Turning Japanese

Last March 29 is my younger sister’s birthday. And yes, we celebrate each other’s birthday one week apart. This time, though, we dine out in Greenbelt 5. There’s a Japanese restaurant named Kai and we just wanted to eat light, since it’s a dinner. We don’t want to spend the whole night drinking tea just to digest all the food that we ate.

We had takwan mango sushi, ebi tempura, and mushroom and asparagus udon. Not heavy on the stomach, but definitely satisfies the palate. Will be back!

After wards, we went to Mary Grace in Greenbelt 3 to sip a cup of coffee and some food for the gods. Yummy. Sinful. Fattening. But then again, we only do this once in a while so indulge.

 

 

Weekend Indulgence

Weekend, that means Saturday and Sunday, is my indulgence days. Whatever my thoughts crave, yes it’s always food, I have to abide otherwise the I feel bad and agitated. Over the weekend, I have been craving the vegetarian panini of Rustan’s supermarket. I love this sandwich. I think I can live the whole week with panini as my breakfast, lunch, dinner.

 

Last week, one midnight, I suddenly think of Cibo’s tiramisu. I cannot help it, I went to their Shangri-la store the following day just to eat it. Oh well, these foods I just have to burn by constantly running. It’s not bad to give in to your craving some times. If it makes you happy, give in.

Yabu: House of Katsu

I hear the buzz so loud about this new katsu restaurant in the Atrium of SM Megamall from Twitter that I have to give in and give it a try. So I did over the weekend, only to confirm my pre-meditated suspicion about the crowd there and how hard it is to get a seat. True enough, you have to wait to be seated because they are always full especially during eating time (lunch, and dinner).

I decided to take out a chicken katsu, complete with two appetizers (potato salad, the best I’ve tasted!). I have to immediately rush home and eat it while its hot. Honestly, I was not a fan of katsu but this one’s really good. I have to go back and try their other katsu offerings like pork, seafoods and vegetables. The price is a little steep, though, but the serving is big so it’s worth it.

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Pig Out Weekends.

I finally got to taste Papa John’s pizza when it opened recently in SM Megamall. It’s not their first store here in the Philippines, because they already have branches in Galleria, SM Fairview, and Mall of Asia. So I drag some friends to go there and eat. Their pizza are American-style (naturally, this is a chain from the US), not too-tomato-ey like the way Italians do it. But this is my first time to eat it with a salted bell pepper. And I like it. Yummy combination. If you have the time, drop by SM Megamall or any of their stores within Metro Manila.

And also, their prices are reasonable relative to other commercial pizza chains around.

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One of our friend celebrated her birthday, and invited us for coffee and tea in Starbucks (Glorietta 5). After some catching up on stories and laugh trip, we decided to dine out (instead of watching Horrible Bosses) in Dusit Thani, not the hotel but the Thai restaurant in Glorietta. I have been to another good Thai restaurant (Som’s and People Palace) so I have to keep my reservations low. Their prices are reasonable, and the servings enough. We ordered beef green curry, kangkong in garlic sauce, shrimp and spring rolls. Spicy good.

Cafe Juanita

May be I heard of this place before but ignore it. Until the Appetite issue of Rogue Magazine this August where it was touted as the #2 Best Filipino Restaurant in the Philippines, after Isla Naburot in Guimaras. That made me curious!

So the timing is perfect because on a payday Friday weekend, a high school friend is in Manila and wanted to see us to catch up on chit-chat and yes, food. I thought this is the right time to visit and eat in this restaurant.

I am talking about Cafe Juanita. It is a house, so from the outside it looks un-assuming and simple. But when you enter the place, the ambiance will initially gets into you because from the doorstep, a man is playing love songs in the piano.

The decorations are like a collection of old stuffs and put it in the walls, up to the ceiling. Including colorful inverted parasols. The place is romantic, and lovely, which is what we want to feel right now after eating almost always in the chaotic restaurants of malls. So this is a different experience.

Their house specialty is kare-kare. And I have never tasted this good kare kare for quite some time! But another friend ordered crispy pata, and yes, it is yummy and the meat is soft (unlike those offered in other restaurants where it feels like you will digest the whole thing for 48 hours).

I must say that their sisig in tofu is a must try! Really, really, good.

I will definitely go back there to try their other food offers. It’s easy to love Cafe Juanita.

La Paz Batchoy

A friend posted something about La Paz batchoy yesterday in her Facebook wall. Since then, the Ilonggo food pre-occupied my mind. To think that Manila is rainy due to Tropical Depression “Egay,” which is all the more reason to eat the dish!

When I wake up Sunday morning, and find the outside surrounding still wet from the rain, I have no other excuse to not eat batchoy for lunch. After a quick bath, I went straight to SM Mall of Asia, specifically, Ted’s La Paz Batchoy.

This is one of their stores in Manila (the others being in Southmall and Ali Mall), which is a cheaper alternative than flying out to Iloilo just to get the real thing.

It is best partnered with puto, a local rice cake. I guess it’s the Ilonggo palette or just simply reminiscing my stay in Iloilo city during college days that makes me think and crave for it. But whatever it is, I have to satisfy the cravings because otherwise is never an option.

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

I have been wanting to eat Hainanese Chicken Rice for a long time, after Wee Nam Kee opened its first overseas store in Manila. This Singaporean national food is just so damn good-looking in pictures.

Last week, while looking for a place to eat in Shangrila Plaza Mall, I decided to choose Penang Hill. It is an Asian restaurant, and they have Hainanese Chicken. So I ordered one.

The presentation looks lovely; it is what I imagined from the pictures. And when I got the first bite, I never look back. Extra Hainanese rice please!!!

And this weekend again, my dinner is, you guess it, Hainanese Chicken rice. But I tried another restaurant—Sing Hainanese Chicken House. The chicken is not as good as Penang’s, but they have better Hainanese rice! As usual, extra rice again!

Getting fat again because of eating. No, over-indulgence with eating. That’s more like it.

Anyway, what will I crave next week? I hope it’s not Hainanese again. ‘Til next eating engagement.

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Stuffed Squid with Lechon Sisig

I know this is sinful, but when I read Market Manila‘s feature on Cebu’s stuffed squid with lechon sisig, I imagine myself going to Cebu pronto to taste it. If the picture is thaaat good and yummy, then I want sub-zero beers please!

Naglalaway na ako.

People’s Palace

Finally, I got the chance to eat at the People’s Palace in Greenbelt 3. This is a Thai restaurant. It is my 30th birthday and it is only fitting to dine out with people close to my heart–my family. We started with my favorite appetizer these past few eats, pomelo salad! Theirs is better than what I usually have in Pho Hoa. The pomelo bits are so sweet and the shrimp is bigger.

I ordered lapu lapu fillet and chicken curry. The rice? Unlimited Thai rice, of course! The prices are a little bit pricey, but no problem about the ambience. It was a memorable experience, and I want to come back to savor other dishes.

You call them in advance if you want to eat there, especially during dinner time, They get full and you might end up waiting if you want to go there walk in.

Bon Chon.

I got to taste the Bon Chon chickens last Monday night. It’s been months since I first thought of buying some drumsticks from the famous chicken chain, but just don’t have the time to be in Ayala Triangle–their only store in Manila that is near my place.

I have to ask my sister to buy some. And when she brought it home, yes, it was gone in sixty seconds even the spicy flavored. It was really yummy. Oh no, this might be another thing in my fave list.

They will open more stores this first half of the year: SM Megamall, Shangrila Plaza, Robinson’s Galleria. Whot-who, my kind of thing!