Entries Tagged 'Thai' ↓

Magnolia Town Center

The Magnolia Residences City Food Picks is a foodie tour at the nearby Robinsons Magnolia Mall that highlights urban comforts amidst a variety of food picks and shops.

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Dessert comes first 🙂

Acaci Buffet Restaurant debuts at the new Filipino five-star luxury hotel - Acacia Hotel Manila – last month as the newest buffet dining spot in Alabang (south of Metro Manila). Situated in Filinvest Corporate City, Acaci coffeeshop offers a buffet with sumptuous spreads of Asian and international dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Located above the lobby with its own floor, the restaurant offers an “East meets West” theme without loosing the inspiration of each dish to ‘fusion‘.

Appetizer & Salad bar Station

Appetizers Salad Bar Station (Gravlax – Top Left)

Diners can have their fill of local and international dishes starting with the appetizer salad bar station located in the middle of the restaurant where they can choose from an array of fresh greens and dressings. There are also a selection of cold cuts, patés, and terrines while enjoying the crustacean selections, cocktail, tacos salad options, and the sushi bar

Don’t miss the Gravlax and Thai Prawn with Green Mango and Lime Salad.

Sushi Bar & Other Cold Cuts

Crustacean Selection (upper left)

Filipino & Asian Station

I decided to skip the bread and cheese section, however, as I intended to focus on the main dishes.

The Asian section consists of a variety of local and international dishes with our very own pork sisig (a spicy Filipino pork dish) and Sinigang. If I’m not mistaken, I think this is the first time I’m having ‘sisig‘ in a hotel buffet. 🙂

Asaian Station & Pork Sisig (right)

Sinigang, soup & condiments

Other options included the the Seared Cod Fish Fillet, Cajun Spiced Chicken with Pumpkin and Asparagus Tips, and Braised Bean Curd with Assorted Mushrooms. Surprisingly, there was only one simple rice variety in the buffet – fried rice with ham and vegetables.

Western Station & Carving Station

For the Western cuisine, they have a pasta section right beside the Mongolian station followed by popular choices including lamb, tender prime rib, and flaky salmon.

The Carving Station hosted the Herb-Roasted U.S. Rib-Eye with corn on the cob, roasted spiced potato wedges and a gazillion sauce options.

Bread & Cheese Station

Avocado and Chicken Salad with Coriander Dressing

Dessert Station

The dessert station offers an array of cakes, pastries, chocolate fondue fountain, and sliced fruits. Albeit quite limited in this part, I highly recommend the customizable crepes station with condiments, sauces, & ice cream.

Dessert Station

Crepe Station

Other stations include the Wanton Station, Filipino Soup, and Deep Fried Thai Fish Station. Watch out for the upcoming shawarma station and an interactive Caesar salad station where attendants will assemble the salad according the preference of the guest.

Pasta Station

Wanton Station (left) & Dimsum Station (right)

Deep Fried Thai Fish

Executive Chef Raffy Hubilla

We were also able to briefly interview Executive Chef Raffy Hubilla who is a veteran in the industry having been in the hospitality food scene for 22 years including a stint with Marriot Hotel.

Acaci is named after a species of flower-bearing plants in the Amazon. The interior is spacious with four panels of paintings done by the Filipino artist Jomike Tejido which are proudly displayed as part of the restaurant décor.

Executive Chef Raffy Hubilla

Acaci Restaurant

Acacia Hotel Manila – Acaci
Business Address: 5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Email: enquiry@acaciahotelsmanila.com
Tel no. 720 2000 or 588 5888
www.acaciahotelsmanila.com
Follow them on Facebook (Acacia Hotels Manila) or in Twitter (AcaciaHotels)

Acaci in Acacia Hotel Manila

Dine at Acaci Buffet Restaurant for only Php995 nett per person inclusive of one round of Iced Tea or Pandan Juice.

Black Canyon Coffee Philippines

Black Canyon Coffee opened its first branch in the Philippines just this morning at the Food Street wing of SM Southmall in Las Pinas. The grand launch was graced by no less than the honorable Las Pinas Congressman Mark Villar. He was joined by Mr. Pravit Chitnarapong (CEO, Black Canyon Thailand), Mr. James Dy (Chairman, Royal Thai Food Philippines Inc.), and Mrs. Wilma Dy (President, Royal Thai Food Philippines Inc).

A big brand in Thailand that started in 1993 and now has 220 stores and 40 more internationally, Black Canyon Coffee is known for their unique concept of a coffee shop that ‘is’ also a full restaurant. While they offer a wide range of coffee drinks and beverages from espresso to cappuccino (and ‘Blackpuccino‘), they also serve Thai cuisines such as Tom Yum soup and Som Tam salads. On the other hand, their brand ‘Black Canyon Coffee‘ can be easily misconstrued as a western brand whereas their specialties are Thai food.

Black Canyon Coffee Manila

Black Canyon Coffee SM Southmall

Black Canyon Coffee South Entrance

Iced Drinks

I personally tried the BC Thai Iced Tea w/ milk, BC Iced Coffee, and BC Iced Lemon Tea, in that order of preference. I loved the authentic mix of the Thai Iced Tea just like in Thailand and the Black Canyon Iced Coffee which is a blend of arabica coffee with two kinds of milk and plenty of ice.  However, I found the iced lemon tea just ordinary.

Black Canyon Coffee: BCC Iced Coffee, Thai Iced Tea w/ milk, Iced Lemon Tea (left to right cups then back)

Black Canyon Coffee Menu Board

I then ordered one of their signature beverages – the Black Canyon Frappe. It was a refreshing drink in a visually appealing presentation with a fat glass, similar to the Black Canyon Iced Coffee. For a cost of Php 120, it was well worth the price given that they source the coffee beans from Columbia. The other raw coffee beans are from Northern Thailand while the Matcha Green Tea are from Japan.

Black Canyon Coffee Frappe

Thai Restaurant

More than just a coffee shop, Black Canyon  is actually a 160 sqm. full-restaurant that can accommodate upto 90 customers and offers Thai cuisine ala carte from soups, sandwiches, to pasta, and steaks.

Four of which I have tried are the Pad Thai, Tom Yum Goong, Tuna Green Curry Fried Rice Wrapped in Egg Sheet, and the Spicy Glass Noodles and Grilled Salmon Salad.

The Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Prawn Soup  – Php 192) had the right level of spiciness for an authentic Tom Yum Goong. Although the Tuna Green Curry Fried Rice is not really my type of food, curry lovers may want to try this one out at a good price of Php 156.

Tuna Green Curry Fried Rice Wrapped in Egg Sheet Php 156

The Spicy Glass Noodles with Grilled Salmon was something new to my taste bud, and it turned out well. The spicy and lightly grilled salmon complemented the glass noodles. They could have oiled the noodles a little-bit more, however. Called Yum Wun Sen Salmon in Thailand, this Thai delicacy is priced at Php 188.

Spicy Glass Noodles and Grilled Salmon Salad (Yum Wun Sen Salmon) Php 188

And finally, you should not miss Black Canyon Coffee Philippines‘ authentic and award-winning Pad Thai which is at par with other Thai restaurants I have dined-in here in the Philippines. The shrimps were fresh and larger than I expected for a Pad Thai complemented with bean sprouts, garlic chives, and eggs.

Black Canyon Executive Chef Rasri Athaboh

They also have desserts and bakery products. I was able to try the Fruit Salad Sundae (Php 68) and a slice of Oreo Chessecake (Php 95). The former was just ok and nothing special but the cakes were good. Priced at less than a hundred, this is a very good deal.

Chef Rasri Athaboh

It was also great to have met with Black Canyon Executive Chef Rasri Athaboh who came from Thailand. He will be staying in the Philippine for a while to oversea the kitchen and knowledge transfer. Black Canyon cooks and crew were also initially sent to Thailand for over a month of training.

Very Competitive Pricing

If you browse through their menu, you would notice that the drinks are almost always below Php 100. The Thai dishes also range only from Php 150 to Php 200; with some a little above Php 200. I hope they do maintain, more or less, these affordable introductory prices within the year.

Black Canyon Coffee Branches

Black Canyon Coffee Philippine Team

Black Canyon Coffee (BlackCanyonCoffee.com) also has presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, UAE, Cambodia, and Laos. In the Philippines, they are looking at 2 more new Black Canyon Coffee branches within 2012; watch out for BCC in SM Mall of Asia and SM Megamall.

Bon Chon, Chicken Charlie, and now – Chicken Delish! I made sure to check out this humble stall at the recently concluded Best Food Forward food fair held at NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City over the weekend.

Chicken Delish

The foremost reason is because Chicken Delish owner Annalyn Jusay-Zoglmann pimped it out to me. 🙂 She is fellow blogger as well so I was curious on what she came up with since her sole (so far) and actual branch in Paranaque is beyond my reach.

Chicken Delish Sauces

It’s one of those home-style fried chicken made more special with its tasty sauces such as the sweet and spicy sauce, Pinoy barbecue, sriracha (Thai hot sauce mixed with butter and honey), Pinoy buffalo, and the good old salt and pepper. While still being improved, her bestsellers are the sweet and spicy sauce which was not surprising with Filipino customers.

For my part, I tried it with the sweet sauce last Saturday and was satisfied. The meat was still tender and juicy even if it was late in the afternoon already. The chapchae side dish I chose was also good even by itself. Hopefully I can try it with the Pinoy barbecue sauce soon.

Annalyn says that she was serving her gourmet-style fried chicken to her family even before the bonchon craze hit the metro. ” Chicken is something every member of my family loves and experimenting on the many ways to cook it was a natural progression of our passion for all things poultry-related.”

Chicken Delish @ Best Food Forward 2012

“It came to a point that I wasn’t just happy serving my chicken at home as I was also pondering my retirement from the corporate jungle and embarking on a business… I went ahead to test my business idea in the Soderno Sunday market last year and after its initial success with the weekend crowd, an opportunity came for me to open a stand-alone store at the Caltex Gas station in Better Living, Paranaque City. I’ve also been joining bazaars like the Midnight Mercato in the Fort to gain further exposure for my product,” adds Annalyn or AJ for short.

Chicken Delish Menu / Sidedish

Chicken Delish Price

Chicken Delish‘s four-piece chicken wings afford-ably cost P90 while the two-piece drumsticks are at P120. Feel free to share your experience with Chicken Delish in the comment section below specially if you’re from the south. 🙂

Best Food Forward Photos

Next, here are the other Best Food Forward photos I got from the food fair. Thanks to Nuffnang Philippines for the blogger tickets.

Picket Fence Ice Cream Cart

SkewU Skewers

Pink Wasabi

Mochiko Ice Cream and Ponzarotti

Pinoy Eats World

Best Food Forward Seminars and Cooking Demos

Med Chef

Chorizo Burger and a popcorn concessionaire

Crunchy Belly

Wagyu Burger and Special Chocolate booth

Moderne Culinaire Academy

JT's Manukan and Malabon Delicacies

Thai Cha Yen

Cuisiniers (left); Milk Chocolate booth (right)

88DB.com

Our Kitchen and OpenRice.com booth (I'm an OpenRicer myself!)

Yummy Magazine

Did you go to the Best Food Forward last weekend? How was it? Which were your favorite food concessionaire? NomNom’s choice from those I have tried are Crunchy Belly of Carlo’s Kitchen, SkewU, Pint Homemade Ice Cream, ButterBeer, and well, Chicken Delish.

🙂

A lot of people don’t realize that in the midst of the meat-eating restaurants, there are also vegetarian alternative places to go and eat. If you are a vegetarian, finding these restaurants can be difficult if you don’t know where to look.

They are around though and easy to locate. If you can look away from socializing on the internet or playing Foxy Bingo for a while, it is very easy to find vegetarian cuisine here online. If you aren’t a vegetarian, though what are the benefits of trying the food?

Sabah Vegetables (close to our 'Kangkong' but less leafy and more on trunks/stems)

Vegetarian Alternatives

The answer is simple: vegetarian food tastes better than what people expect. Whether you fancy Chinese, Italian, Indian or even Thai, there is always a tasty vegetarian option. For example, you could eat vegetable fried rice, vegetable curries, soups, potato samosas and vegetable sushi. All delicious alternatives.

Nurture Spa's Garden Salad

The choice of restaurants that serve vegetarian food in Metro Manila alone is vast. Places like Barbara’s at the Orchidarium, a Thai style restaurant that offers soups, tofu and vegetable dishes, or Green Wok Deli & Café in Quezon City which supplies all the flavor you would expect of a meat-based dish, only without the meat. Vegetarian Chinese food is also available in places like the café, Happy Veggie Health Food on Masangkay Street, Manila or Kong Tiak in Quezon City. You don’t know unless you look. 🙂

Vegetarian Menu

If you have problems with the menu in a restaurant, there are ways around the issue. Ask the chef if he can make you something vegetarian with the ingredients in the kitchen. Remember they want you to dine again so they will help if they can.

If you are dining around someone else’s house, make sure you let the host know your preference in advance. This will be less awkward if they supply a meat-only meal. Offer to buy vegetablesfor the cause or bring a dish over to share with fellow guests.

Starbucks Philippines' Roasted Vegetables on Flat Bread

Great vegetarian food is just around the corner from you, wherever you are in the country. You just need to keep an eye out.

We Filipinos are very familiar of festivals. With more than 7000 islands here in the Philippines, just imagine the number of festivals we celebrate in a year. Do we think that’s enough? Apparently, one cannot have too many festivals. On the 13th of October 2011, Appetite, together with Shangri-la Mall presented the Appetite Restaurant Festival to food writers, food photographers, food bloggers, and every kind of food enthusiasts.

Pages' Deli Meat Platter

Before going to the Appetite Restaurant Festival, I have prepared myself for a night of feasting so I did some chores which required walking from one mall to another. Finally, hungry from all that walking I headed to Shangri-la Mall for the upcoming festivities at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. Oh boy, did I have plenty to feast my eyes and mouth!

Cravings' Chicken A La Pobre

By now you might be thinking “what kind of festival is cooking at Shangri-la Mall”?

That was also my question when I arrived at Shangri-la Mall so I first stopped by at C2 Cuisine which I later learned is also one of the participating restaurants in the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The friendly C2 Cuisine staff instructed me to go to the ground floor where the Appetite Restaurant Festival will be held. I was thirty minutes early which is a good thing because I had all the pleasure of taking pictures of the different food selections at my pace.

I also had time to think about what to eat and try. There are lots (and I mean lots to choose from) and one can easily feel prey to gluttonous indulgences. After reaching the end of the station for pictures, the beginning of the festivities started.

Appetite Restaurant Festival Passport

Airplane Flight Theme

Apparently the theme is an airplane flight and that the guests are the passengers. Each passenger is given a passport which they have to show to each restaurant station for them to partake what the restaurant is offering. After the passenger receives his or her food, the passport is stamped which means that you have visited that station already. Apparently return visits were discouraged that time to accommodate other passengers.

Appetite Restaurant Festival filled the Shangri-La Mall Activity Area

By the way, the head flight crew is Sam O who donned a sexy flight attendant outfit. She introduced the representatives from Appetite Magazine and Shangri-la Mall who welcomed all the guests to try this one stop shop at the Appetite Restaurant Festival. The idea for the Appetite Restaurant Festival is to enjoy different cuisines coming from different locations: Asian, Mediterranean, American and European in just one stop which is Shangri-la Mall.

The Best from Classic Cuisine - C2

Lemongrass

What do I think of the concept? I love the idea! This is simply because it gives me choices on what to eat. I have a few favorite restaurants from the participating restaurants like Cravings and C2 Cuisine but I can’t go there every time. At the Appetite Restaurant Festivals I can still get something from the restaurants I frequent to and at the same time try also something new from other restaurants in just one stop. You have the elements of convenience and variety going on in just one location. I can imagine Sunday lunches with family or birthday celebrations being spent in the Appetite Restaurant Festivals.

Dessert Time!

It gives you that Sunday feeling of a laid-back eat-all-you can one-stop shop like the one in San Lorenzo’s place or the Sunday Market at the Lung Center (now moved somewhere!) but inside the mall. So for people who want to enjoy the comfort of an air-conditioned room with the feel of Sunday market menu, I highly recommend trying the Appetite Festival Restaurant.

Other participating restaurants include Lemongrass Asian Bistro, Cafe Provencal, Crustasia, Cyma, Pages, Pepper Lunch, Clawdaddy, Green Tomato, Secret Recipe, Pho Hoa, and Sing Hainanese Chicken House.

Appetite Magazine Dinner Event

Good food from Clawdaddy

I haven’t been back to the Appetite Restaurant Festival but I told the boys we ought to try it out after we get back from our diving trips. So far I want to know who has tried it too. Have you?

What was your experience during the Appetite Restaurant Festival? Drop me a link, a comment, or anything! I am really interested to know what you think of the Appetite Restaurant Festival.

Simply Thai Restaurant

Indulge your Thai cravings at the new restaurant at Greenbelt 5 called Simply Thai. Owned by the same group of the successful Thai at Silk in Serendra, Executive Chef Cecile Chang-Ysmael yet again left no stone unturned for this newest endeavor, giving the classic Thai cuisine a modern-contemporary approach.

Her passion for Thai dishes is infallible, constantly in search for the best ingredients and supplies in her second home, Bangkok, to bring authenticity to Filipino diners and weary travelers who craves for a hearty Thai meal that only she can serve best.

Your Thai cravings will surely be satisfied with wide ranges of soup, salad, stir-fried dishes and many more. To name some of their bestsellers are the appetizing Yam Som O or the Pomelo Salad, North Thai Steak in jim-jaew sauce, Lamb Shank Mussaman Curry, Pork Stew in Coconut Juice, Choo chee Roti, Sriracha buffalo wings, and the famous air-flown Dungeness Crab in three sauces. The spiciness level can be adjusted to your liking.

Bar, Simply Thai

Complete the flavors of Thai with a brewed Thai Green Milk Tea, Thai Milk Tea, Lemongrass and Pandan Juices. Relax and take a sip of some cocktails which are the first in Manila such as Lemongrass Martinis, Thai Choco Dream and Melodious Mangorita! The quaint restaurant comes with a circular bar for diners who prefer to lounge outdoors.

Let Simply Thai give you the whole Bangkok experience in one amazing night with your family and friends.

Simply Thai accepts booking for events, private parties and the like, with a choice of main or garden al fresco dining in Greenbelt 5. Call 7290860 or 7296860 for reservations.

*Written by resident NomNomClub writer Renz Alcantara.