By Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet: Rose

Have you ever been to one of the sushi restaurants that arrive to you via conveyor belt or in little sushi boats that meander slowly by, hoping to catch your eye?

I've been to a couple in San Francisco, and the concept is quite quaint. 

Now if you have never been to one, you can come to Rose to check out what I'm talking about. This very cute idea only works if the sushi found on the boats look appealing to eat. In fact, in the other restaurants I've been to that have this concept, the dishes are priced per color. For example, the gold plate is the uni sushi, the red plate is the ikura, so on and so forth. So at the end of the evening the server simply counts how many of each color you ate and adds it all up.

Rose's interiors are very simple: everyone sits around a big table where the boats pass by. This makes it difficult to talk to your friends across the way.

The problem with Rose is none of the sushi on the boats looked appetizing. The owner said they replace the sushi every 20 minutes but since no one ate the sushi off the boats, they kept circling around. Instead, I ordered off the menu: uni sashimi. It was very tasty.

I love edamame (soybeans to you folks!) and they had one on their menu with dynamite sauce. I decided to try it and got this:

The sauce was quite spicy and left a residue on my fingers after eating it - definitely not first date food! To wash down these interesting appetizers, we ordered some watermelon sake, which was pretty yummy.

The truth is, the menu wasn't very interesting to me. My friends who had gotten there before me had already ordered some dishes and I did enjoy the salmon dish with ikura on it but since I had salmon for lunch that day I didn't feel like having a whole salmon to myself. So I ordered the tuna tataki with their Rose sauce.

I did not enjoy the Rose sauce very much - it was spicy when it should have not been. I expected something more exciting, such as a ponzu something or other. Alas, I was left disappointed.

So finally, I ended this ordinary meal with dessert- salted caramel ice cream, which turned out to be extremely delicious. 

If you want to see little boat meander along which happen to have so-so sushi on it, then you can try Rose. Otherwise, come for some sushi off the menu and the watermelon sake.

Rose
The Grand Hamptons Tower
31st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues
Bonifacio Global City
Tel +0917.597.2573

The Whole Enchilada: Achiote

Seems that the dining scene at Power Plant Mall and in Rockwell in general seems to be heating up.

Literally, that is.

The newest kid on the block is Achiote, a Mexican restaurant opened by Robby Goco. It has that easy-going vibe much like the other restos he's opened such as Ristras and Charlie's Grill and Grind.

A full house- but then again, not that hard to do

Seems like Filipinos can't get enough of Mexican! Though there are other restos that I love for their nachos, potent margaritas as well as the people behind it (cough, cough, Chihuahua), I do love me an enchilada and unfortunately Chihuahua doesn't have that on its menu yet. So of course when I saw enchilada on the menu, that's what I ordered. Humans are creatures of habit.

But before that, the was guacamole that beckoned in a margarita glass. Of course, that had to be ordered as well, along with a healthy dose of chips.

The avocado was fresh and the guacamole nice and chunky. I don't like pureed avocado for my guacamole. The flavor was pretty darn good too.

Now for mains: I got one enchilada with a spicy marinated chicken and the other with carne asada. All smothered in salsa verde. With black bean on the side and the cilantro rice. Just look at that bad boy!

It has everything good. Like what Joey Tribiani of Friends said: It's got sour cream: Good. It's melted cheese: Good. It's got salsa: Good. It's got yummy fillings, tasty beans and rice: good, good, good! Well, the rice was ok. I do prefer the original Mexican rice. You know the phrase, "The whole enchilada"? Well, it is quite filling and so, in this day and age of choosing the right carbs to put in your tummy, I opted not to finish the rice.

They have a number of other dishes to try too: tortas, or sandwiches; ceviches of all kinds of seafood; burritos; quesadillas and different kind of tacos. Here are their usual hard shell tacos, topped with a healthy dose of more avocado. This was filled with carnitas.

I find it difficult to eat hard tacos so what does one do with hard tacos?

Make taco salad!

Te-kill-ya station

All in all, Achiote has a good variety of Mexican dishes that make you come back for more. The serving sizes are pretty big enough to share and the price range is affordable.

Now if someone would make frozen strawberry margaritas as good as Chevy's in San Francisco, than that would be perfect...


Achiote
G/F Power Plant Mall
Rockwell, Makati City

Lunching light at Sugi

We were planning our first girlfriend's lunch for the year and couldn't decide on the option of restaurant.

One friend was preggy.

One friend was on the Cohen diet.

Another friend was on a break from the HCG diet.

Another friend wanted more options than just shabu-shabu.

Me? I was still on the seafood diet: when I see food, I eat it! (Don't hate me.)

So we all decided on Sugi in Greenbelt, where everyone knows your name if you're a regular. They'll even know how to prepare the dish the way you want it!

We saw Ines there and she greeted us Happy New Year and treated us to the yummy special for the month, the Kaisen Salada. It was fresh with its sashimi of salmon, tuna and white fish, along with yummy crunch greens and orange roe. (Thanks Ines!) Sugi has always been very good at offering new items on their menu.

January special: Kaisen Salada

After all that binge eating in December, I wanted healthy, yet filling seafood dishes. I ordered two of my favorite sushi:

Uni and Ikura sushi

I learned to eat ikura or salmon roe sushi while I was living in LA. There was a place called Sushi Sasabune on Sawtelle Boulevard that served only the freshest sushi of the day, and you weren't told beforehand what you were going to eat. All of the dishes were pleasant surprises and I this was the first time I learned the art of kaiseki. From then on, I was in love with the orange, glistening eggs that pop with flavor in your mouth when you bite into them. 

Now, I need carbs to be happy - I don't care what Mr Atkins or Ms South Beach or whoever says they are bad for you. I ordered ten cha soba just because I love the flavor of the green tea soba noodles paired with the crunchy ebi tempura. And I love dipping sauces! This came with TWO! 

I honestly can't eat more than 3 tempura in one sitting otherwise I start to feel sick. Remember that Saisaki promo, eat all you can tempura? My uncle could down 30 of them...that was then...

Best to make reservations when you eat here. I believe that Sugi is the most successful restaurant in all of Greenbelt 2. It must have good feng shui! :)

Sugi

Greenbelt 2

tel +632.757.3678

Dear Ol' Dad: Lolo Dad's

Happy New Year!

I hope that 2012 brings new hope, joy and happiness in your lives!

I'll begin the year with a post on a good, old favorite, Lolo Dad's Cafe in Malate.

The original open kitchen concept

Anyone who's in the know will say "No contest" when you compare the original Lolo Dad's in Manila with the Lolo Dad's Brasserie in 6750. Though I've eaten at the latter only once, I've eaten at the original several times on truly special occasions and can safely say their attention to detail and the consistency in cuisine of Chef Ariel Manuel reigns supreme.

Furthermore, the place is tucked into a discreet garden and it is never too full so that you get the privacy and service you deserve.

Check out this homemade butter, served with your choice of fresh, homemade bread. I swear, I could devour this whole thing.

Their oysters are beyond delicious. They usually serve the fresh ones by the piece with a special lemon granita - which I love - but this time they served it with a salsa. I had oysters at a 5-star hotel and they weren't as fat nor as tasty as these. How can that be?

Here's their salad of lobster and prawn, big enough to share. The seafood was cooked to perfection, as always. Tasty portobello and feta add to the flavor.

The sorbet in a smoking brown teapot  is another signature style of Lolo Dad's. Always makes for a good picture, good enough to blog haha.

Lolo Dad's was also one of the pioneers in giving you many choices of the same ingredient on one plate (think: foir gras terrine, pan-seared and the like). This main course of Black Angus beef tenderloin is served with beef cheeks topped with a slab of foie gras and offered with a side salad and a very pretty garnish.

The wine list here is limited but well-suited to the dishes. When it comes to going to a resto for a special occasion, Lolo Dad's comes to front of mind always.

Happy 2012! May all your champagne wishes and caviar dreams come true!

Lolo Dad's Cafe
899 President Quirino Avenue corner Leon Guinto Street
Malate, Manila
tel +632.522.2941
www.lolodadscafe.com

Sexy and Chic: Atelier 317

I've been an awful girl this Christmas.

I was supposed to go to my girlfriend's place for an after-work glass of wine - but I ended up crashing her foodie friends' dinner! (Well, actually, she did invite me at the end :))

Stephanie Zubiri - the hostess with the mostess

Hidden in a little village in Makati is Atelier 317: a room of shabby chic interiors, good food and drinks and of course, fantastic company. Stephanie, who enjoys doing a bit of interior design as a hobby, put the room perfectly together. Aside from some prints of food, her mother Vicky gave her some still life paintings that add even more personality to the cozy ambiance of the room. 

This evening Stephanie invited her food writer friends such as Margaux Salcedo, Mickey Fenix, Claude Tayag and his sweetie Mary Ann, Myrna Segismundo, Felice Santa Maria and Nana Ozaeta to try her delicious wares.

Stephanie started us off with her version of falafel, a light yet tasty flafel in a pita pocket served with lettuce and onion. 

On the table was a mezze platter of roasted charred eggplant dip, spicy roasted bell pepper and feta dip, and green pea hummus- all served with pita triangles. All light and healthy tasting but packed with lots of flavor. 

Next Steph served this tasting platter of Caprese salad with kesong puti; Camembert and raspberry on rye bread and gourmet cheese pimiento tartine, which, unfortunately, I didn't get to try! I did go back to the Atelier the next night for Uno Night and ordered the Caprese salad for myself - the smoky flavor just added that extra zing to it!

The next item on the menu was the shooter of roasted squash with lemongrass soup. The consistency was thick and velvety and the flavor packs a punch. You don't need to eat a lot of this to feel satisfied.

Now, this is why I appreciate Stephanie's cooking so much - she takes a classic and makes it better. Here is a balsamic adobo short ribs. Utterly delicious! If I wasn't in a room with so many new acquaintances, I would have wolfed this down like it was nobody's business. A girl has got to have her manners, you know.

Another winner was this chicken ala Bicol Express. Spicy verging on the side of dynamite - just the way I like it.

Steph served these dishes with red rice, which I am not so fond of when I want to drown my rice in sauce, just like that Bicol Express sauce. All I can say was less load on the rice meant more load on the dessert, which was a smorgasbord.

Claude told us very interesting stories about how the term "Bicol Express" came to mean spicy dishes made with coconut cream.

If you are a fan of aligue then you will adore this aligue pasta. Steph is the queen when it comes to making Filipino food modern!

For dessert, Steph served this oh-so-yummy cake. This cake has haunted me in my sleep. I have called this Modern Epicurean goddess on occasion to ask if she had any in her house that I could come and scarf. It's a ginger pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and walnuts (in case you were wondering, I just scrape off the walnuts). It's so moist you can eat the whole thing in one sitting. It's so moist, it makes Hong Kong's humidity problem look like the Gobi Desert.

To add to the calorie count, Steph served these Nutella chocolate cupcakes along with truffle ice cream from Alexandra Rocha's Pinkerton. OMG.

Malongo coffee's main man and our token Frenchman Geoff came to dinner as well. Aside from his witty repartee he offered to make his signature Malongotinis, which are to die for. If you never have had a Malongotini, you are missing half your life. It makes Patron XO look like an uncontrollable teenager!

We had such an amazing time, sharing food stories and more, that I ended up staying the whole night and even going to Time afterward. We all need a little cardio to work off the calories, right?

In whatever Stephanie does, she pours all her heart and soul into it, and you can feel it in the room and taste the love in all her food. As the prettiest waitress in town, she can't be beat! I can't wait to bring my other girlfriends here :)

Congratulations Steffie babes, on the success of your new endeavor!  

Atelier 317 

http://www.epicurusinc.ph/atelier-317.aspx

For reservations call +632.384.7064 or text 0917.830. 8393

Christmas Goodies from Edsa Shangri-La

I received a Christmas pressie the other day at the office from Henry Lee, the GM of Edsa Shang. We had met each other at the Canadian Food Festival launch then at the recent Paparazzi dinner. He is always so nice to chat with, and he has a lovely wife to boot!

The pressie was this big box

And when I opened it, Ta da! It was a box filled with Christmas goodies! How thoughtful! It had a bit of everything Christmas, from mince pies, to gingerbread cookies, to red wine, to stollen bread and spice cake.

Everything in the box is sold either individually or as a gift set, as I received. It came with this catalog of their offerings for Christmas. Remember I took a photo with the soldier at the Paparazzi dinner? They are guarding different pillars throughout the hotel.

Everything was so delicious I decided to go to the Shang and buy some Christmas goodies for friends too! The stollen bread and spice cake were especially reminiscent of the holidays...yum!

After I shared the food with my family, I recycled the box to store my hats in!

Thank you Edsa Shangri-La! Happy Holidays to you!

Santa's Workshop will be open December 24 and 25
Lunch 11:30am to 3pm
Dinner 6:30pm to 9:30pm
All kids get Santa hats for Christmas Eve.

Countdown to 2012
December 31, 730pm
Tickets P3,500 pp inclusive of dinner and show by the Authority Band

Each outlet has special menus for the holidays of Christmas Eve, Day and New Year's Eve and Day.

Edsa Shangri-La Manila
Tel +632.633.8888
http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/manila/edsashangrila

Photo ops at Paparazzi

There's a new chef in town, and guess what, he's only 25 years old!

Edsa Shangri-La invited me to try the new menu of Chef Robert Cimmino, the chef de cuisine at their primo Italian resto, Paparazzi. He was born in Marino near Rome and used to help his grandmother prepare the traditional Sunday lunch for their family. Ceg Rob studied at Michelangelo Buonarroti in Fiuggi for 5 years and comes from a 6-year stint in China. Like me, likes to take photos of his own food too!

They had sent me a mask with the invite and requested me to bring it. Of course, silly me didn't read the fine print and I was supposed to decorate it. Oops!

Luckily, the intelligent people at Edsa Shang provided extra masks, assorted sequins, feathers and other fun things for decorating with as I was not the only one who forgot my assignment. I chose a unfussy black swan theme for my mask.

Chef Rob in action

 Chef Rob did a cooking demo for us to see how easily he prepared his dishes. He prepared a 5-course degustation menu, which I really prefer as you get to try all the dishes without feeling too full afterwards. Plus, they paired some very nice wines with them as well :)

Gorgeous table centerpieces made in Italy (front)

(back) Which view do you prefer?

Freshly baked bread

First course: Aragosta

The first course of lobster carpaccio, vanilla infused oil, classic lobster tomato emulsion, roots and leaves, gelato of balsamico and dried raspberries, tomato mango and cilantro salad was a light and delicious starter to the meal. I love those microgreens! They paired this with Bella Mia Bianco Cataratto & Chardonnay 2009, a crisp, fruity white.

Second course: Paccheri

The second course was paccheri with scallops, porcini and arugula ragout served with seaweed consomme was paired with Solepapa Frascati Malvasia Bianco & Trebbiano Tuscano 2009. The assortment flavors were good but I prefer a less thick sort of pasta.

Third course: Wagyu

The Wagyu course was braised Wagyu short ribs served with morel and black truffle., served with Chianti Docg Sangiovese 2009. The beef was extremely tender and tasty though I would've liked to have more morels! And truffle for that matter.

Fourth course: Merluzzo

 The next dish was of cod fillet, roasted and poached in seafood consomme and seafood stew. This was served with Orvietto Classico Grechetto and Procanico 2009. My seatmate had a very interesting story about Merluzzo; now it will forever have a different meaning for me!

Dessert: Cioccolato

 "Chocolate can't quit" is what it said in this menu and it was (from left to right) a chocolate Grand Cru cigar filled with marscapone orange chocolate mousse, gelato of Gianduja truffled truffle and the best ever, a small bombolone.

Now, I must tell you, that bombolone was the BOMB! It was like a little doughnut filled with rich chocolate. Simply amazing, I ate another one but left the rest of the chocolate. That evens out calorie-wise, doesn't it?

Extra extra

 We were treated to a husband and wife team, baritone and sporano, respectively who belted out tunes such as Nessun Dorma and hits from Phantom of the Opera. It was a very enjoyable evening with great food and even better company.

You too can come and try Chef Rob's menu of sophisticated dishes showcasing quality ingredients for lunch Monday to Friday and for dinner daily.

Many thanks to Leslie and GM Henry Lee!

P.S. I did not win an overnight stay for 2 at Edsa Shang for my Black Swan mask but the lady who did win had her mask decorated in pink glitter by her daughter! Kids have an eye for decorating like no one eye...

Paparazzi

2/F Edsa Shangri-La Manila

1 Garden Way Ortigas Center Madaluyong City

tel +632.633.8888

www.shangri-la.com