What Diet? | Tim Ho Wan

This Michelin-starred restaurant recently opened a branch here in the Philippines. It is located at Ground Floor Fashion Hall at SM Megamall.

I was wise enough to eat here at around 3 pm where the line still hasn’t morphed into a sleeping anaconda. I was able to get a table around 15 minutes of waiting.

Tim Ho Wan is famous for their pork bbq buns (P145 for 3 pieces). And of course, that is what I ordered.

The light buttery hot bread is stuffed with savory pork that is guranteed to feel like a party in your mouth. No wonder people patiently line up for this. The sweetness of the bread blends perfectly with the spices of the pork bbq.

I also ordered my ever favorite hakaw or Prawn Dumplings (P160). It was okay, a bit bland for my liking. I guess it’s just not one of their specialties.

The staff are numerous and attentive. I would want to try other items on their especially the dumplings. I would go back but I’ll make sure I don’t run into a long line. 😉

What Diet | La Piadina

After my frustration with the long line at the movies, I wandered around and stumbled across this small Italian restaurant at Glorietta. La Piadina is located at 2/F Glorietta 4.

First thing I noticed that the service was kinda slow. I had to call the attention of the staff for the menu. I ordered the combo meal of two pasta dishes with grissini di pizza (basically a breadstick) (P390).

I ordered a red sauce and white sauce combination. For the red sauce, I picked Penne Amatriciana with bacon and onions and for the white sauce, Spaghetti Marinara with assorted seafood in light cream sauce.

The penne amatriciana was advertised as spicy. It was ok but I expected a bit more of a kick. The dish would have been a lot better if it was spicier. I liked the spaghetti marinara better but the noodles were kinda soggy, making the sauce runny.

Over-all, the food was alright, but a little bit pricey for the quality. Check their menu here.

What Diet? | Saboten

Imagine my surprise when Saboten opened another branch! And praise all heavens, it’s conveniently near my workplace.

I stopped by this newly-opened Saboten, its branch on Ground Floor Glorietta 5. Original branch is at Serendra, Taguig. With high ceilings, one immediately feels a sense of affluence about the place. The attentive staff immediately seated me on my table for one. 😉

I ordered the medium Original Loin Set (P375). This includes a portion of fat on the pork cut. If you’re avoiding the fat, the Tenderloin Set is for you. Shredded cabbage was served for starters along with some vegetables.

These are all refillable. I filled those cabbages with the sesame dressing and asked for second, even third helpings.

I grounded the sesame seeds using the wooden pestle. The seeds are mixed with the signature tonkatsu sauce for the pork cutlet.

Shortly after, the star of the set arrived. The tonkatsu, crispy and golden is served on a platter with rice on a separate bowl.

It was crispy and soft, and perfect when dipped with the signature tonkatsu sauce. Tonkatsu sets are absolutely one of my favorite food in the world. One thing I noticed was that the sauce in Saboten was stronger, more tangy than the one in Ginza Bairin.

I asked for another helping of rice but decided against for a third one. I took home the remaining tonkatsu.

As I was leaving, they gave me a P200 voucher. This is the cherry on top of a fantastic dining experience. 🙂

And yes, I will definitely be back and use this. Got any takers to join me? 🙂

Check their menu here.

What Diet? | Namnam

My college friends and I wanted to catch up so we scheduled lunch last Monday. I was craving for good Filipino food so I suggested Namnam. This is located at Greenbelt 2 (below Burger Bar).

We wanted variety and proceeded to order a bunch of food. We tried their famous Bagoong Rice. It has such rich flavor that for me, it can be eaten on its own, without any viands.

For seafood, we ordered the small Overloaded Garlic Bangus Belly(P165). This dish is really tasty. Bonus points that I like garlic on just about every dish.

For pork, we ordered their high-blood inducing large House Crispy Sisig(P365). It’s so good yet it’s so sinful. It seemed like tiny bits of lechon kawali placed on a sizzling pan. My friends and I just said “Fuck it. Bata pa naman tayo, eh.” 😀

We wanted soup so we ordered the large Sinigang na Beef Short Rib and Watermelon(P720). A little on the pricey side but damn, that was good sinigang. The watermelon softens the sourness a bit but is not overpowering. The beef short ribs were soft and tender. Its hot, rich soup is a perfect blend to the other viands.

The serving in this restaurant is ample and you get your money’s worth. But we’ll take it easy next time as all the food we ordered were on the rich and flavorful side. 😉 Check their other dishes, Filipino food with the right kind of twist here.

What Diet? | Zark’s Burger x Snow Creme

It was my friend’s birthday last Friday so we went out to celebrate. I suggested we eat at Zark’s Burgers located along Katipunan Ave, QC.  I have never been to this restaurant and I already heard so much.

Zark’s definitely does not skimp on the serving. I ordered the Jawbreaker (P250). This burger comes with a challenge: Eat it under 5 minutes and it’s free. I decided I will not pressure myself with this ridiculous challenge and just take my sweet time devouring this TRIPLE patty burger with Spam, bacon and cheese on top. This is a carnivore’s answered prayer.

Its bigness in size is parallel to its flavor. The patty is so tasty and cooked to well-done goodness. I was not able to finish my burger (It’s that big) so I took it home for breakfast the next day. 😉  Check out their other meat goodness here.

We decided to have desserts at a relatively new place in Maginhawa Street: Snow Creme. They serve Milk Tea and other beverages but their specialty is shaved ice in varying flavors. You can create your own mix but I wanted to try a recommended mix. I ordered the medium Black And White mix (P95) which was a dark chocolate flavored ice shaving with pudding and pearls.

It was smooth and creamy. I like that it was not overly sweet but it was not really a dark chocolate flavor.  I preferred the mix that my friend ordered, Golden Mango. It was a perfect blend of dairy and fruit. It also comes with pudding and fresh ripe mangoes.

 

Check the other mixes or their milk tea flavors here.

What Diet? | Buffalo’s Wings and Things

Prepare for an onslaught of posts about food. Well, mainly because it’s the easiest to write about. 🙂

I dated myself (Yes, that’s my thing) to a comfort food dinner at Buffalo’s Wings and Things. It’s just near my office and is located at Solaris One Building in Makati.

For starters, I ordered Nachos with Jalapeno Cheese Sauce (P129).  Tip: If you check in here on Foursquare for the first time, they give you free Nachos N’ Salsa. 🙂

The nachos were a bit oily and paired with cheese makes for a very rich appetizer. Since the wings came in much later, I was kinda stuffed from eating the nachos.

For the wings, I ordered a half-pound New York’s Finest (P149). The basket contained around 6 pcs of wings, perfect for a lone customer.

They surely don’t call it Champion Buffalo Wings without a reason. The sauce was so good that you do not need an extra dip for these bad boys. It was tangy with a kick but does not leave your mouth on fire. Needless to say, I loved these wings.

They do have other flavors, some of which provide more heat (For those that feel adventurous). They even put up a “Wall Of Fame” for people who have conquered these fiery wings.

Service was a bit slow but I didn’t mind since I was not in a hurry. Feeling curious to try their food? Check their menu here.

What Diet? | A Veneto x Sonja’s Cupcakes

Hell yes, I am a writing machine today. I am cleaning up a ton of backlogged posts.  Haha.

My college friend and I met spontaneously last March. I suggested we eat dinner at A Veneto (located at Glorietta 3) because I was kind of craving for Italian food. One thing I like about A Veneto is the huge serving. We ordered Nut-Pesto with Chicken (P260). The pasta was great. The nuts were a subtle addition and does not overpower the pesto flavor. The chicken was a nice complement with the pasta.

I was not feeling creative so I just ordered the 10″ Special Pizza (P270). It was stuffed and heavy with toppings. My friend and I were really full by the time we finished the pizza.

A Veneto is a place for people who have big appetites. Huge servings without the huge cost. Check their menu here.

After eating dinner, we grabbed some dessert at Sonja’s Cupcakes. I have already tried their Red Velvet cupcake so I mixed things up and ordered Peanut Butter Nutella (P105).  It was ok, though the cupcake bread itself was a bit dry.

 

My friend ordered the Pepper Cupcake. It was a chocolate cupcake infused with cayenne pepper. Weird, right? But it was good. The kick from the pepper slowly surprises you. It does not take over the chocolate flavor and is actually a nice gimmick for a cupcake. 🙂 Too bad I was not able to take a picture.

What Diet? | Yang Chow

Wow, I haven’t written in a super long time. And of course, for my new post I will be talking about food. 🙂

I met my long time friend for dinner and we ate at Yang Chow, located at Centris Walk (near MRT Quezon Avenue Station). As you know, I love Chinese food so this restaurant sits very well with me. 😉

For appetizers, we ate chicken feet (P75) and my ever favorite hakaw (P85). The chicken feet was tender and of course, who goes wrong with hakaw?

For the main course, we ordered Fried Spare Ribs with salt and pepper (P200) and Yang Chow Fried Rice (P180).  I loved their fried rice so I definitely had multiple servings. The spare ribs were delicious but it seemed too salty for my liking. I think it was best if it was dipped in the vinegar sauce but sadly, I hate vinegar.

Yang Chow is an affordable Chinese restaurant which gives you value for your money. 🙂 Check their menu here.

 

What Diet? | Ginza Bairin

My craving for tonkatsu was at last satisfied. After work, I decided to eat at Ginza Bairin located at Ground Floor, Glorietta 2. This restaurant is know for its katsu.

I ordered the large Rosu Katsu (P395) set which is pork loin with a portion of fat. If you want a leaner version, order the Hire Katsu set. This set includes miso soup, shredded cabbage, rice and fruits for dessert. I started with the cabbage with creamy sesame dressing. Do not be afraid to devour this cabbage since they refill it if you ask for more. The same goes for the rice. (I had three cups!)

The pork was tender and deep-fried to perfection. The pork dipped in the signature tonkatsu sauce with crushed sesame seeds is a winner. The fat melts in your mouth. The price is indeed justified with the quality of the food and service. The staff were attentive and service time is fast. 🙂

If pork is not to your liking, there are other katsu sets available. Check their menu here.

What Diet? | Mad Mark’s

This is another Becky Eats Alone escapade. I was walking to the bus stop when I decided I wanted to eat at the newly-opened Yabu in Glorietta 5. But because of its “I’m new!” hype, I was 20th on the waiting list. Nope, not waiting for that.

I walked to the neighboring restaurant and spotted Mad Mark’s, still located at 2/F Glorietta 5. Their specialty is steak and homemade ice cream. Yes, sign me up!

I’m not an expert in steak and I’m borderline carnivore so naturally I liked their 1-inch slab of meat cooked to medium goodness. I ordered the Signature Regular steak with 2 side dishes: Garden Grains (a fancy name for fried rice) and Bacon potato salad (P285). I have never tried medium steak before so I was a little disconcerted with the color of the meat but it was delicious. Juicy and tender meat paired with bootstrap steak sauce.

The dessert was an absolute winner. I ordered 1 scoop of the Javan Hot Chocolate (P85). It was heaven. Imagine a hot chocolate made into ice cream with a hint of coffee. The serving was not bad for the price.

I’d like to try the other flavors because I bet they’d be super good too. I definitely will because there’s always a time for ice cream. 😉