Guilt-Free Snack: K-Radish Pickled Radish

I used to think that all kimchis are made and taste the same. My first ever bite of kimchi was beyond appalling that I refused to eat kimchi for almost a decade! Talk about the saying 'first impression lasts'. But after discovering how great ssambaps are, I became open to the idea of having kimchi with my Korean BBQ. I even fell in love with kimchi fried rice to the point of having it for breakfast at least once a week. And one of my favorite snacks now is Kimchi Radish by K-Radish.

Hello, K-Radish.

K-Radish is the brainchild of two doctors who know their way in the kitchen. Drs. Harris and Marie Co came up with the idea of offering pickled radish during the nationwide quarantine and thought that it would be a perfect snack to have while watching our favorite K-Dramas. 

First Bite: Big Ben's Gourmet Imus Longganisa

Big Ben's is one of Imus, Cavite's gems when it comes to longganisa. It has been known for its delectable Original Garlic Adobo Longganisa which is packed with bold flavors along with crowd favorites Garlic Hamunado and Gourmet Bottled Longganisa. But this charmer down south has a lot more to offer.

Hello, Big Ben's Gourmet Imus Longganisa.

Big Ben's has been around for a couple of years now but I haven't had the chance to drop by its Cavite restaurant. And I wouldn't have guessed that my first time to try it was during Manila's lockdown. 

First Sip: Satinka Naturals

With wide variety of food and cuisine to choose from, it's so hard to stick on a diet or even eat healthy. I salute those who tirelessly eat clean and organic. I tried and failed (miserably) several times. As someone who loves every single sinful dish, I don't know how these organic restaurants charm me. It could be the great reviews I've been reading or its quirky interiors. This time around, I gave Satinka Naturals a try. 

Hello, Satinka Naturals. 

I've heard of this place a few years back when a former colleague of mine couldn't stop raving about it. She wasn't exactly a healthy eater so her raving about this place intrigued me. 

First Bite: Runner's Kitchen

I've been hearing a lot about this restaurant offering organic dishes for more than a year now. Though it has been getting mixed reviews, I can't help myself from wanting to visit the place that makes healthy eating look so photogenic. And two weeks ago, I finally got to drop by with R and his vegetarian supplier S. 

Hello, Runner's Kitchen.

Located along the busy foodie stretch of Tomas Morato, you have to keep your eyes open as its facade is not easy to find. But thanks to Waze, we found it. 

First Bite: SUSI

SUSI has captured my heart ever since I saw a bunch of its mouthwatering dishes on Instagram and Facebook. However, I hardly frequent Burgos Circle and eventually forgot about visiting this quaint restaurant. It was until a few weeks back when I finally spotted SUSI. I had no plans of dropping by though as I was expecting a hefty dinner from another restaurant which recently opened. But I was still hungry after what I would describe as a disastrous dinner and ended up craving for more food. And if that’s not a sign to visit SUSI, I don’t know what else to call it. 

Hello, SUSI!

We were greeted by smiling faces behind the counter and were immediately ushered to the dining area on the ground floor which was dimly lit. 

Since R and I were trying to catch a movie in Uptown, we just ordered desserts and went with Eat Your Feelings (PHP245) and Willy Wonka (PHP295) for a quick chocolate overload to help drown our sorrows. 

Foodie Alert: The Gourmand Market this May 20-22, 2016

No plans this weekend? Then head to the Gourmand Market by nawwTy's kitchen and indulge in delectable dishes by top and promising food concessionaires. 

Don't miss this chance to stuff yourself with great food. Bring your family and friends as food always tastes better when shared.

See you there! <3

Gone Too Soon: Poulet Manille

The deep blue interiors of this organic chicken place caught my interest when it opened in SM Aura. But I hardly see diners whenever I pass by the place. It made me think if the food’s not worth it. It could be either mediocre or expensive food. But after reading a few reviews and seeing the menu, I felt that I have to visit this place. Truffle chicken at less than PHP500 with 4 side dishes? Not bad at all.

Hello, Poulet Manille.

We got to the place around 6:30 pm and the place was empty as usual. We sat down and ordered Poulet’s Truffle Chicken (PHP498, half | PHP798, whole) with Fragrant Jasmine Rice and Creamy MashedPotatoes for sides, Cream of Wild Spinach as additional side dish, Norwegian King Salmon (PHP690) and Watermelon Ginger (PHP125).

No, you are not counting wrong. They lessened the sides per order (from four to two for a half order) and made the price steeper. (Insert frowning face here.)

Service was quick though and after a couple of minutes, my mom’s Watermelon Ginger was served.

It had a refreshing and slightly sweet taste of watermelon. The bits of ginger made it even more interesting and in a way, rejuvenating.

The mains were served soon after.

The Norwegian salmon was delectable. By just looking at it, you could tell that it is a good dish. It was soft and juicy with the outer part having a light crunch. It was on the salty side but it was well complemented by the spinach and lemon risotto. It had that nice tangy flavor that is best paired with seafood like salmon.

First Bite: Soil Modern Dining

The words “softopening” attracts me like a fly to light and the thought of being one of thefirst ones to sample a new restaurant’s offerings delights me… a lot. And just like any typical night, I browsed through the looloo app and a review caught my attention. Soil Modern Dining, a new player in Molito is on its soft opening. It was just perfect as I was going to visit my aunt who lives in Alabang that weekend and R was game to head there for early dinner. Yay!

Hello, Soil Modern Dining.

We were greeted by nice modern, industrial interiors and I was instantly charmed by its simple yet beautiful table setting. 

Since we got there a tad too early (Soil resume operations at 6PM for dinner service), we decided to just wait outside and enjoy the cool breeze. We headed back after 20 minutes and took the bar seats, right across the open kitchen.

We ordered Bone Marrow Escargot Spread with Lemon Brioche and Onions (PHP180) for appetizer, Tea Smoked Salmon with Potato Gnocchi, Atchara and Orange (PHP335) and Pan Seared Duck with Fresh Pasta, Foie Gras and Mangoes (PHP400) for mains and Basil Lemonade with Blueberries (PHP80) and Warm Tarragon Tea with Star Anise Syrup (PHP80) for drinks.

While waiting for our meals, we were given complementary malunggay bread with seaweed butter. It was served warm and it sure hit the spot. I loved the softness of the bread and the lovely crunch of the crust. I also fell in love with the subtle salty taste of the butter. It was great!

I was still savoring the delightful bread and spread when our appetizer arrived.

I loved the wooden serving plate where the bone marrow was placed. It added a bit of warmth (aesthetically) to the food.

I scrapped a bit of bone marrow, sprinkled a bit of salt and spread it on a piece of bread and it tasted… oily. The taste of the bone marrow escargot was very weak and it was overpowered by the buttered bread. I then realized that this dish is best to be enjoyed without the bread or have a bite of it after getting a taste of the bone marrow escargot. Without the bread, it was actually a tasty dish. It was still oily but it had a nice light taste perfect for an appetizer.

My Tea Smoked Salmon was served next and it was a lovely sight.

The salmon was cooked just right. It wasn’t overly cooked hence leaving the rather small slab of salmon very fresh and moist. It was like enjoying salmon aburi! I also enjoyed the potato gnocchi which was so soft and slightly seasoned to give more flavor to the dish.

The unique atchara (made with some wild greens instead of shredded papaya relish) gave a nice sweet taste and the salted egg cream added a bit of saltiness. It was a great balance of flavors and definitely a must order dish.

Second Bite: Adaäm and Yves

Organic? Blargh! Most restaurants that use that word come up with hella expensive dishes. And when this trend was still in its earlier stages, most establishments have no clue how to make it more palatable. I recall trying some out and I felt robbed for eating grass that costs like steak. A couple years later, they finally got the idea that healthy does not exactly have to be yucky. And one restaurant that captured my heart and tummy is… Adaäm and Yves.

Hello, Adaäm and Yves.

It has been a few months since I last visited this dark yet charming place. The industrial interiors truly give this place a chill ambiance while its accent lights add elegance.

R and I were the early birds that night. The place just opened when we got in and the servers were still busy putting all the cutleries and condiments in place.

It was quite warm inside the restaurant as they just turned on the AC. The perk though of being early is the undivided attention of the staff.

Since R wasn’t very hungry, we decided to share Cabo Quesadillas (PHP340) and A Day is Ibiza (PHP495). We also ordered a glass of Coco Rocha (PHP175) for a sweet treat.

Service was quick as our dishes arrived in less than 20 minutes.

The serving of Cabo Quesadillas is quite generous and good for sharing. The toasted tortilla, which reminded me of crunchy pancake, was topped with free-range chicken sausage bits, cheese and sour cream.

I loved the play of textures and flavors. The crunchy base, soft and slightly salty chicken sausage bits, and creamy and tangy sauces all made this dish divine. I also loved the delightful sunny-side up egg that I had the pleasure to poke for its yellow yolk to ooze.

I was a bit disappointed with the serving size of the paella. It was quite small and it was even more expensive than the quesadillas. But it had two pieces of prawns,mussels and clams so... fine. 

I liked the texture of the Valencian-style organic red rice. It was slightly firmer than the usual grains I eat on regular days. It went well with the seafood toppings and it was even better with lemon juice drizzled on it to balance the paella's saltiness. It was also pretty heavy despite its small serving size.

Love at First Bite: Adaäm and Yves Organic Bistro

Getting to know fellow foodies have perks. I would have not heard of Adaäm and Yves Organic Bistro if it wasn’t for K. And after some stalking, I discovered that this is one of the newest restaurants in BGC. The location alone made me interested since it’s relatively near where I work so… I decided to pester one of my friends and dine there ASAP.

Hello, Adaäm and Yves Organic Bistro!

The place, where the entrance is along 6^th Avenue, looks bare from the outside. There are about 8 tables inside with high ceiling making it look very spacious. The place is dimly lit hence it made me think right away how I’ll manage taking photos especially since I didn’t bring my other phone as additional light (for dramatic purposes).

I walked all the way from SM Aura to get here and I was hungry since an hour ago so I was already in my hangry state when I sat down.

Still in its soft opening, the server who assisted us had no idea what are being offered. He did suggest the “bestsellers” which happen to be the two most expensive dishes in the menu. When I asked him what makes it different, he just read the menu to me which, admittedly, annoyed me and made me snap.

Before losing it, I ordered Tuna Turner (PHP285) and Pink Floyd (PHP230) while J went with Noli Me Tangere (PHP495). [Side note: After telling the server my order, I think he spaced out and asked for my order again. He sure tested my patience.]

Service was quick though and in less than 10 minutes, Tuna Turner was served. And it was difficult to shoot it!

When Adaäm and Yves said it was a sashimi grade tuna loin, they were not kidding. It sure was fresh and delightful! The tangy taste from the lemon juice and slight oiliness from the olive oil made it a great appetizer to start the meal. 

The taro chips reminded me of the blue potato chips I usually get from flights.

First Bite: Detoxify Bar

My good friend C has been telling me that Detoxify Bar is such a great place. I wasn’t really excited to visit it though as it sounded healthy. But when my colleague (another C) dragged me to go on detox, I finally dropped by Detoxify Bar.

Hello, Detoxify Bar!

I was still on detox when I visited the place to meet up with C. But the friendly staff behind the counter told me that it’s okay for me to eat as long as the ingredients are organic. Well… if that’s true then…

R and I ordered the following: Tomato Basil soup (PHP150), Rosemary Chicken (PHP275) and Meatless Pastaless Veggie Lasagna (PHP275).

Love at Third Bite: Green Pastures

My preferences seem to be different from my colleagues. Whenever we vote on something, I usually end up choosing the option NO ONE votes for. Just like when we were deciding where to have our celebratory dinner, I chose Kettle or Brotzeit; both chosen by nada. Curious which one won? Green Pastures.

Hello, Green Pastures!

Okay, I have a love-hate relationship with this one. I recall that I ordered the wrong dishes on my first visit and I had yummy pasta but a weird drink on my second visit. This time around though, my boss, M, ordered for the team and got Ricotta (PHP225), Stracciatella (PHP325) and Autumn Surprise (PHP430, small | PHP595, large) for appetizer; Scampi-Chorizo (PHP500, solo | PHP700, sharing), 80/20 Burger (PHP550), Roasted Organic Chicken (PHP650) and Tap-Caulisi-Log (PHP600) as our mains.

First served was the bowl of salad.

I truly enjoyed the mix of greens, nuts and fruits. There were a lot of flavors and textures going on making it very interesting. My favorite was the candied walnuts.

Stracciatella

Ricotta and stracciatella were served next.

Ricotta

Almost everyone liked the stracciatella cheese more but I prefer ricotta cheese as it had a tangier flavor. The scracciatella needed a bit of salt for taste while ricotta tastes even better with the onion jam. Then again, the arugula made scracciatella delightful.

Love at First Bite: Juju Eats

I have to lose weight. Yes, reality slapped me in the face real hard this time. And I am more dedicated now to get fit. I’m actually surprised myself that I’m stricter this time. I guess the fear of continuing this unhealthy lifestyle might lead to a not so good future made me realize how much I have to be more careful. So, I signed up for anti-gravity yoga and started to eat healthy. I also happen to read somewhere that there’s a thing called alkaline diet which helps detoxify the body. I gave it a try and I’m now eating nothing but fruits and vegetables on weekdays. ONLY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES! But weekends are my cheat days. Then again, I still strive to eat healthy food while pigging out. And it wasn’t that hard when you’re at Juju Eats.

Hello, Juju Eats!

I have been seeing (or should I say reading?) a lot of positive posts about Juju Eats. I am familiar with the Juju Cleanse which I tried once due to curiosity but I never had the chance to try Juju Eats. I was so delighted when I saw a JUJU EATS COMING SOON signage when I visited Podium. And I finally had a chance to try Juju Eats’ salads last Saturday after yoga.

I was famished! I only had a banana for breakfast and it was already past 1 p.m. when I got to Podium. Luckily, I was next in line.

I decided to go with the ones the staff recommended: Greek Salad (PHP250 regular | PHP165 half/wrap) and Korean Kimchi (PHP295 regular | PHP180 half/wrap). I also got a bottle of Green Bomb and Qcumber Quench.