a little bit about travel, a little bit about food, a lot of everything in between; as seen, tasted and experienced by different points of view..
Rainy season in Manila! And you know what that means, even in the humid weather, we get to enjoy a nice bowl of ramen from your local ramen store. We reviewed a few ramen restaurants in the past months and so far my #1 is …
When I think of Korean, I usually think of Korean Beef BBQ, Bibimbap, and lots and lots of vegetable side dishes! And of course, that’s what I got from Soban K-Town Grill. The restaurant is located at the posh Ayala Corporate Center in Alabang. The restaurant is good for group or solo patrons and it was just my luck that there’s some sort of an on-going celebration three tables down from me.
I had the Woo Samgyup a la carte, all 180g of thinly sliced beef belly goodness. The sizzle on the grill was intoxicating and I had to forcibly remove myself from the trance so as not to overcook my beef (oh but I did, on some slices haha). This plate came with all assortments of Korean side dishes which is a joy to look at but a pain to actually finish.
The Chicken Teriyaki Bibimbap was just something you have to order to see how beautiful they set up a bibimbap. Sadly, it wasn’t that pretty. Which reminds me, I just recently watched a MasterChef challenge on this dish and wow, the homecooks really took it to heart! Well, some.
Oh and don’t forget to try their Green Tea Iced Tea, it’s a house blend. Don’t be shy, order the refillable glass! You won’t regret it.
Verdict: 3/5
Giving it a 3 as I really loved the Woo Samgyup, I had second servings of their lettuce wraps to really enjoy the strips down to the last bite. Maybe I should have stopped there, the bibimbap was just so-so and a little lacklustre.
Because I don’t want to give up on something that easily (or probably because I need to make a mistake more than once so I really get it, haha), I am trying another poké-sushi fusion food stand! Sushi Nori is at 5F of SM Megamall …
It’s the monsoon season (well, at least here in Manila) and that makes having ramen for dinner more logical. But no, not really, we just wanted ramen and it did rain but after dinner LOL and so, Ramen Yushoken just happens to be near my area, in Molito Lifestyle Mall, Madrigal, Alabang to be exact. This is a good place to dine because there’s a lot of parking spaces and a lot of new restaurants to choose from, showcasing different cuisines and the prices range from affordable to highfaluting amounts.
I ordered a side of Gyoza because it just makes sense that way haha! It’s also one of their bestsellers. It was such a nice treat because of its crispy bottom and was adequately filled.
The Miso Ramen is a must-try and that’s what I asked for. Unfortunately, the server informed me that they’re already out of it. *sadness* So I just opted for Shio Ramen. This is their salt based ramen and the lightest among the broth flavors. It wasn’t spicy at all, so you have to add chili powder if you want it that way. But for me, flavor was ok as it is. The milky broth had ultra hard noodles (fun watching the cooks in the kitchen – I was seated at the bar), which didn’t become soggy even I left it in there for a while. A very generous serving of chasu slices topped the bowl, with thinly sliced bamboo shoots, minced onion leeks, and of course, aji tamago! Ain’t it pretty?
Verdict: 3/5
I’d like to try their Miso Ramen next time! I liked the Shio Ramen, so maybe they’ll do fine or better with their bestseller. So for now, they can sit at a 3/5. We’re coming back for you, elusive Miso!
During my Cebu visit for lola’s 103rd (or is 104th?!), we went to this not so new mall, Robinsons Galleria Cebu. Not so new because it has been there for a while but in the inside, there’s still a lot of empty spaces waiting to …
During ReiMart’s visit to Manila, we went to Century Mall (which reminds me, he should have written restaurant reviews from there!), we passed by this upscale food court, Hole in the Wall. Inside, we saw a variety of chef-owned fast food joints and it’s quite refreshing to not see the usual fast food chains (but I don’t hate any of them, really) like that one with a red, life sized bee for a mascot, or that one with a creepy clown who have oversized red shoes, or even where fried chicken, I have to agree, is finger lickin’ good. One of the joints there, Bad Bird, offered umami fried chicken that might just click.
And I guess they are making a name for their own because that very fast food joint is now at the 3F of SM Megamall’s new wing, the Fashion Hall. Looking at the menu, they offer umami fried chicken in 3 spiciness level: Safe, Spicy, and Chemical. I got the Corn and Coleslaw Plate because I just wanted fried chicken in all its goodness, no rice or other carbs to make the flavor any lesser. That came with two umami fried chicken and they let you choose two different flavors, too! I looked the server in the eye and asked about their chemical and there was warning in her eyes that told me not to take it (or maybe I was just a little chicken LOL). So I asked for the safe and spicy.
When I got the plate, I was pleased with the serving size. Two umami fried chicken (safe was the lighter colored one), a bowl of steamed and buttered corn removed from the cob and topped with bonito flakes, and a bowl of kimchi coleslaw. I started to eating the spicy fried chicken so I’ll have the safe fried chicken on standby in case my tongue gets fired. However, the spiciness for me was just ok, not really that spicy to blow me away so by then I kept wondering how spicy was their chemical one. It’s also reminiscent of another fast food joint’s fried chicken which sadly until now, I can’t remember. Anyway, as I moved on to the safe fried chicken, it was more lackluster than I expected and somehow reminded me of Pritos Ring chips (anyone remember how that tastes like?). The corn was under seasoned and the coleslaw was ok.
Verdict: 2/5
Definitely overrated by the reviews online. They have a nice wall art and interiors in the restaurant but the food is just so-so. Oh and I want to note their serving plate/paper, it was oil resistant! Haha! Anyway, apart from that, this meal is something I would switch for the fried chicken from Kentucky any time of the day. It’s just way overpriced for something so ordinary. Proceed with caution, or I guess to just try the chemical fried chicken.
First of all, congratulations ReiMart! Everyone, this is his 3rd degree. Graduating from UP, you get a sablay every graduation. He has 3 now. That’s why I dedicate him the song Hari ng Sablay. LOL and to celebrate this event, we drove to Marco Polo …
On the heels of that recent post, we’re going to review another restaurant known to serve Xiao Long Bao. Located at 3F Mega D of SM Megamall, Lugang Café is a Chinese restaurant aiming to serve the best Taiwanese cuisine. This is the first branch …
I remember the very first time I had Xiao Long Bao, I ate the whole dumpling without consuming the (hot) broth first. So yeah, not reading instructions, and I had no choice but to burn my tongue and throat with the scalding soup inside the dumpling. Couldn’t help but tear up on that one, too. Lesson learned from 8 maybe 9 years ago (sheesh, that suddenly made me feel so old!).
Years after that unfortunate incident, I got to try it again in Vancouver and couldn’t really remember the soup from the dumpling, maybe because of the sheer amount of food me and poeticnook had *ugh* So I tried again with Din Tai Fung this time, located at G/F SM Megamall, with the hopes of liking this dish at all. I ordered their cold appetizer dish, Chicken Scallions, to start. And I really liked it! For a single order, they had two rolls of cold chicken, cut in 4 pieces, and donned with a very generous garnish of chopped scallions. Yum!
Maybe it was the hot soup that made its mark on me, but I really think proper Xiao Long Bao have like at least half of its filling liquid, making the wonton wrapper sag a little at the bottom, trying to contain all the liquid in. So I was a bit disappointed when I poked the dumpling, the soup that oozed from it was not overflowing. It was literally barely there. I mean, look at this sad, sad XLB. I really had to squeeze at it and push it to the side so I can see the little broth it had inside. Sadness. The taste of the filling was good though, such a waste. The broth tasted good too, there just wasn’t enough to make it quite a treat.
Verdict: 2/5
Considering they are best known for their XLBs, I was quite disappointed with their dish. The only saving grace for this restaurant was the appetizer I ordered. I loved the Chicken Scallions so much, I didn’t notice I had scallions on my teeth the whole time! I keep wondering if I smiled at all during the walk from the restaurant to the office. Yikes! The servers were friendly and attentive. It gets really busy during peak hours, so stay away during those hours, there’s a long line of chairs in the waiting section.
