ekl10

I ate in Sumo Sam once and I don't think I'll ever eat there again. I ordered shrimp salad which was supposed to be deep-fried shrimp, fruits and cream. What we ate were deep-fried shrimp mixed with veggies. I was extremely disappointed.

Hahahaha! bro, i think you were confused. shrimp salads with fruits are chinese dishes not japanese. in any typical japanese restaurants when you order salad it means veg and not fruits. I suggest you go to gloria maris or causeway bay if your looking for shrimp and fruits. Hey, they might even give you free mixed fruits.

MANGO TREE,

FORT BONIFACIO

Finally! I have been waiting for this resto to open for months now and now it has arrived. Its actually the same owner and resto as the bistro located in trinoma and greenbelt mall. However, in their FOrt branch they brought it up a notch. With elegant simple interior to the freshest and most authentic ingredients to thai cuisine. Most of the ingredients being used at this establishment are flown in from Thailand, giving customers a true, authentic taste.

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milk tea - still has got to be the best milk tea i have ever had in manila.

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Mint salad - not really sure of the authentic name of this dish since we were all hungry and just wanted to eat. but this dish is very unique and authentic since you have to first roll the mint like a cone then stuff it with whatever filling you choose from the plate. The dish is very refreshing yet with a kick specially with the chilli.

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Fried catfish salad - pretty ordinary but still refreshing

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chicken satay - satay was very rich but doesnt give you that over powerng of nuts. chicken was very tender and moist.

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Shrimp roll

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pineapple rice

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Crabmeat curry - the crabmeat was very fresh and not the preservative kind in a can. However, i found the curry to be too subtle and wish they had picked the crabs a little better, i ended up biting several crab shells.

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Fish in tamarind and lime sauce - fish was very fresh. jsut wish they made the tamrind sauce much stronger just like the once they do at their bistro.

overall:

Ambiance 5 - Loved the simplicity and modern style of the place

Food 4 - Loved the food, eventhough there were some issues like the crab shells i still would come back to this establishment for its food.

Service 3 - Maybe its because its their soft opening but i kinda found the servers to be all over the place and most of them were a bit confused as to what to do.

Price 4 - prices are a bit higher compared to the bistro branches since this establishment is in a more formal setting and ingredients here are often flown in from thailand.

well for me the foams purpose is really more for the visual and really only provides hints of flavors. specially since these foam are mainly composed of air.

For the dessert they used vanilla foam as for the main dish it was truffled foam

The foam actually give hints of flavor just enough that it accents the dish but doesn't become a strong characteristic.

guys, ill be in the roxas area tonight specifically manila hotel gonna be watching a show afterward friends and i are looking for a place to have late dinner. any suggestions? and we would rather not eat at the hotel since the food isnt really that great and a bit pricey. hope to get feedbacks soon before the evening starts. thanks in advance.

OPUS, RESORTS WORLD

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QUAIL AND BACON RAVIOLI - pasta was handmade and cooked perfect al dente. nice hint of truffle oil giving the dish that "umph" factor.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/opus/angelhairpasta.jpg

ANGEL HAIR PASTA - pasta was also cooked to al dente and the seafoods were very fresh from the mussels to the shrimp.

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CRISPY SKIN SALMON - fish was cooked perfectly not over cooking the fish leaving it moist and flavorful

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RIBEYE STEAK - meat was fresh and cooked perfectly tender. evident that the meat was not stored frozen.

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CRISPY PORK SKIN - skin was very crispy while the meat stayed moist.

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CHILLEAN SEABASS - fish was cooked perfectly leaving the center part close to rare.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/opus/duckconfit.jpg

DUCK CONFIT - meat hadsome burnt parts on the sides however, the middle part of the meat stayed moist and tender. loved the truffled mushroom that came with it just wish they used less salt.

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BEEF WELLINGTON - never been much fan of meat and pastry however, this meat was cooked so perfectly.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/opus/matisse.jpg

MATISSE - dark chocolate fondant, salty caramel ice cream malt foam

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/opus/lemonmintberries.jpg

PICASSO - baked lemon pudding, tarragon-mascarpone sorbet, with blueberry campote and vanilla foam.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/opus/Pavlova.jpg

MONET - balsamic marinated strawberry nd vanilla pavlova

overall:

Ambiance 5 - the place leaves you breathless with its vintage art tapestries hanging from the walls to its sexy modern chique bar.

Food 5 - i have to admit that the only times i come here is when im drinking or partying but having to experience the food i must admit that it went beyond my expectations.

Service 5 - wait staff are very visible and are eager to assist anyone who needs assistance.

price 4 - a bit on the pricey side but I think its very worth it specially for a first class service and food.

I'm currently staying at Marco polo rt now. I must say I'm fairly impress how accommodating and friendly people are here. I never thought davaoans were this friendly. Rooms are fairly clean and average in size.

hmmm.... seems fairly quiet.... everyone on a diet?

ucc express, pasay road

Ever since i heard bout ucc's aditional menu which by the way is only available for its express branches like the one in pasay road and eastwood branch i knew i just had to try it.

In there new menu they have included several ramen noodles which which is still in line with ucc's japanese cafe persona.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/ucc%20express%20pasay%20road/IMG_0022.jpg

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/ucc%20express%20pasay%20road/IMG_0028.jpg

tan tan mien - flavorful, and noodles are cooked perfectly however, found the broth to be too salty that it tends to overpower the dish.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/ucc%20express%20pasay%20road/IMG_0027.jpg

spaghetti curry - nice flavor of the curry, very rish yet subtle. would have liked for the sauce to be more on the thicker side. the dish became more of a soup pasta dish.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/ucc%20express%20pasay%20road/IMG_0023.jpg

sumiyaki coffee - stil one of the most aromatic and flavorful coffee on the menu.

overall: ambiance (4) - the establishment is very clean and the interior gives out a very cool, calm, relaxed environment perfect for coffee.

food: (4) - even though some food may need some improvement, dishes are not bad and are actually fairly better than some establishments who claims to be authentic.

service: (4) - crew are very well verse bout the menu and are very quick in responding to customers needs

Price: (4) - fairly reasonable for the quality and service being provided although, one could hope they would lower prices of their coffee evn just a tad bit.

LOLO DAD'S

QUIRINO HWY

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Guess theres just some establishments that have kept itself from the past and have difficulty catching up from the new guns.

Lolo dad's "used" to be the place back in the early 2000 where one would choose to bring their special someone and make sure to make a great impact. It use to be the place where couples would dine for special occassions such as aniversary, valentines even proposals. however, the place has now turned into relics. even the foods quality has severely dropped. one can no longer expect the big "ummmph"

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rock oyster fettuccini - one would never guess that inside this tiny shell covered in cheese you would find pasta noodles and topped of with a small grilled foie gras. I admit the idea is unique but the flavor just didnt seem to come together.

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cappucino soup - again another classic. mushroom soup with coffee served cappucino style

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/lolo%20dads/ceasarsalad.jpg

ceasar salad - very normal

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rocket salad with grilled prawns and scallop - not bad of a dish specially since they didnt held back on the quality of the scallop and shrimp.

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complimentary lemon sorbet - refreshing

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herb crusted lamb - meat was a bit tough to chew on and meat had a very strong after taste of the lamb

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/lolo%20dads/ribeye.jpg

3 types of meat platter - dish consisted of ox tongue, rib eye, and tenderloin steak. every meat tasted the same only different they had from each other was there textures. ox tongue was very tender and soft while the tenderloin was tough and gummy

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/lolo%20dads/P1010574.jpg

? - actually forgot what this dish was but i think its duck breast with pear. didnt seem memorable as well.

overall:

food: 2.5 - quality has definitely gone down since its golden days.

ambiance: 2.5 - felt very old and untouched. everything seemed out of place from the light swithes to their fixtures. oh and by the way one of our pregnant friends had an accident as she sat down the chair easly broke almost injuring her and the baby.

service : 2 - staf were hardly visible and when you do get their attention they would often give you the stink eye and are very rude

price: 2 - for the price you are paying one would expect better quality of food, service and ambiance. i'd rather eat at the mcdonalds across the street.

savoy bistro

kalayaan, makati

Recently had a special dinner with close friends. We wanted to go somewhere new, somewhere intimate yet relaxed. Fortunately, i heard of this new place along kalayaan rd. in makati which features mainly french cuisine and assortments of European dishes. On the outside the establishment seemed suspect, maybe due to the location or that several of its patrons were foreigners with their filipina "girlfriends". however, once inside the restaurant you are taken to a new and exciting place. Savoy is not only a french restaurant but also an art gallery which features several art peices from paintings, to sculptures and even furnitures. Oh and almost everything in the restaurant has a tag price meaning its for sale.

We all decided to order their special 4 course set menu of the evening which featured three seperate apetizers, mussels, salad, steak or fish and 2 types of dessert to choose from. Price is also not bad for P1,500.00 per head its pretty much a steal considering what was on the menu.

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however, knowing that some of us would be coming a bit late that evening i decided to order an extra dish as a starter.

i decided to order two sets of fondue - melted gruer cheese with white wine slowly simmering on top of a candle.

the cheese melt was soo tastey that one couldnt help but dip the bread fully till it was all soaked up. aside from the bread the fondue was also accompanied by serano ham, pickles, olives, and sun dried tomato.

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i was fortunate to meet the owner and chef of the restaurant who seemed very authentic as a European can be. we got to share a few converstaion and he suggested we start our meals with a light white wine to which we agreed to order. Oh they do have a great selection of european wines.

kim crawford reitzling white wine from marlborough 2007 - the wine was very light yet sweet perfect as a starter.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/apetizer.jpg

When everyone arrived we started our set course. For the appetizers we started with three small portions

Gorgonzola cheese on pumpernickel bread, Gravlax salmon rolls on chopsticks and pate de maison on pumpernickel bread

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/mussels.jpg

black australian mussels in sauvignon blanc and cream - the mussels were very fresh and the sauce was so good that everyone treated it as a soup.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/rocketsalad.jpg

jamon serano and mango rocket salad - veg were very fresh and crisp, just wish they sliced into smaller pieces.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/steak.jpg

Tournedos Rossini topped by duck foie gras, madeira sauce, truffle foam - this has got to be the best foie gras i have ever eaten, the liver had little butter flavor which meant good quality foie gras not those fake processed liver with lots of added butter/fat to make it tasty. while the meat was cooked to perfection very tender and juicy. And the portions were very generos for bothe the liver and the meat.

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Pan fried sole fish and sea scallops on pumpkin and sun dried tomato risotto - the fish was very tasty and moist. frying process was right on the money not using too much oil and allowing the fish not to be over powered by the oily taste. the risotto was cooked to perfection although i wish the dish would have been hotter.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/bluelabel.jpg

While waiting for dessert we decided to have a dessert drink first by having johnny walker blue label - the alcohol was very refreshing it helped clean our palates from any after taste left from the dishes we just had.

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k588/elwoodkelly/savoy%20bistro/passionfruit.jpg

chocolate mousse and passion fruit pavlova - the chocolate mouse made a great compliment to the sourness of the passion fruit. while, the pavlova gives great texture to the mouth almost like a sansrival.

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creme brule vanilla bean and strawberries - didnt get to eat much of this dish for i found it to be too sweet. felt like eating sugar pudding. the overly sweetness gave me tingles in my body.

overall:

food: 5 - every dish was perfection.

ambiance: 4.5 - very relaxing yet makes you wanna wear a suit type of ambiance although they could have organized the artworks more to avoid looking messy and all over the place.

service: 4.5- wait staff were very accomodating and friendly, was very quick on their feet and very knowledgable with the menu.

price: 4.5 - considering the amount of food being served and the quality of the food i would give this establishment high marks.

ms take, did you try the one ( cafe juanita) in the corner or the big one by the main road? the one in the corner is the original one, while the one on the main road is already an extention of the original one. if you get the opportunity you should try eating at the original one since the ambiance of the place gives you this very nostalgic feeling since the place also serves as a gallery where a lot of the trinkets and novelty items are actually for sale.

try cru - voted as one of the philippines best steak house. pricey but worth every penny

or you can also try fireplace at hyatt hotel they even serve a 25oz steak for all you heavy carnevors

COVA, TAPAS SANGRIA BAR RESTO

JUPITER, MAKATI

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The place was oozing with sexyness. with its slick panels from walls to ceiling, dark ambiance only candles eluminating. Oh, and the food was excelent and sexy as well..

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Sangria's - both in white wine and red wine. signature drink of the house.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/cova/P1010254-1.jpg

surf and turf tapas style - forgot the name but its tenderloin steak on top of a brioche bread and toped of with some basil and shrimp on top.

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fried ravioli - fried pasta just doesnt seem right plus it made the whole dish really really oily

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beef tartar - raw beef topped of with a giant egg yolk covered in aged balsamic vinegar ginger sauce.

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paella negra - unfortunately, as i went on a bathroom break this arrived and as soon as it did everyone started devouring it leaving me with this lil ol plate. the original piece came in a standard paella plate good for 4-6 people with variety of seafoods on top and the whole dish is finished of with a generous cerving of mayo.

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lengua - also known as ox tongue. the meat was super tender from boiling the tongue for such a long time. however, the dish was a bit on the salty side specially since it was mixed with lots of mushrooms.

http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m585/ekl1982/cova/P1010259.jpg

callos - cow tripe and meat in sweet tomato sauce. loved this dish, the saltyness of the sauce and the sweet raisins made a very balancing taste that lets you experience different flavors all over your palette.

fried mozarella cheese - unfortunately, was in another bathroom break from all the drinks that ive missed another shot but i did get to taste the dish and it was awesome. its not like your typical fried cheese that was taken from a frozen pack and reheated. this was the real deal. the cheese would flow like lava as you break the fried balls in half.

note: all dishes had specific spanish names unfortunately, i was too wasted to remember any of the names nor did i remember to take a shot of the menu.

overall:

ambiance = 5, the place was simple yet very sexy ( boys, definitely plus points for your lady friends)

food = 4, the food was excelent however, i found that some of the dishes was heavy on the salt and servings were really small considering we ordered of sharing portions.

service = 3, the service would have been great unfortunately, when we got the bill the cashier "acidentaly" over charge us which we contest to, instead of listening specially after how many times of explaining to several of the servers they still kept pushing. but in the end one of the servers finally said that we were right and that he had been keeping tabs on our orders. which they eventually corrected the bill.

price = 3 = prices are a bit steap considering the amount of food you actually get from an order, but in the end this is makati and you are paying more for the ambiance of the place than for the food. but in the end think twas still worth it.

TS - for cafe 1771, it really depends on the orders whether you would opt for sharing or individual orders. but my estimate is probably around 6-800 depends also on the number of persons your sharing it with.

asmo, please feel free to start your FR on our recent food trip as for our opinions either separate frs or a collaboration of opinions is fine. but i think a collaborated one would be more appropriate so that we wouldnt be over posting the same resto. what do you think? TS?

TS - for cafe 1771, it really depends on the orders whether you would opt for sharing or individual orders. but my estimate is probably around 6-800 depends also on the number of persons your sharing it with.

asmo, please feel free to start your FR on our recent food trip as for our opinions either separate frs or a collaboration of opinions is fine. but i think a collaborated one would be more appropriate so that we wouldnt be over posting the same resto. what do you think? TS?

not so much the only establishment there that really gets crowded is side bar. its actually beside cafe 1771. although i suggest you do come early for parking is very limited.

i'm not really familiar with their operation schedule but i hope they'd be open specially since the place is actually very ideal for brunch.

so who's up for a food trip tonight at cafe 1771?

is it the same as bulgogi brothers as the one in gb5? if so, the food is just alright. the beef is good but the rest isnt much korean taste specially considering that its supposedly come from korea. their banchan isnt much either they only give you a couple of corn, potato, kimchi, kimchi salad and sweet potato puree.

guys you free tom eveing? how bout goin to cafe 1771?

asmo, how was it?

TS- its ok wel just have to devour ourselves with the cheese and tomato fondue.. yummm

just let me know when you guys are free next week so we can set soemthing up.

by the way guys, ill be finishing my biggest loser competition this coming week. how bout celebrating with a food trip? asmo? ts? u guys up for it?

i'm thinking we could finaly push through with cafe 1771

asmo, i'm using photo bucket to resize the photos. maybe ill just use photoshop next time. thanks.

Xrated , dont be discourage in trying something just because others have had a bad experience. maybe it was jsut our luck that we encountered such a bad dining experience. i admit that the food in romulo is good and the it was my go to place but after the way the management handled the situation it was the biggest thing that has turned me off the establishment and not so much for the food. so i suggest you still go and try cause in the end the food is the reason we go to these places anyways.

guys my apologies for the picture size of my post tried resizing them just not sure why they still came out that big. hope they dont get deleted again. but if they do o well.