Yingying's barbecue pork bun

Here comes a new challenger to the barbecue bun craze. 

Yingying, a small dimsum place in Binondo has come up with this unique Barbecue Bun to challenge the ones by HongKong based TimHowan, their version although not flaky has slices of century egg inside giving you a salty taste to complement the sweet sauce of the bbq pork. This is super yum.

Yingying is at Dasmarinas cor Quentin Paredes St in Binondo

Gino's brick oven Pizza

If you're sick and tired of having the usual pizza and pasta come on over to Gino's. They have reinventing the wheel on Italian food, and in here everything in the menu is a winner.

The pizzas are thin and crispy with an uneven crust, they're baked fresh and come with the simplest, unique and freshest ingredients. The pastas too have a strong following and every dish is a must try. Honestly the place was too good we came in two successive days because we can't get enough of their food. 

Gino's Sausage Pizza

Aglio Olio

Salted Egg pasta

Bacon and Gouda Cheese Pizza

This Spicy Honey is one of their secrets to awesomeness, you'll enjoy it more when you pour some to your pizza.

Crack pie is like a sweetened cassava cake but the crust is to die for.

Parking is hard esp on a Friday night.

Don't forget to order Burrata and the Bomb

Gino's Brick Oven

Bautista cor Tordesillas St

Salcedo Village Makati

Open from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm

Crystal Jade Dining in at the Fort ****

We were almost letdown when we attempted to get a last-minute reservation at Crystal Jade on Father's Day and we were turned down on the phone. Fortunately we tried to risked it and tried to walk (sneak) in and got a table by 6pm. We were with two hungry kids who wanted a mean bowl of corn soup. Thinking this was like the branch in Greenhills, we were also almost disappointed when we didn't see their famous xiaolong pao or the soup dumplings that the kids wanted on the menu. But here's a tip: inform the server in advance and they will check the kitchen if it's available.

Seeing the menu and interiors, We felt a bit underdressed in shorts and sneakers after an hour at nearby Active Fun. Far from the casual vibe of Greenhills, This Crystal Jade was a fine dining Cantonese place . But with two hungry kids, we chose the simplest stuff on the menu. 

We had of course, the corn soup, two orders of Xiaolungpao, the unbeatable sweet and sour pork, some fried rice and ordered their braised chicken and egggplant with salted fish on pot(that was for us)

Interiors were elegant, service was great, the kids were happy, check out our orders. 

Ratings:

Interiors: elegant and spacious

Food: delicious and spot on. The fried rice is hearty and they don't scrimp on ingredients like shrimp. Xiaolungpao is as good as the ones served in SG. The corn soup and sweet abd sour pork is kid-friendly and forgettable, but it does wonders on picky appetites. The revelation is the Braised Chicken and Eggplant, you'll want to enjoy this with a bowl of white rice.

Pricing: a bit premium, basic dishes loke sweet and sour pork and fried rice go for 400 up, a bowl of soup is 180 per bowl  expect 500 up per head

Total experience: very pleasant and waiters were very attentive, great service

I'd return again for other stuff on the menu. 

Crystal Jade Dining In

30th St cor 7th Ave BGC

Landline 8085233 5198191

Sbarro's promo: a whole Cheese Pizza for 289

Not ready to be outdone by bigger chains, Italian fastfood chain Sbarro has launched its low priced pizza promo- one whole latge cheese pizza for P 289. No conditions. No cards. And all in. The pizza is large enough for 6 to share. Valid for dine in and take away but there's a 15 - 25 minute wait time. The y're also selling it by the slice for  Php 49.Order now!

Update: Their promo is now over, but a whole cheese pizza now cost Php 350,
while a slice costs 55.
Update:  the 289* is back

Revisiting Tao Yuan *****

We were back at one of Manila's finest Singaporean/Chinese restaurants after my niece's recital at Resorts world's Performing Arts Theatre. Clearly we were back for their favorites - Hainanese  Chicken and the Cereal Prawns.

We had a few new dishes and left with full tummies. This place is clearly one of the best and it won't disappoint.

Cereal Prawns

One whole Hainanese Chicken

Barbecued Pork

Laksa

Sliced Pork with Diced Fish and Shallots

Tao Yuan

Newport Mall

Resorts World Manila

Tsui Wah, International Comfort Food in HK ***

If there's anything more defining of HK local cuisine, it's the cha tsaan ting or teahouses that has breathes life to the HK dining scene. The cha tsaan ting has braved the sign of times in bringing you food closer to the culture of this great city, with myriad of choices and all day breakfast entrees and tourist-friendly comfort food served day in and out.

Among the cha tsan tings, Tsui Wah has managed to stand out and carve a name for itself in a very cutthroat business where everyone served the same thing. It has managed to come out with a local and foreigner friendly menu  ( think sandwiches, pasta, noodles, etc) that can be enjoyed by all anytime. 

Milk tea and toast with condensed milk are must-orders here. In fact their milk tea is one of HK's best, but if you need pointers on what to order their top 10 is a great cheat sheet of their bestsellers. 

Swiss Sauce Chicken Wings

Nothing European about this dish, it's chicken wings basked in light soy sauce and sugar. Think of it as a lighter version of the buffalo wing, except that is not crispy. delectable appetizer.

Toast with condensed milk

This is excellently done, the toast crunchy but not hard, the condensed milk sweet but not overpowering. We tried the toast at other places, Tsui Wah has the best

Fish Ball and Fish Cake Noodle Soup

The soup is a creamy fish based broth reminiscent of the Halibut noodles at Tuan Tuan (though the base is not that decadent) but the noodles does the job and the fishballs have excellent texture.

Hainanese Chicken Rice Set HK $80

If you love this Singapore classic, Tsui Wah's version doesnot disappoint. The rice is fragrant and flavorful, the chicken is tender and juicy. If only it came with sambal this would be perfect.

Among the ctt's they have a ready English menu. A lot of branches scattered all over HK there's even one at the airport. Tsui Wah is more expensive compared to other cha tsaan tings, but the quality speaks for itself.

Drop by Tsui Wah if your in HK.

Ramen Kuroda's Unbelievable 180 peso ramen

If you're from the South, chances are you have tried Ramen Kuroda at Aguirre Street. Ramen Kuroda's signature ramen is the Kuro Ramen, a tonkotsu ramen with a milky soup base and a strong garlicky flavor.There's a new branch open across S&R near the MOA area, this time with a more casual ambiance. The place has only 4-5 tables with a semi open kitchen.The place is small. And a Japanese chef is at the helm.
And the ramen are unbelievably priced at Php 180 per bowl. That's right, 180 pesos.

Aka Ramen

What you get for Php 180:

This is the most basic and bare bones of the ramen but the same one served at BF with less frills. The bowl comes half a hard-boiled egg and a small slice of chasyu, plus leeks.

The soup is big and filling. And for 40 pesos more.
you can add extra noodles.

What they offer:
Kuroda favorites - Shio or Shiro (salt-based), Kuro (garlic oil) and Aka (mildly spicy)
If you want more chasyu, there's a more expensive one at 220 with more meat.
You may customize your bowl with additional add-ons.

their menu

The good news is the ramen is as tasty as the one in BF at a very affordable price.

Aka Ramen Php 180

I like Aka the best, followed by the Kuro, the Shio I find a bit light, but the soup for all has a creamy texture and full in flavor. The freshly made noodles are tasty and firm but not as hard as the top ramen shops..

Gyoza

Gyoza comes at 4pcs at P100. Rice toppings like Gyudon and Pork are available.

The system here is typical of a Japanese ramen stall - pay as you order They allow sharing but take away is not allowed. Visit kuroda.ph to know more. This is proof that you can serve good ramen for less than 200 bucks.

Ramen Kuroda

Aseana Bldg 

Bradco Ave
Tambo Paranaque

beside Jollibee and across S&R

Parking is near the Ford dealership

There's also another branch at RCBC building in Makati

Love Shack *** Great Burgers at SM Aura

Love shack is at the far end of the earth. small and is at the end corner of aura, i almost missed it. But boy, they have great burgers! The menu is a weird mix of rice meals and other stuff that it suffers from an identity crisis whether it's burger place or an all in one casual restaurant. 

the burger menu

Come here for the burgers and you won't regret the experience, the Creation #2 has a tender beef patty with bacon and sauce that would definitely please 

all ages. Neatly presented in a wooden tray with potato croquettes,  the burger tastes as good as it looks. 

The other entrees that i ordered like the asian pasta was too sweet and forgettable. 

Try their Spareribs with a satay like peanutty sauce, this is delicious and the spareribs size is not bad

Will return for the burgers instead.

Spareribs - Good Sauce and filling

Asian Pasta - the sauce was too sweet for me

Love Shack

LGF Sm Aura Mall

The Fort, Taguig

Banzai the Great Teppanyaki Theatre ****

Banzai gets it right when it comes to offering buffet - lots of choices, wide stations, food is replenished, food is fresh, and friendly staff.  Banzai is located near Buffet 101 and La Fiesta, completing a trio of buffet restaurants located at the back of SM Mall of Asia.

Buffet prices are popular:
699 for lunch on weekdays
899 for dinner on weekends
1088 for lunch and dinner on weekends
499 Kids price (lunch and dinner)

Stations include: Teppanyaki, Sushi/Sashimi/Maki,  Pizza/Takoyaki , Okonomiyaki, Gyoza, Ramen, Yakitori, Chinese, roastings, entrees, Katsu, Mongolian, cold salads and desserts. A wide variety of delicious stations for your pleasure. Also included are free-flowing drinks like soda, lemonade, iced tea and coffee.

takoyaki with bonito flakes

The prime rib is tender and juicy

sushi/ sashimi station

tempura station

ramen station

different flavors of gyoza

The quality of their beef teppanyaki was surprisingly good, it was juicy, succulent and thicker than others. Do not miss the roast beef, you can ask them to grill. Although I find it weird that they offer some Chinese dishes and roastings together with some Japanese classics. The tempura is so-so but who needs tempura, when you can savor the fresh shrimp teppanyaki, this is cooked with well that the sauce is so good on fried rice.

The place is wide and it has some function rooms to entertain big groups. Staff are friendly, and requests are swiftly acted on.  Restaurant promotions include 5+1 for birthday celebrants (5 paying, one is free) The food here is even more interesting than other hotel's buffets.

When you want a good quality Japanese buffet, scream "Banzai!"
Thanks to Elsie Tan for inviting us here.

Banzai the Great Teppanyaki Theatre 

Building J, SM By The Bay, 

Seaside Boulevard, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA)

+63 9994713597, +63 9163775357

 Reservation is a must, esp. on weekends