Kain Manila's Best of The Best Holiday Eats of 2014

It's the season for binge-eating, merry making, and more eating.
Presenting a list of tummy pleasers to try and re-try this holiday season.
Love your tummy, it's the holidays.




1) Pho Hoa's Tenderloin Beef on Rice Php 320

Savory bite size tenderloin pieces on top of rice and a sizzling plate.
There's Jalapaneno, loads of garlic and butter in there, nice!
Careful not to burn your tongue, very hot.

Available at Pho Hoa.


 

2) Yellow Cab's Aglio Olio Pasta with Shrimp Php 375

When you say Yellow Cab pasta, it's usually Charlie Chan, but surprise your
tastebuds with their Aglio Olio. Dried tomatoes, garlic and shrimps, who wouldn't love this?

Available at YellowCab nationwide




3) Bamba Bistro's Steak ala Manila Php 690

You haven't tried excellent tapa until you tried Bamba Bistro's Stealk ala Manila.
This one's actually a marinated angus sirloin served on a bed of garlic rice
and creamy truffled eggs. Just imagine tapa is steak form. The beef is tender and the
vinegar does the magic. Definitely heaven in a bite,

Bamba Bisto is located at Aguirre St. BF, Paranaque.




4) Ippudo's Akamaru Shinoaji Php 390

If God created ramen, this would be it. Firm ramen noodles,
fragrant garlic oil, and hints of spicy miso paste. Worth the long lines.

Ippudo is located at Megafashion Hall, SM Megamall




5) Sarsa's Sizzling Kansi/ Bulalo  Php 350

This dish helps you stay young. Haha, If you haven't tried Chef JP's masterpiece, its about time you experience the intense flavors of this dish, It's sizzling, It's bulalo. What more can you ask for?

Sarsa is located at Forum South Global, BGC




6) Hai Kang Seafood Restaurant's Singaporean Curry Prawns with Mantou

We only have 3 words to describe this dish "OH-MY-GOD"




7) Golden Fortune's Thai Prawn Puffs

We fondly call this fried flying saucers for they take long to order but it'll be flying into your mouths in no time. Dipped in sweet mayonaise, this fried darlings have sliced prawns and chives inside.



8) Banapple's Savory Longganiza with Caramelized Onions Php 190

Thumbs up to Banapple for serving up one crave-worthy longganiza. This one's full of garlic it'll drive all the vampire grouches away.

Banapple has branches in Katipunan, BGC, Market, Market, Ayala Triangle



9) Maple's Savory Pancakes P 390

Maple gives you the best of both worlds - pancakes that are both sweet and savory. Good for your tummy and tastebuds.

Maple is located at 2nd Floor San Antonio Plaza, McKinley Street, Forbes Park, Makati



10) Poco Deli's Bacon Slab Php 380

Two large slabs of bacon, smothering bacon bits on rice and two fried eggs.
We're definitely in bacon heaven on this one.

Poco Deli can be found at Kapitolyo Pasig and Ayala Triangle



11) Polly's Chocolate Cake

For us, probably the best and most moist chocolate cake in the country. ( All right, a toss up between this and Bacolod's Calea)

Also available at Betty's Ice Cream kiosks in Glorietta

12) Mama Lou's Special  Php 450

If you  love Chef Chris' Panizza, Mama Lou's version  is as good and lighter on the budget. \
The pizza is paper thin and crunchy, and you roll it into a big wad and bite, big guy.

Mu Noodle Bar Glorietta **

Got curious when I spotted this place while doing my Christmas shopping at Glorietta.
Mu, the character that means "mother" in Chinese. They serve typical Chinese dishes with a modern twist, Your mama must be proud.



The menu looks elegant and simple.



Chinese noodles done ramen style and served in stoneware bowls, which is Korean. A great fusion, but honestly its an excuse to sell the humble mami at a higher price :)


The interiors look Japanese

Beef and Tendon Noodles

Add caption

Here's their bestseller, Beef and Tendon Noodles Php 300. 
I'll take a bowl of Ling nam's anytime. This one's expensive and bland,
The flavors don't add up and I miss the earthy aroma of mami.

The noodles though were firm and were served generously.
The beef were tender and the tendons were chewy.

But being a noodle guy, the soup has some barely there hints of miso,
neither tastes or feels like mami or ramen, I feel lost somewhere.

Egg Fried Rice

It takes skill for fried rice to taste good, especially if it's just egg and rice.
This one has the flavors that has the comforts of home. Hope they also did
Taiwanes style pork chops, will come back for this anytime.

3 Cups Chicken

3 Cups Chicken reminds me of Chinese style adobo. Mu's version has the chicken fried before they add in the sauce, so the chicken pieces are glazed and and are ready to perk up your tastebuds. This was done well also.


Slightly torn because I was craving for noodles and ended up eating rice.
Had a mixed feeling at Mu but Won't hesitate to try their 3 Cups Chicken again.


Budget about 300 per head
It's a Chinese restaurant trying to look Japanese.
(I expect it to raise a few eyebrows)
Service was ok

Mu Noodle Bar
2 Level, Glorietta 2

There's also a branch in Greenhills

Bamba Bistro, BF Paranaque *****

One thing about  BF is they never seem to run out of great dining choices.
Our latest food adventure took us in the middle of busy Aguirre St., a few blocks away from Little Quiapo, where we found a small place called Bamba Bistro. The bistro is just a 20 - 25 seater, its a house converted into a restaurant, where the place is a cozy little nook with vintage frames, a framed writeup of the chef, and a rather amusing rest room.

The sign outside says "Not your average bistro by the Corner" and we agree.
The entrees at the simple menu packs a punch and is worth trying and re-ordering.

The concept behind it is simple, they take the simplest food entrees and turn it into  spectacular and crave-worthy feasts. Others may find it pricey, but taste-wise it's divinely delicious.

The Menu

 French Onion Soup Php 180
The soup is hearty and cheesy, generous with slivers of onion its like having melted cheese on top of the caramelized onion, its sweet nectar ready to imbibe your taste buds with a flavor bomb. Eat with caution, served extremely hot.

Patatas fritas Php 295
Fiery, passionate, these are fried potatoes with an edgier side.
With garlic aoili, chorizo and topped with egg and paprika
The appetizer is a meal in itself.

Tapa de Manila Php 625

Everything you know about tapa is thrown out of the window with the Tapa De Manila
The tapa is almost bistek like, marinated with sweet, succulent juices, it is tender and overflowing with flavor. This comes packed with lots of garlic rice and creamy eggs.
Good to share.

There's just too much interesting stuff in Bamba and I will come back to do a detailed review. The place is super small but service is top-notch and the food is superb. Try coming on weekdays, the queue might be shorter. Price is not cheap but servings are to share.

 

55 Aguirre Avenue, BF Homes, Paranaque City

02 5197097

There's parking in front

Resto can't accommodate a lot of people

Spend about 800 - 900 for two

(Worth every penny)

The krowd pleasers at Kuppa Cafe ***

What do you do when stuck at BGC on a Friday night?
Instead of getting your wallet clobbered by the expensive restaurants at BGC,
head on over to Kuppa.

One thing I love about the place is the laidback atmosphere. Wood on table, lots of sourced beans (they import their own beans) and the entrees are priced right for a tough choice BGC crowd. They've got a lot of stuff covered from pastas, all day breakfast, pizzas and a hole lot more.

No wonder people from offices nearby stuck to this place. The food ain't shabby, so's the coffee. Went on carbo loading spree given the menu was almost budget-friendly.

Stocked with yummy pastry and cakes

Good Old Carbonara

Classic Carbonara  P 220
Nothing fancy shamancy with this pasta dish, it does it's job and
the sauce is spot on, not dry and servings are just right. Bacon does the job and my tummy is happy,

Gambas Huevos P 260

 Gambas Huelvos is also know as rancher's eggs.
These are two fried eggs cooked in tomato-chilli sauce. Theirs don't have Tortillas, instead gambas or shrimps is added to the mix. It's not as spicy as I expected. Best with rice. (Hello, it's gambas)

Kuppa Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken Php 260
I don't know what spirit whispered to me to suddenly order the Fried Chicken but this is one
stunt I don't regret I pulled. The Chicken is nicely done, well-fried and a hint of buttermilk there, but the sour cream sauice makes all a difference in making this chicken finger lickin, smackin' good. Simplicity makes a dish well done.

Here's another look at that golden fried chicken, the sauce makes the difference

Choco Banana Latte Php 95

Capped off our meal with their Choco Banana Latte, what a great dessert coffee.

Kuppa Roastery and Cafe

Commercenter Bldg., 31st St cor 4th Ave 

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig (02) 623-5120

Park at the Commercenter Building 

Budget: About P 300 per head 

McGriddle now in Manila!

Always dreamed about the McGriddles arriving in Manila, and my wish finally came true.
They're here... but for a limited time only. (BTW This is only available during breakfast)

McGriddles are pancake sandwiches with flavored with maple syrup.
These griddle cakes come in either sausage, bacon or sausage and egg + American cheese. These griddle cakes are then pressed so there's a Mcdonald's M logo embossed on it. Cool.  

Sausage and Egg McGriddle P113 w/Coffee

Bacon, Egg and Cheese McGriddle P 113 Look at all that melted cheeeese

I was told that McGriddles are limited only to certain branches. Got ours at Lucky Chinatown Mall. These were so good, I wondered what would happen if I had three in one sitting?

To know more about the different stores that the McGriddle is available, click here:
http://www.thepickiesteater.net/2014/11/the-mcgriddles-are-now-in-philippines.html

Did a bit of research* and found out that one single Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles has 420 calories in 1 sandwich (6.1 oz). and about 8 g of saturated fat, so please eat this with caution and jog for 50 minutes to burn it off.  




source: http://www.fooducate.com/app#page=product&id=E4B56E94-E6CF-11E1-83D2-1231381BA074

Shi Lin **

Celebrated my sister's birthday at Shi Lin.
Know for their dumplings and Xiao Long Pao, Shi Lin has opened quite a lot of branches and of their latest at Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Shi Lin serves Taiwanese specialties but the house specialty is the Xiao Long Pao.
You can also find specials like the Fried Pork Chop with Rice and Taiwan Beef noodles.
What I love here is that everything is light yet filling so you might end up ordering more.

 Fried Rice with Egg

Braised Beef Noodles  Php 295

Fried Pork Chop

Shrimp and Pork Siomai  6 pcs P 195

Salt and Pepper Spareribs

Fried Shrimp and Pork Wanton 6 pcs P 150

Xialong Pao 10 pcs Php 275

Deep Fried Buns Php 145

Shrimp and Pork Dumpling

Fried Mantou

Red Bean Dumpling 6 pcs P 125