Ba Noi's

There are only a few Vietnamese restaurants in Manila, one addition is Banoi's ...

Banoi's is a hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant in Perea, Makati. It serves authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

Pho Bo/ Beef Pho(P225) - The broth was flavorful,  meat was tender and the noodles were cooked just right, it didn't  get soft after few minutes. The portion was a little smaller than what I expected, but it was respectable. Here's half of my portion:

 

Bokchoy

Well so far their Pho is one of the best I've tasted in Metro Manila.  I just hope that they'll keep the consistency...

That's All!

Ba Noi's

G/F Greenbelt Mansions
106 Perea St., Legaspi Village, 
Makati City. Manila, Philippines.
Opens: Mon-Sat from  11am-9pm

Sekitori

Sekitori means "sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo".... Ok, that explains why our order which was suppose to be good for 4-5, fed the 8 of us and with some little left over.

Aside from my starter(salmon sashimi) and sake,  we  just ordered for  Kimuchi cyanko broth shabu-shabu.

We were amazed when our order arrived...a mountain of different ingredients such as  raw  meat, seafood and veggies. It included squid and fishballs which were freshly made...

 

Here, you won't need to DIY the shabu-shabu; the waitress will  cook it in front of  you... 

Kimuchi cyanko broth/Shabu-shabu was a real winner,  the broth itself was flavorful with a pinch of spiciness  that lingers pleasantly inside your mouth and has the warmth of the soup which gives you a nice comfy feel....

Budget: P500 and up per head

That's All!

Sekitori Japanese Restaurant

Little Tokyo, Chino Roces Avenue,
Makati City. Manila, Philippines.

Phone number: (632)894 3876

8065 Bagnet

Bagnet is the Ilocano version of lechon kawali or deep fried pork meat.  And somewhere near our place, there's a house turned into restaurant named 8065 Bagnet  which reinvent  plain bagnet into something ... special. 


I've been here several times already... order different viands of bagnet such as

Spicy ginataan

Kare-kare

Dinuguan

Since I'm a fan of spicy food my favorite was the spicy ginataan but  others were also good...

They also have dory fish...

and vegetables such as ...

 Enseladang talong

 

and  Okra

Budget: 150-200 per head.

... this place serves  beer too.

That's All!

8065 Bagnet

#8065  Estrella St. 

San Antonio Village. Makati City

Phone number: (632)5081807

Mañana Mexican Cuisine Restaurants

If you are in Boracay and wants some Mexican twist go to Mañana, a hole in the wall restaurant in Station 1 fronting the superb white powdery sand/beach.

There is plenty of good food to choose from Taco

to quesadilla

and enchilada

... Their dish taste buttery but it's good mexican food.

Caffe Caruso

Can't believed I haven't  blogged about Caffe Caruso...

Caffe Caruso have the best pizza and the best mushroom risotto in Metro Manila.

Best pizza means chewy-crispy crust and the cheese well melted on pizza.

 

Oooohhh the cheese... ♥♥♥

Their wild mushroom risotto  is rich, creamy and flavorful. 

PS:  Appropriate(smart casual) dress code is needed here.

Ambiance: Romantic/ fine dining feel.

Budget: A little expensive  P500-1000/head  estimate.

Caffe Caruso

210 Nicanor Garcia St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 895-8790

Ramen Bar

We went all the way to Eastwood mall to meet up with Don (Phil's chef friend from LA) – I suggested Ramen since I've been hearing buzz about the place.


Ramen bar's chasyu ramen (P380) reminded me of daikokuya ramen in LA's little Tokyo.

It has a thick/creamy pork broth, slices of chasyu (braised pork belly) and tamago (soft boiled egg) – Taste wise, the chasyu was cooked to perfection, soft and tasty, the broth was a little salty but was creamy and good.

Phil ordered for yakiniku beef rice Toppings (P165), the beef was tender and tasty which comes in a bowl.

Don ordered for Sappori miso Ramen (P320), but he actually didn’t like it.

The menu is limited.

Service is  just ok.  At around 2-3PM on a Saturday, some servers we're outside the restaurant comfortably seated (Indian seat while holding  their compact)  in the bench right in front of the restaurant.  ;-)


PS: Their big plates and big bowl is not really big.

Not really the best ramen in town but their chasyu ramen is good.

Ramen Bar

G/F Eastwood Mall
Libis, Quezon City,
Manila, Philippines

That's All!

Hana - Little Tokyo

Hana is a hole in the wall restaurant inside Little Tokyo

It offers the best and authentic takoyaki in Metro Manila. 

Affordable - 6pieces for P120.

 

Note that they start cooking takoyaki after 5:00pm  only. 

the inside of takoyaki ball

and served the  uni sashimi(P180) that I've been craving ...

There are actually lot of scrumptious dishes to try at Hana. They have variety of sushi, shashimi, yakitori and etc., but one shouldn't miss their Takoyaki.

Hana in little Tokyo

2277 Bet. Pasong Tamo and Amorsolo St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines


That's All!

Mexican Riviera - Chef Loreto Bembo's Master piece and a man eating a balloon

There are only two formal nights in our 7 days cruise but our cruise dinner was almost always formal and should I say amazing.  Let me feature one Chef, simply because he's a Filipino ;-)

Our second to the last dinner was  prepared by Chef - Loreto Bembo, he is one of the head chef in princess cruise.

Here's the sample menu given to us:

For your viewing pleasure here are two of his his scrumptious masterpiece

We were entertained by a man eating a balloon. I swear I saw him ate everything... he even drank water after.... Kids , don't do this at home :p

Amazing, isn't it?

That's All!

Myrna's Bulalo Haus

Bulalo Craving! Yes I have that once in a while...When in Manila, if you are looking for bulalo house that can satisfy your taste bud, may I suggest Myrna’s bulalo house.

It is a carinderia type of eatery which is located at the corner of Tomas Morato and Kamuning in Quezon City. 
Most local celebrities usually dine here which made visible by  the pictures and plates with autograph posted all over their wall.

Bulalo was served in stainless burn pot. P250 with bone marrow -  can serve 2-3 pax . It brought me to cholesterol heaven! Hot! Tasty! Comfy!

Mechadong Baka(Tomatoed Beef Casserole) is also good. P75/order. 

Myrna's Bulalo Haus

138 Tomas Morato corner Kamuning, 
Quezon City, Manila, Philippines
(632)9270611

Charlie’s Grind & Grill

Burger lovers or even those who are not will surely love Charlie's. Charlie's is a small, unassuming burger joint next to a car wash in Kapitolyo. 

We ordered for the most famous and most raved about burger...

Black Angus burger .P165.
Quality angus meat with an affordable price! Tender and juicy...wickedly good.

We also ordered  for  hot Buffalo wings(P170 for 6 pieces) which I totally  ♥♥♥, too bad,  I accidentally deleted the picture  in my mobile phone(sorry!). And, they have shroom burger,  I  haven't really tasted it  yet,  but reading it in the menu reminds me  of  NY's Shake shack shroom burger, I just hope it is close to that...

... see you at Charlie's!!!

Charlie’s Grind & Grill 

16 Capitol Drive, Capitolyo, Pasig.
Metro Manila, Philippines
(632) 635-4857

Ristras Mexican grill

In my opinion, there are only few Mexican restaurants in Metro Manila and non of them were really authentic. I'm not saying that Ristras is not good, but it's just not authentic...   Ristras is a small  Mexican cantina in San Juan that serves good tex-mex cuisine.

From wikipedia, ristras are arrangements of drying chile pepper pods. Although their main purpose is to preserve chiles for later consumption, they are commonly used decoratively in chile-producing areas, especially New Mexico.

I've been here several times and tasted almost everything in their menu but for some reason can't find other pictures I  took, anyway here are some...

Burrito.P290. - is their specialty

The server will make it as you wish 1.)choose the type of wrap (flour or whole whear tortilla) 2.)Choose the main ingredients (carnitas, chicken, steak, barbacoa, or even vegetarian in the form of beans) 3.) choose type of burrito they want (Fajita Burrito, Burrito Bowl,normal burrito) 4.) Add the fixings (guacamole, bell peppers and onions and jalapeno)  ...then voila!

Enchilada - contains freshly made mozzarella, and is served with a side of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream

Quesadilla.P290

You may find the price a little steep but their servings is huge(good for 2)... their chimichanga is good.

That's All!

Ristras Mexican Grill

J. Abad Santos cor. Lopez Jaena St.,
San Juan, Metro Manila. Philippines
(Near Alex III in Wilson St)
(63 2) 744-9817

Pat Pat's Kansi

For those of you who don’t know, Kansi is one heck of a cholesterol-filled goodness; it is the infamous Iloilo version of "Bulalo" or bone marrow soup with a pinch of sourness from a fruit called batuan/batwan.

In Makati,  there’s a  specialty resto for kansi called Pat pat’s kansi.

Nothing fancy, no air conditioning. The service is just ok but quick...

Price is reasonable for what you get.

Here's their menu:

Here's a picture of our kansi/bulalo.P125. The soup base is unlimited...

If you're not a bone marrow (cholesterol) fan , you can opt to order  their kansi/laman which is much cheaper.P105.

Cooked as it should be... compared to the other broth I've tasted  their kansi was not that sour.

Grilled Pork belly. P70. Small servings e?  taste was just ok.

Verdict: I will surely be back for their warm and comforting kansi ...

That's All!

Pat pat's Kansi 

8809 Sampaloc St corner Kamagong St.
San Antonio Village. Makati City. Philippines
landmark: at the back of Metro bank (kamagong)
Tel num: (632) 8906179
Store Hours: 10 am – 10 pm

Calle Crisologo and Vigan Empanada - Vigan, Ilocos Sur

A trip to Vigan will not be complete without visiting the most photographed street: Calle Crisologo - fairly preserved "Spanish-era" buildings and houses (some houses where converted into antique shops) can be found here. 

The street is closed to modern traffic; only kalesa (Horse carriages) is allowed to enter in the quaint street which added some historic touch. 

Adjacent to Calle Crisologo is another closed st. Calle Florentino,  where the Statue of  P's "ninuno" or ancestor is situated - Leona Florentino, is the "mother of Philippine women's literature" and the "bridge from oral to literary tradition".   Beside the statue is Cafe Leona, which offer good eats as well (we dined during our visit last 2008)...

Nobody should  leave Vigan without tasting their empanada in "The Vigan Empandaan" situated in Plaza Burgos

Here you can see how empanada is done, from mixing to cooking...

Empanada at its best! Crunchy and yummy with a filling that consists of eggs, Vigan longganisa and vegetables wrapped in a rice flour crust dipped in sukang Iloko /ilocos vinegar. P25-P35 /serving.

...Close by is Mom's bakery which sells a bread with filling called bolero(too bad I didn't take photos) which is very very good. If you plan on going there just ask the locals (kalesa/tryke drivers) for directions :D

That's all!

Greens Vegetarian Restaurant and Cafe

It’s that time of year again! New Year's once again creeping up on us, for sure, a lot of us have started toying with the idea of a resolution. One of the most popular resolutions includes “Eating healthy”.

I’m not here to lecture about creating a healthier self rather to share my food discoveries. Anyway, here’s another vegetarian restaurant discovery which impresses me and think it’ll do the same with you.

Greens offers meatless meals, I love how the way they explores veggies into a healthy masterpieces with much flavor.

Papadam.P25 - their indian  type appetizer is crispy  and tasty.

Mixed greens salad. P80

Mushroom soup.P50- clear based soup with sliced of mushroom.

Note: I think their soups are all clear based and is  a little bland for my taste, but you can always add a little salt and pepper on it.

Tofu sisig. P140 - one of their best sellers, it is really tasty and healthy...

We also tried their "veggie" beef broccoli.P185, their veggie "pork" barbecue and pesto pasta which were all good... Sorry, the pictures are on my boyfriend's cellphone which we haven't uploaded yet... maybe next time :p

They also have kebabs, faux fish and wraps/sandwiches too... All in all, the food taste nice and plus it swaks to our budget, it deserves an occasional visit. Personally, it's one of the best vegetarian restaurant in metro. Perhaps, meat lovers will like it too :)

Have a happy and healthy 2010!

That's All!

Greens Vegetarian Restaurant and Cafe
20 A Sct. Tuazon corner  Sct. Castor,

South Triangle, Brgy. Laging Handa 

Quezon City
(63 2) 415-4796