Entries Tagged 'New Brews' ↓

26th Bistro CBT

More commonly known as ‘CBTL’, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf turns 50 this 2013 with an extraordinary celebration. Going beyond being the pioneer of the original ice blended drinks and the first to offer tea lattes, CBTL recently unveiled its latest unique dining concept by the name “26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf”.

Dipping its fingers into the full-service restaurant industry, CBTL intends to deliver ‘#everydayextraordinary’ dining experiences to its customers through its everyday meals that are of high quality while maintaining affordable prices.

Salmon Fishcake

The #EverydayExtraordinary Dinner

This is exactly what we experienced last week when NomNom Club was invited together with a long table full of food writers and bloggers. We got to try taste-sized servings of some of the best of what their menu has to offer, from soup to dessert.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

We started with a medium-sized salad plate of Salmon Fishcakes with Greens (P345). The basic mixed greens was complemented well with the balsamic vinaigrette while the pan-fried Norwegian salmon cakes with smoked paprika aioli beside it was cooked just right.

I started the meal right as it turned out later on that this was my favorite dish of the night.

Salmon Fishcakes with Greens

Wild Mushroom Soup

The appetizer was followed by a good serving of Wild Mushroom soup (P225). I’m not so much a fan of mushroom soups but this one was good. It’s flavorful concoction was due to the fact that it was a combination of button, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms. The latter dominated the taste.

Wild Mushroom Soup

Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

The entrees was started by the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine (P395) which is a white sauce-based linguine pasta served with seared tiger prawns and shiitake mushrooms. I love prawns and needless to say, the dish was gone in a dash.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

From light to heavy, the second dish – Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala (P475) – will fill your craving for meat as the pan-roasted steak was fork-tender. Completing the dish was potato gratin and marsala sauce on the side.

Hanging Tender Steak with Potato Gratin & Marsala

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

Chocolate Lava a la Mode

With the series of good food, my expectations for my well-anticipated dessert/s was high. Sadly, similar to another food blogger across the table, it fell short as we expected the Chocolate Lava a la Mode (P235) to be more moist with some actual ‘chocolate lava’ at the center.

Nonetheless, the chocolate cake was generally ‘ok,’ The others had the apple crumble a la mode.

Breakfast. Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks

The 26th St. Bistro by The CBTL caters to the whole day foodie from breakfast to lunch and dinner, including in between snacks and coffee. The restaurant is brimming with yuppies and executives from surrounding buildings and offices around Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Pepper being added to the Tiger Prawn & Shiitake Mushroom Linguine

For breakfast, I’d like to try the following soon: Toblerone Pancakes with Salted Caramel and Peach Stuffed French Toast, savory Steak & Eggs and Smoked Salmon Florentine, and the Tapsilog-inspired Filipino breakfast served with U.S. Angus Beef Tapa and Baked Pesto Tomato.

The lunch and dinner menu has a selection of light and heavy salads, soups, pastas and entrees including Spinach and Blue Cheese Farfalle, Slow Roasted Braised Beef Short Ribs, and Lamb Chops with Ratatouille and Rosemary Marble Potatoes.

They also have an expanded range of sandwiches including the vegetarian option Portobello Mushroom Ciabatta.

For desserts, I look forward to trying the Pannacotta Sampler paired with a cup of hot African Sunrise tea, the decadent Turtle Pie, Apple Crumble ala mode, and any of the Chicago–Blueberry–Toblerone–Triple Decker family of cheesecakes in my next visit.

Of course they also serve the signature CBTL coffee and tea beverages plus imported wines and beers.

The 26th St. Bistro distinguishes itself from the usual Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branches with its larger and more comfortable dining area, as expected from a full-service restaurant. The ambiance is also upscale while maintaining the relaxed atmosphere.

#EverydayExtraordinary @ 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
26th St. corner 5th Avenue
Bonifacio Global City
Twitter/Instagram: @CBTLph

Everyday Extraordinary Colors of the CBTL

Join their tagline and share your #everydayextraordinary experience in Facebook, Twitter or Instagram whenever you visit the 26th Street Bistro. They also have a branch for those in the Ortigas business district at the East Wing, 5th Level of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Similar to the cronuts craze to some extent, tonkatsu restaurants are starting to sprout like mushrooms in the foodie scene to satisfy the public’s craving for some deep fried ‘pork cutlets’ with the crispy appeal. And if you are one of the katsu lovers in the Philippine metro, then you should check out the newly opened Tonkatsu by Terazawa.

Continue reading →

Max’s Adobong Kangkong is a staple favorite in the family. This is specially true with one of my aunts, she never fails to order ’em every time she visits any Max’s Restaurant. Continue reading →

I had lived within the vicinity of Kapitolyo in Pasig for a year or two sometime between 2001 to 2004. It was already a foodie haven back then. Home-based food establishments can be found left and right and I used to have a simple dinner in a street corner restaurant called Cafe Juanita.

Spam Sandwich Waflle

Ten years later, surrounding towns have  developed such as the nearby community of Avida Towers Centera along Reliance Street. A stone’s throw away from the Kapitolyo food streets, Avida Towers Centera is a residential condominium located at the corner of EDSA, Reliance, and Mayflower Streets.

Kapitolyo Food Tour

Last weekend, a day before the recent typhoon Maring devastated parts of Metro Manila, we had a day of food tripping around Kapitolyo together with some guys from Avida Land. I immediately noticed that there were a lot of new food establishments, with some replacing even formerly non-food establishments.

Milky & Sunny

First stop was Milky & Sunny for our breakfast. With interiors in the theme of baby-blue and white, it really sets you in the mood for the morning sunshine. Milky & Sunny had just opened in October of 2011 and I’m loving their fluffy soft waffles and tasty-toasty french toast.

Milky & Sunny in Kapitolyo Pasig

I ordered the Choco Hazelnut French Toast (P150) and Spam Sandwich Specials (P150). The others ordered the famous Breakfast Platters which is a big plate consisting of a choice of three from bacon, hotdog, sausage, spam, and corned beef. Then add a choice of bagel, toast, waffle, or pancake. And finally, take a choice of scrambled egg or sunny side up. The big plate also includes hash potatoes.

Although I found the combination of their Spam and egg in the ‘Spam Sandwich‘ a bit too salty together, the Choco Hazelnut french toast was a good one and is worth coming back to.

Chocolate Hazelnut French Toast

Since it would be crazy to immediately jump to Poco Deli for lunch, we found it a perfect time to check out the model units of the nearby Avida Towers Centera. Check out my photos of Avida Centera here.

Poco Deli Kapitolyo

Poco Deli

Giant sausages, bacon rice, and bacon slabs were the celebrities for lunch.

It was raining different kinds of sausages in our table inside Poco Deli. It gave me flashbacks of the movie “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” which I watched recently through ClickPlay app.

Anyhow, our group made sure we ordered different entrees so we can try out as much. I ordered Mom’s Pot Roast (P320) while the rest had a German Sausage Platter/sampler, Bacon Slab with Bacon Rice, and Beef Stew, among others.

Although my order didn’t came through, I told the waiter that it was ok since I had enough from tasting all the entrees around me and was satisfied.

Blackout Chocolate Cake (lower left); Italian Sausage with Cheese (right), White Mountain Cake (upper left), Citrus Delight (upper right)

The German sausage platter is a good idea to share in a group of 3 to have some guide on what to order next. Bacon lovers should try the Bacon Slab with Bacon Rice (P320) [TOP PHOTO]. For a change, have your bacon in chunks. I had high expectation from the bacon rice. But it turned out to be a simple cup of rice with generous sprinkles of bacon bits on top. I think it’s ok, I just expected a lot.

Although that was a  let down, you should not miss the Citrus Delight (120). A bit citrus-y and sweet, it was ultimately refreshing. Make sure to press on the orange slices and stir well so you get maximum pulp bits with every sip.  Pizza, pasta, cold cuts, cheeses, and gourmet sandwiches are the other options.

The desserts were also a killer. The Blackout Chocolate Cake(P155) is aptly named and will get all praises from chocolate lovers, most probabaly. If you are not, the other cake behind is tamer – the White Mountain Cake (P150).

Poco Deli has another branch in Ayala Triangle Gardens, or so their poster says. Checking that out is something I look forward to.

Charlie’s Grind & Grill

Charlie’s Grind and Grill

Natural-Cut French Fries

Straight from lunch, we headed to the next for merienda [snacks] (yes you read that right). That’s what we did all day – eat; this is a food tour after all.

Store design wise, don’t expect much from Charlie’s. It is beside a car wash station which I think also belongs to the owner. That says it all. But believe it or not, their menu board consists of Black Angus Burgers, Wagyu CheeseBurgers, natural-cut french fries, and related burger variants with a commanding price of P200 up for each burger.

But what caught my fancy most was something I saw for the first time in all the burger joints I’ve been to – the San Miguel Beer Burger. I knew at that moment that I’m not going to leave this place without trying that Beer Burger.

And so I did.

San Miguel Beer Burger

Wagyu Cheeseburger with Mushroom

10 minutes later, it came as served by a rowdy-looking but courteous waiter. Even before you take a bite, you can smell the hint of beer right from the aroma. I uncovered the top bun first and a slew of seemingly sauteed onion and mushroom greeted me. This was followed by the bacon, the meat patty resting on a huge fresh onion and the usual burger conspirators.

I had a bite, turned my tongue upside down and back. Aside from the burger patty, I can taste a hint of beer even with the onion and mushrooms. This was confirmed by the server. It had griddle mushrooms, bacon baked onions, cheddar cheese, mayo,  SMB BBQ Sauce , and the toasted beer bun.

At P350, it is not cheap but worth the experience and having the right to say “I have tried a San Miguel Beer Burger“. It tasted good too! 🙂

Needless to say, I didn’t have to eat dinner that night.

Avida Towers Center 2-Bedroom Model Unit

Avida Towers Centera

In a similar way, the lifestyle being offered by the Avida Towers Centera to its future residents are filled with dynamic activities and food scene such as the Core @ Centera for the fitness and sports buff, the Hub @ Centera for the techie, the Peak @ Centera for a magnificent views of the cityscape; the Serenity Park @ Centera for the peace seeker, and the Shops @ Centera for the city dweller. Know more about Avida condominiums via www.avidaland.com and www.facebook.com/AvidaLandCorp, or call (+632) 848 5200 (within Metro Manila) and 1-800-10 848 5200 (outside Metro Manila).

And that was my fattening Kapitolyo Food Trip last weekend. The following days of being stuck at home, care of typhoon Maring, didn’t help in burning all the calories I gained. 🙂

Milky & Sunny Pancakes

Kidding aside, it was great to discover these new foodie spots in nearby the residential area of Avida Towers Centera and the Kapitolyo food scene.

This. is. life.

For those who haven’t heard it yet, there is an ongoing foodie craze which originated from Dominique Ansel in New York a few months ago and has now hit Philippine shores – Cronuts, a wordplay of ‘croissant‘ and ‘doughtnuts‘.

Krispy Kreme Baked Creations

Krispy Kreme seemingly gave in to peer pressure as the cravings for cronuts has reached hyped levels. We first heard about it from WildFlour Cafe in BGC. Dunkin’ Donuts, Chatime, InterContinental Manila, and Dolcelatte, among others, immediately followed.

The Hot Light Girl came up with their own Krispy Kroissant released as their newest Baked Creations member. The Krispy Kroissant joins the sweetness of croissant and the fancy flavors of doughnuts / donuts.

They started serving it just today – August 15, 2013 – in all Luzon-based Krispy Kreme branches. Similar to other restaurants offering cronuts, it is available only within a limited time frame of 10am to 2pm.

4 Variants of the Krispy Kroissants: Apple Cinnamon (lower left), Chocolate (middle), Vanilla Cream (lower right), and Strawberry (the red one).

Krispy Kreme Cronut Craze!

Krispy Kreme Cronut Flavors

The Baked Creation Krispy Kroissant comes in 4 flavorful variants including the Apple Cinnamon with caramelized cinnamon sugar.

The second one is the Chocolate variant. It is topped with Belgian Chocolate ganache which would surely tickle the fancy of chocolate lovers.

The other two cronut flavors are Strawberry and my favorite – the Vanilla Cream.

I surmise that the Vanilla Cream is somehow the equivalent of the Original Glaze as it is also dipped in sugar glaze.

Furthermore,  it is complemented by the sumptuous vanilla cream in the middle in character of the famous cronuts.

Krispy Kreme Krispy Kroissant Price

Are Cronuts Just Fads? What do you think? Share with us your thoughts in the comments section!

Vanilla Cream Krispy Kreme Kroissant

So if you think you’ve tried all the cronuts around, then the Krispy Kreme Krispy Kroissant should also be on your list. It is affordable compared to other cronuts at only P55 each.

A bonfire is not only found at the beach front encircled by a group of people for an activity, it is also a new restaurant where people can gather for a simple get-together or a  celebration.

Bonfire Restaurant

Replacing Sumosam at the Greenhills Town Center, Bonfire Restaurant opened just a few months ago offering straightforward comfort-food. Although they are slowly getting known for their steaks and baby back ribs, I love them for their pizza more.

Here is a straightforward list of Bonfire dishes you shouldn’t miss: at Bonfire Restaurant

1. Shrimp, Mango, and Alfalfa Salad

Start your meal right with the Shrimp, Mango, and Alfalfa Salad (P185) as appetizer. It’s a handful toss of fresh shrimp, mango, and alfalfa salad combination good for 2 persons. It will clean your palette ready for the main dishes.

Shrimp, Mango, Alfalfa Salad

2. All-in-One Pizza

The All-in-One Pizza is similar to the super supreme pizza which you are familiar with, only better. Topped with ground beef, olives, button mushrooms, bell pepper, and more, It’s a really tasty treat priced at P340 per serving.

All-in-One Pizza

3. Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza

And when you thought you already had All-in-One Pizza above, it just gets better with the Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza (P295). The chicken strips complemented well with the cheese on thin crust highlighted by the brown sauce you can see from the photo. I wasn’t able to confirm though if this was some kind of barbecue-related sauce.

Moreover, it was odd to find grapes slices on a pizza but they’re not bad at all. This is actually the flagship dish in this list; at least for me. It was not named after the restaurant for nothing.

Bonfire Grilled Chicken Pizza

4. Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet

And now for the first main dish – the Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet. Seemingly shy and covered with crispy spinach leaves, the soft dory came with a rich cream sauce and mashed potatoes on the side.

Although a bit expensive at P305 for its size, the taste and symphony of flavors made it all worthwhile.

Pan Seared Creamy Dory and Spinach Fillet

5. Baby Back Ribs

And now for the big boys, you should not leave Bonfire without having a serving of their Baby Back Ribs. The pork ribs are delightfully tender smothered in rich hickory barbecue sauce. It will remind you of your mother’s home-cooked recipe.

It is also served with mashed potato, sweet corn, and some veggies on the side.This one goes for P385 per serving.

Bonfire Baby Back Ribs

Bonfire Smores

Desserts

A meal is not complete for NomNom Club with out desserts. So we tried Bonfire Smores and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake.

The former had chucks of roasted marshmallows in between graham crackers topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzles of chocolate syrup. P125 per serving.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

I prefer the latter however. Although it is almost doubly expensive at P210, the cheesecake-and-cream melody was almost perfect and light. It was a seemingly suitable ending for the heavy pizza and ribs.

Bonfire
Greenhills Town Center (near Gilmore corner Aurora Blvd)
#2 Granada St., Barangay Valencia, Quezon City

Chef Tristan Encarnacion

Cheers to head chef Tristan Encarnacion of Bonfire restaurant. I’m certainly going back even just for the pizza!

With the opening of the new Bonifacio High Street Central last year, new restaurants found a home. One of which is the first Village Tavern branch outside of the United States.

Crispy Clams (P375)

Brought by the Bistro Group to the Philippines with interiors that greet customers with a mix of old tavern yore and hunting lodge, Village Tavern has been one of the most visited restaurants in the area.

And in celebration of one year of serving salads, chicken, pork, and steaks, Village Tavern is has updated its menu recently and gave you another reason to come back for more.

Let’s start with the appetizers:

Fully Loaded Romaine Heart

This serving of salad consists mainly of romaine lettuce and generous blue cheese dressing topped with crispy bacon, red onions, and tomatoes. I think the blue cheese is responsible for the P425 price tag. 🙂

Fully Loaded Romaine Heart (P425)

Crispy Clams

The Crispy Clams is a handful of crunchy niblets of baby clams. The lazy need not worry as they come without shells, ready for consumption. Spice it up a bit with the spicy lemon dip.

Afterwhich you can cleanse your palate with some salad on the side. A serving costs P375.

Roasted Bone Marrow (P295)

Roasted Bone Marrow (Top Photo)

Hold your horses as you are greeted with a huge ‘Roasted Bone Marrow‘. Not a usual appetizer in our common restaurant table, the bone marrow lovers are in for a treat as the half opened bone marrow is ready for scooping – something not recommended to those literally ‘faint of heart‘.

But if you are a bit more cautious or just want to try it out, you could always minimize its health impact by having it with the sourdough bread and apple cider vinegar dip on the side.

Health issues aside, the roasted bone marrow (P295) gets the double thumbs up!

Other small plate offerings you could try are the Spicy Garlic Chicken Wings, and Shrimp Balls with Cilantro Lime.

Main Dishes

And for the stars of the night – the main dishes – Village Tavern offers an exotic Ox Cheek with Truffle Mash and Poached Onions, Kansas Ribs, Lapu Lapu with Pico de Gallo, Cod Fish, Lamb Rack, and the 35-ounce Tomahawk.

We were able to try the latter three and here’s how it went:

Cod Fish

Cod Fish (P525)

Lamb Rack (side view)

The Atlantic cod fish was pan-seared with Spanish chorizo and garlic, and served on a bed of salt roasted potato.

Although I think the fish meat turned out a little tough on our table, it still tasted good and complemented well with the chorizo and garlic.

Don’t forget to squeeze the lime. The serving size is good for two people and costs P525.

Lamb Rack

The Lamb Rack (P675) is the first of my two favorites of the night. With enhanced aroma care of the infused Rosaemary, the lamb was tender and juicy and served with green peas and mint.

Lamb Rack (P675)

Tomahawk 35oz

Tomahawk 35 oz. (P2895)

At P2,895, it should be good, no, very good. And it did not disappoint.

My second favorite of the night was aged, hand-cut, and grilled. Although the Tomahawk beef rib eye steak can be a bit more juicier, the prime cut meat was fork-tender.

The whole 35-ounce steak had a good browning on the outside as well.

Dessert: Frozen Lime Souffle

Frozen Lime Souffle (P295)

We ended the night with a dessert called “Frozen Lime Souffle” which was a layer of light and airy lime infused with frozen souffle.

It was topped with candied lime and walnut powder.

The dessert is ideal for those looking for desserts that are not too sweet. It was a good break from my usual desserts. Price tag: P295.

Chef Josh Boutwood of The Bistro Group & NomNom

The price point of Village Tavern is definitely upscale, nonetheless commensurate to the quality of the food and restaurant service.

Taste the love of these dishes by Chef Josh Boutwood, corporate chef of The Bistro Group. Give the Village Tavern a visit at the 2nd floor of Bonifacio High Street Central.

Crystal Jade Dining-in

If you’ve been to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao in Greenhills, then you might already have an idea what to expect from the newly opened Crystal Jade Dining-In Chinese restaurant in Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City.

But you are not entirely right. Although almost similar in name, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao focuses in dimsum while Crystal Jade Dining-In offers authentic Cantonese cuisine.

Starting w/ the appetizer

Having started in Singapore before expanding to foreign lands, Crystal Jade restaurant has already been known for years for its authentic Chinese cuisines with a twist and exquisite food.

For the unfamiliar, here are some dishes we tried from their menu a week ago:

Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun

The Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun (180/3pcs) is good appetizer that is a bit on the ‘heavy’ side. But you wouldn’t mind it with the tasty oriental style BBQ pork in a  soft bun baked in Hong Kong style bo lo crust.

Baked Bo Lo BBQ Pork Bun

Crispy Duck Sandwich  & Shredded Duck Fruit Salad

Appetizers are most flavorful in Chinese restaurants so much so you can mistake it for a main dish. And the Crispy Duck Sandwich (P680) is one example.

It has eight slices of bite-size duck meat with crispy skin on top. Although not indicated in the menu, it is actually a Peking Duck.

It is also served with a generous and creamy shredded duck fruit salad on the side which complements the crunchy duck sandwich.

Crispy Duck Sandwich

Sauteed Prawn & Scallop with Chicken and Assorted Mushroom Served in Pumpkin

The pumpkin is certainly a looker with a mixture of prawns, scallops, chicken, and assorted mushroom filling.

As complicated as it looks, it is actually a simple sauteed dish. What makes it good are the necessary fresh ingredients (such as the prawns and scallops) and the interesting variety of mushrooms. A perfect dish for mushroom lovers.

I’m not sure though if the pumpkin can be requested to be sliced and served. I didn’t dare ask at that time. 🙂 A small serving costs P680.

Sautéed Scallop & Prawn with Chicken & Assorted Mushroom served in Pumpkin

Braised Pork with Special Sauce + Bun

If you’re Chinese, you’ve certainly had this dish one time or the other.

Their braised pork (P350) looks similar with most Chinese restaurants but certainly tastes among the best. Served with toasted or steamed bun (also known as kua pao), you can put the sweet pork in between. Don’t forget to put a lot of sauce in it.

Surely, one kua pao will not be enough for this dish. Feel free to order another with only a few bucks.

Braised Pork with Special Sauce (served with bun)

Double Boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut

This is the highlight of the day. I haven’t had a dish like this in any Chinese restaurant I’ve been to for the past 34 years.

The Double Boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut (P480) is exactly as its name describes. Served in a half-open young coconut shell, the light-tasting broth was boiled once before it is put in the ‘buko‘, and boiled again while “in” the ‘buko‘ shell.

The crab claw is gigantic and meaty while the mushrooms are perfect with the broth. You can actually put this towards the end of the meal as a great pallete cleanser as well. :p

Double-boiled Crab Claw Soup with Superior Mushroom in Fresh Coconut

Chilled Avocado Pudding & Pomelo

The Chilled Avocado Pudding (P180) is a refreshing break from the flavorful dishes we just had above. The soft pudding will be loved by everyone from kids to adults. The pomelo bits give an interesting texture as well. It’s a bit overpriced for me though.

Chilled Avocado Pudding & Pomelo

Dessert Time!

Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Taro

For a buchi lover like me, the Glutinous Rice Dumpling (P160/3pcs) is a welcome dessert. Although without the external sesame seeds, it is covered with coconut shreds whose texture complements the taro filling.

Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Taro

Crystal Jade Dining In
Bonifacio High Street Central,  Taguig City
Contact Nos. (+632)808-5233; (+632)519-8191
11 am to 11 pm

Crystal Jade Dining-In

For someone who is used to eating Chinese food for most of his life, Crystal Jade Dining-In offers both Chinese and non-Chinese palettes an interesting take on most of our usual Chinese menu. It has your regular favorites, new dishes, and at the same time offers new ones with interesting twists as well. Albeit at a higher price point than your regular Chinese restaurant, a trip to Crystal Jade Dining-In will be worth your while…and bill.