2 LAZCANO PLACE: LITTLE WINE HAUS

      As a testament to how diverse the establishments at 2 Lazcano Place are, there is also a Wine & Tapas place that offers a little solace for those looking to unwind over a few drinks after a long day.. The aptly named, Little Wine Haus. 

8 CUTS:THE BURGASM CONTINUES!

             If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you probably know my affinity for burgers. In a country filled with rice meals, I often find myself on the lookout for the most delicious beef patty (sometimes two or three) slapped between two soft buns. I'm always intrigued when a new burger shop pops up and it becomes imperative for me to try it. 

         When I found out that Burger Bar came up with a "little brother" called "8 Cuts", there was no question in my mind that I had to pay U.P. Town Center a visit once more. Given the pedigree of the Moment Group, I was convinced that 8 Cuts would be nothing short of awesome.

        And I love it when I'm right. 

OUT AND ABOUT AT U.P. TOWN CENTER: TOKYO TONTEKI

               I've been hearing about the growing food haven that is U.P. Town Center for quite some time now, but I unfortunately never had the time to go check it out for myself. During my work "hiatus", Rina and I decided to go with some of our foodie friends to check out the first two restaurants that were kind enough to extend an invitation to us to try their food (Yes, all in one day. One after another. We're Food Bloggers. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.), with Tokyo Tonteki the first on our list.

NOMAMA RAMEN BOWL FEST: FREE RAMEN FOR 60 DAYS!

                   FINALLY!!! I have finally been to Nomama Ramen in Quezon City!! I can't believe I had to wait for Nomama's Second year anniversary before I managed to visit. But no matter.. I visited at the perfect time. Because for their second year anniversary, Nomama and I have teamed up for a little something special for you all. 

            How special, you ask? 

            How does a free bowl of Ramen, everyday, for the next 60 days sound? 

             I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty darn special to me!

THIS IS A HOLDAK!

         Among the cities in the Metro that I would love to explore further, Quezon City would definitely be high up on that list. I know it's not exactly far away, but the sheer size of the city leaves so many restaurants just waiting to be discovered. It's almost unfair because over ten years ago, I was a resident of Quezon City.. and back then, I assure you, it wasn't the restaurant haven it is today. In fact, I was kind of bummed to find out that the exact spot where I used to pick up my ex girlfriend during my college days- The spot that back then, only had McDonald's as a decent place to eat - has been turned into a condominium called "Mezza Residences", and is now filled with intriguing restaurants! The one that caught my attention the most was Holdak.  

          Apparently, the word "Holdak" in Korean stands for, "To fall madly, and deeply in love with Chicken". In all my years as a lover of food, I've never had a fried chicken that had me hearing the music of "Savage Garden" in my head. It seemed like all that would change once I got a bite of Holdak's twice fried chicken. 

Scrumptious Spanish Dishes, Mario's Way! - RinaZ

Rain enjoying her Minnie balloon I bought for her from the streets of Tomas Morato :-)

            It's funny, because I have been familiar with the restaurant Mario's for as long as I can remember, but I never really recall actually dining there. Don't ask why because I'm not sure why either. And when we recently got the chance to try their specials at their branch in Tomas Morato with our little baby girl Rain, I questioned myself more. Their dishes truly are special in their own Mario's way!

          

           Marios has a simple but definitely classy Spanish feel to it's interiors. It's a place where you can have intimate dinners but at the same time a nice place where you can treat your family to a hearty meal! 

          

We started lunch with Mario’s signature Ceasar Salad (P255). You might be thinking, what’s the big deal about a starter Caesar Salad? Well, Mario’s Caesar Salad, is THE BEST Caesar Salad I have ever tasted! It’s so special that they even prepare it table side! 

After tediously making the dressing, it's tossed with fresh lettuce!

 It's then drizzled with bacon and Parmesan cheese! Yum! For the complete step by step, check it out here at Rina's Rainbow!

I took a sip from our friend’s Cucumber Mint Slush. And to my surprise it was quite refreshing! The taste of the cucumber is not as strong and the drink itself is not too sweet. Just right.

Everyone ordered their own dishes and so we didn’t get to try all of it. But here are the photos nonetheless:

Gambas Con Chorizo (P345) is also one of their signature dishes. Shrimps and chorizo combined in garlic olive oil. What’s not to love?

The Millenium Platter (P245). Enjoy a meal of garlic rice, two eggs, and Danggit + Vigan Longanisa! They also have a Daing na Bangus and Chicken Pork Adobo. Choose your pick!

They have Steak and Eggs (P290)! Can't go wrong!

Of course they also have Batangas Beef Tapa (P220) for tapsi lovers!

(FRIED CRABS NA MAY KALABASA SA SIDE)

Soft Shell Crabs in Coco Cream Sauce (P495) looked really good as well! This is one of Mario’s Seasonal Dishes. It is served with plain rice and vegetable of the day.

The Barbecue Spare Ribs (P400) is a sight to behold. Marinated and smothered in Mario’s very own barbecue sauce and served with garlic rice.

I ordered the Filet Mignon (P640) because I saw the description that it was wrapped in bacon, but completely forgetting the fact that filet mignon has zero fat. Pure lean meat. But I still enjoyed it nonetheless especially the mashed potatoes and the bacon.

Another beautiful classic is the Rack of Lamb (P850). Cooked charbroiled and then served with port mint sauce. This one’s pricey but for sure the quality will give justice to it. (I didn’t get to taste sorry!) This is actually one of Mario’s specialties!

The Chicken Parmesan (P350) also looks promising. Looks like a really good creamy comfort food! When I saw this I admit I actually wished I ordered this instead. I just hope they used thigh part instead of breast haha! I’m a red meat kind of person. The chicken breast is topped with a creamy cheese sauce, and fettuccini al burro. 

They also have a steak version which is the Steak Bearnaise (P635). It’s a top grade tenderloin steak served with fettuccine al burro.

And last but not the least, our favorite! Included in the Chef’s Special menu: The creamy and very flavourful Three Mushroom Pasta in Black Truffle Oil with Bacon! Richie is a fan of oil-based pastas (basically because he can’t eat tomato-based ones because of his hyper-acidity). The bacon serving is not bad too! Huge chunks actually. It’s dishes like this that deserves to be framed and displayed. (Oh by the way it also has Shiitake, button, and oyster mushrooms. Was so focused on the bacon that I forgot to mention that. After all it IS called Three Mushroom Pasta haha!)

Okay... this is not a photo of the eye of Sauron or a fire breathing dragon. This is actually DESSERT TIME! And there’s only one way to have an awesome dessert, and that is to do it FLAMBE style! (Ole!!!)

They have three types of famous flambes, Crepes Suzette, Fruit Crepes, and Jubilee (P350) which is what we had. It’s mango, banana or strawberry (depending on season), immersed in liqueurs and then flamed over a delicious vanilla ice cream! All of their flambés are good for two. An inexpensive but very impressive dessert to offer your date! (pogi points!)

Trust me when I say that ordering in Mario’s is hard as everything looks delicious! Mario’s years of experience is apparent in their dishes. You really get what you pay for!  Can’t wait to try their Great Sunday Lunch Buffet! You can check for their latest promotions here. (http://www.marios.com.ph/promo.php)

         Here are just some more mala-"family" photos of our fun luncheon at Marios! but it's not a photo of me, Richie, and Rain. They're photos of our fun blogger friends and adorable Rizzo, the son of the one and only Marty and Tin of Mad Meats who was able to join us that day! Fun fun fun!:-)

Rizzo and Tito Spanky (Pwede na Spanks! hehehe)

Rizzo and Tito Gerry

Having a discussion on what else to order hahaha!

191 Tomas Morato Ave. cor. Scout Gandia

Quezon City

Telephone Numbers:

372.0360 / 415.3887 / 376.6210

Fax Number:

372.0352

Email Address:

mariosqc@marios.com.ph

  

THE LEGEND OF SUZU KIN LIVES ON

             I had heard the legend of a small, hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant, so unassuming, that there's a good chance you would drive past without a second glance if you were driving down Kamagong Street in Makati.

        The legend tells of Prawns, covered in Japanese Breadcrumbs, and deep fried to a perfect crisp. Value Meals  filled with delicious Japanese food yet so unbelievable cheap, you're left in awe at how you're not arrested for grand theft. And how a classic Filipino dish, was given the Japanese treatment, giving it a new oriental spin. 

        That legend has grown to different locations, spreading out to different locations in the metro. I was fortunate enough to be able to finally visit one of the locations, conveniently located in Edsa.

       This is the legend of Suzu Kin. 

A VISIT TO GRANDMOMMA'S KITCHEN - RINAZ

        Remember those days when you come home from school and you rush to your grandma’s bright dainty kitchen and smell freshly baked cookies waiting especially for you? Well, we didn’t really have a dainty kitchen that smelled like baked goodies so I really didn’t get to experience that hehe. But in the hour or so that I was in GrandMomma’s kitchen, that’s exactly how it felt like when I went there for dinner with some blogger friends. 

HUNGRY FOR SOME HOAGIES!

           When choosing a place to eat at, Rina often needs to make it clear to me that she always NEEDS rice in her lunch and dinner meals. She never hesitates to remind me that, because she knows very well that because of my strong Western influence, I'm perfectly all right with having a sandwich for lunch. However, it's going to have to be a pretty bad ass sandwich. I'm not talking about a slice of ham and cheddar on Gardenia White bread. That's totally fine for an afternoon snack, mind you, but its not filling enough for me to consider it as a meal. 

      I'm talking about a large sub on a baked roll or french baguette, stuffed with different deli meats and cheeses (No veggies please, save for caramelized onions, of course)... Popularly known in the Philadelphia area as a "Hoagie". 

     Where could I find such a magnificent creation without having to travel all the way to the "City of Brotherly Love"? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, the restaurant "Hoagies" in SM North Edsa Annex would be a good start. 

YOOGANE, YOU GOT IT BAD...

        I first heard of Yoogane from my blogger friend Richard, the man behind the food blog, Tales From The Tummy. During a trip to Korea earlier this year, Yoogane was one of the places that he had visited, and mentioned that they would be bringing their famous signature dish, "Dak Galbi" to the Philippines. 

       A few days after they opened their doors to the Philippine public, my blogger buddy Glenn Ong asked if I wanted to join him and other bloggers for a taste of what Yoogane had to offer.

      I hadn't had Korean Cuisine since my delicious trip to Bulgogi Brothers , so I was more than happy to go! Not to mention I had never been to Il Terrazzo, and I was hoping to add more entries to my "Quezon City" Label..

      And I wanted to make my mom, a Koreanovela fanatic that made her obsessed with anything to do with the country, jealous hehe.. 

       

DIMSUM BREAK NOW OPEN AT SM NORTH EDSA ANNEX!

     If you haven't read my post about one of my all time favorite restaurants.. Cebu's "Harbor City", I suggest you do first. That way, it might be easier for you to grasp just how deep my love for their dimsum goes. Regardless of their incarnation, whether they were called "Ding How", "Ding Qua Qua", "Harbor City", and the most recent, "Dimsum Break", their Sweet and Sour Pork and Steamed Rice has been a staple in my diet since I was a child.    

       When a fresh graduate of High School from Cebu leaves for Manila, one would think that he would miss his friends most. Call me a horrible friend, but forget them.. Leaving Harbor City's Sweet & Sour behind was one of the most heart wrenching experiences of my life.

      I always had a dream that someday, we would all live in peace and harmony.. And that Sweet & Sour pork that I grew up with would be easily accessible to me.

     Finally, that day has come. 

     On September 29, 2012, Dimsum Break opened their first branch in Manila, at SM North Edsa Annex. 

YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU AT ROBINSONS MAGNOLIA

 

          Whilst my Yabu GC Giveaway was on going, I came across a picture on their facebook page of their Katsu Curry dish. I must express to everyone that joined, especially eventual winner of the GC's, Elinor Semira, how extremely fortunate you all are that I started the giveaway before I saw the picture. Because had I seen it first, there's a very good chance that the P2,000 GC's up for grabs might have downgraded to P1,000.. Possibly even P500.. Or I wouldn't have had a giveaway at all! 

       Seriously though, I promised Rina that I'd be taking her back to try the Seafood Katsu, so during the recent Four day weekend, I thought it would be a good time to go. So one Fine Saturday morning, I took Rina and Baby Rain to the Megamall branch, knowing full well that I'll be getting my katsu on a again a few days later, when their second branch opened in Robinsons Magnolia.

      What can I say? Anytime is Katsu time! 

THE FOOD GODS SMILE ON SAMBOKOJIN: YAKINIKU SMOKELESS GRILL

          As a food blogger, a question I have been asked many a time is.. 

"What's better: Sambokojin or Yakimix?" 

       Considering one has the exact same smokeless grill buffet concept as the other, there's no way you can mention one without mention the other in the next sentence. The comparisons are simply inevitable. 


      Sambokojin is actually the name of a Japanese Kitchen God that came down to our planet to save us from hunger.

CHICKEN OVERLOAD: THE CHICKEN RICE SHOP!

         What's your stand on Hainanese Chicken? With its subdued flavors and bland appearance, a few of my friends see it as nothing more than a glorified piece of boiled chicken. Me? Surprisingly, I actually really like it. Perhaps it's because the chicken, when you get the right part seems fatty enough for my standards. Maybe it's the ginger sauce that I love mixing it with. Or it could be the chicken rice itself.. because when it's done right, one cup is never enough. 

            One Sunday morning, I was pondering on where to eat for "Brunch" before we headed off to my parent's place for the actual "Lunch". Since my mom does the cooking and no one has the guts to complain, we usually eat around 1pm or even later, so I thought having a light brunch at around 11am would be a wise move. 


       I remembered passing by the recently opened restaurant, "The Chicken Rice Shop" during our trip to Sandwicheese the week earlier, so I thought of giving that a try. 


       And just like that, any thoughts of a "light brunch" was thrown out the window. 

SMILE AND SAY... SANDWICHEESE!

          Are you one of those people that can't have a meal without rice?  Rina and her sister Chaikka, as well as a lot of my officemates absolutely refuse to have lunch or dinner without it. Me, on the other hand, I'm completely ok with a sandwich or burger for lunch. Maybe it's my fondness for bread that helps create a sense of satisfaction in my meals with a sandwich in lieu of rice, because sometimes, I actually even prefer it to a rice meal. I'm always on the lookout for a good sandwich, which is why I was immediately drawn to places such as Chuck's Deli, The Cheese Steak Shop and Elbert's Cheese Steaks.  

      I found out that one of my (and it seems everyone's) favorite restaurants, Bannaple, spawned a younger sibling right beside its first Katipunan branch, called "Sandwicheese", and I was immediately intrigued.  

       So last Saturday, after we took Baby Rain to the doctor for her check up, my tummy started grumbling. I told Rina that I wanted to check out Sandwicheese. 


      Because she was taking care of Rain whilst we were in the car, she wasn't really paying attention and she said, "Yes, yes, I want to go there." I asked her if she heard what I said because she was distracted with Rain and she said, "All I heard was 'Cheese'".

THE CHIC-BOY MADNESS

           The weeks before Rina gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Renee' Amelie aka Rain, we would have to go for her check ups with her doctor in QC. Naturally, we would eat out immediately after, which is how we ended up going to "Kanzhu Hand Pulled Noodles" (I'm still craving for their Lamb Dumplings) and "Size Matters" (I still need to try their "Breakfast In Bed" with an English Muffin). We usually head out to QC by 8am so we can be at the Doc's office by around 9am. It gets really packed, so we try to make it a point to get there as early as possible, just to make sure our lunch plans don't get hassled. Unfortunately during this trip, the doctor texted Rina after we had left already, saying that it would be best for us to get to her office by 12noon instead of 9am, throwing a monkey wrench in our lunch plans. 


      Instead, to pass the time, we decided to visit my grandfather who happens to live in QC as well. We then decided to head off to the doctor's office by 11:30, to get there, "Early". Unfortunately, all her other patients were thinking the same thing, so technically we were already late. The receptionist told us we would be waiting for roughly around an hour and a half or so, and advised us to get some lunch nearby and wait for her text. 


     With my growling stomach starting to alarm the other patients in the room, we headed downstairs where we saw the huge sign directly in front of our doctor's building.. "Chic-Boy". 

HELL YEAH, SIZE MATTERS!

           One day, I was at home with Rina minding my own business when my Cousin Paolo tweeted me a picture of a Sausage burger that looked pretty bad ass. He said he wasn't sure what the name of the place was, but wanted to schedule a lunch there with Rina and I. Kuya Paolo has been with me in numerous food trips, including John & Yoko, Ukkokei and most recently, Kanzhu, and we always have a blast when we go on food trips so I was really Gung Ho about going to try this place with him. 

     That following week, my friend Rain showed me an article on the net about a place that featured Pork Sausage Burgers instead of your usual 100% beef patties called "Size Matters". I looked back at all my clues, put two and two together and realized that this was the place Paolo was talking about (Watching all those episodes of "Murder She Wrote" finally paid off). Since Rina's doctor is in Quezon City, a place that I've mentioned I don't frequent anymore, I decided that every time we go, we'd try a restaurant there. The first one was Kanzhu, then next on our list would be Size Matters. Our next visit to the doctor was the following Saturday, so I accepted the fact that I wouldn't be trying the sausage patty burger until another week.

      But as it turned out, the food gods had a plan for me. 

       

     Just like it was ripped from a food version of the movie, "Serendipity", The popular group buying site "Groupon Philippines decided to unleash a "Size Matters: Flame Grilled Sausage Burgers" Promo in their site (Some things are just truly meant to be)! As you can imagine, I snapped it up immediately without a second thought. Unfortunately, the voucher for my order arrived sometime within the next day, and I wasn't able to check it right away. So by the time Rina made reservations (You need to give the voucher number to make reservations), their Saturday was already fully booked. 

     Not willing to wait another week, I told Rina to make the reservation for Sunday. By hook or by crook, I was going to try those sausage burgers (All great love stories have obstacles.. It's like "Size Matters" was the "Princess" and I was the "Stable Boy").  

THE ART OF KANZHU HAND PULLED NOODLES

        It was a rainy Saturday morning when Rina and I drove to Quezon City for her doctor's appointment. I don't go to QC very much anymore.. which is sad because I spent four years living in my grandfather's house before moving to our place in Antipolo. We lived near the Timog-Tomas Morato area, and even back then, it was lined with a number of restaurants, with the more popular ones being Mario's, Dulcinea, and Anabel's. 

     Nowadays, the area is loaded with an eclectic selection of restaurants to choose from. It's a little bit annoying knowing that there are hundreds of these wonderful restaurants for me to try, but most of them weren't there when I was living just a few blocks away from them. 

      One such restaurant, is Kanzhu Hand Pulled Noodles. I hadn't been to that area since my visit to Penpen, so I was fortunate to find out about this restaurant from the Group Buying site, CashCashPinoy. 

    Forgive me for sharing yet another adventure from a Chinese restaurant, but I wanted to use my voucher before it expired.

 Besides, I couldn't resist the allure of authentic "Hand pulled noodles".

FRISCO FUSION AT HYPHY'S!

       I was surfing the net, minding my own business when I..umm..  "accidentally" ended up on the group buying site known as "Deal Grocer" (I'm really not an addict). As I mentioned from my previous Group Buying post, this was the same site that used a portion of my blog in their review of "Mochiko" (That statement is totally irrelevant to this post, but i just thought i'd mention it). I had never heard of the restaurant "Hyphy's" before (hell, I wasn't even sure how to pronounce it), but the name Bruce Lim did ring a bell with me (And not just because it sounded like Bruce Lee, either).

    The deal was "Pay P350 for P500 worth of food", so I thought it was worth a shot. Besides, I hadn't been to "The Veranda" in Robinson's Galleria yet, so I thought it would be nice to be able to drop by there for the first time in almost two years. 

    Hyphy's boasts of San Francisco inspired comfort food with a Filipino twist to it. Honestly though, at the moment, apart from "Rice-a-Roni" and Clam Chowder, I can't think of any other food that is associated with San Francisco, so i figured our trip to Hyphy's would be an interesting experience. 

FALLING IN LOVE WITH LEMURIA

Lemuria, I'm about to rock your world

       Even when we were just Boyfriend and Girlfriend, Rina and I would never go with the Valentine's Day crowd. Our mentality is, since we're a part of each other's life on a daily basis, every day is Valentine's Day (cheesy I know, so sue me). We go out to eat almost every weekend anyway, so its no big deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart - I've never failed to send flowers, chocolate or something else on Valentine's day, just to make sure she knows I'm not taking her for granted. 

     Since winning the title of "Mr. MyFoodTrip" last December, I had yet to avail of any of the cool prizes. The prize package included Spa Treatment at Blue Water Day Spa, and a session at Philippe Salon. However, the prize I was most excited about, was the Gift Certificate to the Lemuria Gourmet Restaurant.

     I had first heard of Lemuria from the myfoodtrip website - but admittedly, prior to that, I had no idea what or where it was. Leslie from myfoodtrip mentioned to me that she was anxious for me to try their food, and what I thought of it.Also, when i mentioned to my sister Raquel that a dinner package there was one of the prizes I won, she totally freaked out! She hadn't been there yet, but it was on her list of "Dream Restaurants" she planned to go to (making food-related lists is a family trait).

     We were supposed to go there for our wedding anniversary last January 6, but then since we had my whole birthday shebang, I thought it would be best to save it for a Valentine's day date. But the offer could not be availed on Valentine's day itself (or even the day before), so we went to Lemuria for lunch, one weekend early.