Revisited: Pepi Cubano

I heard of Pepi Cubano back in 2016 when a handful of friends couldn't stop raving about its pressed no frills Cuban sandwiches. I got to try my very first was when it joined  the Gourmand Market and understood the hype after finishing one of its filling sandwiches. It's not surprising for many to favor this as quick bite. And it also serves as a great afternoon snack for a catch up session. 

Hello, Pepi Cubano.

Pepi Cubano grew from a hole in the wall shop in Makati into a multi-branch brand in just a few years and it now has stores conveniently located in malls. 

J and I decided to meet at Pepi Cubano Trinoma branch one time and had a long overdue chat over some sandwiches. I went with Pepi Cubano (PHP190) while J got Torrejas (PHP170). I also got Guava Lemonade (PHP95). 

Now in BGC: Soru Izakaya

Known for its arty plating of maki rolls, Soru Izakaya has been flocked by millennials who want content for their social media pages. But unlike restaurants and concepts that focused on just aesthetics, Soru Izakaya was able to balance both by offering eye pleasing dishes that also satisfy the taste buds. 

Hello, Soru Izakaya.

I have to admit, I was a bit pessimistic with this concept surviving the ever so competitive Manila food scene. As one of the few restaurants that offer relatively expensive dishes in Maginhawa, a neighborhood known for affordable grub, Soru Izakaya has a lot on its plate. But fast forward to 2018, it now has two branches with its newest one in Burgos Circle, Fort Bonifacio. 

More Than Just Juice: GoJu

It has been extremely hard to go on a diet these past months due to all the food events, local trips and travels abroad. I've also been to two cruises this year which meant endless eating for days! And despite trying to cut down on calories, I couldn't find myself giving up refreshments, specifically juice as it makes any meal better. But I think I found the brand that would help me get my weight in check. 

Hello, GoJu.

Love at First Bite: Auntie Anne's Two-Cheese Pepperoni Nuggets

I love scoring deals as much as food and combining the food makes me giddy like crazy. With the food scene becoming more and more competitive, eating out has never been this fun and affordable. There are several apps and websites offering attractive deals that slashes at most 70% off your bill. Lately, I'm hooked to Booky's Buy One, Get One (BOGO) deals. And I've recently claimed another deal from Auntie Anne's.

Hello, Auntie Anne's.

I dropped by its Greenhills branch before heading to my meeting in Promenade. Since I haven't had lunch yet and needed some serious thirst quenching drink, I decided to claim two of Auntie Anne's BOGO deals, Large Lemonade (PHP80) and Two-Cheese Pepperoni Nuggets (PHP99). My total bill was PHP179 instead of PHP358. Not bad at all!

New Food Park Alert: The Food Haven at 77

Filipinos love to eat and that pretty much explain why more and more new restaurants and food parks open almost on a daily basis. Though I’m not exactly a fan of food parks as more often than not, the food in these places are just so-so, I had to take back what I said countless times when I visited The Food Haven at 77. 

Hello, The Food Haven at 77!

This spacious two-storey house turned food park is one of the latest Kapitolyo gems worth visiting. Unlike other food parks, this one has ample parking space and the main dining area has A/C units in full blast to beat the never ending Manila heat. 

Restaurant Love: Single Origin

Breakfast is love. If breakfast is a guy, I’d definitely date him and who knows, marry him as well. There’s something so appealing with breakfast that I simply could not stop having it all day long. And a lot of foodies share the same addiction hence the number of all-day breakfast restaurants around the city. One of my favorites is Single Origin and it surely delighted my tastebuds when I dropped by its second branch a few months ago. 

Hello, Single Origin. 

This was my first time to visit its Rockwell branch which opened last September and I noticed that it is bigger than its BGC branch. 

I was greeted by warm hues of brown, suspended lights and charming flowers on each table. I also spotted a few communal tables which are perfect for large groups or those who do not like feeling alone. 

Foodie Alert: Ippudo is now in BGC

I love getting random messages from P as it always mean great news and usually involve food. And yesterday was no exception. It was about Ippudo Uptown Mall BGC's opening this time. Well, sort of. P said that Ippudo is looking for people to participate in the ramen place's two-day stress test. I immediately said that I'm willing to participate as it simply mean that we'll act like usual customers during Ippudo's simulation. 

Hello, Ippudo!

We got to Ippudo early and there was quite a line outside. Since looloo saved us some seats, we went to the front of the line and told the host that we're looking for Denise. Apparently, the ones in line were all for the stress test and probably mentioned her name too, only are affiliated with other groups or probably friends of the owners.

Well, they were just doing some last minute preparations and after a short wait, we got in.

Luckily, C, R1, R2 and P got the table right beside ours so we got to chit chat for a bit over ramen among others. 

R who has never been to Ippudo ordered Akamaru Shinaji (PHP495) while I went with Shiromaru Motoaji (PHP490). We also got Okonomiyaki(PHP270) and Deep-Fried Gyoza (PHP220) as appetizers and Matcha Creme Brûlée (PHP160) for dessert. For drinks, we opted for Watermelon Shake (PHP115) and Lemonade (PHP110).

Service was quick and we got our drinks in less than 5 minutes. We were also served house water before that. 

R's lemonade had a nice tangy taste which was refreshing. 

My watermelon shake was also good. It wasn't very sweet and did the job in quenching my thirst. 

Our other orders arrived right after. 

The okonomiyaki was quite sweet because of the okonomiyaki sauce. 

I loved the harmony of textures of the yam, egg, chasu and black konnyaku (potato). But I felt that the flavor was too overwhelming for an appetizer. 

The deep-fried gyoza was scrumptious! It had a lovely meaty taste and it was flavorful enough even without the ponzu sauce. Don't let the chili and spicy mayo stop you from ordering if you have low tolerance to spicy food like me. It wasn't spicy at all. 

First Bite: Shutter Café

It was already past 1 p.m. when C and I decided to head elsewhere for lunch. We initially planned to wait for J to pick us up to escape the harsh rage of the sun but we were itching to find a new spot and so we booked a cab and headed to Tomas Morato area and visited… Shutter Café. 

Hello, Shutter Café. 

The place looks so adorable with its display of vintage cameras. The place is divided into the actual camera store and a nook for eating. As a person who is more than satisfied with just my phone’s camera feature, we headed straight to the eating area. 

It was quiet when we went. Only one table with a small group of women learning how to knit was occupied when we got there. 

C and I decided to share our orders and went with Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich (PHP165) and White Sauce Pasta (PHP165). I also got a glass of Lime Basil Lemonade (PHP100). 

I was surprised when they served my drink. It was more of orange brown than greenish yellow. Apparently, it was iced tea which came with the dishes we ordered. The person manning the counter didn’t even bother to tell me that our orders come with drinks. I could have cancelled my Lime Basil Lemonade. (And it was too late of course so that they could use the classic excuse that it was already put in the system hence they couldn’t cancel my unnecessary order.) At least the iced tea was refreshing. 

The Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich was served next and it was not photogenic at all. C and I had a hard time taking photos of this dish and we even walked around looking for the perfect angle/light and failed. 

First Bite: Backyard Kitchen+Brew

I still remember the first time I visited Backyard. We only ordered its famous butter beer since we saving space for our Mecha Uma tasting menu dinner. And since there are just too many new restaurants here and there, I didn't get to visit Backyard again till last week. Well, we didn't really plan to visit Backyard but since we failed (once again) to have lunch at Asakusa, we ended up stuck between Backyard and Burger Pub. Thinking that I just recently blogged about the latter, I convinced R that we go for Chef Ed Bugia's restaurant. 

Hello, Backyard Kitchen + Brew! 

This time around, we ordered non-alcoholic drinks Lemonade (PHP65) and Home Brewed Iced Tea (PHP85). For our hot meals, we went for Slow Roasted Pork Belly (PHP275) and Backyard Burger (PHP285).

First served were our drinks and both were very refreshing. The lemonade was delightfully tangy while the iced tea had a nice citrusy flavor with a tinge of honey. Yum!

In less than 10 minutes, the Slow Roasted Pork Belly was served. Now, that's fast service! 

As one of Backyard's specialties or recommended dishes, it did not fail in the taste department. I truly enjoyed the rich flavor of the pork belly. Succulent meat covered in a sweet and mildly spicy sauce. 

In order to offset its overwhelming taste, I ate some of the crunchy and slightly tarty coleslaw and delightfully cheesy mac and cheese after each bite of the pork belly. It was a harmonious dance of flavors! And the good thing about this affordable dish was its generous serving size! 

Restaurant Discovery: Buffalo Wild Wings

Capitol Commons is starting to become a foodie destination. At first, I was lazy to visit the place as I have already visited Tipsy Pig, Black Olive, Sentro1771 and Nomama. But my Instagram feed went crazy one time with so many posts about this new wings place in Estancia Mall. And it sure made me curious. So…

Hello, Buffalo Wild Wings!

The place was quite packed with yuppies on a weeknight. (I can’t imagine how packed it will be when the big games are on!)

Since we were quite hungry, we didn’t mind being at the bar. After browsing the menu, R and I decided to go for the following: Pepper Jack Steak Wrap (PHP495), Naked Tenders (PHP395) and Traditional wings with Honey BBQ sauce (PHP295, snack | PHP495, small | PHP695, medium | PHP895, large). We also got unlimited iced tea and lemonade.

First served were our drinks.

The lemonade was super sweet! I had a hard time finishing my first glass and I even had to ask the server to mix the second one with water to dilute it.

 

First Bite: Hatch 22

As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), I learn to appreciate my alone time. Being alone does not automatically mean lonely. It’s just that you are capable of doing things on your own. The only downside I could think of when eating alone is that I couldn’t order a lot as (1) I could not finish everything and (2) I’ll be too poor if I always do that. A few Sundays ago, I decided to have lunch at Hatch 22, a restaurant many warned me about. But since I was alone, I could eat wherever I want (and order whatever I want).

Hello, Hatch 22!

The place had a few empty tables when I arrived. I noticed that it’s more of a family place; that or simply because it was a Sunday. (And so, I was the only solo diner that time.)

I spotted a few salmon dishes while browsing the menu and so I ordered: Salmon and Lemon Caper Salad (PHP375 for half), Salmon and Rosti (PHP455), Pumpkin Spice soup (PHP185) and a glass of Grilled Lemonade (PHP110).

First served was my Grilled Lemonade.

I was warned that the drink has a bit of spice and true enough, it reminded me of Juju Cleanse. It was refreshing though and the lemon was really grilled!

The soup arrived next and it was a creamy bowl of heaven. The pureed roasted squash was delightful. The slightly sweet taste of squash went well with the salty chorizo bits.

An L.A. Must Visit: Castaway

Ever since I heard from Auntie L that Castaway is a great restaurant to visit, I have been hoping to dine there. It's slightly far and I heard that it's pricey too. But reading the reviews and seeing the photos made me want to visit it more. It somehow reminded me of how much I wanted to go to Sonya's Garden and Vigan. Luckily, I managed to have dinner there a few days before my flight back to Manila.

Hello, Castaway!

The place has a relaxed ambiance and doesn't have this snotty feel at all which I get when I visit classy restaurants. It feels more like a guest house with rather tropical decor.

The menu is not as extensive as I thought but all sound so mouthwatering. We ended up ordering Castaway Crab Cakes ($13), Roast Prime Rib of Beef ($32), and Bone-In Rib Eye ($38). As for drinks, we had a glass of Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri and Lemonade.

 

The crab cake was served quickly. It even arrived before the wait basket of fresh bread. It was quite savory and a pleasant appetizer. The texture was smooth and crunchy. The sauce too was a combination of tangy and salty. I truly enjoyed it.

 

The main dishes took a long time to be served though. Apparently, there was a problem with our side dishes... potatoes. They ran out of potatoes. Thus the over half an hour wait.

Restaurant Discovery: Yellow House Café

I just love visiting Koreatown in Los Angeles. There are a lot of cute restaurants and cafés (and some of which are in Manila too) open till the wee hours just like how things are in Seoul. The place I visited this time seems to be a popular one as it was still packed at 8 p.m..

Meeting up with K and T guarantees that we eat somewhere cute or fancy. (So, horray for me! I'll have something nice to blog about!) This time, they decided that we have dinner at Yellow House Café .

We met up a little bit past 8 p.m. and we had to wait for a table to clear up. Apparently, the bigger the party, the more difficult it is for you to get a table.

While waiting, we all decided that we order something to pass time since we were all too hungry to wait. K and I ordered Cheese Tteokbokki ($10.95).