Shoot First Eat Later

Dinner at Omakase

Last November 2 of my college friends who shared the same birthday treated us for their birthday. Sorry guys it was an all girls night out.

It’s funny but I pass by Omakase in Greenhills every single day on the way to work but it was my first time to eat there.

Tes and I passed by the ground floor entrance.

The main dining area was upstairs. Cute wall panels.

I was surprised how big and nice the place looked.

Birthday celebrants Tes and Len Len did all the ordering. I didn’t really know what was in the sushi but when I ate it I was blown away by the taste and texture. I later found out the sushi was made with ebi (shrimp) tempura, kani, ebiko (tobiko/fish roe), crispy salmon skin and topped with unagi (eel). It was crazy good. I want to go back and eat a whole order by myself.

jurassic maki P285

I wish my friends ordered something less boring than this.

California maki P160

I don’t eat raw fish but I tried this raw tuna salad with a spicy dressing. It was actually very good and addicting. I really like the crunchy tenkatsu (fried tempura better) topping. It added a nice texture to the soft tuna.

spicy tuna salad P180

The seared layer of the tuna was very hard while the raw layer was very soft. It was quite spicy too.

tuna tataki P180

The tofu steak was a piece of soft tofu wrapped with a thin slice of beef and served with a light soy based sauce. I couldn’t understand how they managed to transform a really, really thin slice of beef into a tough and leathery object. What a waste of beef! The tofu tasted better naked.

tofu steak

The bento box had your average Japanese casual fare of chicken teriyaki, fried seafood, fried rice and California rolls. Really ordinary.

chicken teriyaki bento box

I’m not really a big fan of shrimp tempura. I prefer fish and veggies tempura. I tried a piece and found it crisp but with a bit of oily after taste.

ebi tempura 8 pieces P405

Unlike other Japanese restaurants their version of kakiage had finer strips of sweet potatoes, carrots and other veggies. This made it crunchier and lighter.

kakiage P140

While my three friends seemed perfectly fine without any beef on the table I wasn’t. They asked me if I wanted to order something else and I chose the unique Omakase Fries.

Basically it was their take on beef nachos. Instead of tortilla chips they used oily, soggy fries. But if your pour cheese sauce on anything it will taste great. It was a pretty tasty treat. The beef cubes were tender and the mango salsa added a nice sweet and spicy kick to the salty, yummy cheese sauce.

Omakase fries P240

birthday girls Tes and Len Len, Rizette and me

Right next to our table was Chris who just treated me the night before at Borough. That night she treated her high school buddies Luga and Chinggay who happened to be my cousin. Chris had better friends since they gave her a birthday cake.

They gave us a big slice which we gave to our own birthday girls. Happy birthday my friends! Sorry for the delay of this post. Better late than never, right?

Addendum: 4/26/12
Since I posted this I’ve eaten at Omakase many, many times again. I’ve discovered my most favorite dish, their spicy seafood crepe made with raw tuna, squid, kani with a spicy mayo dressing. I’ve also ordered this for take-out even more times. It has served as my lunch with a big serving of lettuce. I’ve even taken it to a potluck party. I love, love, love this dish.

seafood crepe

Omakase
Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Complex
San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 470-9807

Levain Bakery

You are looking at a picture of the best cookie I’ve ever eaten.

Last July 2010 I was in New York for 2 days only. It was way too short and we tried to cram in as many restaurants as we could. On our last day we had lunch at Jin Fong in Chinatown. After lunch we were supposed to go back to New Jersey to get our car parked at my cousin Virgil’s house then drive to Baltimore to attend my niece Lucy’s party.

In the car Virgil asked me if I was able to go to all the places on my list. I told him almost all except Levain Bakery. He immediately turned the car around and insisted on taking me 5 miles in the opposite direction just to fulfill my wish. Thank goodness it was a Sunday and New York traffic was light. What a great cousin!!!

I was surprised to see how small the space in the basement was. I was also amused to see an all female staff in shorts churning out the most fragrant delicacies.

They had several products but I only had eyes for the cookies. I’ve read so much about these cookies from magazines, blogs and tv shows that I couldn’t wait to try them.

I bought one each of the chocolate chip walnut and dark chocolate chip cookies and two pieces of the dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies since I love peanut butter.

my cousin Virgil

This was the only picture I took of the cookies that’s why I haven’t posted this entry. I enjoyed eating all the cookies so much that I didn’t even think to take any pictures of my stash.

It’s a good thing my friend Tisay went to New York a few months ago and bought me some cookies. The cookies traveled from New York to Hong Kong and remained tightly wrapped in the freezer until it arrived in Manila almost a month later.

The cookies remained in my freezer waiting for a special occasion before I ate it. That’s how I am with precious food. I can patiently wait for the right time before eating it. So on the eve on my ‘really serious’ diet I got two cookies out of the freezer, took pictures of them and ate it.

You can see that the giant cookie weighed 5 1/4 oz or 149 grams. That was one big cookie. It was really worth $4 a cookie.

The cookies from the freezer were still very good. It was a bit crumbly but still very fresh. From the first time I ate the cookies in New York to the ones I ate in Manila I was amazed how the consistency of the cookie was the same from the edges to the thick middle. I expected a crisper edge and a softer middle.

The regular chocolate chip cookie with walnuts was so buttery and filled with an abundant quantity of soft walnuts. The dark chocolate chip was the ultimate in chocolate goodness.

But my favorite was the dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookie. Not too crisp, not cakey, very fudgy and studded with lots of real peanut butter chips that tasted like drops of Jif peanut butter and not like those artificial tasting chips others use. It was like eating a Reese’s peanut butter cup only better.

dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

Forget cupcakes. I live for cookies specially the ones from Levain Bakery. Be sure to include a visit to Levain Bakery if go to New York and don’t forget to buy me six dark chocolate peanut butter chip cookies please.

Levain Bakery
167 W 74th St # A, New York, NY 10023, USA
telephone: 212-874-6080

Army Navy Burger + Burrito

Last October Army Navy Burger + Burrito opened right across the building where my store was. I was so excited to try it. Since my favorite fast food burger, Hotshots closed their branch in the same street I didn’t have any place nearby to get my burger fix.

Army Navy and Yellow Cab pizza are owned by the same company. That explained their sharing of a glass wall and outside dining area.

Just like your typical fast food joint you had to order and pay at the counter and wait for your food to be served. And wait we did, for a looong time. That could also mean that the food was cooked upon ordering which was a good thing.

The picture looked so good I had to order it.

The cheese steak was sooooo much better than Charlie‘s version. The thin slices of steak were highly visible and the cheese sauce was just the right quantity and not drowning the beef. My only complaint was the beef was extremely salty. I also didn’t like the margarine on the bread. Other than that it was a good and filling sandwich.

starving sailor sandwich – steak P225

The cheese quesadilla was very, very bland. They should have used a stronger flavor cheese like cheddar or a blend of cheddar and mozzarella.

cheese quesadilla P85

The onion rings were nice and crisp.

onion rings P60

I really hoped I would like the burger. All I wanted was a pure beef burger without any extenders. Just beef, salt and pepper.

Army Navy burger P135

Unfortunately this wasn’t my type of burger. It did taste better than Charlie’s and you will like it if you like Filipino style burgers like Jollibee’s.

So far my favorite burrito is from Mexicali. I hoped this would be another one.

carnitas (pork) burrito P155

The burrito was actually good even with all that rice and little pork. The Spanish rice was very flavorful so I didn’t mind. The roast pork had a nice grilled flavor but it was too fatty. I wish the flour tortilla was thinner and drier. It became a bit too mushy for my taste.

The burrito came with bland salsa and some totally flavorless, unidentifiable white sauce.

My office mates and I haven’t been back since that one time. Maybe it’s time to try it again? I’m still on the fence on that.

Army Navy Burger + BurritoGround Level, Strata 2000 Bldg.,
F. Ortigas Jr. Rd., Ortigas Center, Pasig Cit
telephone: 570-8181

Lunch at A Taste of L.A. Cafe

It was Db’s turn to treat Rochelle and me for her birthday and she chose to have lunch at A Taste of L.A. I was surprised to learn that it was still open. The last time I ate there was in the late 90s.

When DB suggested A Taste of L.A. I had my doubts then I thought it shouldn’t be too bad since it managed to stay open for 16 years in a fickle restaurant market such as Manila where some restaurants don’t even last for a year.

Bloggers and diners usually race to try new restaurants but it’s also good to return to restaurants like A Taste of L.A. that has been open since 1995. I remember their fabulous chocolate marquis cake more than anything.

The main entrance of the restaurant was on A. Roces Avenue.

They had several seating areas in this converted house. Another plus is the restaurant remains open the whole day unlike other restaurants that close at 2:00 and reopen at 6:00 pm.

We sat downstairs where it was brighter and better for my pictures.

The lower floor can be accessed from Scout Castor street directly. I prefer this entrance since it had a larger parking area.

my bffs Rochelle and Db (both skinny and in white)

Vietnamese crab & mushroom spring roll P330

We really liked the compact, stuffed spring rolls specially when wrapped in lettuce and topped with a Thai basil leaf.

Pappa al pomodoro is Italian tomato and bread soup or in this case tomato water and that’s putting it nicely. When I tasted Db’s soup I immediately said it tasted like “pinaghugasan ng kamatis” or the water used to rinse tomatoes. Avoid this soup at all cost.

pappa al pomodoro P220

On the other hand Rochelle’s French onion soup was very good specially the thick layer of emmental and Gruyére cheeses.

French onion soup P310

The salmon belly fries were really crunchy and delicious when paired with the tart calamansi dip.

salmon belly fries w/ citron pepper dip P330

Fresh, briny baked oysters with vinegar sauce. Yum!

roasted oysters P330

Db’s prawns thermidore was quite expensive for two pieces but it was really sinfully good. She gave me a small piece to try and I wanted to finish the whole dish. The prawns were covered with a thick creamy sauce and topped with a thick Gruyére cheese crust.

prawns thermidor P520

Rochelle and I shared the ultra, ultra thin crust lamb pizza with chunks of feta cheese, olives, rosemary and mint leaves.

ultra thin garlic lamb pizza P460 + 40 for ultra thin crust

This was my kind of pizza. The lamb was tender and the pizza was bursting with flavor from all the herbs and spices. The crust was so thin it could barely hold the heavy toppings. I will definitely order this again but maybe with the medium thin crust next time.

The African date cake was similar to food for the gods. Good but too expensive for the size. I was extremely disappointed that the chocolate marquis and most of the cakes were sold out.

African date cake w/ cinnamon ice cream P280

Just by looking at the picture you can tell that the hot chocolate was more milk than chocolate. Pass.

hot chocolate

This was the last place I would expect to find a bibingka that rivaled my beloved Via Mare bibingka. This was a lighter and more buttery version yet it had the dense, slightly sticky texture that I loved. It was loaded with pieces of salted egg.

old fashioned bibingka P170

Just like any restaurant A Taste of L.A. had it’s hits and misses. The hits were very, very good and the misses were really bad. I’m happy that I rediscovered this old favorite in Quezon City. I actually enjoyed their food more than the newer restaurants in the area. The prices are a bit on the high side though. But I would definitely go back again to try other items from their extensive menu.

A Taste of L.A. menu
oysters & small plates, soup & salad,
fondue, main course & taste of Pinoy, prime cuts & pasta
wood fired pizza, desserts

A Taste of L.A. Cafe
171 A. Roces Ave. cor. Tomas Morato, Quezon City
telephone: 374-2461, 415-7911

Sunday Buffet at Senju

We couldn’t get a reservation at Inagiku, Shangri-La Makati’s Japanese restaurant so we decided to try Senju at Edsa Shangri-La.

Just like Inagiku, Senju had a wide variety of sushi, sashimi and cold salads. They were good too but not as creative and fabulous as the ones at Inagiku.

California Maki

This was my favorite sushi.

marinated seared tuna

Salmon Sashimi

Tuna Sashimi

cold noodles

Edamame

Ebi Kyu Wakame Sumonomo

kani, potato salad, chuka idako (marinated baby octopus)

The main course revolved around the teppanyaki table. The food was cooked fresh and transferred to the chafing dishes.

Shake (fish), Wagyu (beef), Ebi (shirmp), Tori (chicken) Teppanyaki

tempura, tori & gindara teriyaki, yakimeshi

I was so full from the sushi and some fish and beef that I never got to try the ramen.

ramen soup, made to order

Ice cream ‘cooked’ on a frozen teppanyaki table with toppings mixed in seemed to be a standard offering in buffets nowadays.

ice cream teppanyaki bar

Japanese taho, green tea, coffee jelly

Overall the buffet was satisfactory. I still prefer Inagiku more.

Lunch buffet is available on Sundays for P1,809.00 net. Kids below 12 years old pay half price.

Senju
Edsa Shangri-La Hotel
Mezzanine Level, Tower Wing
1 Garden Way, Ortigas Centre
Mandaluyong City 1650, Philippines
telephone: (632) 633 8888 ext. 2738/2739

Dinner at Cyma

After appetizers at Sumo Sam my college buddies and I moved to Cyma for our main meal.

Cyma is one of those restaurants where I know I can always get a good and consistent meal. It’s been around for several years and is still going strong.

The dip was very garlicky and tasted like cream of mushroom soup. It was rich and chunky and quite a heavy appetizer.

spinach & artichoke fondue P350

The corriander crusted seared tuna salad had tons of veggies and full of flavor. Just this dish was more than a full meal in itself.

tonnos salata (tuna salad) P660 family size

The roka salata was my favorite dish and it’s something that I order every time I eat at Cyma. I love the contrast of bitter arugula with sweet candied walnuts, tangy vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese.

roka salata P680 family size

The moussaka was a disappointment. The potato slices were still hard and the whole dish was very bland.

meatless moussaka

The ribs were very tender but the sauce was too sweet. It was better eating the ribs plain.

baby back ribs P650 half slab

I didn’t eat much of the pasta since the sauce was way too sour for me.

garides mi feta spaghetti P650 to share
(prawn & feta spaghetti)

The chicken was the best! The meat was tender, juicy and the flavor permeated all the way to the bone.

kotopoulo lemonato (Greek chicken adobo) P410

I wish I saw my college friends more often. I’m so proud of Monet who’s the producer of the new hit tv show on photography, Two Stops Over. And there’s Gunn the man behind Kamiseta. And I’m the blogger. Right guys?

me, Tes, Monet, Gunn, Raymond, Eric and Rizette

Cyma’s menu

Cyma
6/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
telephone: 637-3090

Sushi at Sumo Sam

Last August I got together with my college buddies to celebrate (very belatedly) Raymond and Gunn’s birthday.

It was my first time to eat at Sumo Sam’s and I was amazed with their very extensive menu. There were several things I wanted to try but I let the guys do the ordering since it was their treat.

When it comes to burgers, ice cream and frozen yogurt I’m a purist. I don’t like any toppings, sauces or whatnot on them.

But when it comes to sushi the more bastardized it is, the more outrageous the creations, that any Japanese won’t recognize it, is the way I like it.

I loved the crunchy tempura batter on top of the sushi stuffed with bits of tuna and mayonnaise. Great contrast of textures and flavors.

crunchy tuna roll P238

The spider roll had very little fried soft shell crab filling. I make this at home and you can see a big piece of crab in each slice. I have to feature that recipe some time.

spider roll P258

I don’t remember why but after the sushi we moved to Cyma for dinner. Again I missed out on trying the food. Maybe next time Sumo Sam.

Sumo Sam menu

Sumo Sam
6th Level, Shangri-la Plaza Mall
Shaw Blvd. cor. EDSA Mandaluyong,
Metro Manila, Philippines
telephone: 637-5704, 910-0388

Lunch at Nasi Lemak

When I came back from the USA last August, Nasi Lemak was the first restaurant I ate at with my friend Tisay who was in town from Hong Kong.

I really like Singaporean food but haven’t found any good ones in Manila. I’ve read in several blogs that Nasi Lemak is authentic so I decided to try it. Another plus is it’s proximity to my office. Nasi Lemak is just a short walk away in Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas Center.

Char kway teow is my favorite Singaporean dish and I always order it to judge a restaurant’s merit. This version was quite good but a tad too sweet for me. For me the best char kway teow I’ve ever eaten was at Thye Hong in Singapore.

Penang char kway teow P210

The laksa was one of the best I’ve tried in Manila. The stock was rich with lots of coconut milk just the way I like it. You can specify if you want it mild or spicy. This dish has to be eaten right away otherwise the noodles will soak up all the soup.

Singapore laksa P210

The sautéed raddish cake was delicious. Not too oily or salty.

carrot/raddish cake P150

The best dish was the Malaysian chicken curry which the owner, HK Tan told us was cooked for 2.5 hours. The chicken was fall off the bone tender and the sauce was so good I wanted to drink it.

Malaysian chicken curry P300

kang kong w/ sambal balchan P158

When Mr. Tan saw me taking so much pictures he approached our table and asked if I was a blogger. He was a very amiable man. He told us how he has traveled to 31 countries collecting recipes of the best dishes hoping one day to open his own restaurant.

He flies back and forth Manila and Singapore often and brings all the ingredients they use in Nasi Lemak.

HK Tan of Nasi Lemak

They had a promotion on Hainanese chicken rice set a week later so I set an alarm on my phone to remember to try it.

I asked someone to buy a couple of sets for us to eat in the office.

It was really a good deal unfortunately I can’t say the same for the food. The rice didn’t have any flavor and the chicken was a bit dry, tough and bland.

hainanese chicken set P100 (promo price)

Nasi Lemak is one of the best choices if you are at Robinson’s Galleria. They serve good food at great prices and you might even get a chance to have a chat with the very nice owner.

Nasi Lemak menu
Chinese specialties, street hawkers’ food & soup,
poultry/seafood/beef/pork, vegetables/dessert/beverages

Nasi Lemak
Level 2, East Lane
Robinsons Galleria,
EDSA Cor. Ortigas Avenue
telephone: 571-8988

Kanin Club again!

It’s hasn’t even been a month since the last time I ate at Kanin Club and two weeks ago I brought my aunt and uncle and a couple of their friends. All of them were from Texas. It’s now my favorite place to bring balikbayans and foreigners to eat Filipino food.

I ordered my favorite dishes from the first time I ate at Kanin Club. As expected they all raved about the green mango salad, crispy dinuguan and seafood kare kare.

Kanin Club favorites

My friend Carmela who lives in the USA but eats at Kanin Club every time she comes home suggested the following dishes.

I tried the tinapa (smoked fish) and aligue (crab fat) rice before and I wasn’t that impressed. But the sinangag na sinigang I really, really like.

Sinigang is basically sour soup. Kanin Club deconstructed the soup’s components and successfully translated it into a rice dish. The fried rice was slightly sour and very appetizing. The rice was topped with thin slices of boiled liempo (pork belly) and tempura vegetables. This rice went really well with the fried fish.

sinangag na sinigang P224

I expected the whole fried tilapia to be crunchy instead it was soft and had just the slightest crisp to it. They all loved the fish and ate it all the way down to the bones. Even the head and tail didn’t escape their attention.

binukadkad na tilapia P246

I’m not a big halo halo fan so I just asked my aunt if I could try a spoonful of her halo halo. I don’t know what makes this halo halo different but it’s the best I’ve ever eaten asides from Razon’s minimalist halo halo. The ingredients were abundant with just the right quantity of milk and ice to bind everything together into a creamy, sweet and delectable dessert. Even the Arce corn ice cream was just perfect with it.

halo halo P150

I wasn’t able to try their special turon before so I made sure to order it right away. An order of KC turon has two pieces. What you see below is two orders which yielded 8 cut up pieces.

KC turon P94

Regular turon (banana spring rolls) contained saba (banana) and langka (jackruit). Their version of turon was inspired from halo halo. It also contained ube (mashed purple yam), macapuno (coconut sport), and red beans. Imagine fried halo halo rolls!

The four balikbayans loved it. I on the other hand found it confusing to my palate. There wasn’t a single ingredient that stood out. I enjoyed munching the crunchy caramel coating and turon skin more.

As much as we all loved all the food and dessert we were all disappointed with the unusually slow service.

We were one of the first to arrive and order in the restaurant but all the tables around us who arrived much later were served first. We had to keep following up on our orders which came out sporadically. By the time all our food was served most of the people around us had already left.

But I’m not letting that stop me from enjoying Kanin Club’s creative and delicious take on Filipino food.

Kanin Club’s menu

Kanin Club
Ayala Triangle Gardens
Paseo de Roxas, Makati City
telephone: 621-6109

Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna
telephone: (049)544-0332

Westgate, Alabang
telephone: 771-1400

UP-Technohub,QC
telephone: 332-5978

Pink’s at LAX

I’ve seen Pink’s on tv so many times over the years. It’s a landmark in Hollywood and I’ve always wanted to try it.

After dinner at Osteria Mozza, Sid and family drove me to the airport for my flight back to Manila. On the way, Kevin pointed out Pink’s to me. It was around 7:40 pm and there was a long line. There goes my chance to try it not that I wanted to after that wonderful dinner.

Pink’s has been open in the same location since 1939.

Kevin then told me that Pink’s just opened a branch at LAX airport. Pink’s is at the top of the escalator in the international terminal before the security checkpoints.

They had a very limited menu.

Even though I was soooooo full from dinner I forced myself to buy a chili dog. I couldn’t even take a bite so I wrapped it well and took it all the way home to Manila and ate it two days later.

chili dog $3.55

I nuked it in the microwave and enjoyed the chili dog. The chili tasted like mashed beans that was mildly spicy. I did like the hotdog specially the snap you feel when you bite into it. It wasn’t too salty either. I’m glad I’ve finally tried Pink’s. Maybe next time I have to eat a fresh hotdog.

Pink’s
709 N. La Brea Ave., L.A., CA 90038
telephone: (323) 931-4223

Tom Bradley International Terminal LAX