Shoot First Eat Later

Taipei Day 1 – Shopping at Carrefour

After lunch at Taimall Benjie brought us to Carrefour for more shopping. Carrefour is a French based hypermarket chain. Think Walmart, Shopwise and Sm Hypermart.

The first thing that caught my eyes were these candied sweet potatoes. They looked incredibly sweet but when I tried it I loved it. It was naturally sweet and the sugar coating wasn’t cloyingly sweet. It just added a slightly sticky texture to the sweet potatoes. This started my sweet potato obsession in Taipei.

candied sweet potatoes

These are things you’ll never see in Walmart. I couldn’t identify half of these food stuff. We had a grand time trying several samples.

dried beef, pork, and fish, pork floss

dried fruits

I bought a small bag of coated cashews in this area. They didn’t have any sample for it so I just took a chance. When I tried it I regretted not buying more. The cashews were coated with a lightly sweet crunchy coating that had a strong black pepper taste. They were amazing! Sweet and peppery and very addicting.

preserved fruits

I bought a small bag of candied kumquats. I liked the sweet, tart and citrusy taste of the kumquat’s rind. I just didn’t like the presence of seeds.

candied kumquats

giant dried cranberries

herbal teas – dried roses

sushi galore

I wonder what this tastes like? Frappucino?

milktea coffee ice cup

Just like any hypermarket there were plenty of choices for prepared food for busy people. Instead of a salad bar, pasta selections there were intestines, tongue and lots of things I couldn’t identify. Dinner sure won’t be boring.

The tofu looks good though. I can’t say the same for the rest. Whatever they are.

They have roast chicken too!

I love these dried Chinese sausages. The black one is made with pork liver and the red is just plain pork.

They also had an extensive bread selection with lots of free samples too. That’s one thing I noticed in Taipei. Everywhere we went whether in bakeries or supermarkets there were always free samples to let you taste the products.

We went to Costco after Carrefour but I didn’t take any pictures because I was too busy shopping. It was just like the Costco in the US except there were a lot of Chinese and Japanese products. I bought this big double bag of mixed Japanese nuts and crackers. They had free tasting at Costco and after trying it we all bought a bag each. These are so, so, so yummy! I’ve never eaten anything this good. My stash is down to the last few bags. I wonder where I can buy this now.

must buy Japanese snacks from Costco Taiwan

Taipei Day 1 – Shabu Shabu at Taimall, Taoyuan

It’s been decades since any one of us have been to Taiwan. I used to go there a lot when I was young due to my dad’s business. All I remembered were the crazy drivers and thousands of motorcycles on the road.

Why did we decide to go to Taiwan? Was it to see the sights or go shopping? Nope. It’s all about the food baby! Everyone says Taiwan has the best tasting food specially in the small restaurants and night markets. With that in mind we set out for a food trip.

Chris and Rochelle with their mom
I have 3 cousins who are siblings that live in Taipei. Cousin Benji’s job happens to be renting out his van for tours or airport pick-ups. What luck!

Benjie picked us up from the airport and started our tour. From the airport he brought us to a nearby mall called Taimall Shopping Center. It lis the argest shopping center in Taoyuan area. (The airport was located in Taoyuan and is about an hour away from Taipei city.)

In the mall Rochelle’s mom immediately bought some of Taiwan’s famous oolong tea. The lady gave us samples to try.

I almost ate in a vegetarian restaurant. gasp. I was willing to try it. Too bad some in our group didn’t want to eat there. The food did look interesting.

vegetarian buffet

We ended up eating in the food court. Out of so many mouthwatering choices we decided to try the individual shabu shabu.

It was a concept I’ve never seen before. Each person has their own pot with a burner underneath.

It’s sad but I can’t read Chinese. I can only speak a tiny amount of Mandarin. In Taipei you will not go hungry if you can’t communicate. All you need to do is point. All the fast food places we went to had food displays like this. Aside from shabu shabu they had an assortment of bibimbap (Korean mixed rice). I recognized the stone pots.

Benjie chose the bibimbap with squid and veggies. NT$130 or P186 or US$4

Chris and her mom had the beef bibimbap.

Rochelle and I had the shabu shabu. She chose goat meat while I had the beef.

goat

beef

They poured water in our shabu shabu. Yes water and not stock.

You place the meat on the center dry area that served as a grill. The juices from the meat slid down to the water as it cooked thus flavoring the water and veggies.

It was quite good and healthy. The beef was marinated and very flavorful. It was very affordable too. An order of shabu shabu with a plate of beef and a pot full of veggies cost NT$148 or P212 or US$4.50.

I was fascinated with the hi-tech shiny water dispenser. No ordinary water foutain here!

After lunch we took a walk around the mall. We went to the sports and recreation floor which had mini golf.

The floors were painted like a running track. I bet people really use it for exercise.

There was even a basketball court too.

Spinning anyone?

Call my cousin Benjie Young if you need a van to pick you up from the airport to bring you to your hotel or tour around Taipei. His van seats 7.

Benjie Young (Taipei City)
van rental/tour guide
telephone: +886988073435, +886939070314
tax_van@yahoo.com

Taimall
No.112, Sec. 1, Nankan Rd.,
Lujhu Township, Taoyuan County

Pal food on economy Mla-Tpe-Mla

I’ve raved a lot about how good the food was on Philippine Airlines whether on business or economy class. My luck finally ran out. Last May I went to Taipei with some friends and had the most awful breakfast on the plane. I’ve tried the dimsum and noodles offered by PAL before and found it to be good so I ordered it again.
One of the most important components of a good dumpling is the dough or skin. It should to be al dente and not too thin or too thick. These dumplings were so soft it seemed like it was steamed for 24 hours. I immediately spitted out the small piece I ate. Even the filling smelled funky. A major fail!

I was hoping the noodles fared better. It was a bit hard but it was a definite improvement over the dumplings. I lost my appetite after the taste of the dumpling still lingered in my mouth. The best thing for breakfast was the ensaymada by Goldilocks which I put in my bag. I ended up with just coffee. Good thing I was able to eat some arroz caldo in the business class lounge earlier.

On our trip home to Manila the food quality was back to normal. Even the rice was very soft unlike their usual hard and dry rice.

chicken caldereta

For dessert there was a caramel bar supplied by the Max’s Corner Bakery owned by Max’s fried chicken.

Max’s caramel bar

It was surprisingly good. I could taste condensed milk which made it sweet, moist and gooey.

Come back tomorrow for the start of my blogs on my trip to Taipei City, Taiwan.

Calista’s 1st Birthday Bash

Calista Kaori is the daughter of my cousin Ricky and his lovely wife Rhoda. In the Philippines the Chinese community make a big deal out of a child’s birthday party and celebrate it big time. The last baby birthday party I attended was equally grand.

The party was held at Greenhills West clubhouse. It was a great venue since the place was big, had a high ceiling and most importantly, it was air-conditioned.

They hired a host/comedian to entertain the kids with various games.

The cake was fit for a little princess.

Individual cupcakes for the guests

Loot packs for the kids

I liked the fun balloons that decorated each table. Very creative!

They also had several food carts with food for all ages.

NYFD fries and dips

Squid balls and kropek

Champola fresh fruits in ice cream

Purefoods Hotdog

There were several fun games for the kids too.

Food for the adults

Lechon!

Another popular thing in parties and weddings in Manila is renting an instant photo booth. They normally charge by the hour and the guests can get as many pictures as they want. I caught my aunt and her friend getting their own souvenir.

Stand in front of the machine and get ready for four different poses.

Within minutes the picture comes out the machine. There are dozens of companies offering this service in Manila. It doesn’t cost that much and is fun for the guests.

Rhoda and Ricky did an amazing job planning and executing this party. I’m sure Calista won’t remember any of it but she’s definitely going to enjoy watching the video and seeing the pictures on my blog when she’s a bit older.

Lunch at Yakiniku Senri

We celebrated Andrew’s birthday at Yakiniku Senri, a Japanese/Korean restaurant specializing in grilled meats. I’ve featured several yakiniku restaurants in Manila and Hong Kong and Yakiniku Senri is my favorite. It had the best tasting beef and all the other dishes were excellent too. The prices were also reasonable specially when compared to the ones in Hong Kong.

Each table had it’s own grill. The exhaust in the restaurant was quite effective. We didn’t smell like grilled food when we left.

We sat inside a small room with Horigotatsu style seating. That meant we had to remove our shoes and sit on the floor and tuck our legs under the fixed table.

sauces

We just ordered 2 kinds of beef and no other meat. I prefered the US karubi cut with had some fat marbling. The fat disappears when you grill it and it leaves the beef very tender and flavorful.

US karubi cut P350

The rosu cut was a very lean cut of beef. It cooked firmer than the karubi cut.

US rosu cut P350

It only took a few seconds to cook the thin slices of marinated beef. It took even faster to eat it all.

The yakiniku sets were available only during lunch and were a great deal. Each set came with a bowl of rice, kimchi, salad, beef slices and a choice of iced coffee or nata de coco. The complete set costs the same as a plate of beef and had the same number of slices. We found out about this after ordering the a la carte beef. We did order more sets when we ran out of beef.

US beef rosu cut set P350

US Beef Karubi cut set P350

Their iced coffee tasted way better than Starbucks ice coffee.

iced coffee

kanikama salad P165

This was one of the best preparation of clams I’ve ever eaten. I could have finished the whole plate by myself.

asari butter P180

I’m obsessed with finding the best bibimbap or Korean mixed rice cooked on stone. I ordered bibimbap in all the Korean restaurants I’ve eaten at. And I can say this is the best! I can’t pinpoint exactly what made this different than the others but this was just the yummiest for me. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

ishiyaki bibinpa P300

Chijimi is similar to Korean pajon. This was quite good in it’s simplicity.

Welsh onion chijimi P200

ebi tempura P230

uni gunkanmaki P55

syouyu ramen P220

Andrew’s mom brought chocolate cake from Classic Confections.

I really liked the cake. It was deep, dark, rich chocolate, fudgy cake that wasn’t too sweet. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Yakiniku Senri
1030 Arnaiz Ave. (Pasay Road)
Makati, Metro Manila
telephone: 844-9618, 899-9733
Monday to Saturday – lunch and dinner service
Sundays open from 4:00 pm only

Fling Frozen Yogurt and more Tagaytay pictures

After lunch at Antonio’s and shopping at Bag of Beans we went to Taal Vista Hotel to take the prerequisite photos with the Taal volcano as a backdrop. Parking at the hotel for those who don’t eat or stay there was P100 but with some chutzpah I got our parking stub validated at the restaurant. Shhh don’t tell the owners.

Taal volcano

I wanted to show Mila Cliffhouse which houses a number of restaurants and has a great view of Taal volcano. The first time I went to Cliffhouse was at night. I was so impressed with the ambiance. Paired with the cool evening breeze I felt I was in another country. It doesn’t look as beautiful during the day but it was still impressive.

We got lost looking for Cliffhouse so here’s some directions on how to get there. From the Tagaytay rotunda, turn right and drive past Antonio’s Grill, Carlos Pizza. It will be on that side of the street. By the way, Antonio’s Grill is definitely not Antonio’s nor is connected in any way.

Even the entrance to the bathroom was nicely decorated.

Only Jane had decent pictures. Mila and I had hair all over the place due to the breeze. Frightening.

Even though we were still so full from lunch we couldn’t resist trying out another brand of frozen yogurt called Fling. Among all the frozen yogurt brands I’ve tried Fling has the most sour taste. It’s as sour as Pinkberry in the US. It was too sour for my taste.

I had the small yogurt with apple pie filling. The filling was good but a bit sour too.

small yogurt P85 + 25 per topping

Mila’s yogurt w/ strawberries

Jane’s plain yogurt

On the way back to Manila we stopped to buy some fruits from one of the numerous fruit stands lining the street. I took pictures of tropical fruits that are abundant in the Philippines.

langka or jackfruit

mangosteen

inside a mangosteen

guyabano or soursop

Cliffhouse

General Emilio Aguinaldo highway,

Maharlika East, Tagaytay City

Fling Frozen Yogurt

Cliffhouse Tagaytay

Bag of Beans, Tagaytay City

After lunch at Antonio’s we headed to Bag of Beans. For me a trip to Tagaytay wouldn’t be complete without stopping by Bag of Beans to buy my favorite steak and mushroom pie.

Sure they sell coffee hence the name. I’m sure it’s good but I’ve never tried them.

They also sell different kinds of bread. Their raisin bread must be good since Mila and another guest almost had a tug of war with the last loaf. Mila won. She was strong after the yummy steak she ate at Antonio’s.

But I only had eyes for one thing, their pies! They had several kinds of pies in the freezer. I bought my favorite steak and mushroom pie and tried a chicken and an apple pie. I didn’t like the chicken or apple pie at all. Next time I’m sticking to the steak pies.

steak and mushroom pie P110

Why do I like their steak pie so much? First I love the firm and crisp crust. It wasn’t too buttery nor was it dry. It wasn’t really flaky and thankfully it wasn’t sweet. It was just right for me. The filling wasn’t saucy but it wasn’t dry. The beef was very tender and the taste was very full flavored. I actually use my hands to break up pieces of the pie and eat it straight. A pie is just perfect for my lunch or dinner. I wish they deliver to Manila or at least sell them in a store in town. I can’t wait to go back to Tagaytay so I can stock up on steak pies.

I’ve never seen their coffee shop at the back of the bakery since I always just buy my pie and leave.

Bag of Beans
115 Aguinaldo Highway,
Mendez Crossing West,
Tagaytay City
telephone: +63 46 413 4356, +63 46 413 2724
mobile: +63923 454 4797, +63920 954 6370

Lunch at Antonio’s in Tagaytay

Everyone knows about Antonio’s in Tagaytay. Much has been written about Antonio’s constant presence in the Miele guide to Asia’s best restaurants. I’ve only eaten there once a long, long time ago and to be honest I don’t remember the place making an impact. It was time to try it out again with my two indefatigable skinny eating buddies Mila and Jane.

Let me take you on a photographic journey of the best food I’ve ever eaten in the Philippines. Warning: lots of pictures, some will make you drool. I will definitely run out of superlatives in this entry so forgive me.

Antonio’s is located in Tagaytay City, approximately 1.5 hours from Manila. We left my house at 9:30 am and after some shopping and bathroom breaks we finally arrived at the 1st sign of Antonio’s just in time for lunch. After this sign we turned right and continued the drive through a narrow and winding road for about 5 minutes.

old branded bricks on the pathway to the entrance

There were several dining areas around the ground and basement levels of this old house. Most of them were outdoor.

This was the only air-conditioned dining area on the ground floor.

We ate the main dining area downstairs. Thankfully there was a slight pleasant breeze.

Their restrooms had open windows without glass that put you in touch with nature and guarantee no peeping toms.

The chef and owner Antonio “Tonyboy” Escalante came out for a quick chat with us and a photo op with Jane. The exuberant chef told us that he was planting 23 full grown acacia trees where the future Breakfast at Antonio’s will be. It will be within in the compound and a few meters down from where we sat. Right now diners at Antonio’s have the option to order from either menus.

I never ever order drinks with my meal. I always take water or hot tea. But when I took a sip of Mila’s dalandan (Philippine orange) juice I immediately ordered a glass. It was so refreshing and the touch of mint gave it a flavor boost. It was a tad too sweet for me so I suggest ordering it without sugar.

dalandan juice P200/glass (refillable)

The bread tasted like pandesal to me. Jane loved it though.

onion rye bread w/ olive tapenade

Chef Tonyboy sent us a complimentary starter of marinated scallops and watermelon. The unusual combination was just right for the warm weather. The scallops were cooked to perfection.

scallops & watermelon

The house salad was an amazing interplay of textures and flavors. From the creamy, soft blue cheese to the sweet crunchy walnuts, chewy dried fruits and bitter arugula all brought together with the raspberry vinaigrette.

farm mesclun salad, bleu d’Auvergne crumble, glazed walnuts,
dried currants, cranberries w/ raspberry vinaigrette

raspberry vinaigrette

We ordered this wonderful 4 cheese tart with pan seared foie gras. When Mila’s house salad didn’t arrive we mumbled about the bad service. They later brought it out and explained that the 4 cheese tart replaced the house salad. We didn’t understand it at first since we couldn’t comprehend the P650 price was merely for an upgrade of the house salad. They were kind enough not to charge us for the extra house salad that would have cost P350. It was a pricey upgrade but worth it . The 4 cheese tart was beyond words. It was hot, flaky and so cheesy. I’ve had better foie gras but as a whole dish this was fantastic.

quattro formaggi tart, roquette salad, apple mustard vinaigrette
w/ pan seared foie gras P650 (upgrade price)

The soup of the day was baked tomato cappuccino which Mila and Jane loved. They said it was light and refreshing and not sour at all. I requested for another soup and they gave me a fresh mushroom cappuccino. My soup was thin but tasted creamy and very flavorful. It tasted like mushroom liqueur if there was such a thing.

baked tomato cappuccino

The guava sorbet was very creamy which was unusual since sorbets don’t contain any cream. The texture was gritty and there were pieces of guava in the sorbet.

guava sorbet P55

When ordering from Antonio’s the price of your set meal, which includes the house salad, soup of the day and dessert, depends on your main course selection.

Mila ordered the grilled beef fillet. I didn’t care if it wasn’t black angus or wagyu since it was the best steak I’ve ever tasted. Sure the rich and super duper yummy fresh mushroom mustard cream sauce was to die for. Still the star was the tender perfectly grilled steak. Lest I forget the super-duper-buttery-cholesterol busting-creamy mashed potatoes under the steak. I shiver to think about the calorie and fat content of this magnificent dish. Good thing Mila is skinny. I can’t believe she polished it off.

grilled beef fillet, gratinated w/ wild mushroom, mashed potato P1,750

Jane ordered the duck confit. I like duck but I usually eat in the forms of Peking duck or Chinese roast duck. I have never ordered duck confit so I didn’t know what to expect. I tried some skin and was blown away. My first bite of the duck skin was an OMG moment. Why haven’t i eaten this before? The skin was so crisp and totally indulgent. Even better than foie gras. How do I describe it? Imagine biting into chicharon, crispy pata skin and foie gras at the same time. Peking duck skin doesn’t have anything on Escalante’s creation. Jane said the duck meat was very juicy and flavorful. We all munched on the shoestring potatoes but avoided the pigeon peas which we initially thought were Japanese red beans.

duck leg confit, orange – grand marnier beurre blanc
w/ shoe string potato, pigeon peas P1,400

I ordered the healthier roasted rack of lamb. The lamb was once again perfectly cooked. Do they ever overcook anything here? The lamb was very fragrant from the liberal dose of fresh herbs. The taste penetrated all the way to the bone. It was the best lamb chops I’ve ever eaten in the Philippines.

The lamb came with a choice of a side dish. There were several rice and potato dishes to choose from and I couldn’t decide so I asked the advice of the manager. She recommended the pumpkin sage risoni (rice shaped pasta) which I didn’t even consider. I took her advice and didn’t regret it. It was very good.

herbed roasted rack of lamb w/ cardamom beurre blanc
& pumpkin sage risoni P1,650

It was after 2 pm when we finished lunch. It was quite hot so we requested to have our dessert and coffee upstairs in the air-conditioned dining area.

Desserts were not their strong points. You may think we were just too full to appreciate dessert. It’s true we were about to burst but we’re never that full to appreciate good dessert.

I couldn’t taste the presence of earl grey tea in the flourless chocolate cake. It was moist but it lacked a strong chocolate ooompph.

earl grey flourless chocolate cake

The panna cotta was just ok despite the infusion of vanilla bean. It wasn’t the best I’ve had.

panna cotta w/ vanilla, caramel & chocolate notes

The flavor of the fancy chocolate used for the chocolate ice cream didn’t come through. It tasted quite mild to me. I just took a bite from all 3 desserts and let my 2 skinny friends finish it.

Felchlin maracaibo chocolate terrine w/ double cream
& roasted pistachios

happy diners

The average bill came to P2,200 per head or US$47. Getting a complete fabulous meal like this in Hong Kong or the USA would cost a lot, lot more. I wouldn’t complain about this price since the food exceeded all my expectations. I’ve eaten in a few of the restaurants in the Miele top 20 restaurants and I can say that Antonio’s deserves it’s spot on the list even more than some of the other restaurants.

Goodbye Antonio’s! I will definitely to see you again soon.

Antonio’s Menu

appetizers

drinks

salad

entree

full menu

dessert

menu with updated price as of March 2011 click here

my second visit to Antonio’s

Breakfast at Antonio’s Menu
eggs, pancakes, waffles, french toast, healthy, salad
house specials, sandwiches, pizza
crepes, dessert, smoothies, milkshakes, beverages

Antonio’s
Barangay Neogan
Tagaytay City, Cavite
Telephone: (046) 413 0975 or (046) 413 1054
Celphone: (0917) 899 2866
email: antoniosfarm@yahoo.com
website

Dessert at The Ice Cream Bar – flavors by FIC

After dinner at Lu we walked next door for dessert at the ice cream bar. The ice cream was from FIC or Fruits in Ice Cream, a premium brand of ice cream in Manila. I’m a big fan of thei creamy ice cream and delicious flavors. I think they can compete with imported brands in terms of taste and texture. I’m glad they opened the ice cream bar now there’s a new place to go for desserts in Rockwell.

These were Elisa and Pat’s orders. They actually ordered double scoops but had them separated into individual cups.

strawberry, mango & avocado ice creams
single scoop P60 double scoop P100

Debbie was so happy to order her favorite black and white banana split. We haven’t seen that concoction since the early days at Magnolia house.

To Debbie’s dismay we all helped her eat the banana split.

black & white banana split P250

The rest of us ordered frozen yogurt with fresh fruits.

frozen yogurt w/ mangoes & cornflakes P120 + 15 per topping

frozen yogurt w/ mangoes & strawberries P130

I had the anti-oxidant treat – frozen yogurt topped with fruits that were good for the health. Plus the yogurt was 98% fat free so this was a healthy dessert right? I found the yogurt more tart than what I liked from Red Mango or Yoh-gurt Froz. Tart yogurt topped with tart fruits didn’t taste like dessert at all. Debbie, can I have some of your banana split?

frozen yogurt w/ kiwi, blueberries & strawberries P145

The Ice Cream Bar – flavors by FIC

G/F Joya Bldg., Joya Drive, Rockwell

Makati City, Metro Manila

telephone: 403-0891

Dinner at Lu Restaurant in Rockwell

Ever since I saw heart-2-heart’s post on Lu I knew I had to try it. So when my friends wanted to get together I immediately suggested Lu. None of them have tried it either.

I liked the restaurant’s clean and modern look unfortunately the ambient temperature was terribly warm when we ate there last April 8, 2010. Either they lacked air-conditioners or one was busted. It’s good they brought out an electric fan near our table. Another thing we didn’t like was the awful acoustics. We could barely hear each other since the whole place reverberated with voices and noise.

Temperature and acoustics aside the most important thing is the food. Lu serves Mediterranean cuisine leaning more towards Moroccan flavors. The server suggested the next two dishes for our appetizers. There were 8 of us and let me tell you these two little dishes were definitely not enough.

The chorizo cheese dip was actually very tasty but don’t let the picture fool you. The brown dish was about 6″ in diameter and the tiny tortillas were about 3″ wide. We had to split the tortillas in half so everyone could try it. Well it was our fault for ordering only one.

queso fundido con chorizo P325

The spring rolls were just average. Good but nothing out of this world.

crispy prawn & shiitake spring rolls P275

vinegar dips for the spring roll

We decided to eat family style and shared all the dishes among 8 of us so everyone got to try everything.

I’m not much of a steak eater but in my opinion this dish was just average. When it came to our table the fries and steak were cold. We complained and they immediately replaced it or heated it up. I wonder why there was cheese on only one steak? Why not both?

Mexican steak frites P675

I really liked the oxtail and short ribs. They were both fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce was aggressively flavored and perfect with the al dente pasta.

zesty oxtail & short rib braise w/ handmade saffron pappardelle P360

I normally like just lamb chops and not lamb shanks which are usually cooked with a red wine sauce. But I really loved their lamb shank with yogurt sauce. It was mild yet flavorful. It was also amazingly tender.

unhurriedly steamed lamb shank w/ minted yogurt and vermicelli rice P720

I thought the pork chop was huge but since it was so good I think it’s just right for one. The chop was so thick but they managed to cook it perfectly. The flavor penetrated all the way through the bone. Janet suspected it was brined before cooking. I just wasn’t a big fan of the strong achuete sauce. I was happy to eat the pork plain.

ultimate pork chop w/ orange-achuete sauce P595

The biggest hit with everyone was the truffled mac n’ cheese. The dish was the same size as the cheese and chorizo appetizer. We all got only a spoonful each. As soon as it came out we all started sniffing the fragrant aroma from the truffle oil. When I finally ate my spoonful of mac I immediately groaned. The flavor from the 5 cheeses were a mix of salty, nutty, creamy and just sinfully delicious. The truffle flavor was mild but noticeable. We ordered another one right away. The second order was less creamy but nevertheless yummy.

truffled mac n’ cheese P450

You can pass on this ordinary pasta dish. You could get better tasting pasta elsewhere. Stick to the mac n’ cheese and the other meat dishes. I want to go back to try their other dishes and another round of mac n’ cheese.

creamy basil bechamel, asparagus & zucchini on whole wheat linguini P325

We didn’t have dessert because the choices seemed pricey and we suspected they were tiny too. So we went next door for some ice cream and yogurt. Watch out for that on the next post.

Lu menu