Shoot First Eat Later

Solaire Resort and Casino

I finally got to visit the newest mega casino resort that just opened in Manila.

As soon as you pass the tight security and enter the lobby you are greeted by two statuesque ladies in high, high heels. The large skylight and beautiful decorative fixtures were quite impressive.

The scale and grandeur really felt like I was in Macau or Las Vegas.

Beautiful multi-colored hydrangeas were the focal point near the registration area.

I went back to the hotel a few days later and the colors of the flowers changed.

This is the VIP entrance. If you enter here it will be nearer to the restaurants. You will need a special VIP card to use this entrance.

I like the colorful carpet and the gorgeous ceiling.

After our lunch at Finestra (post to follow) we requested to see their hotel room.

It was a pretty nice and modern hotel room. This was the standard room which costs P8,000 (USD$200).

There was an iPhone or iPod dock speaker system on the side table. You’re out of luck if you use an iPhone 5 though.

I don’t really like the table under the tv but I guess it serves it’s purpose as extra storage space. Those doors serve a purpose too.

Behind door 1 is the mini bar and refrigerator.

Behind door 2 is the closet and the countertop safe.

I wish all hotel rooms have separate shower stalls and tub like this. An additional handheld shower is a bonus seldom seen in hotels.

From the room I saw this single level structure facing Manila Bay. I learnt that this was the Bayside Villa which measured 546 square meters and rents for P150,000.00 (USD$3,630) a night. I think you have to be a high roller or Head of State or just filthy rich to stay there. I wish I could take a tour inside.

Beside it is the Chairman’s Villa which is even bigger at 936 square meters (bigger than most mansions) which you can rent for P300,000.00 (USD$7,260). According to our guide only the chairman Mr. Razon has stayed there.

Solaire Resort and Casino
Entertainment City (Near SM Mall of Asia) Parañaque
telephone: +632-888-8888
click here for the map and directions
website
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Brownie Crunchies

Have you ever heard of Brownie Crunchies? I haven’t either until my friend gave me a bag of it.

These goodies are from Brownies Unlimited which you can find in SM Malls and a few other malls. Let me confess, I’ve never bought anything from their store. It’s because I’m afraid. I’m afraid that I will like their brownies or other goodies and will be addicted to them. Well, these Brownie Crunchies did the trick. Now I have something to look forward to when I go to SM.

Initially I thought these were made from left over brownies and toasted just like what they do to mamon and ensaymada. But these crispy treats were thin and even in thickness so I guess they make it from scratch. It was really, really, really hard to NOT finish the whole bag in one sitting.

I took one bite and quickly fell in love with the crispy, super chocolatey crunchies studded with chocolate chips. They’re actually just like crunchy cookies which are perfect for dunking in milk.

Brownie Crunchies cost only P65 a bag!! Try it and let me know how much you like it.

Brownies Unlimited
website
Facebook

Branches:
SM City Bacolod
SM City Bacoor
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SM City Batangas
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SM City Iloilo
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SM City Southmall
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SM City Taytay

SM Super Center Molino
SM Super Center Muntinlupa
SM Super Center Valenzuela

Festival Supermall
Glorietta
Robinsons Galleria
Robinsons Place

New Menu at C2 Classic Cuisine

I’ve eaten at C2 Classic Cuisine in Greenhills twice before and both times with balikbayans. There were hits and misses but generally my guests enjoyed the Filipino food. When I was recently invited to try out their new menu I immediately invited 3 of my friends to join me.

I liked the new interiors a lot. It evoked a modern Filipino atmosphere which was a more apt reflection of their cuisine.

There weren’t any appetizers so we started with soup. The sinigang was a tad too sour nevertheless it was still comforting. The beef ribs may look dry in the picture as it did in person but it was surprisingly tasty. The ribs were indeed crispy.

crispy ribs sinigang P475

Two of my friends couldn’t eat the sinigang due to their sensitive tummies so we ordered another soup. I simply loved the chicken soup made from coconut water. The broth had a sweetness to it yet flavorful from the abundant chicken pieces. Even the young coconut meat was a joy to eat with the soup. An added bonus was the sotanghon (vermicelli noodles) inside the coconut shell. This soup could easily be an entire meal.

I highly recommend ordering this if you have foreign guests. I’m sure they’ve never eaten anything like this before.

tinolang binakol P325

A good waiter is one of a restaurant’s most important resource. This branch is lucky to have a knowledgable waiter who did a great job recommending dishes to us. He convinced us to try the rellenong bangus which he said was presented as balls. Bangus balls? That really piqued our curiosity.

rellenong bangus P355

The rellenong bangus balls was one of our most favorite dishes which should tell you something since everything we ate for lunch was a big hit. No misses this time.

Bangus (milkfish) meat mixed with green peas, raisins, spices and shaped into a ball, coated with panko breadcrumbs was a terrific idea. It was served with sauce but it didn’t really need anything else in my opinion. Kudos to the person who thought of this.

I love anything cooked with coconut so therefore I should love laing right? I don’t really eat laing because I don’t like gabi leaves. When our waiter said C2’s version of laing was made of spinach I immediately ordered it.

Wow oh wow!! I really loved the soft spinach coated with a slightly spicy coconut cream sauce with ground pork and shrimp paste. I ate the most of this dish. This is another MUST order.

laing P225

I really wanted to order all new items but I just couldn’t resist ordering my all-time favorite C2 dish. Well fried pork hocks with it’s crispy skin served with super thick peanutty kare kare sauce. Sinful but oh so good.

The manager told us they just returned this dish to the new menu. What?!? You mean they removed it for a while? They can’t do that! C2 please keep this dish in your menu forever!!!

crispy kare kare P695

We really wanted to try the new suman panna cotta for dessert but it was out of stock so we ordered the always reliably good bibingka soufflé.

bibingka soufflé P175

The soufflé was made with coconut custard, salted egg, quezo de bola and toasted coconut. While I’m not a fan of soufflé my friends loved this.

Our meal was an eye opening revelation on how much the quality and consistency of C2’s food has improved. It is now back in my list of favorite Filipino restaurants.

C2 Classic Cuisine’s new menu
main course (pork & seafood), main course (chicken & beef), vegetables & rice
merienda & desserts, beverages

C2 Classic Cuisine
18 Missouri St., Northeast Greenhills, San Juan
telephone: 726.271

other branches here

website
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Dinner at Tsumura

My friend Deb can’t believe I haven’t eaten at Tsumura. I can’t believe it either.

I didn’t know we were eating out that night and I didn’t bring my camera so pardon these pictures taken with my iPhone.

Tsumura is located on the 2nd floor of an office building in Makati so it’s not really a restaurant you will stumble on to. Only those who know where to find excellent sashimi and authentic Japanese food go straight to Tsumura.

If you don’t mind sitting in the smoking room you can watch sashimi master and owner Mr. Tsumura do his magic behind the counter.

It was fried and cold but very tender and yummy.

fried octopus appetizer

The salad was a refreshing mix of crunch from the cucumber and radish and sweet from the crab meat. It was lightly dressed with Japanese mayonnaise.

Tsumura salad P300

If you’ve been reading my blog you know I don’t eat sashimi. I just don’t know how to enjoy it. I gave it a try and I liked the mackerel only to be told it was cooked. No wonder! I tried one of the red fish and didn’t like it. Baby steps. I do love uni (sea urchin) though.

mixed sashimi ume P890

If I wasn’t suffering from acid reflux I would have finished this entire order of spicy salmon sashimi. Any raw fish covered in spicy dressing I will eat. Strange huh?

spicy salmon sashimi P550

spicy tuna sashimi P340

I tried the sashimi in it’s natural state and I finally realized the difference between good and mediocre salmon. All my previous trials were nowhere near as good as these. Fresh, buttery and utterly delicious.

salmon sashimi P450

Deb’s two teenage sons were with us and they know what they want and I was very impressed. The younger one ordered this cold noodle dish which I yet have to try.

cha soba P330

The older one ordered gyudon which is one of my favorite things to order. Thin slices of beef over rice. He assured me it was good.

gyudon P440

Isn’t this a gorgeous plate of marbled beef? It’s for the sukiyaki.

We were surprised that the Japanese manager personally cooked the sukiyaki right beside our table.

U.S. beef sukiyaki P1.750

This had to be the best sukiyaki I’ve ever eaten. The broth wasn’t too sweet, there was vermicelli (sotanghon) and udon and the beef was so tender and substantial. Not pictured is my second bowl filled to the brim with beef.

cold barley tea

I’ve never tried sake before so Deb ordered her favorite one.

Hakutsuru (White Crane) Sayuri Nigori Sake P3,880

I liked the pot with a separate container for ice so the sake will be chilled but not diluted. Boy was this sake strong!

The chef and owner, Mr. Tsumura graced our table with his presence.

Mr. Tsumura

Without the sake it wasn’t really that expensive considering the quality of the food. I can’t wait to go back!!!

Tsumura
2nd Level, 88 Corporate Plaza
88 Sedeno St. cor. Valero St., Salcedo Village
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 887-4848 to 50, 812-1393

Online Shopping on Taste Central

You all know I’m a foodie but what you don’t know is I’m an online shopaholic too. When I go to the US and stay in my cousin’s house she is shocked that a lot of packages arrive from Amazon among others. Even when I’m in Manila I often add stuff to my Amazon wish list waiting for a relative to come home to Manila before I hit the BUY button.

I’m glad that e-commerce is growing in the Philippines. Gone are the days of bank deposits and faxing the document to ensure delivery. It’s just bad for people like me who love the convenience of shopping online.

The latest merchant to enter the market is Taste Central which is a partner of popular coupon site Deal Grocer.

What I like about Taste Central was how well they chose the items they sold online. They had lots of things I never knew existed, never knew I needed, never knew I wanted and never knew I MUST have. I was about to order those yummy looking Japanese cookies but two days later they were all sold out. You have to act fast when you see something you like on the site.

Navigating is easy. I used my iPad to browse, order and pay for my transaction. The site is not formatted for mobile use but it worked well on my iPad.

Shipping fee is only P100 per transaction no matter how many things you order. My package arrived a couple of days later. It felt like Christmas seeing this beautiful box.

My goodies were very well packed.

I love coffee and tea so I also collect interesting mugs and cups. As soon I saw these cute stoneware mugs on a tray I just had to buy it. I loved that the mugs were bigger than I thought. More coffee to drink!

I also bought a couple of Pangea lip balms which have been in my Amazon wish list for the longest time. I was happy that Taste Central’s price was almost the same as Amazon’s.

Crate & Barrel’s Red Pick Me Up Mugs with Tray

So what are you waiting for? Join Taste Central and start shopping now. Oh by the way you can use this link to join so I can get credits for more shopping. Bwa ha ha ha. Don’t blame me if you get hooked too!!!

Dinner at Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant

iSquare is a 31 storey mall in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui. I have reviewed several restaurants in this mall. There’s not a lot of stores that I like in the mall except for Log On and Jason’s Marketplace but there are a lot of restaurants that are worth going to over and over again. From level 3 to 7 are the casual dining restaurants. The fine dining restaurants are on the 23rd to 31st floors.

Ah Yat is one of the two Michelin stars restaurants in the mall. The other one is Nanhai No. 1.

We joined our family friends who flew in from the US and Manila for this post Christmas dinner.

This is the view from our private room.

I don’t have the prices and exact names of the food we ate but these set menus will give you an idea of the price range of the restaurant. Yes it was expensive, the servings of some of the dishes were small but they were all good. Not blow my mind good but just good. Happy good.

Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant- set menu-001

Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant set menu (click to enlarge)

There were peanuts but there was also guava for starters which was something I’ve never, ever seen in a Chinese restaurant.

guava

The kids who were roast pork fanatics assured me this was good.

roast pork

minced beef soup

I really enjoyed the pork dumplings with chili sauce.

boiled dumplings

I was surprised to see roti in the menu and these were really authentic. This was gone in a flash.

roti with curry sauce

roast goose

So few pieces! I could easily eat this entire order by myself.

wagyu beef

I never got to try this. It disappeared even faster than the roti and the dumplings. At least I was able to take a picture.

black cod

garoupa

salt & pepper spareribs

I forgot what this was called but it had salted fish and ground pork in it. Delicious!

fried taro puff

fried chicken

kai-lan

steamed chicken with Chinese ham

fried rice

I ordered this and everyone liked it. Too bad it came out last when everyone was already too full to enjoy the sticky and very flavorful rice with little pieces of dried pork, duck and sausage. I brought home the leftovers and had it for lunch the next day.

glutinous rice with dried meat & Chinese sausage

Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant
29/F iSquare , 63 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀彌敦道63號iSQUARE 國際廣場29樓, Hong Kong
telephone:+852 2328 0983

Cheap & Good Eats at Chiu Fat Porridge Noodle Restaurant

One of the restaurants we always patronize in Hong Kong is this hole in the wall restaurant that serves the best congee and pretty good noodle soup.

Chiu Fat used to be in Hankow Rd. but now it moved to a more visible location in Lock Rd. It’s right beside Swindon Books and next to iSquare. You will see Bee Cheng Hiang on the same street.

It’s right across Marks&Spencer Food Hall in iSquare.

I’ve never seen tourists eat there. It’s mostly locals who know good food and a good deal.

This tiny open kitchen at the front of the store is responsible for all the food served. He’s a one man machine.

They have menus in English!!

Chiu Fat Porridge Noodle Restaurant menu-001

Chiu Fat Porridge Noodle Restaurant menu-002

Chiu Fat’s menu (click to enlarge)

Spicy Saliva Chicken sounds gross but my friend swears it’s good. I have to try it next time.

I don’t really eat congee but I tried some and was amazed at how flavorful it was.

fish congee with extra beef HK$38

I always, always order the 4 kinds of fish balls with or without noodles. This time I ordered it without noodles since I wasn’t very hungry. It was more expensive since there were 2 of each balls in an order. There was also seaweed in the soup.

4 kinds of fish balls soup HK$40

They make their own fish balls and it’s unlike any I’ve tried elsewhere. Each ball had a different filling and texture. These two below were my favorites.

These two were the regular kind of fish balls that we’re familiar with.

This noodle soup was from the Fish Bones Soup Series (menu above) where you can choose two ingredients and the type of noodles you want. Excellent soup!

dumpling & golden mushroom noodle soup HK$43

Last Holy Week I was in Hong Kong and we ate there again.

hot chrysanthemum drink HK$18

My mom hated the chicken which was extremely fatty and barely had any meat. It was a bit bloody too. I guess she’s going back to the noodles and congee next time.

old style Hainanese chicken rice HK$40

This was from the Fish Bones Soup series. My dad chose the rice in soup with baby oysters and minced pork. The oysters were really fresh and added a briny flavor to the soup.

oyster & minced pork rice in fish soup HK$40

Too much rice. I think the congee tasted much better.

I ate the 4 kinds of fish balls (again) with ho fan noodles.

4 kinds of fish balls in noodle soup HK$38

When you’re in Hong Kong and staying in the Tsim Sha Tsui area do give Chiu Fat a try. Just go during odd hours since it’s always full around 1:00 pm which is their lunch break and 7:00 pm. I’ve recommended this restaurant to several friends and they all enjoyed their meal there.

I almost forgot to mention that they don’t serve house tea or water. Everything must be purchase even tissue paper. They don’t mind if you bring your own drinks.

Chiu Fat Porridge Noodle Restaurant
G/F, 11A Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
telephone:+852 2980 3266

Dessert at The One Mall

There are so many malls in Tsim Sha Tsui and I try my best to go to most of them even only to window shop. When I went to The One which is located along Nathan Rd. and the corner of Granville Rd. I didn’t expect to find a couple of dessert places which I just had to try.

I wasn’t really planning to buy cheesecake but this large poster drew my attention. I love anything orange and it’s rare to find an orange cheesecake.

Cheesess menu (click to enlarge)

I just love their packaging specially the two sets of plastic “rake & shovel” that came with my small cheesecake.

The small cheesecake was about 5″ in diameter.

I kept the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight before I tried it yet it was very, very soft. It had a good flavor but was quite mild for my taste. It was better than those ultra mild Japanese cheesecakes though. I prefer a denser and richer NY style cheesecake. I did like the orange segments inside the cheesecake as well as the candied orange slice on top of the cheesecake.

With my cheesecake in a bag I continued looking for a place where I can have coffee and dessert. I saw Harlan’s Cake Shop and looked at all their tempting cakes.

I wonder if anybody bought this gingerbread house for HK$980.

They had a few whole cakes available too. I had my eye on the green tea chocolate cake which weighed 1 lb. and cost HK$238.

They had many cakes to choose from but once I saw the orange dark chocolate cake I didn’t look further.

Harlan’s Cake Shop menu (click to enlarge)

You can see the cake was really small just enough for a few bites. My Lavazza coffee was strong and good.

Even though the cake was small the rich dark chocolate mousse filled with orange segments was very satisfying. It was more than enough to satiate my sweet tooth.

I saw this store selling Hermes inspired bags. Check out those animal bags!

I love my pomeranians and this t-shirt is pretty cute but I don’t think I want to wear it.

The One website

Cheesess
Kiosk 1, Level 4, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: +852 3188 4441
website
Facebook

Harlan’s Cake Shop
L411, 4/F, The ONE Mall, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
telephone: +852 2911 4788
website
Facebook

Lunch with Jin Loves to Eat at Madame Sixty Ate

Last December Jin and I were in Hong Kong at the same time. We arrived on the same day and left on the same flight. Our first dinner was at my choice, Ginza Bairin. Our second get together was at a restaurant she has been wanting to try, Madame Sixty Ate.

With the help of Google Maps I easily found the place. I just took the MTR to Wanchai and went out through exit A3 and less than 5 minutes of walking I found Ship St. and J Senses Building.

I really love the homey and relaxed interiors. It’s the kind of place I want to go to for breakfast on a Sunday morning and leisurely drink coffee and read the newspapers.

The bread took a while to arrive but it was well worth it. Warm and comforting specially with their delicious butter. I could have easily eaten Jin’s share too. I’m sure she was eyeing mine.

I was expecting a pot pie with crust on top instead got a deconstructed pie. Beef short ribs braised in Guinness beer was served with manchego pastry on the side. Our first comment was, “It’s not enough!” Overall it was just ok. The beef was tender enough but I had to add a little salt for the flavors to come out.

beef & Guinness pie HK$185

Jin chose the lamb ragout with hand cut pasta. I liked it much better.

bolognaise for Sal HK$180

Since Jin and I didn’t find anything enticing from the dessert menu we chose the pancakes from the brunch menu. Smart huh? That’s what you get when two food bloggers with voracious appetites eat together.

pancakes, honeycomb, coffee cream, butterscotch sauce HK$120

We both enjoyed the super thick pancakes much more than our entrees. The pancakes were soft yet a bit dense and a little salty which was just perfect when drenched with the coffee cream and butterscotch sauce. I would definitely go back just for this pancake!!!!

They gave us each a chocolate ice cream lollipop for being such good diners and cleaning our plates.

chocolate ice cream lollipop HK$25

I suspect that I will enjoy their brunch and afternoon tea much more. I shall return for that.

Madame Sixty Ate menu
lunch, dessert, weekend brunch, tea for two, coffee/tea/cocktails
tasting menu, dinner, page 2, cheese & dessert

Madame Sixty Ate
Shop 8, 1st Floor – The Podium, J Senses, 60 Johnston Rd, Entry on Ship Street, Hong Kong
telephone:+852 2527 2558
website
Facebook

Hot Pot at Bird’s Nest Restaurant

This is the third and last restaurant I tried on Minden Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui last December. Having hot pot on a cool night was just what we needed.

They just opened and the two men were happy to usher us in.