Rogers Roasters side dishes and corn muffin.

Salted Egg Unfried Fried Chicken Bun.

Perfect for a snack or a light lunch, this sandwich consists of an oven-cooked chicken fillet tossed with salted egg powder and salted egg sauce, then packed with tomato, lettuce and onion in between two wheat buns.

Isn’t it egg-cellent that we can readily enjoy our Kenny Rogers Roasters faves flavored with salted egg just by dropping by the nearest outlet or by calling +63 2 85559000?

It is also available for delivery at kennyrogersdelivery.com.ph, as well as in GrabFood and FoodPanda.

For more details about its offers and promos, follow Kenny Rogers on Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter.

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature.

Shrimp Bucket delivery via Pick•A•Roo!

It’s been a year since the quarantine took place, and while I don’t miss the hellish commute from my home to Tomas Morato, I do miss the lunchtime foodie adventures that my officemates and I used to have around the area.

One of our favorite haunts, especially for our payday splurge, is the Shrimp Bucket branch in Il Terrazzo Mall, a short walk away from the office.

Here, we would binge on shrimps and mussels by the pound, drenched in flavorful sauces that would leave us wanting more.

It’s been quite some time since our last foodie adventure at Shrimp Bucket but today, I was able to relive that experience with the family thanks to a new app called Pic•Ka•Roo!

This new all-in-one and on-demand lifestyle delivery app features all possible essentials for the home and more, delivered in a hygienic, contactless and stress-free. Aside from groceries, medicines, household appliances and gadgets, it also delivers from the metro’s restaurants, which is how I was able to get my hands on my Shrimp Bucket faves.

White Shrimp in Salted Eggsperience (Php785). Plump shrimp coated with a creamy savory sauce made with salted egg yolks.

Mussels in Mardi Gras (Php575). Mussels coated in a flavorful sauce made with pork chorizo blended with spices.

Both dishes are tasty by themselves but together, they’re dynamite!

Have a lot of steamed rice ready when dining on this winning combination of shrimps and mussels. You’ll be reaching for more again and again!

This Shrimp Bucket branch is located at Ground Floor, Rockwell Business Center, Sheridan Corner United Street, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Other branches that deliver via Pic•Ka•Roo are located at:

Ground Floor, Bridgeway Shops, Across Connecticut Carpark Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Centre, Greenhills, San Juan City
Ground Floor, Grand Hamptons Tower 1, 31st Street Corner 2nd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Want to give Pick•A•Roo a try? Get a Php250 PICK•A•ROO voucher and have your groceries, food & more delivered when you register with my referral code: ANGE7726. Download the app here.

Check out my posts on other seafood restos in the metro:

Seafood Feast at Dampa Seafood Grill, Tomas Morato

There’s something about feasting on the ocean’s bounty that seems so special, especially to us Pinoys. Living in an archipelago, we are surrounded by water teeming with fish, crustaceans and all other seafood that we have found numerous ways to cook and enjoy.

A recently opened restaurant in the foodie-friendly Tomas Morato area is poised to answer the cravings of the QC denizens for fresh, tasty and beautifully prepared seafood.

Dampa Seafood Grill originally opened in Dubai and later expanded to Abu Dhabi, soon gaining popularity among the Filipinos and foreigners working in the Middle East due to its happy and laid-back atmosphere, that signature warm Filipino hospitality, and, of course, great-tasting food.

With the opening of its first store in the country, we can say that the brand has finally come home.

The place boasts of sprawling premises where a large number of people can dine comfortably, both indoors and al fresco. The ambiance is casual and fun, with neon signs and artwork that serve as points of interest or backdrops for the photo opps. While it already has quite a sizeable parking space, it apparently was not enough given the number of people who dine here. Fortunately, two people are assigned to help car owners park or bring out their vehicles.

However, the main draw here is the food. Together with my fellow food bloggers, I feasted on the sea’s bounty and more during a recent Blogger Event held here. These included:

Crispy Salt and Pepper Squid (Php275). Crunchy and crispy, and with a bit of heat, this version of calamari is a great meal starter.

Grilled Squid (Php329). Marinated squid grilled to tasty perfection.

Baked Mussel (Php230). Melted cheese and garlic top these mussels which disappeared as soon as we started eating. Go figure.

Kinilaw na Isda (Php219). The Pinoy version of the ceviche, this is a staple in many gatherings and drinking sessions.

Crispy Tilapia (Php199). Battered slices of tilapia fillet fried to a crispy golden brown. Goes well with the aoili dip. Yum!

Liempo Two-Way (Php348). There’s more than one way to enjoy pork belly: with this dish, you can have grilled or deep-fried. The best of both worlds, IMHO.

Grilled Panga ng Tuna (Php499). One of my childhood favorites: a portion of the giant tuna’s jaw is marinated and grilled. I love digging into the bones for the flavorful meat!

Ultimate Crispy Pata (Php498). Falling-off-the-bone tender (I broke of pieces using just one hand!) and juicy pata (pig knuckles), deep-fried for that flavorfully crispy skin. Something I’m willing to risk “putok-batok” for!

The piece de resistance of any dining experience at Dampa Seafood Grill is the Dump @ Seafest. For only Php1,599, your group of up to 3 people can feast on the days freshest catch – shrimps, clams, crabs, mussels and corn – as these are dumped along with all the rice you can eat onto your table for a messy but happy boodle fight meal. Choose from among 6 flavors for your feast which you can dial up or down in spiciness levels: Mardi Gras (lemon and herb), El Mexico (Mexican spiciness), Salted Eggsperience (salted egg in white sauce), Thai Curry or Cajun (a mix of salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic and chili, just the way the Louisiana Cajuns like their food).

When we sat down to eat, it was perfectly understandable that we would be “galit-galit muna;” we definitely wouldn’t be focusing on social niceties while we’re wolfing down the food. #SorryNotSorry

I especially enjoyed dousing my rice in the salted egg white sauce. Mmmm, yummy!

Each Dump @ Seafest also comes with free two liters of non-alcoholic Fishbowl Mocktails (also available ala carte for Php198/liter). Take your pick among six refreshing flavors: Sex Appeal (brewed iced tea with lemon and grenadine), Green Minded (green apple with lemon), Blue Jobs (pineapple juice with blue curacao), Lindsay Lohan (passion fruit, pineapple and soda), Amaretto Sunset (amaretto flavor, mango, four seasons and fresh lemon), and Incredible Hulk (mojito flavor with cucumber).

Feeling adventurous? Get a colorful cocktail to go with your meal. Ask the friendly bartender for his recommendation.

Needless to say, my fellow foodies and I ate our fill of fresh and yummy seafood and more at Dampa Seafood Grill!

Many thanks to Kristine and the staff of Dampa Seafood Grill for the warm welcome and the wonderful seafood feast and to Aileen of AileenL Loves to Eat for extending the invitation!

Experience Oktoberfest at Dampa Seafood Grill with Buy 1 Get 1 deals on local beers everyday, from opening to closing, this October. This promo is available on Red Horse (Php80), San Miguel Pale Pilsen (Php70) and San Mig Light (Php70).

Dampa Seafood Grill is located at 71 Scout Limbaga Street, Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City, open daily from 12 noon to 2am. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 916 105 2421.

Disclosure: Together with fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare in exchange for honest reviews and were not paid for by the attendees including myself.

Check out my reviews of other seafood restaurants:

Food trippin’ nearby at Buffalo Swing, Caniogan

Though a proud Pasiguena, I admit that the incessant traffic jams in and around my city do sometimes get to me. These nuisances get in the way of so much: errands, appointments and, of course, foodie adventures. So whenever possible, to lessen the travel time and the frustration that comes with navigating the metro’s streets, I do try to find nearby places to indulge my food cravings.

Fortunately, Pasig City already has a lot to offer in terms of foodie destinations.

One such place is Buffalo Swing Cafe, a small eatery along Sixto Antonio Avenue that specializes in American comfort food: flavored chicken wings, pizzas and pastas. Owned and operated by Ingrid Mediarito, it is co-located with her baking supplies store named Ingrid’s.

Ingrid has long recognized the need to address the Pasiguenos’ need for affordable and easily accessible dining choices which led to her making her cafe’s food available to locals via delivery. A while back, in fact, when I was so busy running errands one Saturday that I didn’t have time to prepare food for my family’s dinner, I just ordered some wings and pizza from Buffalo Swing Cafe via Honestbee.

Honestbee has since stopped its operations in the country (oh, Honestbee, you are sorely missed!) but another delivery option is now available: via Zomato.

However, for this blog post, let me tell you more about my actual experience visiting Buffalo Swing Cafe together with fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH where we enjoyed its freshly made comfort food:

Pizzas

All Cheese (Php300). Made with four kinds of cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and cream cheese and flavored with garlic. Wonderfully cheesy!

Meat Overload (Php320). A carnivore’s dream on a pizza crust: pepperoni, Hungarian sausages, breakfast sausage and beef toppings and topped with caramelized onions.

Pastas

Aligue Cream (Php180). A decadent cream-based pasta flavored with aligue (crab fat).

Bacon Tomato (Php160). Flavored with tomatoes and savory bacon, this pasta has the slightly sweet taste that kids love.

Spanish Sardines and Olives (Php160). Slightly spicy pasta dish made with Spanish-style sardines.

Wings

These flavorful chicken wings, cooked to crunchy and juicy goodness, are priced at:

Php155 (5 pieces, one flavor)
Php300 (10 pieces, one flavor)
Php585 (20 pieces, two flavors)
Php1150 (40 pieces, two flavors)

These wings go so well with the resto’s pizzas and pastas, but they’re also great on their own. I’d love to have some delivered the next time there’s a big movie on TV so I can have something yummy to munch on while I’m indulging my inner couch potato.

Buttered Parmesan.

Spicy Salted Egg.

Salt and Pepper.

Sweet and Spicy.

Flamin’ Lemon.

Honey Soy Sesame.

American BBQ.

For dessert, we had Luleepops (Php20), a real treat for me since this is the first time I’ve tasted an avocado-flavored iced candy.

And we chased away the heat from some of the spicy chicken pieces with refreshing Lemonades (Php40 each) and a sweetly decadent Rootbeer Float (Php100) made with A&W Rootbeer.

So whether you’re a local or a dayo (visitor) from another city, check out Buffalo Swing Cafe for tasty, tummy-filling comfort food.

Many thanks to Ingrid and the staff of Buffalo Swing Cafe for the warm welcome and the yummy eats!

Buffalo Swing Cafe is located at 363 Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue, Caniogan, Pasig City, open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 9pm and Sundays from 5pm to 9pm. For inquiries or reservations, call +63 922 8864381.

No time to drop by Buffalo Swing Cafe? Order your food via Zomato! Just click on the link below.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies, I attended a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the 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 chicken joints in the metro:

Great games and grub at Grid x Griddle, Greenfield District

Being a foodie, dining out and the discovery new and tasty dishes are synonymous to having fun.

But what if the food was only part of the fun?

At Grid x Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming (also known as GxG), diners can enjoy delicious Asian-Western fusion dishes while enjoying their favorite board or card games.

Together with my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH, I visited GxG to check out its food offerings.

Opened in 2017, the restaurant is owned by avid board gamers. Its name even gives a clue to this fact: “grid” comes from the network of squares found in boardgames, while “griddle” refers to the flat metal plate used in cooking burgers, bacon and pancakes, among others.

Step inside and you will enter a world where gamers reign supreme. (Note: By gamers, I mean analog ones who use cards and boards, rather than those who use consoles or PCs.) The first floor is dominated by the bar and a high shelf of games, while the second floor give the diners a choice between dining and gaming on the floor seated on colorful cushions, or at regular tables and chairs. Either way, you have access to an expansive array of board games and card games, some of which were part of the owners’ private collection while others were acquired specifically for the resto.

To play, each person just has to order one dish (not including soups, salads or desserts) or pay Php250 consumable.

Curious about the grub available here? Check these out:

Truffle Mushroom Soup (Php170). Sauteed mushrooms in truffle-flavored cream. Its rich truffle aroma got us salivating.

GxG Fries (Php270). Crisp deep-fried potato fries topped with gently swaying bonita flakes, an American dish cooked and presented in a Japanese way.

Calamari (Php275). Strips of giant squid marinated in salt and pepper, lightly battered then deep-fried to a beautiful golden brown and served with GxG’s own house-made bagoong aioli and vinegar.

Longganisa All-Day Breakfast (Php290). Flavorful links of longganisa from Isabela served with two sunny-side-up, garlic rice, buttered vegetables and iced tea.

Sweet Basi Adobo Glazed Chicken (Php340). A juicy quarter leg of chicken cooked sous vide glazed in GxG’s special adobo sauce made with basi, an alcoholic beverage originating from Ilocos made from fermented sugarcane, and served with garlic rice, vegetables, demi-glace sauce and strips of mango which provide a sweet-sour counterpoint to the salty adobo.

GxG Pasta (Php250). The pasta dish with a decidedly local flavor due to the salted egg and tinapa (smoked fish) incorporated in the sauce.

Truffle Pasta (Php290). A creamy truffle pasta topped with bacon and parmesan cheese.

GxG Pizza (Php260). Native ensalata ingredients such as dilis, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bagoong and ripe mango on top of a crisp thin pizza crust. This is (surprisingly!) best enjoyed when dipped in vinegar.

Durian Espresso Ice Cream (Php150). The infamously odoriferous fruit is only (thankfully!) subtly hinted at in this house-made frozen confection. What really stands out is its coffee flavor, well-complemented by a generous drizzling chocolate sauce, as well as crushed graham crackers and polvoron for added texture.

GxG also boasts of coffee- and non-coffee-based beverages such as Chocolate Frappe (Php140), Dark Hazelnut Latte Frappe (Php160) and Cafe Mocha (Php140).

If you’re looking for a refreshingly cool drink to go with your meal, you can’t go wrong with the Fresh Lemonade (Php80) or Iced Tea (Php70).

Whether you’re here for the games or the grub, you’re definitely in for a good time.

Thanks to Chef Gerard Martial and the GxG staff for the warm welcome and the good food!

Grid x Griddle Gastrolounge and Gaming is located at The Hub, Mayflower Street, Greenfield District, Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City, open daily Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11am to 12 midnight, Fridays to Saturdays from 4pm to 2am, and Sundays from 4pm to 12 midnight. For inquiries, reservations or to order food for delivery, call +63 927 8794686.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Modern Filipino Cuisine at Ombu Kusina, Tomas Morato

Lately, restaurants touting “modern Filipino cuisine” have sprouted up all over the metro.

But what is modern Filipino cuisine?

Simply put: it is the flavors you grew up with but broken free of traditions surrounding them, even incorporating foreign influences. It is composed of tastes and textures familiar to you but applied and presented in exciting and novel ways. In short, this is not your grandma’s cooking.

Unless your dear Lola is part of the visionary team behind Ombu Kusina, of course.

Ombu is a modern Filipino restaurant located along Mother Ignacia Street in Quezon City. Having recently revamped its interiors, it also recently launched its special holiday dishes. And your friendly neighborhood Jellybeans is among the lucky foodies who were able to attend its exclusive food tasting event.

Ombu’s newly renovated premises are simply impressive. White subway tiles serve as an elegant backdrop for light-colored plush seats, darkwood tables and the feast laid out for us.

And said feast consisted of Ombu’s signature dishes such as:

Dilis Rice (Php80 per cup: Php170 for sharing). Your favorite sinangag (garlic fried rice), lightly flavored and topped with salty crispy fried dilis (anchovies).

Salted Egg Spaghettini (Php260). Al dente spaghettini noodles tossed in a sauce of salted egg yolks, sprinkled with tomatoes, diced cucumber and salted egg whites. The salted egg sauce was evenly spread throughout the noodles and the cucumber provided a fresh contrast to the sauce with every bite.

Sisig Pizza (Php520). The classic pork sisig and egg tops a thin-crust pizza drizzled with garlic sauce.

Binagoongang Talong (Php300). Fresh eggplant and lechon kawali served with a thick bagoong (shrimp paste) sauce. While I found the sauce a little too thick for my taste but the crispy fried pork belly is just yummy and went well with the Dilis Rice.

Seafood Mix Laing (Php290). Taro leaves wrapped around a mix of shrimp, crab meat, onion and lemon grass, slowly cooked in light coconut milk.

Also part of the feast are Ombu’s seasonal dishes such as:

Adobochon (Php440). Flavorful roasted pig with tender meat and crispy skin served with adobo sauce on the side.

Flaming Chicken (Php340). Tender and juicy chicken flambed right before our eyes.

For dessert, we had Frozen Brazo de Mercedes (Php180). Delightful layers of frozen soft meringue alternating custard filling, ice cream and graham cracker crust.

The dishes were expertly prepared and given a fresh twist by Ombu Kusina’s chefs.

So for a great taste of modern Filipino cuisine, check out Ombu Kusina.

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

Ombu Kusina is located at Ground Floor, Sequioa Hotel, Mother Ignacia Street, Brgy. South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 6.30am to 10pm. For reservations and inquiries, call +63 2 4411789 or +63 922 8149086, or email omburestaurant@yahoo.com.

Thanks to SandUnderMyFeet.com for extending the invite

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Dimsum Treats at Yeah! Yeah! Chinese Cuisine, New Manila

Together with a bunch of officemates, I ventured farther than our usual haunts for our #HappyLunch. I actually recommended Yeah! Yeah! Chinese Cuisine after seeing pic after pic of scrumptious dimsum and rice toppings posted by fellow foodies on Instagram. Also, I wanted to take advantage of the promo by which diners can get the resto’s dimsum offerings, normally priced at Php120 or higher, for only Php95.

So off we went to Hemady Square along E. Rodriguez Avenue. (There is ample parking in the building’s basement but for a minute there I was worried that my officemate’s Ford Everest won’t fit the entrance nor the parking slot.) The building is fairly new but is already home to several business establishments.

Upon entering Yeah! Yeah! Chinese Cuisine’s premises, you will notice the spacious, well-lit and well-appointed dining area which contrasts with other run-off-the-mill Chinese eateries which might seem a bit dingy to almost everyone except their most loyal patrons. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows let in a lot of natural light. The furniture and design elements have muted colors that contribute to a relaxed dining atmosphere.

Taking advantage of the Php95/order for their dimsum, our group ordered:

Xiao Long Bao (normally priced at Php130)

Crab Roe Siomai (normally priced at Php120)

Shrimp Rice Roll (normally priced at Php160)

Taro Puffs (normally priced at Php130)

The famous Piggy Salted Egg Yolk Bao (normally priced at Php130)

Steamed Chicken Feet with Taosi (normally priced at Php130)

And since we brought our considerably big appetites with us, we also ordered:

Pork Giblets Congee (Php180)

Lechon Macau Rice Topping (Php280)

BBQ Pork Rice Topping (Php280)

Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (Php260)

The Lechon Macau was quite good: the flavorful skin has a nice crackle when you bite into it and the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The serving was quite small, though.

The Xiao Long Bao is quite tasty as well; it was served steaming hot so I can slurp the soup from the bao and savor its meaty and herby flavor.

The Piggy Salted Egg Yolk Bao, on the other hand, was a bit of a let-down. Yes, it’s cute and Instagrammable, but I would have preferred a more pronounced taste of the salted egg yolk.

The dishes were served relatively promptly considering the size of our group and the number of orders. The servers were also attentive and accommodating, although there was some delay with a few of our requests.

I was thankful for the dimsum promo as it helped in convincing my officemates to accompany me in this foodie adventure.

By the way, if you have yet to try out Yeah! Yeah! Chinese Cuisine’s dimsum offerings, you will be glad to know that the dimsum promo has been extended to October 31, 2018. With this promo, you can get all dimsum at only Php95/order, Mondays to Fridays, from 11am to 5pm and 9pm to 11pm.

Yeah! Yeah! Chinese Cuisine is located at the Third Floor, Hemady Square, Dona Hemady Street corner E. Rodriguez Sr Avenue, New Manila, Quezon City. For reservations, call +63 2 9750070.

Check out my reviews of other Chinese restaurants:

Want to learn more about Chinese cuisine? Check out these books on Amazon.com!

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Classic Filipino dishes with a twist at Locavore, Kapitolyo

I’ve been hearing a lot about Locavore Kitchen & Drinks in Kapitolyo for the past few years since it opened but having moved offices from Ortigas to Quezon City, I just haven’t had too many opportunities to explore the Kapitolyo food scene anymore.

Luckily, the fam was invited to a lunch treat by the in-laws at this resto which also served as our welcome break from hibernating at home due to the non-stop rain.

The recipient of the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Filipino Restaurant in 2017, Locavore champions local cuisine by revitalizing classic dishes with a new twist, no doubt influenced by the French cooking background of chef and co-owner Mikel Zaguirre. Its name Locavore sums up the resto’s culinary philosophy: a person who eats and appreciates food that’s locally grown, raised and produced.

The place has a decidedly young and hip vibe to it, with a nice blend of wood and industrial-inspired interiors, designed by one the resto’s partners, Eric Matic.

While waiting for the rest of our party, we munched on Salted Egg Gabi Chips (Php350) and Kinilaw na Tanigue (Php320). The gabi chips was a definite hit with me and my daughter #ExhibitA, both of us being fans of salted egg chips per se. Eating those kinds of chips made of a vegetable we don’t normally associate with snack food is actually an appetizing novelty. Also, the chips are accompanied by kimchi, chopped white onion and kesong puti, a local cheese made from carabao’s milk, the combination of which that produced an explosion of flavors with each bite. As for the kinilaw (the Pinoy version of ceviche), I liked the texture of the raw fish that has been cured in cane vinegar and aromatics. Hubby didn’t find it spicy enough for his taste, but I liked it just fine. 🙂

Once our party was complete, we feasted on main dishes that exemplify the concept of classic Filipino dishes given unique cosmopolitan twists. For example, the Boneless Lechon Belly (Php650) is a Cebu-style roasted pork belly that had a tender, mildly flavored meat with a crisp and crunchy skin. The Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (Php270), has a thick yet crisp batter enveloping the juicy chicken (since this dish was intended for the little boys in our group, the wait staff served it separately from the spicy glaze). The Sugpo con Mayonesa (Php980) was a decadent dish of huge tiger prawns served with a rich sauce of aligue (crab fat), garlic, butter and Japanese mayo. The Ginataang Kalabasa (Php420) features the Pinoy version of the pumpkin cooked in gata (coconut milk) and accompanied by French beans, shrimp and sizeable pork chop slices; it’s definitely an upgraded version of the vegetable dish that Pinoy moms would force us kids to eat for our health. Not being a fan of curry nor spicy food, I didn’t sample the Green Curry Bicol Express (Php480) anymore.

Of course, the piece de resistance of the meal is the Sizzling Sinigang (Php550), the classic Filipino soup dish transformed into a sizzling viand. The sour sampaloc (tamarind) broth became a rich savory gravy that retained sinigang‘s characteristic sourness. Together with the sauteed French beans and garlic confit, it complemented the beef short-ribs slow-cooked to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

All of these dishes were wonderfully set off by the various options of brown steamed rice, garlic white rice and steamed white rice that we ordered to accompany the viands.

To cap the meal, we were treated to a tall tower of the house special Leche Flan (Php190), the Pinoy version of Creme Caramel, a rich and creamy custard served with a creamy caramel sauce on the side.

We experienced a minor panic when my son got some hives due to allergy to the shrimp and tiger prawns (which was unfortunate because shrimp is among his favorite food). Good thing sister-in-law came to the rescue with some antihistamine she happened to have handy.

Despite that, I’m happy to say that Locavore more than lived up to my expectations when it comes to food flavor and presentation, and I look forward to exploring more of its offerings.

This Locavore branch is located at 10 Brixton Street, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City (Tel: +63 917 684 2014). Other branches are located at:

Unit 5-7AB Forbeswood Parklane, Taguig City (Tel: +63 917 574 2017)
A1-A2 Three Central, Salcedo, Makati City (Tel: +63 917 178 2018)
Level 1 S Maison, Mall of Asia, Pasay City (Tel: +63 917 847 2747)

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

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Great flavors at Vitto’s Wine Bar & Restaurant

I’m not much of a drinker. Actually, I’m not a drinker. Period.

You would think a non-tippler would have found little to appreciate in Vitto’s Wine Bar & Restaurant, but there I was with my officemates during lunchtime, marveling at the resto’s Instagrammable minimalist organic-themed aesthetic and its unusual and yet comforting food offerings.

This hole-in-the-wall establishment may seem small but its warmly lit and quite cozy. It’s unique style manifested in the old Latin saying prominently displayed in one of its walls – “In vino veritas; in cervesio felisitas” or “In wine there is truth; in beer there is happiness,” definitely a mantra among its patrons who have high regard for their spirits.

Our group of four were the only ones there. Our lone wait staff – RJ – was attentive, prompt in assisting requests and knowledgeable about the resto’s food choices.

I ordered a Salted Egg Pasta (Php250), spaghetti noodles with a creamy salted egg sauce and topped with bacon bits. It was a hit among our group but I would suggest splitting this order with someone; the sauce is quite rich and strongly flavored, and the dish is heavy on the tummy.

I was also able to try out my companions’ orders:

The Grilled Meat Chop (Php290), one of Vitto’s All Day Brunch meals, consisted of two hefty pork chops, well-seasoned to bring out their smoky taste, and well complemented by garlic rice and sautéed veggies. I will order this on my next visit.
The Potato Croquettes with Blue Cheese Mayo (Php190), on the other hand, had the problem of having a bland-tasting mashed potato base, we needed to further season it with salt.
Lastly, the Citrus Fish Fillet (Php220) consisted of two fillets of baked cream dory marinated in lemon. Its light taste and mild texture were well complemented by its rich butter sauce. It went well with the garlic rice my officemate requested as a replacement to its usual side of mashed potato.

While its wine list wouldn’t really appeal to me, Vitto’s food menu is definitely something I wouldn’t mind exploring.

Vitto’s Wine Bar & Restaurant is located at 114 Scout Lozano Street, Laging Handa, QC.

Check out my reviews of other wine bars:

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You said what?!? Fat Fook!

Despite the odd-sounding name, there’s nothing obscene about Fat Fook, except probably the amount of food you will end up consuming. In fact, the name’s meaning in Cantonese comes closer to “big blessing.”

This Taiwanese resto, managed by the same group that operates Ramen Nagi, opened its first store in the very busy SM North EDSA. The decor has quite a modern feel with touches of eccentric Asian aesthetic such as bright red architectural accents and porcelain bowls used as light fixtures.

After doing some field work in the morning, a coworker and I were treated lunch at Fat Fook. We were able to sample the unique tastes of Taiwan with these orders:

Taiwanese Sausages (Php288). The sweetness of the sausages were enhanced by the thin slices of raw garlic wedged into them.
Taiwan Style Fried Rice (Php258). Tiny cubes of Taiwanese sausages are mixed into rice with finely chopped carrots and green onions, sauteed with a savory brown sauce.
Salted Egg Shrimp (Php398). I would have preferred for the shrimps to be shelled so that I won’t have to scrape off that tasty salted egg sauce from the shells before eating the shrimp.

Fat Fook seems very promising and I look forward to tasting more of its offerings. The good news is: a new branch opened at Robinsons Galleria which is nearer my place.

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