
Magnolia Town Center
Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom, Eat, Nomnomnom
June 9th, 2014 — Affairs, Appetizer, Beverage, Cravings, Cuisine, Dessert, European, French, Fusion, Japanese, Mexican, New Brews, Promos / Events, Thai, Western

Magnolia Town Center
June 5th, 2014 — Casual, Cravings, Cuisine, Fusion, Korean, New Brews, Ortigas, Restaurants, SM Megamall, Where To Eat

Kyochon Philippines

Kyochon Original
Their star offering, are of course – the Kyochon Chicken. It is offered in four (4) variant series – Original (Kyochon series), Honey (Honey series), Spicy (Red series), and the Soonsal series.
The first variant is a crunchy and crispy chicken with a light taste of garlic and soy which is a good starting point if you’d like to eventually try all four.

Honey Series
The second one is my personal favorite. The honey series is the sweetest among the four because of the honey glaze sauce covering its crispy chicken skin. Did you know that the chicken is marinated for 24 hours in a special seasoning then fried and coated with natural honey sauce?
The third variant is for spicy-chicken lovers. It uses Kyochon’s original hot sauce made from Korea’s hottest red chili peppers. Surprisingly, I liked this as well because its level of spiciness was tolerable and just right for my taste.

Red / Spicy
Finally, the Soonsal series is a special rice-battered, boneless and skinless breast-thigh meat. It comes with a choice of 3 dipping sauces. Among the four, I think it’s the KyoChon honey chicken which would click with Filipinos because of it’s sweeter profile.

Soonsal Series
For WINGS, a ‘small‘ order consists of 5 pcs of chicken and costs P149. The ‘medium‘ order has 10 pcs at P290 while the ‘large‘ order with 20pcs is at P540.
For DRUMSTICK, a ‘small‘ order consists of 2 pcs of chicken and costs P149. The ‘medium‘ order has 4 pcs at P290 while the ‘large‘ order with 8pcs is at P540.
Tip: Cost-wise for both wings and drumsticks, the small and medium orders are similar. You can only save with the large order.
The Soonsal pricing is similar to the drumsticks as indicated above. Other soonsal variant includes Soy Soonsal, Soonsal Ricebowl, and Soonsal Salad.

Kyochon Salad with Blueberry Sauce

Kyochon Chicken Arrives in the Philippines
A particular Kyochon difference I noticed from other Korean fired chicken in the market would be its sauces. Kyochon Chicken are more moist and sauce-heavy in the glaze which is a good thing. The Original Kyochon series sauce is a mix of garlic and soy while the Honey series uses real honey. The Red series uses domestically grown red pepper concentrate

Potato Wedges
The other Kyochon dishes we were able to try were the salad with blueberry sauce (P120++), wedge potato (P150) and Kimchi Fried Rice (P99).
They also serve Barley, Corn, Green, and Sparkling Tea at P70. The barley tea I was able to try was plain and simple. If you want your drink without the fancy mix, then they’re for you.
They also serve beers like San Mig Light, Pale Pilsen, and Premium SMB at P65.
Perhaps I’d try their Chili Chicken Steak Rice and Galbi Chicken Steak Rice, both priced at P280, in my next visit.

Kimchi Fried Rice
Lastly, I highly recommend KyoChon’s combo meals. They are wallet-friendly considering that it’s a served restaurant and not fast-food:

Barley Tea (right) & Green Tea (left)

Kyochon SM Megamall
Kyochon started in South Korea as early as 1991. With a tagline “Chicken Like You Never Had Before,” Kyochon Korea has established its iconic Kyochon Chicken.
KyoChon Philippines strategically choose to open its first branch in SM Megamall, in particular at building B which houses the newest mall wing – the Mega Fashion Hall. In fact, it was part of the recent Mega Food Tour as curated by top blogger Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet.

Kyochon Industrial Interiors
Moreover, SM Megamall is situated at the center of Metro Manila, not too far from Makati, and still considerably reachable from Quezon City.

Kyochon Philippines Prices
Kyochon offers three core promises. The first of which is that they offer good dining experience because they “are not fast-food“. This is followed by their commitment to serve only good and healthy chicken. And finally, the use of all natural ingredients so you can be assured that their pickled radish does not contain lacier acetic acid, sodium saccharine, and no MSG.

The 4 Kyochon Korean Fried Chicken Series
May 29th, 2014 — Casual, Cravings, Cuisine, Fusion, New Brews, Pizza / Pasta, Restaurants, Western

Shakey’s Philippines

Shakey’s Favorites
Last week, Shakey’s Philippines introduced a new innovation in their line-up of offerings – the Shakeys Pizza 1954. It was introduced to the media and a couple of bloggers at the Shakey’s Katipunan branch. They unveiled a contemporary gourmet pizza which brings the goodness of freshest ingredients coupled with a unique crust to come up with an awesome new offering.

Shakey’s Pizza 1954
The new Shakey’s Pizza 1954 highlights a new chewy, soft, and delectable dough base pizza customers will love. It is then made more special with juicy slices of Italian sausage, Angus beef, pepperoni, 100% Mozzarella cheese, red onions, and topped with rosemary, Basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese.
We were able to try a few slcies and eventually consumed everything. 🙂 They say “the secret’s in the crust” using a unique crust and a combination of fresh ingredients. I think that’s true especially when paired with chunks of Angus beef. Add to that the herbal aftertaste care of the Basil leaves.
It’s a tasty and delicious throwback indeed that can bring you all the way back to 1954! 🙂

Shakey’s Pizza 1954: “the Secret’s in the Crust”
And what do you know, Shakey’s Katipunan branch uses Flat Technology for their tables. Flat Technology is a patented Australian technology which makes table dining experience stable and hassle free.
Have you had your coffee spill on your lap or your tea cup turned on the table just because one of the table’s foot is unstable?

Shakey’s Pizza Slice
The simple problem of wobbly tables has plagued the Philippine restaurant industry for decades and Filipinos usually just “sweep the problem under the rug“. Well, I guess its time to eleveate the customer experience and give diners what they deserve – a sturdy and steady table. And I’m glad Shakey’s Katipunan knows that by using Flat Technology-equipped tables.
May 27th, 2014 — Beverage, Casual, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Cuisine, Fusion, Quick Service, Restaurants

Starbucks Reserve Coffee
May 23rd, 2014 — Affairs, Appetizer, Bar/Grills, Beverage, Buffet, Casual, Chinese, Cravings, Cuisine, Dessert, European, Filipino, Fine Dining, French, Fusion, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, New Brews, Ortigas, Pizza / Pasta, Promos / Events, Quick Service, Restaurants, Sinaporean, SM Megamall, Spanish, Steakhouse, Sweet Shops, Western, Where To Eat

Arabian Coffee Maker @Lugang Cafe
May 19th, 2014 — Affairs, Casual, Chinese, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Cuisine, Filipino, Fusion, New Brews, Promos / Events, Quick Service, Restaurants, Western

Figaro Taipan Place
Figaro, the first Filipino coffee company, brings the Filipinos’ favorite Rice Meals all day any day. Choose from delectable Classic Asado, Pork Tenderloin in Asian Pesto Sauce (top photo), Traditional Adobo, and Breaded Fish with Plum Sauce for Php 199.
The first one is a bite of sweet Classic Asado Rice Meal composed of slices of Chinese-Filipino braised pork asado with rice and a cup of Figaro’s 8oz brewed coffee. The second one is a garlicky Pork Tenderloin Rice Meal (top photo) drizzled with Asian Pesto Sauce served with cucumber and tomato salsa with rice.

Classic Asado Rice Meal
The last two are the Traditional Adobo and the Breaded Fish with Plum Sauce. The former is symbolic of Philippine
cuisine pride called Adobo. Although different regions in the Philippines have their own unique way of  cooking their adobo, it is basically a soft stewed pork cooked in soy sauce, vinegar and garlic combining sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Figaro‘s version is served with tomato-cucumber salsa and rice to complement the complete Filipino meal.

Traditional Adobo Rice Meal

Breaded Fish Rice Meal
Finally, if you are not in the mood for some meat, you can enjoy the Breaded Fish Rice Meal. The seemingly simple breaded cream dory fish crisp-fried served with cucumber-tomato salsa and rice is made  special and unique with the plum sauce.
After trying all four earlier tonight in a taste-test party at Figaro Taipan Place in Ortigas, NomNom Club highly recommends the Pork Tenderloin Rice Meal in Asian Pesto Sauce. It uniquely combines the salt, sweet, and sour taste into the tender pork hihglighted by Figaro’s sweet pesto sauce.
This is followed by the sweet Classic Asado which taps Filipino’s inclination for sweeter entrees. Lastly, you can
also try the Traditional Adobo Rice Meal.
Figaro also crafted something new for people on-the-go – the Breakfast Sliders. For only Php 139, you get a choice of 2Â from the 4 Breakfast Slider choices with a cup of your favorite brewed coffee.

Figaro Breakfast Slider
The variants include the Egg Slider, Bacon and Egg Slider, Tapa Slider, and Zucchini Slider.
The Egg Slider obviously comes with scrambled eggs and has tomatoes and lettuce to match while the second one includes a crisp-fried bacon. On the other hand, the Tapa Slider has mushrooms and, of course, tapa. The last one is an all-veggie favorite consisting of zuchhini, peppers, grilled eggplant slices, tomatoes and lettuce with a slice of cheese as well.
So grab a bite of sandwich anytime of the day or before going to an important business meeting.

Breakfast Sliders (Php 135): Egg Slider & Bacon and Egg Slider

Figaro Summer Fusion (Banana Mocha, Coco Cappuccino, Lychee Cucumber)
May 19th, 2014 — Affairs, Beverage, Cravings, Cuisine, European, Fine Dining, Fusion, Makati, Promos / Events, Restaurants, Where To Eat

Titania Wine Bar
May 14th, 2014 — Affairs, Cravings, Cuisine, Dessert, European, Fine Dining, Fusion, Makati, Promos / Events, Restaurants, Steakhouse, Where To Eat

Wine Lessons 101