Tikim53: The Art of Bulgogi at Sariwon (Superbloc, Fort)

There's a new mall in the area and the shopping girl in me wants to check it out...and so I did. If you are into high-end brands and luxury watches go to Superbloc! After roaming in the soon-to-be completed mall, I craved for Korean food and so I had my dinner in Sariwon.

One thing you should take note, even on a weekday night, go early to Sariwon because food here is cooked in front of you! I had to wait around 30-40 minutes to be seated inside. 

Sariwon Korean Barbeque

Check out Sariwon's Menu I liked it there's a background/story behind the restaurant; it's concise and it had pictures to showcase their specialty.

Origin of Sariwon

Menu

After ordering, appetizers were served. There were about 8 varieties of veggies that can tickle your tastebuds...some were spicy, sweet, and salty. You can  ask for a refill if you want more! My 2 favorites appetizers were the roasted anchovies and the sweet pumpkin and potato.

Appetizers

Roasted anchioves

A must-order for me is the Dolsot Bibimbap! I super love this because rice is served in piping hot stone!

Dolsot Bibimbap P380

Yummy and hot!

Ggot Galbisal, boneless USDA choice ribs (130g) freshly grilled at the table . The meat is tender and tastes great with the sauce. I will definitely recommend this!

Ggot Galbisal P595

Ggot Galbisal P595

Of course, I wouldn't miss Sariwon's specialty...Bulgogi. Ordered a Deungsim Yangnyeom bulgogi from their selection. It' honey marinated slices of USDA choice beef (150g) grilled at the table. It is served with freshly made sweet potato noodles. In fairness, this was my first time to eat Bulgogi in this kind of cooking. Before Sariwon, I did not know about Bulgogi being served with soup and noodles. The soup is a special mixture blended with red wine and boiled over high heat, taking over 3 hours to create. Taste is slightly sweet, tangy, and flavorful! It is a truly Bulgogi experience!

Deungsim yangnyeom bulgogi P495 

Up close when cooked

After the food service, there was a complimentary drink that I initially thought of as a cold tea. To my mistake, I drank it and tasted sweet; checked the menu and realized its a dessert drink. Sikhye is a nutritious and refreshing traditional drink made from malt and rice. I ended up, liking the drink!

Sikhye P60

Don't forget to come to Sariwon earlier than dinner time so you won't have to wait :) But then again, if you are craving for Korean BBQ, Sariwon is the only one in the Fort Area!

Taste: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Ambiance and Service: 3/5 

Sariwon
Address: East Block, Bonifacio High Street Central,
               7th Avenue corner 29th Street, Taguig City
Telephone: 02-6213205
Website: www.facebook.com/SariwonPhilippines

Tikim52: Eat,Pray,Love at L'eau Vive (Otis, Manila)

L'eau Vive, a french word which means living water. Why living water? I guess it has something to do as Christ as the living water, who nourishes both the emotional and spiritual aspects of humanity. Not sure with the reason behind the name, I am sure the sisters/servers will gladly answer you if you ask them. With the concept of "living water" L'eau Vive is a restaurant with a difference. You say how? It's a non-profit restaurant that is run by nuns for the orphanage that they look after. When you eat at Leau Vive, you help the the orphanage and at the same time treat yourself to be open in trying out a new experience.

Starry night at L'eau Vive

The restaurant area of the orphanage

Garden view 

L'eau Vive serves French cuisine. Even the servers are foreign nuns that definitely know how to speak French. I say this is a good place for one to practice conversational French. The nuns are happy to converse with diners and you will feel their sincerity in getting to know you. So touching.

Me and Sister Martina :)

Service was a bit slow but that's okay because this is a different kind of restaurant. While our orders were being cooked; complimentary french baguettes were served. You can ask for another serving at no additional cost! Evan liked this because it reminded him of his business trips in France some years back.

Complimentary baguettes

Check out what I have ordered:

Soupe à l'oignin gratinèe P210

This simply means French onion soup with cheese. This tastes like my mom's home made French onion soup, so it's good!!!  Just wished there was more onion and cheese in the soup. I  also dipped my baguette in the soup to make the bread soggy! I just like my bread soaked in French onion soup! I'll worry about taking a mint later because of the onions! Haha

Canard à l'orange (pomme dauphine) P300

Up close, see the bread puffs!

Canard à l'orange (pomme dauphine) is duck meat with orange sauce and fried potato puffs. This plate is just a regular/medium sized; if you are sharing with someone, they have this in a larger size. This tastes like roasted pigeon of Chinese restaurants; the potato puffs are so cute!!! I somehow associate it with munchkins; dip it with the sauce please for that tangy sweet taste.

Gambas marinès au gingembre et à l'orange (Riz) P530

These are prawns marinated in ginger and fresh orange juice that is with rice. There are about 3 pieces of prawns; its a bit hard to cut with a knife not sure if it's just me or the knife. For the marinade, it again reminded me of Chinese cooking, maybe because of the ginger is often used in Chinese cuisine.  

Profiteroles au chocolat P220

French style whoopie pies!

For dessert, me and Evan ordered Profiteroles au chocolat, oven baked puffs pastry sandwiching vanilla ice-cream, and hot chocolate sauce on top. Sister Martina told me it was the best seller! First time to eat something like this, if you are a chocolate lover, you might like the chocolate sauce 'coz it is dark chocolate, it's not sweet!

Remember when you eat at L'eau Vive, it is not all about presentation, it is more about the dining experience. Although presentation helps in amping up the appetite, L'eau Vive's main purpose is helping raise funds for the orphanage; so eating French cuisine in an orphanage is an experience itself that makes the food great! Spread the word about L'eau Vive, the restaurant with a difference. 

Taste: N/A
Quality: N/A
Ambiance: N/A

For this special restaurant, giving a grade is not applicable. I want you to experience it without any influence on your thoughts :). Oh just to remind you, they are on a cash basis only.

L'eau Vive
Address: 1499 Paz M. Guanzon Ave (formerly Otis),
               Paco, Manila

Tikim51: Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe (Mall of Asia, Pasay)

I seldom go to MOA because from Quezon City, it takes around an hour for me to arrive there. On the few times that I go to this mall, there's always a reason...a week before the The Dark Knight Rises movie, me and Evan went to MOA to buy in advance imax seats for the much awaited movie! We roamed around the mall, and when dinner time came, this,Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe, restaurant caught my attention. I guess I have been eating too much Japanese food that I kinda missed Chinese.

Xin Wang Menu

Inside, the restaurant has a clean modern look. It is mot like the usual Chinese restaurant you see in Binondo; this one is spacious and it has a youthful vibe. Also, the colorful graphics of Hk landmarks in its wall complements the monotone furniture. 

Inside Xin Wang HK Cafe

Check out the wall graphics

I noticed in their menu that they have lots of specialties; from Hk western to dimsum to congee to bamboo rice it's all available here. You might think that they serve too many specialties but i ate un a Hk cafe just like Xin Wang in Mongkok Hong Kong and their menu really has a large variety; I guess Xin Wang stayed true to a Hk style cafe. 

Siew Mai P95

Deep fried spring rolls P95

The dimsum are a bit normal for me, i hope they do something with the siew mai because it doesn't look appetizing and it doesn't look hand-made. On the other hand, I liked their spring rolls, it has shrimp meat in it!

Hk steamed Chinese sausage bamboo rice P184

Nice concept but bamboo rice does not just mean, eating straight from a bamboo bowl/cup. I hope they put some bamboo shoots with the rice to make it more "Chinese".

Dry chili noodle with char siew and wanton P185

Evan ordered the dry chili noodle with char siew (bbq pork) and wantons. If you don't like spicy food, I suggest you don't order this one. Their chili here is quite overwhelming when you taste it.

Iced HK Milk Tea P75

Whenever I go to HK, I always order some milk tea in restauarants. Xin Wang's metal cup and the milk used for this drink did remind me of my HK vacations.

I did some checking on the net and found out that Xin Wang is actually a franchise from Singapore. If so, I wish they have a branch in San Juan area since there's a big Chinese population in the area; also Quezon City Tomas Morato would be awesome since it lacks a Hong Kong kind of Cafe --- a place which closes late; has coffee, snacks, and real food! I'd go back here for a quick Hk food fix!;)

Taste: 3.5/5

Quality: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe

Address: G/F SM Mall of Asia, Seaside Blvd,

               Manila Bay Reclamation Area, Pasay City

Website: www.xinwang.com.ph

Tikim50: Tea Prince (Fairview, Quezon City)

So far, all of my recent posts are about tea places and drinks, but before i take a turn into trying another thing, let's try to see my new chill place TEA PRINCE. 

Tea Prince

I've always wanted to check this place out because i find the name interesting and all and when i got there, it gave me the aura that i was expecting. The place was bright and cozy. great place to study or unwind.

We all know the saying "curiosity killed the cat", right? well, I'm curious whether they offer same teas like every other tea shops or if ever they'll satisfy my craving for a new taste. 

Menu

They had different drinks to offer and even a few snacks if you're hungry.

Oh, and a new add-on too!

I tried the Cherry Blossom fruit tea and my friend got the chance to drink the Dark Choco Milk Tea drink.

And remember the saying I stated above?

Yup! Definitely gave in!

All I can say is that they gave me the new taste I want to try and you have a chance to write on the opinion board.

Oh and yeah! I'll introduce you to a cute figure below.

This is Prince Kitty accompanying us while we're at the place.

So if ever you need some place to relax or want to satisfy your curiosity with a new drink, TEA PRINCE is definitely a must try!

Taste: 3/5

Quality: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Tea Prince

Address: Regalado Ave. West Fairview, Quezon City, Philippines.

Contact: 4301326

Map: click here