NADAI FUJISOBA SM MEGAMALL: SOBA SO GOOD!

             With the Ramen craze alive and well in the Philippines, Soba, another famous Japanese noodle soup has flown under the radar to slowly emerge as a delicious alternative. And where in Manila can you find some of the best Soba Noodles? 

         With  Nadai Fujisoba branches quickly spreading around the metro like wildfire, it seems like the answer is clear. 

HANGING OUT WITH THE HALAL GUYS AT SM FOOD HALL!

        I have a confession to make. I wasn't excited about The Halal Guys coming to Manila.

         I mean, sure, I liked the thought of finally being able to try the dishes that thousands of New Yorkers line up for every day, but since pork is such a prominent part of my diet, I wasn't quite convinced on how much I would actually enjoy it. 

        As luck would have it, I was invited to the special taste test of the very first branch of The Halal Guys here in Manila. This was an incredible opportunity because only a select few foodies were invited to be the first to try The Halal Guys in the Philippines and for some reason, I was one of them hehe... 

     Anyway,  Rina and I went to the very first "The Halal Guys" outlet in the Philippines, located at SM Mega Food Hall. Like I said, I honestly had no expectations whatsoever, right?

    So I dug into my plate of Gyro Over Rice, scooped up some of the beef bits smothered in The Halal Guys trademark white sauce, with a spoonful of rice and nonchalantly chucked my pork-free dish into my mouth. 

   And just like that, I stopped mid-sentence and looked straight at Rina, and said to her, "Holy $***."

HALF PRICE ON JUNE 12: ERI CURRY'S BLACK SERIES

        Good news, Folks! Eri Curry has just released their new "Black Series" dishes and on June 12, 2015, they will be selling them at a 50% discount! Then after that, on June 13, 2015, they'll be available at a 30% discount! 

      Lucky me, I got a chance to sample the dishes before the madness, and let me tell you.. It's worth it even at full price!!

     Here are some of the dishes that are in store for you!

SUPER BOWL OF CHINA: NEW LOOK & NEW DISHES!

        I remember when Super Bowl of China of China first opened in Manila, particularly the SM Megamall Branch. The lines were absolutely ridiculous, you'd think they were standing in line for One Direction concert tickets. Super Bowl managed to find a great mix of delicious Chinese Food, which has always been a hit with Pinoys, at an affordable price. It was their Honey Pork Spareribs (which is sadly no longer on the menu) and their signature Lemon Chicken that made me go back for more.

   

      Years later, Super Bowl Of China is still going strong, with the new Mega Mall location having undergone a little bit of a face lift, and with some new dishes to an already mouthwatering classic Chinese Menu!

GET CURRIED AWAY AT ERI CURRY!

            I really enjoy Japanese Curry. Truthfully, I enjoy Curry in general, whether it be Thai or Indian, but I find the heat of Japanese Curry the most manageable for my taste buds, not to mention, without it upsetting my stomach at the same time hehe. 

     I was elated to discover that a Japanese Curry House recently opened at the SM Mega Atrium. But more than anything, it was the concept of that Curry house that appealed to me most. A Curry place that lets you customize practically everything about your dish order, to the point that the only thing that seems to be lacking is the option to choose the color of your own plate. 

    Friends, prepared to get Curried Away at Eri Curry!

I FINALLY TRIED VIKINGS LUXURY BUFFET AT SM MEGAMALL

Trying to look like a Viking.. looking more like Asterisk The Gaul

         I have a confession to make. You would think that a big eater such as myself would jump at the chance to visit a food paradise such as Vikings, but life got in the way. It wasn't until a few months ago that I was able to dine there. 

     Vikings is one of the favorite restaurants of (of all people) my mother (I take after my momma), and she wanted to celebrate her birthday at the SM Marikina Branch (Birthday Celebrants eat for free). 

       Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy my experience. Not because of the food, but because I had an event that evening, and I was pretty much rushing the entire time. Not to mention, there were so much people it was hard to move around. So, it was safe to say that my first Vikings experience didn't have me rushing to go back to Marikina or Mall Of Asia. 

     I was elated to hear that Vikings opened their latest branch at the recently-opened SM Megamall Fashion Hall. I felt it was a good time to give Vikings another chance.. and see what all the fuss was about. 

    This time I didn't have a pesky event to get in my way. I had all the time in the world to eat as much as I pleased. I could- dare I say it? 

     EAT LIKE A VIKING!

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO TIM HO WAN MANILA

      It was May 20, 2014. 2 A.M. I was tossing and turning in bed because my cough and cold made it impossible for me to sleep. But apart from that, there was something clawing at me in the back of my mind. 

      This was the day that Tim Ho Wan would finally be opening their doors in Manila. 

       Memories of that moment my teeth sunk into that pillow soft BBQ Pork Bun began dancing once again in my mind. It seemed like it was forever, but it was only just three weeks ago when I finally made a visit to the most affordable Michelin Star Restaurant in the world, during our family visit to Hong Kong. 

     It was probably one of the most amazing pieces of food I've ever tried in my entire life. And now, it's available in Manila. 

     So I woke Rina up at 8 in the morning, telling her to get ready, because I wanted to be among the first in Manila to try the food of Tim Ho Wan in the Philippines. 

   Considering that the mall opens at 10am, and Rina, Rain and I arrived at Tim Ho Wan by 10:10, I thought we would be the first in line. I was wrong. 

     

   There were around 20-30 people ahead of me. This was a Tuesday and I was "coding", which meant I needed to get back on the road by around 3pm. I was a little concerned that I might miss out on my chance to try Tim Ho Wan on its first day..

    Then something funny happened. Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet and RJ Ledesma appeared out of nowhere, and asked if I wanted to join their "Mega Food Tour", where we would be allowed access to Tim Ho Wan One Hour before it was to open to the public. 

    I would have been insane to say no to that! 

OSAKA OHSHO: THE GYOZA ELITE

        In one of my earlier posts, I wrote that I wasn't too fond of Japanese food. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but owners of Japanese restaurants seemed to take that as a challenge, and I've gotten quite a few invitations to dine at Japanese restaurants since then. 

     I'm honestly not into the hardcore Japanese food. My other food blogger friends roll their eyes at me when I tell them I don't eat Sushi, Sashimi, and practically anything with Nori. Quite unbecoming of a Food Blogger, I know, but what can I do? I don't call myself "The Pickiest Eater In The World" For nothing. 

     One of the reasons why I was looking forward to trying Osaka Ohsho was because I had seen the menu on a stroll around the then newly opened Megamall Fashion Hall, and it was one of the first restaurants that was already operational. What I liked about the menu was how it seemed to stay away from the more exotic dishes, and it stuck to the more commercial friendly Japanese food, such as Teppanyaki, Stir fry, Pork Cutlet, and Sukiyaki, to name a few. 

    But of course, the one thing that stood out was the bold claim that Osaka Ohsho makes to its customers..

      That they are the home of the "World's Number One Gyoza". 

MANANG'S CHICKEN NEW GARLIC PORK! - RINAZ

        I have this friend who, wherever we go some place we haven’t tried yet, she would always always always order Pork Chop as her default meal. If Richie equals bacon, Lia would equal pork chop. (Hehehe Hi Lia!) And it was Lia who I immediately thought alerting on a fine afternoon when I saw that Manang’s Chicken has a new dish called Garlic Pork Meal! Sounds good, yes? 

       Intrigued, I went ahead and tried it. It’s always good to try something new.

FOODGASM II ON MARCH 9, 2013 AT MERCATO CENTRALE!

       Last August, I had a blast at "Foodgasm", the food tasting event organized by the UP Economics Society. So when I was invited to be a Blogger Judge once again, the only answer I could give them was HELL YEAH!! 

MY SINGAPORE FOOD STREET OPENS IN MEGAMALL - RINAZ

Sorry I can't do silly poses like Richie does thus this is my cover photo hehe

        As far as my poor memory can remember, the first time I had Singaporean cuisine was when we were in Singapore last 2010. I have been hearing about the wonder that is Hainanese Chicken Rice and how much of a “must-try” Singaporean dish it was. So during our trip there we made sure that we get to try it. And I’m glad we did!

        Thankfully, Singaporean restaurants are slowly emerging here in the Metro, and a recent that just launched was My Singapore Food Street (Formerly Orchard Road) in Megamall. Thankfully, Richie again had work so it was me again who ended up trying their scrumptious Singaporean meals! (I’m kidding hun! Of course it’s more fun when we’re together. But you have to control yourself from eating the food first before I take a picture!)

ENTER... YABU: THE HOUSE OF KATSU

            Though we had just stuffed ourselves with six J. Co donuts a few minutes before, Rina and I were looking to fill ourselves with something heavier during the rare times that Rina and I found ourselves at SM Megamall. 

       I had heard nothing but good things about Yabu: House of Katsu from some very credible sources, but I'm not really a huge fan of Japanese Food. As we were walking around the SM I took a glance at the menu of Yabu, and saw an item that caught my attention.. "Rosu Katsudon". 

      All of a sudden it became clear to me, and eating at Yabu was now a must. The first time I heard about Yabu, was when a friend of mine, Direk Yeyey, tagged me in a picture of this dish.. Rosu Katsudon. In the picture it said, "Rosu means it has a bit of fat in the meat so that adds a lot of flavor to the dish."

      So i answered, "You had me at 'a bit of fat'".