Tikim40: Toki Q the Rotating BBQ (Wilson, Greenhills)

I pass by Wilson and P. Gueverra Street quite often; then I noticed this small cake shop become Toki Q, yakitori specialty restaurant.The restaurant opened a few weeks ago and since I often pass by it; I decided to give it a try!

Rotating BBQ Toki

The restaurant can house around 10 people max. The right half of Toki Q is dedicated to the kitchen and order counter while the left half of the space is for dine-in customers. I don't have anything against small restaurants...it's just that I find it warm inside even with 2 split type airconditioner.

Orders here

Dine-in area

While waiting for the food to be served, I saw a machine behind the counter. I inquired about it and it is actually their machine in cooking yakitoris. They just put the stick in it and it goes around the machine for its deep frying process. With their cooking machine, it just says that their barbecue will not be overlooked or even undercooked. Their yakitoris are cooked just right that is made possible by the machine.
Since the machine is their unique selling point, I wondered if it's better to put the small kitchen (with the cooking machine) in the middle of the restaurant to showcase their rotating machine with chairs around it. Another idea is removing the food display, which is usually empty, then placing of the rotating machine instead.

Rotating BBQ Machine

I like that yakotoris are made affordable. When you order a combo, you get unlimited rice! The rice that was served when I visited was quite dry. I hope they'll have Japanese rice that are soft to eat since Toki Q (yakitori) has a Japanese origin.

Menu

Me and my bestfriend ordered combo 2 which comprise of 4 sticks (chicken ball, pork ball,chicken fillet, and pork belly). When you add P39.00 you'll have a soup and drink; affordable! I decided to try more bbq sticks. I ordered 2 asparagus wrapped pork and 2 chicken wings to taste. I find the chicken wings hard to eat :(

Combo2 with unlimited rice P110.00

Asparagus wrapped pork P28.00 and Chicken wings P45.00

Taste: 2.5/5

Quality: 2.5/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Toki

Address: P. Guevarra corner Wilson Street,

San Juan, Metro Manila

Contact: 425-9867

Website: http://www.facebook.com/TokiQ

Tikim39: Garden Dining at Basil (Katipunan,Quezon City)

I learned about Basil through Evan's friend and the thought of trying out a new Thai restaurant  made me excited. Why? My go-to Thai restaurant is Thai Pan and because of the great experience I had in Basil, I now have 2 favorite Thai restaurants.

Basil is just easy to find. If you know where Corinthian Gardens (White Plains Avenue) is, you'll have no trouble looking for the restaurant because it is literally just a corner away (Katipunan Avenue). Keep an eye for the first establishment on the left if you're coming from EDSA or Mandaluyong because you might think that Basil is a garden shop.

Basil

The interiors inside the restaurant scream indoor lanscaping. Wooden chairs, a lot of plants, and even an indoor pond complete the serene and earthy feel of Basil.

Inside the restaurant

Indoor Pond of Basil

Their menu is pretty simple. I wish they had pictures of the food so that you can see what you'll be ordering. Ordered the following on our table:

Menu

Fresh spring roll por pie koong sod P220

The fresh spring rolls is composed of prawns and ground pork with fresh vegetables rolled in rolled in rice paper, served with a tamarind sauce. It's the healthy kind of spring roll since it isn't fried.

Prawns wrapped in noodles going sarong P395

Going Sarong are deep fried prawns wrapped in rice paper and crispy rice noodles, served with a tangy dipping sauce. This kind of reminds me of lumpia shrimp rolls that my mom cooks at home.

Wagyu beef with holy basil pad gra-prow nua P325

The Pad Gra-Prow Nua are slices of Wagyu beef that are stir fried with Thai wild basil, chili, and garlic. This is my favorite dish that was on the table. It tasted like beef with broccoli in Chinese restaurants with a Thai twist. Also, the beef is tender (should be because it's Wagyu)!

Thai bagoong rice khao kluk gapi P295

I always order Bagoong Rice in Thai Pan, to have a point of comparison I ordered Basil's version of Bagoong Rice. My verdict: Thai Pan's Bagoong rice wins! Basil's version had too many chili in it and it was hard to taste the flavor of the shrimp paste when your tongue is burning :(.

*Bagoong Rice: rice flavored with Thai shrimp paste, thin sliced fried egg, fried dried shrimp and meat (pork/beef/chicken), sometimes slices of green mango.

Thai Ice Tea P95

The Thai ice tea was just like a fruit shake, too much ice (half of it was crushed ice). Nonetheless, the thought of coconut milk infused in this ice tea made me so relieved. I drank half of it to neutralize the spice after eating a spoonful of the spicy bagoong rice. 

Bill

Bill

When you ask for the bill, it will come in a pot! The presentation was amusing!:) All in all, the food and ambiance was great! For sure, I will go back to taste their other specialty dishes.

Taste: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Ambiance: 5/5

Basil 
White Plains Avenue corner Katipunan Avenue,
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Telephone: 911-4158