Ramen Nagi
Today I have an appointment in Makati Shangri-La from 9am to 12nn. I had to prepare for this meeting long and hard and once it was over, I immediately walked to the nearby Greenbelt 3 to grab my bowl of ramen from Ramen Nagi. Why? …
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Ogetsu Hime
Continuing the Japanese cuisine saga, we’ve managed to hunt down yet another restaurant for sushi and sashimi lovers alike. Ogetsu Hime which translates to “Goddess of Food” has landed at our dear SM Megamall Fashion Hall. It’s one of those restaurants you pass by and …
Chibo Okonomiyaki + Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory
Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake made of several ingredients. The name comes from the Japanese term “okonomi” which means “what you like” and “yaki” which means “to grill.” And that came from Google, because Google knows everything. There’s a newly opened restaurant that offers this in Podium so I decided to get their specialty, said so in their name: Chibo Okonomiyaki.
Entering the restaurant, I saw very comfortable looking chairs which are a little hard to ignore, so I chose one for myself even a table sat 4. (ooh wait that just rhymed) Maybe next time I will try the bar seating. Chibo Okonomiyaki offers theirs with prawn, scallop, beef, and pork. All these proteins are mixed in their savory batter which you could opt to dress with Japanese mayo, house sauce, ground seaweed, and bonito flakes. Insider tip: The dish will come a little plain, yes just the pancake on its pan, so just agree to everything they want to put on top of it for maximum effect. They won’t just splash everything down, you’ll actually be treated to a little dressing up which unfortunately I wasn’t able to record. But just look at it.
And since we’re on a roll, we should go all the way and get a Japanese dessert, too! Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory is sitting between two other Japanese dessert stalls and is offering products made from Hokkaido’s finest milk and the world’s best cheeses. This popular dessert store has recently made its way to Manila. I bought the Salt and Camembert cookies because it’s their bestselling product and I was also lucky enough that their soft serve ice cream is already available! Running under the franchise name Cow Cow Ice, I decided to get the plain ice cream to test its well-known creaminess. And it didn’t disappoint. I didn’t get the extra toppings but for sure next time, I will!
Verdict: 4/5
Overall, the crew is courteous, the place was clean, and the dish is priced right. I didn’t try any other dishes, but the one I tried is good enough especially when you’re hungry. But I was a little overwhelmed by the umami taste towards the end that I had to ask them to pack the rest to go. It just wasn’t a dish you should eat alone. And even though I was a little full, I managed to squeeze in my dessert.
Epicurious
Eating at Epicurious in Shangri-La is hitting two birds with one stone. Today is MD Paper’s 10th Anniversary and because of that, Scribe organized an event to showcase talented artists and their works, and of course, several brands that are patronized by everyone in the event. Oh and did I say Everything Calligraphy also setup a different event at Epicurious? Yes, that’s why I was here, to attend the Fountain Pen Workshop hehe yeah so, busy day. I got to the opening on time, 11AM and managed to sign myself up for a free MD paper (yay! That means more paper I can practice on haha). And then early lunch at Epicurious at 11am, to catch the FPW at 1pm.
I was the 1st customer and was asked what I wanted to get. I said, I’ll get the Ribeye Steak, please. I was led to the delicatessen and pointed to me the available cuts. The one with the greatest marbling had to be chosen, for 713Php, not bad. I asked for it to be cooked in medium temperature and ordered their house Lemongrass Iced Tea. I sat myself at the corner, beside the glass mirror, eyeing everyone that comes in. See, I’m going to meet the FPN group for the first time and I wanted to be ready for that.
But my plate came from the kitchens, all in its medium cookery, with a side of mashed potatoes, buttered vegetables, and gravy. And it was mouthwatering to look at. I thought it would be thicker though, but when I sliced through it, it was short of that real steak thickness, but it tasted good! With the gravy and mashed potatoes. Every 713Php worth the bite. Oh and I almost forgot about the lemongrass iced tea! It’s very refreshing and I highly recommend it!
Verdict: 4.25/5
Choose your cut and let them cook it for you and have it served to you is ok by me. It’s a very affordable restaurant if you want good steak. Fresh, as you see and choose it from their freezer, the added joy of choosing your meat is fantastic. It’s my 1st time here and I was treated like a regular, the service was friendly and welcoming. The seats and tables are cozy and clean. And hey! This is where the fountain pen workshop was help, so it must have been a favourite of the fountain pen users already.
Paradise Dynasty
Before working on this review, I had to read back to all the Xiao Long Bao posts I did in the past months and check if those were properly rated. Because when I saw my dim sum served to me, I knew in an instant …
L’épicerie Gourmande
Another French restaurant in the block, L’épicerie Gourmande is at the Riverpark at Festival Mall. It was a sunny day (isn’t it always?) so I decided to sit beside the window. I had a nice view of the amphitheater but further up there was a …
Pétit Bistro
We’ve been having our fair share of European restaurants in the south and here to take it up a notch is Pétit Bistro, a newly opened restaurant, first of its name, in the expansion wing of Festival Mall beside the Landmark drop-off point. To be honest, I had a hard time finding this place haha! It’s one of the few restaurants that are already opened there (one is even just on its soft opening), so you won’t miss it. On the way there, it also offers a bird’s eye view of the huge park below.
I was greeted by the staff when I arrived, had them open the doors for me, and I was seated on a table for 2 just beside the window. Server gave me the menu and a glass of water right away. We were going to get something to eat at the house for my sister’s birthday so I just ordered something light from their cold and hot tapas.
From the hot tapas, I got the Mini Grilled Beef Tenderloin Skewer with Bell Pepper, Tomato, and Onion. Weirdly, this arrived first. I think they didn’t bother much about the order. Anyway, the plate was beautifully presented. There were 2 sauces, an orange sauce that went across the plate and three dots of pesto sauce. For added freshness, there were alfalfa sprouts, placed beside three skewers of tenderloin cut in identical cubes. The meat was tender and flavorful, grilled but not dry. The elements on the plate all blended well together.
From the cold tapas, I got the Shrimp and Crab Duo. This was served on two shot glasses, which I found wasn’t really conducive for the dish to be properly enjoyed. You definitely can’t take the shot off of it. The salad at the bottom were composed of diced apple, cucumber, and radish with some sort of mayo-based dressing. That stuck on the glass so I had to scoop them off. The crab was shredded and placed on top of that, so did the shrimp. I found some broken shells on the crab, maybe one or two. That was again topped with alfalfa sprouts with its own vinaigrette dressing and a lemon. The shrimp wasn’t overcooked and had parsley leaves on the side.
Verdict: 2/5
The restaurant had a quiet vibe to it. Some posters of European places scattered the walls and they had a bar! Servers were quite pleasant and left you alone to enjoy your meal, with the occasional offering of water refills. I liked the beef skewers but the duo not so much. They could rethink the presentation of that, in my opinion. It’s a new restaurant that has potential.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
On the same day after trying that very forgettable restaurant in Molito, I had to look for something nice place that serves desserts. And luckily, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was nearby! I left my parking spot, yeah, that very tight one, drove around the compound, …
Madeca
Madeca has been in Podium ever since I started working at Discovery Suites. But in the 5years I’ve been there, this is just the 2nd time I’m dining at this restaurant, probably because there’s just too many restaurants to choose from. And besides, this is more like getting a quick snack rather than a full blown restaurant. They serve Filipino-Mexican food (a medley of finger food whaaaat?) and their house-blend Iced Tea (of course I ordered one) is so reminiscent of Wendy’s iced tea haha!
I don’t recall my 1st meal here but this time I ordered their quesadillas bestseller, Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla because I wanted something really light. I was on midshift so it’s already past 6pm and you don’t want to eat more than you’re supposed to. The dish wasn’t so bad at all. They had 2 quesadillas cut in half (total of 4 pie shaped quesadillas), freshly made nacho chips, a sour cream dip, and a salsa. The quesadillas were served warm, with cheese oozing from it, cooked mushrooms and spinach made it healthier. The overall taste was nice with the sour cream and salsa together. I don’t know if you’re supposed to have the dips separately but they sure tasted great together. The nacho chips were freshly fried, still warm. And the iced tea still had it’s awesome, refreshing taste. Citrusy and yummy! The joint was small, 6 small tables inside with 2 or 3 chairs in front of the shop. Even though it’s an open joint, I didn’t have problems with flies, unlike that other resto, which is great!
Verdict: 3.5/5
I’m sure there are more nice options from their menu, all quick bites though. The prices are very reasonable. The tables were all clean. Although they only had wooden chairs and tables, they compensated in adding throw pillows to add to your comfort. The servers were very polite and chatty with their customers. The dishes are simple, yes, but they’re packed with flavors. Overall it was a good experience dining here.
