Tikim9: Thaipan's white ambiance (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)

Thaipan is a perfect date place if you guys are looking for some Thai cuisine (As the name suggests). It's a bit hidden from the main road of Tomas Morato Street but it is not that hard to find. You'll notice the restaurant with it's white themed ambiance. It is very refreshing when you step into the restaurant --- design is modern, fresh, and romantic! You can have a choice of dining in their veranda or inside where there are rooms for functions with air conditioning. I strongly suggest eating alfresco because during the day their food and cold drinks are a perfect combo while at night you can have a peep at the stars while eating (so romantic ^.^)

Alfresco style lounge

Eat at the veranda for better ambiance

 in-house dining for those hot summery days

In ordering, you can see their menu is very simple ans straight to the point --- just the Thai name and the description. The menu lacks pictures of their best dishes which can help their customers choose what to order. However simple their menu is,the taste of food is what matters! :)

Simple menu

Me and evan ordered the following for dinner...

See Khrong Moo Yang: Cinnamon & lemon marinated pork ribs

Paw Pia Thawt: Deep fried spring rolls

Gai Sateh: Chicken Sateh

His favorite is the pork ribs which are indeed barbecued to perfection [must try!] while i thought that the  deep fried spring rolls are a bit too oily for me but i really liked the chicken satay especially with their sweet vinegar dipping, a mixture of spicy and sweetness! As you noticed, their dishes are served in simple white plates with minimal garnishes, indirectly suggesting that taste is what they are after. You'll not regret..Thai is really in the air!


Thaipan
120 Scout Dr. Lazcano,
Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Contact:  352-4926, 0917-808-0718 Email: Thaipanresto@yahoo.com

Verdict 4/5

Tikim8: Kanzhu, Hand Pulled Noodles, Little Baguio, San Juan

A new restaurant has recently open in the San Juan area, right along Abad Santos street near Wilson called Kanzhu. It's right in front of the famous tea craze shop Serenitea along the side of Ristras and Tofu store. It's a chinese cuisine operated by Master Chef Kevin Yu. It's noodle house with striking similarities to the old Pot & Noodle chain in Manila  in which noodles are hand pulled and cook at the time of your order. The interiors of the establishment is pretty basic, a typical Chinese fast food cuisine. One side of the cuisine shows a brief history on how the family recipe dating back to medieval China came about. 

Then right in front you get a full glimpse of the kitchen and the kitchen staff on how they prepare your meal. Showing you that these guys are authentic. The noodles themselves are hand pulled and cooked by the head chef himself.

Ordering food was a breeze, a variety of noodles is on the menu, dry and wet (both comes with soup). Obviously, we had to order the house special which we found out as it was written on the walls of the restaurant that it was the dish that made them famous. The Braised Beef Noodles.

Obviously as a noodle lover I am [Evan only =p] quite picky on my noodles, and boy their noodles are really delicious, the beef is so tender that you may think that they've been in the pressure cooker forever. The noodles themselves even without the beef are a delight to eat, but the key ingredient here is not the beef nor the noodles but the special sauce that comes with it. Three of them together creates one fine fine dish.

Since we will not be contented with just a single order, a second noodle order we got was a stir fry one with chicken. Initial glance will tell that this is one of your typical pancit canton dish but looks can be deceiving. Noodle lovers will love this but too bad it doesn't have the same effect that we had with the braised beef noodles.

Both orders comes with complimentary soups and for a complimentary soup, boy were they tasty, we had to get second rounds for it, glad the staff serve them to us without hesitation.

Judging from the review, we are definitely coming back to this Kanzhu hand pulled noodles cuisine. But this time, the order will be two of those house special braised beef noodles. Definitely a winner here.

Kanzhu
Unit 4 Citiplace Building,
8001 Jose Abad Santos Street;
Little Baguio, San Juan
Metro Manila

Verdict: 4/5

Tikim7:Tea fit for royalty, Gong Cha now open

First branch in MOA

Winter Melon Milk Tea

Gong cha tea, which originated in Hong Kong is now open today in Manila. The first branch in MOA, near the bowling center, is like a takeout kiosk with aircon.
A bit hard to buy when there's a lo of people because there's not much space to form line.

Despite the space issue that I observed, the bright lights and the noticeable menu that can be seen from outside the glassed kiosk, people seem to be curious about this new tea place.

Me and evan tried out the Gong Cha Milk Winter Melon Tea, and it tastes great! You can really taste the tea in the drink...not just syrups! The server even suggests the sugar level for the drink that we ordered - good thing because it shows the staff know their tea well! Price wise, tgey are about P10 cheaper than serenitea.

If MOA is too far from your house, a second branch will soon open next month in SM Northedsa

Verdict: 4.5/5

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Tikim6: Burgers at Murray's and D'Vine

I never noticed this restaurant for the times I went to Fort Bonifacio High street and Serendra.

Evan and I came to know about Murray and D’Vine last weekend, when a surprise birthday dinner was planned for a close friend  ^.^

 Burgers, sliders, and Wine

 At the 2nd floor with great company

The restaurant has a small space both inside and alfresco dining. They actually have a second floor which is a good place for dates and mini get togethers. From the moment you see saw their sign, you will not think about burgers. The only sign that it’s a burger place is  its banner that says “We have the best burger..Yabang noh”

Upon checking out their menu, you will get a feel that the restaurant is actually American cuisine, with salads, ribs, potato wedges, and burgers. Me and Evan just ordered a trio of mini burgers, one beef burger, one chicken burger, and one shrimp burger. The mini trio’s include a bit of veggies, a cone of french fries, and small bottles of cute Heinz ketchup and mustard. The burgers that they offer are just the patty and meat, no cheese, no veggies, no anything. The server will ask if you just want to add cheese on your burger, which of course costs a bit more.   

 Left-Right: Beef burger, Chicken burger, and Shrimp burger

 A cone of crispy fries

The cute bottles of ketchup and mustard

The taste of the burgers are a bit bland, I guess my buds were looking for something juicy and something

special. For the price the mini burgers (about P100+ each) with no garnishes, it’s a bit expensive. L The only complement that I can give them is their good service.

Verdict: 2/5

Murray and D’Vine

c114, G/F Retail Area, Serendra, 
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634

Telephone: (632) 856 3723 (632) 9013029

Website: http://murrayanddvine.com

Tikim5: Cheese anyone? L'entrecote, Fort

L'entrecote, such a fancy name for a good ol' French-Swiss cuisine. The word 'entrecote' is actually french in origin, which means a certain cut or portion of the anatomy of a beef, lamb or pork. Ribeye to be exact; if you wanna be anal about it. The restaurant is located in the area of Burgos Circle, which is filled with fancy restaurants and all. Initial glance at the restaurant from the outside gives a slight impression that this place is one of your typical French restaurant with a touch of Swiss in it. The establishment doesn't really dazzle you or anything but it's far from being one of those rip-off Euro-cuisines, and also it doesn't scream that it is an exquisite fine dining restaurant. However, be prepared to burn out some cash for some of their finer dishes. So on to the entre-cote..

 Fine dining at the L'entrecote

First part of the menu we ordered was a little special from the establishment, a little offer that is only available on Thursdays, good marketing idea from the owner on this one. There's a handful of food to choose from for the special Thursday treat. For us we picked the Swiss cheese raclette being the cheese lovers that we are. The other interesting tidbit in there was the swiss cheese fondue, but price was a bit too much for us, so maybe on our next visit then, mark it on a Thursday then. The cheese from the raclette was actually really delish, coupled with a few potatoes and some vegetables really a treat for all you cheese lovers. Serving size was a bit unsatisfactory though, but glad the taste did make up for it.

 Swiss cheese raclette: Bits of pieces

Second on the menu was the Pissaladiere Traditional, it's actually a pizza with anchovies black olives with smothered onion and garlic. These are some good pizza here, different from your typical fastfood type pizza. It was good food but nothing really special about this dish besides its fancy name.

 Pissaladiere Traditional: A different kind of pizza

Now for the main course, of course we had to have an entrecote, presenting you with Menu Entrecote, one of their signature dishes. US steak cooked medium rare (our choice ;-)) mixed with green salad toped with secret herb butter sauce with unlimited frites (aka fries). Yes you heard it right, unlimited fries for all you potato addicts out there. They serve all of their steak dishes with unlimited fries, another good gimik this restaurant has. The steak was actually something to look forward to, that special sauce they had was actually good and it was pleasant to see that the staff was kind enough to offer us some more additional sauce free of charge (we didn't knew then, wish we knew about it earlier) as we were dipping them fries in the sauce and eating them like hungry sharks.

 The main course with UNLIMITED FRIES! ^.^

 Steak is served and will be eaten hot!

Right after we finish the entre, we were so full that we didn't even ordered dessert anymore. Yes blame it on the fries and that special sauce, for a second there I'm starting to doubt if that gimik of unlimited fries was actually any good. But nonetheless the fries were something to look forward to in our next visit.

Overall, the food was nice, but it's not something that can make you jump out of your seat or something that can give you a tongue orgasm (for more subtle people). The concept is nothing new but I like the idea of having Swiss and French cuisine, but not a Fusion of the two. But in the end we have our stomach full and the owner was even kind enough to come out and greet us on our way out. 

Verdict: I give this a 3.5/5.

L’entrecote
Unit A Bellagio 2, Burgos Circle
Forbestown, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel. No.: (+632) 8564858(+632) 8564858

This article is written by Evan Yeung.

Tikim4: Food Places you don't want to miss when in Tagaytay

Tagaytay is a nice place to go when you want to escape from the city stress. With cooler breeze and restaurants all over the area, you will surely forget about work! Whenever I go to Tagaytay it somehow equates to food trip! I have developed food favorites here and I am excited to try whenever I learn that there's a new restaurant in town. 

Pamana Restaurant for Lunch
As the name of the restaurant suggests, it serves Filipino cuisine. Nothing much spectacular about the food, the taste was normal for me. What was nice about this restaurant is the concept that followed through its menu, table setting, and interiors! The Taal Lake view is big plus!

 Unique condiment setting in Sungka style

 A nice view while eating

 Angus Beef Bistek: Not so tender :( but sauce is delish!

 3 Way Adobo: A must try for chicken lovers. 

I like the adobo style with the light colored sauce. 

The adobo flakes can be amazing if there's a dipping sauce or 

it can be something like adobo chips

 Adobo Rice: Yummy with the sauce but don't eat the fats! This is good for 2.

 Inihaw na Sugpo: A bit dry dor me. Not served hot.

By the way, you can only eat at Pamana restaurant by RESERVATION only. My tip is to reserve a table indoors, you don't want to get stressed [table cloth being blown now and then, flies buzzing around, and getting food cold easily]  by the wind when you eat outdoors.

Pamana Restaurant
Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City
Beside Boutique Hotel, near the Tagaytay Rotunda
For Reservations: +63920-8561970, +63920-8561970, +630-464132461,+630-464132461    

Bag of Beans for Dessert and Coffee 
Bag of Beans never lets me down when it comes to cheesecake and a relaxing ambiance. A definite date place for couples. Since last year, the main branch renovated to more seating capacity, so don't worry about not getting seats. They also have a better menu than before--- Yey!

 Main branch of Bag of Beans, this is the best branch

Don't leave Bag of Beans without tasting their cheesecake. I am not a fan of cakes but this particular cheesecake made me want for more! They have 2 flavors and both tastes great!

Strawberry Cheesecake: Not too sweet for cake, the perfect texture!

Bag of Beans
115 Aguinaldo Highway, Mendez Crossing West,
Tagaytay City, Philippines 
Contact Number: 6346-4134356, 6346-4132724, 63923-4544797, 63920-9546370
Website: http://bagofbeanstagaytay.net/

Buon Giorno for Dinner
An authentic Italian restaurant, you wouldn't be let down when you dine here. They serve colazione (breakfast), antipasti (appetizers), insalata (salad), zuppe (soup), pizza, pasta, paninis, and the best risotto in all the Italian restaurant that I tasted! 

 

Their signature menu

Spinach zuppe: perfect starter, warm and healthy

Chicken risotto: Not overpowering, texture is just right! 

I like to put some spice flakes to have some 'ummph!"

Taragon Ice-Tea: Nothing to rave about this drink just minty and refreshing

Call the restaurant to reserve the "swing seats" on their verenda. Buon Giorno has a beautiful Taal lake view :)
 
Buon Giorno

4 Cliff House

Tagaytay City, Cavite, Philippines

Contact Number: 6346-4832102

Tikim3: A fieldtrip at Best Food Forward Food Bazaar at NBC Tent

I have been seeing a lot of the Best Food Forward Advertisements in Lifestyle Channel; so me and Evan decided to check out what this food bazaar will offer.

The bazaar offered less than i thought it would. The last time I went to NBC tent, the place was like a maze of sellers but last April 2, there were less sellers especially on the right most of the tent. Even though there's a shortage of variety of food sellers; there are 3 things/factors that salvages the event from being "bugged". 1. They offer various activities at P50 targeted for the kids like bangle designing, face make-up, air play plen, and etc. Activities like these can let parents roam around the bazaar while their kids have fun as well...win win situation! :) 2.There is a free photo booth picture that comes with your P50 entrance ticket, this makes a nice souvenir! :) 3. Lastly, they have a  ventilated "picnic" or outside area for food concessionaires.There were also busboys that clean up the picnic tables after use so it's a plus points!

Here are my top finds:

Liqueur Bonbons by Joana
website: http://www.facebook.com/liqueurbonbons?sk=info
email: liquerbonbons@gmail.com
My first thoughts upon seeing her stall..."oohh this looks very interesting. Haven't eaten bonbons yet..wait what are bonbons?" Even if i didn't know what bonbons were i the 'liqueur' part got me to buy some, P190 for 6 pieces! haha!:)
I only searched what bonbons were after eating- according to freedictionary.com, bonbons are "a candy that has usually a center of fondant, fruits, or nuts, that is coated in chocolate"

 A variety of bonbons..very tempting

 Absolut Vodka Black Forest

These are my choice bonbons..I personally like the minty bonbons

Mochiko
website: http://www.facebook.com/mochikomochi?sk=wall&filter=12
branch: Cliffhouse Tagaytay

I noticed that mochi is getting popular! It now reached Tagaytay, this will be another food stop when I visit the area :) Mochis are nice to eat they are tender to bite and sweet in the inside. The rice glutinous, the outer layer of the mochi, is my favorite part because it gives a balance when eating it with ice cream. Mochi are somehow like bonbons except that it is covered or coated with rice glutinous rather than chocolate.

A variety of Japanese and Fruity flavors to choose from

Eat My GF
website: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=187010068514&v=info
where to find them: food bazaars

For Potato and french fries lovers, Eat My Garlic Fries is an adventure! You'll need to like garlic before and after eating the fries 'coz all their flavors are garlic related! Their potatoes are cooked well --- not soggy and are prepared hot! :) I liked it that I ordered 2!

Virgin Chips: A garlic-ky take on mojo's style cut potato 

Pinoy Garlic Fries: French Fries with button mushrooms are fried garlic