Entries Tagged 'Glorietta 4' ↓

Being a dominantly Catholic nation, Filipinos in general abstain from eating meat this Lenten season. As it may be a challenge for most, here are some seaffood suggestion from Heaven & Eggs as they introduce new heavenly seafood fares which range from light and healthy snacks to inventive main courses.

Heaven & Eggs takes on the classic American street grub, Fish n’ Chips into something exciting. The Fish n’ Chips (P299), with its premium Cream Dory fillets in beer batter, are deep fried and served with tangy tartar sauce dip.

Eat to your heart’s content with the generous serving of Heaven & Eggs’ Pan Seared Cream Dory Fillet in Beurre Blanc sauce for only P310.

They also offer the Shrimp Sandwich P295 (top photo), delectable fresh cubes of shrimps filling prepared with the freshest lettuce and crunchy cucumber in soft French baguettes.

Both light meals come with a choice of house fries or shoe string fries.

For a more delectable and fulfilling meal, you can try the Tuna Fusilli and Pan Seared Cream Dory with Mango Sauce.

Take pleasure in a light and healthy Tuna Fusilli with parmesan-laden French baguette at Heaven & Eggs for P285

Moreover, the Tuna Fusilli has huge chunks of tuna sautéed in olive oil, garlic, slices of black olives and fresh tomato strips, seasoned with Heaven & Egg’s special seasoning. It is also served with French baguette topped with parmesan cheese. Lastly. the seared Cream Dory fillet glazed with whisked butter and mango puree, are served in generous portions with buttered marble potatoes and broccoli in Italian seasoning.

In time for April’s Lent season, Heaven & Eggs Glorietta 4 in Makati City is offering these seafood snacks and dishes for the whole month of April!

Top Food Blogger Anton Diaz at the Cucina Andare Opening

We often visualize trucks as big nasty vehicles on the road. The nearest I could associate it with food are the fruit-delivery trucks from the provinces or the ones used by caterers and big restaurants.

But the Philippine foodie scene just got better as the group behind Mercato Centrale night market, led by Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet and author/celebrity RJ Ledsema, brings the US concept of food trucks to the Philippines. Hence, Cucina Andare was born two nights ago.

Cucina Andare Food Truck Finds: (L-R, T-B) Brother’s Burger, Bundaberg Apple Ale, Chicken Waffle, Beef Shawarma Plare

Mexicombi (Van)

Just in time for the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, the Cucina Andare food truck market is located at the Glorietta Park in front of Greenbelt 3, Landmark, and Makati Shangri-La Hotel. It will be open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 4pm– 3am for the whole of December which started Last December 14, 2012.

It brings together specialty and gourmet food trucks, new and innovative food, drink and pastry vendors from home-based food businesses from around Makati plus some live acoustic performances.

“The food truck is a staple in the American foodie scene…There are now popular gourmet food trucks in San Francisco, New York and Australia, and people follow them wherever they go. We believe it’s about time that food trucks make their debut in the Philippine foodie scene,” shares top food blogger Anton Diaz.

Upper Left: Hungry Rover’s UD Beef Kofta Sliders (Mini Burgers) made of grilled patties, veggies, choice of sauce, and cheese in baked buns with chips on the side. P110

They also launched the Food Truck Association of the Philippines during the opening of the market to encourage more food trucks vendors and related innovative ideas. I think this is the start of a new niche in the Philippine food retail industry.

And what did NomNom Club do there? What else but to eat! And here are our TOP FINDS from the first Philippine food truck market :

1. Gab Sobrepena’s Shawarma Bros Shawarma Truck
   

   Shawarma Bros

2. Hungry Rover truck by Romeo, Joseph, and Voltaire
   

   Hungry Rover: Check out their US Beef Tapa Grilled Wraps for P120

3. QKebab Shawarma Truck by Chef RJ Ungco
   

   QKebab Shawarma Truck by Chef RJ Ungco

4. Brothers Burger Gourmet Burger Truck
   

   Brothers Burger Gourmet Burger Truck

5. Bundaberg Ginger Beer
   

   Bundaberg Ginger Beer & Other Variants

6. GuacTruck Taco Truck – a partnership with the Big Chill
   

   GuacTruck Taco Truck – a partnership with the Big Chill (lower right)

7. MioGelati Gelato Truck
   

   MioGelati Gelato Truck

Best Food Truck

Since the new food truck market is so eye-catching, we can’t help but compare and judge them.  The best-tasting food for the night came from Shawarma Bros courtesy of the Beef Shawarma plate while the Best Food Truck Design goes to QKebab Shawarma & Shawarma  Bros.

QKebab Shawarma Truck

Beef Shawarma Plate by Shawarma Bros

On the other hand, the Best Food Truck Experience belongs to the Hungry Rover truck which even have a dining area inside the truck (good for about 8 people.) for the complete food truck experience.

Hungry Rover Truck

Other food establishments who participated in the food truck market include Mexicombi, Chicken Waffle Haus, Taclings,  Top Dog  Best Hotdogs on the World, Cakes by K, Carlo’s Kitchen, Petra & Pilar, the Spanish Club, and Chef Resty’s Roast Beef Carving Station, among others.

B. Wings creates a unique mix of buffalo wing variants

Taclings’ small malunggay tacos for about P120 a dozen

Cucina Andare Food Truck Market

Know more about Cucina Andare Food Truck Market via www.facebook.com /CucinaAndare and @CucinaAndare on Twitter. Contact them at admin@CucinaAndare.com or 09178401152. See you there again next Friday!

Yoshinoya is one of my favorite quick service Japanese restaurants. Although they often adjust their menu prices upward (specially in the previous year), their service is commendable and food quality is maintained.

Yoshinoya Pihilippines

So it’s always a good news to know when they have something new in their menu. In particular, I was invited to their launch last month wherein they introduced a number of new Yoshinoya dishes and highlighted some existing favorites such as the Shrimp Tempura, but now also served in a bowl .

Here are the new dishes from Yoshinoya Philippines:

Yoshinoya Tokyo Chicken – golden brown pieces of grilled chicken marinated in ginger-infused sauce served with mixed vegetables and steamed white rice.

Tokyo Chicken

Shrimp Tempura – crispy golden brown white prawn and deep fried garnished with a special tendon sauce.

Shrimp Tempura

Tokyo Beef – tender slices of beef with fresh onions sauteed and garnished with seasme seeds and capsicum slices over steaming white rice.

Tokyo Beef

Pork Tempura – breaded pork fillet with sweet potato and eggplant on the side over steaming white rice plus drizzled with special tendon sauce.

Pork Tempura

Veggie Beef – tender slices of beef simmered with onions in a broth of herbs and spices served with mixed vegetables and steaming white rice.

Veggie Beef

Chicken Tempura – breaded chicken chunks with sweet potato and eggplant fan on top of steaming white rice with special tendon sauce

Chicken Tempura

Pork Tongkatsu – deep-fried breaded pork fillet topped with special tonkatsu sauce with cabbage siding over steaming white rice

Pork Tongkatsu

Yoshi Chicken – deep fried and double coated marinated chicken dipped in a special sauce served with steaming rice.

Yoshi Chicken

Among the new offerings, I found the new Yoshinoya Yoshi Chicken most tempting.

Although obviously, it was concocted in response to the new fad of flavored chicken such as Bon Chon, Chicken Charlie, and Chicken Delish, Yoshinoya’s Yoshi Chicken is almost at par with the crunch and the flavor of the sauce.

I enjoyed the taste test and will surely be back to try all those new dishes from Yoshinoya in full servings. 🙂

Remember the “However-You-Want-It Frappuccino Blended Beverage” article two months ago which showed ways to create blended beverages with a variety of syrups, toppings and intensities? Well, here’s some newer flavors Starbucks came up with which will be offered starting tomorrow, June 28!

Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino

Introducing the new Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages!

The Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino blended beverage is a mix of  “matcha powder and black sesame powder, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and black sesame seeds” while Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappucino is made with “soy milk blended with ice, infused with strawberry sauce and topped with whipped cream.”

Want to create something uniquely yours? Here’s how to create your however you want it Frappuccino blended beverages:

Request any milk:

• Nonfat, whole or soy

Choose the coffee intensity:

• Regular, double, triple, decaf

Or choose “cream” for a coffee-free beverage:

• Strawberries & Cream
• Vanilla Cream
• Caramel Cream
• Chocolate Cream
• Chai Cream
• Green Tea Cream
• Chocolate Chip Cream

Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino

Select your syrup or blend of syrups:

• Mocha
• White Mocha
• Mint
• Raspberry
• Vanilla
• Caramel
• Hazelnut
• Classic
• Sugar-free Vanilla

Choose whipped cream, light on the whip or no whip

• Add a topping:
• Mocha drizzle
• Caramel drizzle

I’ve tried and I’ve discovered that I’m lousy at experimenting with my Starbucks concoctions so I guess I’ll settle with trying out the new Starbucks Black Sesame Green Tea Cream Frappuccino and Soy Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino blended beverages first! 😛

I love ice cream cakes since I was a child. And Dairy Queen rekindled it with their newly launched product Mango Cheesecake ice cream cake specially made for the summer season.

Called the Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake, it is made with two layers of creamy vanilla ice cream with real mango chunks in between. Although a little pricey at Php749, it is made with 100% ice cream and topped with icing buttons, mango puree spread,  and chewy cube combination of cheese and grahams. For me, more than just a cake, it’s an experience of having an ice cream cake altogether.

Dairy Queen Mango Cheesecake Blizzard Cake

Mango Festival

DQ: Served Upside Down

It’s a festival of everything Mango at DQ as well. In addition to the ice cream cake, Dairy Queen is offering a myriad of other cool mango concoctions such as 2 new mango blizzards, a smoothie, and citrus coolers.

Mango Blizzards

The 2 new DQ Blizzards are Mango Cheesecake Blizzard and Mango-Pineapple Blizzard.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

The Mango Cheesecake Blizzard is the soft-serve ice  cream version of the cake (also with real mango bits and cheesecake chunks) while the Mango-Pineapple Blizzard is for those who want some citrus sting from the pineapple bits which can be a good contrast to the prior double sweetness of mango and cheesecake. It costs P59/6oz, P79/9oz, P99/12oz, P119/16oz.

Mango Smoothie

I wan’t able to try this but DQ also has s new Mango Premium Fruit Smoothie which is a creamy blend of fresh orange, mango and a creamy soft serve vanilla ice cream. At P79/12oz & P99/16oz, I’m trying these next! 🙂

Dairy Queen Smoothies & Citrus Coolers

Mango Citrus Cooler

Much simpler is the Mango Citrus Cooler which is a blend of lemon and mango fit for a cool summer drink. The citrus coolers are also available in Lemon, Strawberry, Pineapple, and Strawberry Pineapple flavors. P49/12oz & P59/16oz.

Check more information about Dairy Queen (DQ) at www.dairyqueen.com.ph or their Facebook. 🙂

Dairy Queen Blizzard

With Filipino’s penchant for anything cold during the summer season, these blizzards and smoothies will surely be a hit. These flavors were available since early March and will stay at all Dairy Queen menuboards until the first week of May.

“Pwede na akong mamatay” is a local euphemism which literally  means “I can die now.” Indeed, after you have tasted Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza, you could say that without hesitation, especially if you know you are going to Heaven. And well, because your cholesterol shoots up double time. 🙂

Pizza consumption by itself is one  the West’s strongest influence in modern Filipino food culture. The number of competing brands alone speaks for its itself.

The varieties also testify the market’s complex taste and preference of their own pizza. You have the thick, the thin, the stuffed, the pop-ups, and the top thats.

On the other hand, the “Lechon” (roasted suckling pig) is a major food centerpiece for big gatherings, fiestas and celebrations here in the Philippines.

I never thought the day that the lechon and the pizza would meet can actually happen. But Pizza Hut did it. Pizza Hut dared and successfully combined the goodness and crispiness of lechon and the quality of their pizza.

Lechon Pizza Slice

Think of Pizza Hut layered with generous cheese with chunks of lechon meat and slices of the sought-after crispy lechon skin and you have your deadly but delicious Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza.

The skin is not the traditional shiny lechon skin but more of the fried and crunchy. Good thing I liked it more this way. Pizza Hut intentionally air dried the skin separately and adds it as topping on top of the pizza only as it is served. This allows the lechon skin to maintain its crispiness.

Your initial temptation is to pick the crispy lechon skin atop the pizza slice and eat it by itself. But that might  leave your pizza lacking as a whole. I prefer to hold my guns and consume it altogether and experience the crispy lechon skin as I take one bite at a time of the lechon pizza. 🙂

You could also request for the sauce to be held and not immediately spread on top of the pizza as served. Although the lechon pizza sauce is still on the sweet side, it is not as much as your retail favorite Mang Tomas lechon sauce. This can either be good or bad on a person-to-person basis. 🙂

Hold that saliva from dropping. The Pizza Hut’s Lechon Pizza comes in two sizes – medium and large.  The Lechon Pizza price starts at Php 329 for the former with 10 inches and Php 499 for the latter of 14 inches.

You can also have it as part of a special package under the Manila Signature Dishes where it is paired with  other servings and wine for the price of P799.

“Inspired by the popular local favorite, this new flavor celebrates the Filipino creativity and ingenuity.“

Manila Sugnature Dishes 2010:
Pizza Hut Bistro New Lechon Pizza Set P799 (Price still subject to service charge and local tax)

• Medium Lechon Pizza
• Seafood Supremo
• Olive Garden Salad
• 2 Glasses Casillero del Diablo Merlot

It has the rustic burnt lechon aroma you can smell from afar as it comes nearer your table. It is an ultimate dream come true for pizza and lechon lovers. Have the best of both in a single serve. You should not let this ultimate foodie comfort food pass this Christmas holiday season as it is only available until about the end of January next year.

Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza

I recommend the Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza with a thumbs up for those who love pizza and lechon. Be sure to bring family and friends to share it with as  I myself was only able to consume 3 slices. Try one before you die, it’s Pizza Hut Lechon Pizza or forever hold your peace. 🙂

In the Philippines, pizza and pasta would surely compose a foodie’s imagination when we think of Italian restaurants. But for La Piadina, it goes beyond that.

I Crostini

I was able to taste some of their specials during lunch when we visited the newly opened La Piadina in Glorietta 4.

We started our set with La Minestra di Zucca (P160) and I Crostini with liver and tuna pate (P230). The former is a homemade-style pumpkin soup with garlic bread. Good starters for what are yet to come.

It was followed by “I Cappellaci,”(P300) ravioli pasta. Now, it’s no secret that ravioli is my favorite pasta. But the one I blogged about before had meat inside as filling. This one from La Piadina has pumpkin and ricotta cheese.

I Cappellaci - Ravioli Pasta

Ravioli Pasta

Le Piadine

At first, my curiosity was piqued as to how it would taste like. To my surprise, it was a good change. It tasted so fresh. And although it was a complete turnaround from my meat-based ravioli, it was almost as satisfying!

Since you’re in La Piadina, might as well not miss Le Piadine. It’s a variation of Piadina which is a flat, soft, homemade bread usually served warm and originated from the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy.

Next came the main dish Il Trancio di Tonno alle Spezie (P370 – top photo ) . As complicated as it may sound, this is seared tuna fillet seasoned with herbs served with baked potato on foil and mixed green salad on the side. The tuna meat had an admirable fine and soft texture. A good and healthy meal indeed!

La Piadina Linguini - Le Linguine ai Funghi Con Olio di Tartufo

Le Linguine ai Funghi Con Olio di Tartufo (P320) came next. The name is as long as its flat pasta. I find the fresh mix of mushroom, light cream and truffle oil just right for this linguine.

Risotto Scampi - Il Risotto al Pesto con Scampi

And finally, the Il Risotto al Pesto con Scampi (P340) came out. Funny enough, this is only my second time to had risotto as part of my meal. Risotto is an Italian-style rice. In La Piadian’s version, it is cooked in Pesto sauce with fresh shrimps and parmesan cheese.

Chef Giorgio Matera

Chef Giorgio Matera shared that preparing risotto is both hard and tricky. Hard because there’s a lot of processes involved and tricky because it should be made just right – not dry, but not too moist like that of a porridge (lugaw) either.

La Piadina Red Wine

He adds that La Piadina doesn’t have a microwave oven – because dishes are cooked and prepared upon order only. They don’t reheat just to save on cost and focuses more on quality. In a world filled with fast food chains, it’s good to know that we as consumers still have options for freshly made dishes, just like our home cooked meals.

La Piadina (La Cucina Regionale Italiana) is the full service and enlosed counterpart of smaller Piadina Passion Food restaurants. Visit them at the 2nd Floor of Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati, open everyday from 11am to 10pm. You may call 501-3788 for reservations.

La Piadina Italian Restaurant in Glorietta 4, Makati

Chef Matera‘s passion for cooking and preparing Italian dishes is obvious. It was heartwarming of him to prepare it with care, and even mind the minor details. He says that it should be the way Italian cuisine should be cooked – with fresh ingredients and no compromise. I think this is actually the key to La Piadina‘s authentic Italian cuisine taste.