Breakfast at Antonio’s

Roesti with Fresh Corned Beef w- Swiss Cheese & Over Easy Eggs P350
Whenever I go to San Francisco my friend Ariel takes me to all the best restaurants in the city. When he comes to Manila it’s my turn to treat him. His only request this time was to eat at Antonio’s since he enjoyed it so much the last time he ate there.

I tried calling and texting Antonio’s the day before to make a reservation but they didn’t answer the phone so we just went there on a Saturday. We never got in the gate since the guard kindly informed us that it was fully booked. I suspect there was a private party. We went to Breakfast at Antonio’s instead.
Breakfast at Antonio's-002

Before the Breakfast place was moved to the same compound as Antonio’s. Now they’re back to the original location which I’ve never been to. I was surprised at how big it was.
Breakfast at Antonio's-003

The sun was out in full force but it was a bit chilly inside.
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Breakfast at Antonio's-005

Breakfast at Antonio's-006

Breakfast at Antonio's-007

Dalandan Slush P190
Dalandan Slush P190

Ariel was trying to decide between the beef sinigang or the beef tapa and asked the waiter for his opinion. In most restaurants you’ll most likely get a reply like, “It’s both good.” I was impressed the waiters had their own opinions and it seemed like they’ve tried the food which I believe is very important. How can they sell products they’ve never tasted?
Beef Sinigang P400
Beef Sinigang P400

The waiter said the beef sinigang was different and more special and he was right. The beef looked and tasted like corned beef. The soup had a nice sour flavor but it seemed there wasn’t enough of it or the rice noodles just absorbed it.
Beef Sinigang P400 -001

Uggh I don’t know what happened to my camera’s white balance. I must have chosen the wrong setting from this point.

I was trying to decide between the savoury crepes and the Reuben sandwich which is a favorite of mine. I chose the roesti (potato pancake) topped with generous slices of fresh corned beef and topped with two eggs and smothered with Swiss cheese.
Roesti with Fresh Corned Beef w: Swiss Cheese & Over Easy Eggs P350-001
Roesti with Fresh Corned Beef with Swiss Cheese & Over Easy Eggs P350

The roesti was really crispy and provided a good base for the corned beef and sauerkraut. I really loved their homemade corned beef. It was very tender and not too salty. I found the price to be very, very reasonable considering the amount of corned beef used. I had a Reuben sandwich at Apartment 1B with maybe 1/3 the amount of corned beef and it cost P680.
Roesti with Fresh Corned Beef w: Swiss Cheese & Over Easy Eggs P350-002

I was full halfway through it and I still wanted to eat dessert so I had it wrapped. It was a nice lunch several days later.
Roesti with Fresh Corned Beef w: Swiss Cheese & Over Easy Eggs P350-003

Their coffee was good but it could be better and warmer.
Brewed Coffee (Refillable) P180
Brewed Coffee (Refillable) P180

I really wanted some dessert but there wasn’t much choices in their menu so I settled with a sweet pancake. Naturally I chose the Jaffa Orange pancake. There’s nothing better than the combination of chocolate and orange.

2 chocolate pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream and served with fresh orange segments in Grand Marnier sauce. Sounds simple right? When we first took a bite of the pancake we weren’t impressed. It was soft enough but it didn’t taste chocolatey enough. But when we ate the pancake with some orange and ice cream it tasted like a decadent chocolate cake.
Jaffa Orange Pancake  P250 -001
Jaffa Orange Pancake P250

This was one heavenly and very fulfilling dessert.
Jaffa Orange Pancake  P250

And Ariel said he didn’t want any. He ended up eating most of it. 😀
Jaffa Orange Pancake  P250 -002

Ariel and I were already making plans to go back. There were many other items in the menu we both wanted to try. It’s really best to go with a big group so you can try more food without overstuffing yourself.
Breakfast at Antonio's-008

After lunch I went shopping in their mini store beside the entrance. They sold bread, different flavors of curd and jams, and many other treats.
Breakfast at Antonio's-009

Breakfast at Antonio's-011

Breakfast at Antonio's-012

I bought a loaf of Turkish bread and it was fantastic!!! When toasted it had a nice chewy texture. Some raisins added a touch of sweetness to the bread. I actually want to go back just to buy this bread and stock it in the freezer.
Turkish Bread P220
Turkish bread P220

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Breakfast at Antonio's menu
Breakfast at Antonio’s menu (click to enlarge)

Breakfast at Antonio's-001

Breakfast at Antonio's

Antonio's map
location map (click to enlarge)

Breakfast at Antonio’s 
Aguinaldo Highway, Barangay Bagong Tubig, Tagaytay City, Batangas, Philippines
telephone: +63 (46) 413.0738
website

Lunch at Pino Resto Bar

kare kareng bagnet P565
I’m always on the lookout for good Filipino restaurants in Manila to bring balikbayans to. I’ve read about Pino but I didn’t feel like going to their original branch in Quezon City. I was glad they opened a new branch in Jupiter St. in Makati. The restaurant was next to Mangetsu.

My friend Ariel came home for a visit from San Francisco and it was the perfect opportunity to try Pino.
Pino Resto Bar

Pino Resto Bar

The other side is their vegetarian restaurant Pipino. You can order from both menus wherever you sit.
Pino Resto Bar

Pino Resto Bar

I’m not a beer drinker but I was curious about the watermelon beer. I liked it!! The watermelon flavor was subtle yet gave the beer a slightly sweet touch.
watermelon beer P95
✔ ✔ ✔  watermelon beer P95

I was surprised that the menu had so many interesting starters that I wanted to try. I think I ordered too much but save for a few dishes the 7 of us did a pretty good job finishing the food.

I love fried chicken skin even though we all know it’s not good for you. But what the heck? You only live once. The concept was a good one. Put buffalo chili sauce on plain fried chicken skin and serve it with blue cheese sauce. Somehow it didn’t work for me. I’d rather have the chicken skin plain without any sauce. This was one of the few dishes that wasn’t finished.
buffalo chicken skin P145
✔ buffalo chicken skin P145

Some like it others didn’t. The mashed sweet potato was a bit dry and it was really heavy to eat. I was eager to try the aioli & cashew cheese sauce but there was too little of it for me to taste.
camote croquetas P125
✔ camote croquetas P125

The menu said the tempura fried oysters were topped with lumpfish caviar and aligue mayo but again I didn’t taste it but everyone still enjoyed how crisp it was.
tempura oysters & pearls P225
✔ ✔ ✔ tempura oysters & pearls P225

The mini sisig tacos were a joy to eat.
mini sisig tacos P225
✔ ✔ ✔ mini sisig tacos P225

There wasn’t enough longganisa and Filipino flavors to make this nachos different from any other nachos.
longganisa topped nachos P225
✔ longganisa topped nachos P225

Most of the main courses came in single or family sizes. We ordered all family size except for the beef belly.

My favorite dish was the lengua cubes cooked in a tomato based sauce. I loved the tender ox tongue and the spicy sauce. And don’t forget the grated cheese! This is the dish that I will definitely go back for.
kalderetang lengua P415
✔ ✔ ✔ kalderetang lengua P415

The adobo style short ribs slowly cooked in red wine tasted just like Korean beef stew so it was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t that tender either.
red wine adobong tadyang P415
✔  red wine adobong tadyang P415

My second favorite dish was the incredibly crispy pork belly with thick peanutty kare kare sauce on the side.
kare kareng bagnet P565-001
✔ ✔ ✔ kare kareng bagnet P565

The beef belly was very tender and I could really taste the subtle coffee flavor.
coffee crusted beef belly P265
✔ ✔ ✔ coffee crusted beef belly P265

The bagoong rice was just perfect with all the entrees we ordered.
bagoong rice P50
✔ ✔ ✔ bagoong rice P50

I wanted to order some veggie dishes but surprisingly there were none in Pino’s menu. I had to choose from the Pipino menu and most of it was for just enough for one person.

They took a thick slice of watermelon and heated it on a grill and topped it with sauce and string beans. Interesting but not really my type.
watermelon steak P220
✔ watermelon steak P220

I’m so happy I’m not a vegetarian! I can’t eat 3 small pieces of baby bella mushrooms with all that brown rice. I would eat the mushrooms as is and be sad and hungry. Since I didn’t taste the next two dishes I didn’t put any rating.
portobello inasal P260
portobello inasal P260

I think Chris was the only one who ate the veggies since she was the only one who stuck to not eating meat on a Friday. The others gave in when the lengua and bagnet came out. She said the veggie curry was just ok.
vegetable curry P195
vegetable curry P195

P1100032

With an impressive name like highland gold premium organic arabica coffee I was so sure the coffee was going to be good. It was awful!!! It tasted like brown hot water without even a hint of coffee taste or aroma. Any instant coffee would have tasted better. I think they put too little ground coffee when they made it. I refuse to believe any brewed coffee can taste that bad. I requested that they change our coffee to a better brew but they agreed to just remove it from our bill to get rid of us since it was already past 2:00 pm.
highland gold premium organic arabica coffee P65
✖✖✖ highland gold premium organic arabica coffee P65

Someone forgot to tell the kitchen that sans rival is best frozen so the meringue layers are eaten crisp. This sans rival seemed left out in room temp and it was sooooo soft and soggy. Really the WORST sans rival I’ve ever eaten. Too bad the flavors had potential.
mango sans rival P165
✖ mango sans rival P165

They were out of the desserts I wanted to order and I had no option but to order two fried banana wrapped in spring roll wrapper desserts. It would have been good if the oil used wasn’t rancid. I hope they wondered why 7 people left 3 small desserts largely untouched.
choco turon P125
✖ choco turon P125

mango banana peanut butter roll P125
✖ mango banana peanut butter roll P125

I really liked the food of Pino but they have a lot of improvement to do with their coffee and desserts. Do give it a try but go somewhere else for dessert.

✖ skip it
✔ not bad
✔ ✔ do order
✔ ✔ ✔ MUST order

Pino Resto Bar menu
starters, main course, dessert, drinks, Pipino menu

Pino Resto Bar 
38 Jupiter, Bel-Air, Makati
telephone: 550-1781

39 Malingap, Teachers Vill. QC
telephone: 441-1773

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Dinner at Hanobe Asian Cuisine

fish fillet with taoso P758 (L)
Once a year I meet with my business partners in our company called Swisher. This year we ate at Hanobe Asian Cuisine at Greenhills Town Center.

It was my first time to go to Greenhills Town Center. I was surprised how spacious it was and there were lots of parking spaces. From the outside it looked very cramped.
Hanobe Asian Cuisine

Hanobe Asian Cuisine-001

Hanobe was the biggest restaurant there. There were two function rooms on the ground floor and more space upstairs good for 80 pax.
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Hanobe Asian Cuisine-003

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I haven’t seen a dim sum cart in a long time.
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Most of the food on their menu was available in three sizes. Their fried oyster cake was pretty good. It was crisp and not greasy.
Hanobe fried oyster cake P358 (M)
Hanobe fried oyster cake P358 (M)

I wasn’t sure if anyone in our group ate ox tongue so I ordered the smallest size just to try it. It was just ok nothing special.
ox tongue with mushroom sauce P248
ox tongue with mushroom sauce P248 (S)

Before I ordered the fish fillet with taoso (crunchy soybean) I asked the waitress what kind of fish is used. She said it was lapu lapu. I asked, “Are you sure?” “Yes, ma’am it’s lapu lapu.”

The taoso was crispy, salty and not oily. It was really good on the fish that WAS NOT lapu lapu but DORY. If you don’t mind eating dory then this dish is a MUST order.
fish fillet with taoso P758 (L)-001
fish fillet with taoso P758 (L)

The sotanghon (vermicelli) under the fish was a pleasant and delicious surprise.
fish fillet with taoso P758 (L)-002

I ordered their specialty the Hanobe stuffed chicken. This was the first time I’ve encountered a whole stuffed chicken that was deep fried. The crunchy crust was unusual to say the least.
Hanobe stuffed chicken P680
Hanobe stuffed chicken P680

I felt that the glutinous rice stuffing was a bit dry and bland.
Hanobe stuffed chicken P680-001

My favorite dish was the simple taope or bean curd skin with 3 kinds of mushroom and a savory brown sauce. I could eat one order all by myself.
Hanobe taope with 3 kinds of mushroom P388 (M)
Hanobe taope with 3 kinds of mushroom P388 (M)

broccoli flower with crabmeat P388 (M)
broccoli flower with crabmeat P388 (M)

Overall I was pleased with the food. It wasn’t out of this world crazy good but I had no complaints and that’s a good thing.  The price was very, very reasonable too. I want to try their dim sum next time.
Hanobe Asian Cuisine-006

Time for plugging 😀 Our company Swisher Philippines does restroom hygiene and pest control for hundreds of restaurants in Manila. We also do termite control for homes and condominiums.

Hanobe Asian Cuisine menu

Hanobe Asian Cuisine
Greenhills Town Center
2 Granada St., Quezon City
telephone: 727-4049, 721-1753
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Swisher Philippines
105 Sgt. Catolos St. Cubao, Quezon City
telephone: (632) 726-9978
swisherphil@yahoo.com

Subspace Coffee House

Reese's cheesecake P120
Subspace Coffee House has been on my list of ‘must try’ places and silly me I never noticed that it was just next door to where my store was. It was only a minute walk away!

Since I had a very unsatisfactory and sad lunch at Jacob’s Shawarma I decided to console myself with coffee and dessert.
Subspace Coffee House

Subspace Coffee House-001

Subspace Coffee House-002

Subspace Coffee House menu
Subspace Coffee House menu

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Interesting decor of chairs hung from the ceiling.
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I recognized the turnovers from Purple Oven.
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Subspace Coffee House- cheesecake
cheesecakes

Subspace Coffee House- Reese's cheesecake
Reese’s cheesecake

I’m not a latte person. I like my coffee strong with just a touch of milk. But their specialty was the peanut butter latte and purple yam latte so I decided to take a risk and try it. My first sip confirmed my fear. All I tasted was mild peanut butter flavored milk. I quickly bought a shot of espresso to add to my latte. It was a little better but I imagine two extra shots would have been perfect.
peanut butter latte P145
peanut butter latte P145

It wasn’t until the bottom of the cup that I enjoyed all the peanut butter. At least it was real peanut butter and not just peanut butter flavored syrup. I’m sticking to espresso and straight coffee next time.
peanut butter latte P145-001

What else will go with my peanut butter latte but peanut butter cheesecake? The cheesecake had a barely there peanut butter flavor. The cheesecake was icy cold and had a mild cheese taste. The texture was smooth and firm. If I ate this without knowing what it was I would never have guessed it was a cheesecake.
Reese's cheesecake P120-001
Reese’s cheesecake P120

Subspace Coffee House
Unit 103, GF Grand Emerald Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center, 1606 Pasig
telephone: 655-7077
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Jacob’s Shawarma & Kebab

12- chicken shawarma P130
My friend Jenny told me about Jacob’s Shawarma since she knew how much I love shawarma and it was just a few minutes walk from my store.

Is he Jacob? He reminds me of Ben Affleck and Chris O’Donnell.
Jacob's Shawarma

Amazing that they’re open 24 hours.
Jacob's Shawarma-001

A strong aroma of spices assaulted my senses I soon as I stepped in the small restaurant. I imagined how flavorful my shawarma was going to be.
Jacob's Shawarma-002

Jacob's Shawarma-003

Jacob's Shawarma menu
Jacob’s Shawarma menu (click to enlarge)

I went there on a Friday and luckily they still had chicken because I didn’t feel like eating salmon shawarma.
Jacob's Shawarma menu-001

IMG_1877
salmon shawarma 

I took a picture of someone’s order. I think it’s chicken kebab.
chicken kebab with Turkish rice P180
chicken kebab with Turkish rice P180

I was surprised at how huge my shawarma was. I had it cut into half and tried it. I couldn’t even taste the chicken since all I ate was the tomato and raw onions which I don’t like. I ate the chicken side and gave away the veggie side as well as the other half.

Needless to say I didn’t like it. I’d rather have a smaller shawarma with more meat and much less veggies. So far my favorite shawarma was the one I had at Manda Centrale.
12" chicken shawarma P130-001
12″ chicken shawarma P130

This was the first time I’ve seen shawarma heated in a panini press.
12" chicken shawarma P130-002

I also tried the bite size baklava and it was just ok. It was definitely better than the one at Greeka Kouzina.
baklava P50

Jacob’s Shawarma & Kebab (near Chef & Brewer) 
Unit 115 AIC Grande Tower,  Sapphire Road,  Ortigas Center, 1605 Pasig City
telephone: 227-7686, 0939 403- 4306
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Purple Oven

Purple Oven-001
I’ve heard about Purple Oven and always wanted to try their products. I finally went to their Oranbo, Pasig branch. It’s behind Dahlia motel in case you have a hard time looking for it.

Purple Oven

All the products are displayed on tables and the chiller and their staff follow you around to get your order which you then pick up at the cashier.
Purple Oven-002

I never knew they also had savory baked goods. I bought the sausage quiche and the chicken curry turnover. They were both just satisfactory. Nothing I would really buy again.
ham & cheese roll P50, sausage quiche, quiche Lorraine, quiche tinapa P85 chicken curry turnover P70
ham & cheese roll P50, sausage quiche, quiche Lorraine, quiche tinapa P85 chicken curry turnover P70

IMG_1818

I liked the Spanish chorizo turnover better except for the slices of hard boiled egg inside. Remember I don’t like eggs? The crust was flaky when heated properly in the toaster oven.
Spanish chorizo turnover P70 tuna turnover P70
Spanish chorizo turnover P70 tuna turnover P70

ensaymada P60
ensaymada P60

cheese roll P45 soft cinnamon roll P60

cheese roll P45 soft cinnamon roll P60

fudge brownies 32 pcs P450
fudge brownies P260/16 pcs. P450/32 pcs.

I bought half a box of lemon bars because a popular blogger raved about it. True it had a very, very good buttery crust and the filling had a smooth and silky texture. But it didn’t have ANY lemon flavor at all!! If you didn’t know what this was you wouldn’t even guess it had citrus flavor. It should have been called sugar bar since it was a tad too sweet for my taste. It would have been perfect with MORE lemon juice. After eating a piece and sharing some with my staff I kept the rest in the freezer. It can be eaten straight from the freezer too.
lemon bars 16 pcs P260 32 pcs P450
lemon bars P260/16 pcs. P450/32 pcs.

revel bars 32 pcs P450
revel bars P260/16 pcs. P450/32 pcs.

food for the gods 16 pcs P260
food for the gods P260/16 pcs. P450/32 pcs.

The main reason for my visit to Purple Oven was to try the chocolate macadamia cookies recommended by one of my readers. Alas, they were out of stock. I have to go back for that.

chocolate crinkles P250:12 pcs. chocolate dipped cookies P260 8 pcs

chocolate crinkles P250/12 pcs. chocolate dipped cookies P260/8 pcs.

assorted loaf cakes
assorted loaf cakes

chocolate lava cake P450: 6 pcs.
chocolate lava cake P450/6 pcs.

chocolate campfire cake P600
chocolate campfire cake P600

My co-workers love their chocolate cake.
Grandma's chocolate cake P600
Grandma’s chocolate cake P600

merry cherry torte P780 chocnut pie P680
merry cherry torte P780 chocnut pie P680

Purple Oven-004

I find their packaging a bit wasteful. They put each flavor of the turnover in it’s own bag when they could have all fit in one bag. It’s not as if the bag was labelled with the name of the product.

Overall I wasn’t very impressed with the products I bought. I still want to try the chocolate macadamia cookies though. What else is good in Purple Oven? Share your favorites please.
Purple Oven-005

Purple Oven menu
Purple Oven menu (click to enlarge)

Purple Oven
branches:
63 St. Peter St. Oranbo, Pasig
telephone: (02) 631-4221

San Antonio Arcade, 50 McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: (02)9101364

YMCA Bldg., 7 Sacred Heart St. San Antonio, Makati

Solenad 2, Tagaytay Rd cor Nuvali Blvd. Santa Rosa, Laguna

Makimono Obsession at Omakase

Omakase sushi rolls
Other than my single trip to Haru all my sushi obsession for two weeks was supplied by Omakase in Greenhills. I would take out a few orders of sushi rolls and eat it for lunch and dinner.

I have yet to appreciate the joy of eating sashimi or raw fish and I’m taking baby steps with makimono or sushi rolls. I’m ashamed to admit that the more bastardized the sushi the more I like it. Most of the sushi on this post won’t be recognized by any Japanese national. I bet they would cringe in horror when they see these rolls.

One Saturday I was so desperate for sushi yet too lazy to go out I used City Delivery for the first time just to get my food delivered. It took exactly one hour for my food to arrive despite the fact that Omakase was a mere 5 minutes away from my home.

Omakase is the only restaurant I know that serves sushi with a dipping sauce made of Japanese mayonnaise and soy sauce. I don’t use it as a result I have several containers in the refrigerator.
Omakase makimono (jurassic, crazy maki, zigzag roll)

Jurassic maki is Omakase’s most popular makimono. It’s made with ebi (shrimp) tempura, ebiko, salmon skin, cucumber with unagi (eel) on top.
Omakase - jurassic maki P305
jurassic maki P305

The crazy maki was filled with spicy tuna & salmon and topped with scallion, salmon skin & ebiko (fish roe).  I like Haru’s spicier and fatter roll better.
Omakase - crazy maki P190
crazy maki P190

I like Omakase’s rolls but sometimes it’s not consistent. Can you believe both of these are zigzag rolls? The one on the left was delivered through City Delivery while the ‘correct’ one on the right was one I picked up myself. It really has nothing to do with the delivery service but with the chef who made it at the time. I wish they could be more consistent with their food. Now I check my order before I leave the restaurant.

The roll on the left was barely filled and was pathetic looking. Their standard zigzag roll is the one on the right and thankfully I only experienced the sad looking roll once.
Omakase - zigzag roll P250
zigzag roll P250

The fantasy roll was simply filled with salmon and shrimp with wasabi masago (roe of capelin fish).
Omakase - fantasy roll P260
fantasy roll P260

The fancy looking deep blue sea had spicy tuna and tempura bits inside and topped with salmon, shrimp & shredded crabstick (kani) on top.
Omakase - deep blue sea P285
deep blue sea P285

After trying all these rolls my favorite is still the zigzag roll. I love the texture and crunch from the filling of fried soft shell crab and the topping of tempura bits & chopped crab. As if all that good stuff wasn’t enough they finished the impressive roll with Japanese mayonnaise & chili oil. I just love this spicy, creamy, crunchy fat roll.
Omakase - zigzag roll P250-001
zigzag roll P250

One time I had lunch at the restaurant just to try the much lauded seafood dumpling. I just ate it as is with no rice.
Omakase - seafood dumpling P160
seafood dumpling P160

Pieces of tuna, salmon and kani were wrapped with nori (seaweed) and dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. There was a thin drizzle of Japanese mayonnaise on top to complete the dish. If you have kids or adults not fond of seafood then this is the dish for them to eat. It was actually quite delicious. I can imagine it as a good appetizer with ice cold beer or sake.
Omakase - seafood dumpling P160-001

I hope someone benefits from these pictures of the menu with descriptions of Omakase’s many sushi rolls since I couldn’t find any on the net when I wanted to order something new.

Makimono sushi menu at Omakase (Manila) Makimono sushi menu at Omakase (Manila)-001

Omakase’s makimono menu (click to enlarge)

Makimono sushi menu at Omakase (Manila)-002 Makimono sushi menu at Omakase (Manila)-003

Yes I admit when it comes to sushi I’m J na J and Omakase is my choice. While doing this post I was yearning for some zigzag roll again.

Note: All these makimono were consumed in a span of two weeks and not one meal. 

Omakase
Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Complex
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 470-9807
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Lunch at Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant

dynamite roll P265
Lately I’ve been craving sushi a lot. I just want to eat it everyday. Since I pass by Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant in Kapitolyo, Pasig at least once a week I went there to sate my sushi hunger.

Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant

I arrived there just before 2:00 pm and was in luck that they were still open. Unfortunately they were doing some repairs and could not cook. Only sushi was available and that was fine with me.
Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant -001

I was surprised at how nice the interiors were. Haru was next to Cafe Juanita and is both owned by Dr. Efren ‘Boy’ Vazquez.
Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant -002

Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant -003

I sat outside where it was cooler. You can go to Cafe Juanita which was a few steps away.
Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant -004

I started with the uni sushi. It was quite fresh and there was a generous amount of my beloved briny sea urchin.
uni sushi P189
uni sushi P189

I really wanted to order the ‘spider design’ maki but they can’t fry the soft shell crab so I chose the dynamite roll instead. The roll contained spicy tuna, salmon, cucumber and a sprinkling of ebiko (tobiko or flying fish roe). The roll was really big and fat with lots of filling and only a thin layer of sushi rice. It was just the way I like it.

I made a mistake of dipping it in wasabi and it burned my tongue and throat. The raw fish was really, really  spicy! They used chili oil and there wasn’t any mayonnaise to muddle up the flavors. If you like spicy sushi then you have to try this. Even though it gave me heartburn I still enjoyed the dynamite roll.
dynamite roll P265
dynamite roll P265

Based on these two orders I was really happy with their food. I can’t wait to go back and try their other food. I actually went back but I was too late since they closed at 2:30 pm and reopen again for dinner.

Haru Sushi Bar & Restaurant menu

Haru Sushi Bar and Restaurant
#21 West Capitol Drive, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Kozui Green Tea

genmaicha lemon teaz P80
I saw Kozui Green Tea featured in a magazine recently and went to try it out since I was in Quezon City anyway for my weekly acupuncture session.

I thought it was a new restaurant until I saw it and realized it has been around for a number of years and I just totally forgot about it.
Kozui Green Tea

Kozui Green Tea-001

Kozui Green Tea-002

Kozui Green Tea-003

I hate their drink menu. I couldn’t see a thing specially with the glare from the spotlight. I just asked the server to suggest a drink for me.
Kozui Green Tea menu-003

My camera’s zoom lens was able to capture the menu a tad better.
Kozui Green Tea menu-004

Kozui Green Tea menu-005

I went there for a late afternoon snack and I chose the cold genmaicha lemon teas and an order of takoyaki. While the roasted brown rice green tea tasted ordinary and something I can replicate at home with a tea bag I thoroughly enjoyed the takoyaki or what I call octopus balls.

Most takoyaki I’ve tried in Manila are bland, mushy and boring. I was surprised that these balls were crisp on the outside and had a very flavorful filling with tender pieces of squid and other veggies which gave it a crisp bite and creamy texture. An order had 5 balls. I would definitely go back for this and maybe try a different green tea drink.
takoyaki P100
takoyaki P100 genmaicha lemon teaz P80

I was hoping that their menu would have food with green tea flavors but only the soba fit the bill. There were no green tea desserts either. Well except for their green tea ice cream and halo halo like concoctions.
Kozui Green Tea menu
Kozui Green Tea menu (click to enlarge)

Kozui Green Tea menu-001

Kozui Green Tea menu-002

Kozui Green Tea
258 B. Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines
telephone: 413-2705
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The Noodle Bakes – Garth Vader

The Noodle Bakes - Garth Vader-001
Peanut butter lovers in Manila rejoice! There’s a new cake in town that’s calling out to you, “eat me, eat me!”

It’s quite difficult to find good peanut butter desserts in Manila. The only one I’ve enjoyed before this cake is Wildflour’s peanut butter banana cream pie. It’s much easier to find matcha flavored desserts.

I’ve just read about Lori’s feature on The Noodle Bakes and was wondering when I would get to try Garth Vader described as peanut butter in the form of the dessert trinity of textures (fluffy, silky, and crunchy) enrobed in a deep and dark chocolate ganache, encaged in a fence of chocolate meringue. 

We were just about to order dessert in the form of sweet breakfast at the Early Bird Breakfast Club when Deb mentioned she had Garth Vader at home. I immediately asked for the check and hightailed it out of the restaurant and rushed to Deb’s house.
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Garth Vader (9″- P1,250 6″- P800) weight 5 lbs. 

Before I took a bite Deb told me it’s a cake you either like or don’t. Half of her siblings didn’t like it while the others raved about it. I guess only a true peanut butter lover would like it.

So what does it taste like? Get a pack of Reese’s dark chocolate peanut butter cup, a bar of Butterfinger chocolate and some cake and mash it all together and that will give you an idea what this over the top cake tastes like.

The Noodle aka Sam took all these wonderful flavors and amped it up with high quality ingredients and came out with this peanut butter lovers dream. The chocolate layer is dark and thick ganache while the peanut butter is rich and just the right consistency and sweetness. In between the chocolate and peanut butter is a layer of crunch just like a Butterfinger bar. She used a sturdier cake layer to support the weight of the fillings.

A thin slice of this cake is all you need to satisfy whatever sweet craving you may have. I had it with black espresso and it was simply divine.
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When The Noodle found out how much I loved the Garth Vader she sent me a box of her macarons to try.
The Noodle Bakes - macarons
macarons  P45 each

Green + White: kaya, Red: speculoos, Purple: pb+j, Pink: salted caramel
Green: pistachio, Yellow: lemon, White: sesame, Brown: chocolate

When I first tried the macarons I didn’t know what flavors they were since The Noodle didn’t include a cheat sheet. The very first one I tried was the purple macaron on top. I must have groaned loud enough to wake up my dog. It was peanut butter and jelly and it instantly brought back memories of Smucker’s Goober PB & J. Remember the peanut butter with a stripe of jelly? The girl has a way with peanut butter that I just adore.

While she needs to improve on the meringue shells which were a bit soft and lacking in crunch her fillings were mostly perfect. I loved the chocolate, specuulos & pb+j the best. I hope she makes matcha and chocolate orange flavors too.
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The Noodle Bakes menu
menu (click to enlarge)

Give someone you love something sweet and delicious for Valentine’s day. Call The Noodle.
The Noodle Bakes - Garth Vader

The Noodle Bakes
cellphone: +63 920 920 7268
email: thenoodlebakes@gmail.com
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Please put in your orders at least 3 days before the pick up date (rush orders may be attended to depending on the noodle’s load). All orders are for pick up (address will be given upon the order)