Top Picks at Makati's Kitchen 56

One good thing about having foodie friends is that they alert me to post-worthy restaurants. One Sunday I was invited to try out Kitchen 56 at Jupiter Street, Makati. 

I fell in love with the watermelon and rocket salad, one of the prettiest dishes I've ever seen. It was sharp from aragula, zesty from the sweet-sour sauce, freshened by the diced watermelon and brightened by candied pili nuts. I was wondering what rocket was, and it turned out to be aragula. After the first course everything was a blur--next time I should really take down notes. ;)

The other stand-out dishes were the beef kebab and the soft taco beef bulgogi.

I made a mental note to try the kebab again: it was hefty, tasty, and oh-so-tender.

Kitchen 56
56 Jupiter Street
Bel-Air, Makati
(+63) 02 856 4144

Cyma's Tonnos Salata, Yemistes, and Flaming Mangoes

I usually gravitate towards favorite items when dining out, so sometimes I make a conscious effort to seek out recommendations from other people or the wait staff so I'd have something different. For this post I was happy I went out on a limb, because not only were what I ordered pleasing to the eyes, but they were delicious as well. 

The tonno (Italian for tuna) salata was lovely salad. I love how they treated the tuna, different from what I'm used to, you just have to try it. I love the tangy sauce with the salty pop of olives and wholesome white cheese.

The yemistes (stuffed pepper) was a lovely non-meat option. Imagine nutty and creamy rice inside peppers. It was smoky and sweet from the raisins. 

Cyma's flaming mangoes is awesome. Imagine skinned ripe mango swimming in syrup on a hot plate. Then scoop wholesome vanilla ice cream into the mix, adding warm tones to the caramelizing syrup

Cyma Greek Taverna
2F Robinsons's Place Malate
(+63) 02 353-3909

Arya Persian Restaurant's Couscous Salad and Chicken Koobideh

Scoring a good meal is more art than science. Sometimes I overlook certain restaurants just because they're mall-based or I had one bad experience with them. Fortunately I'm always open to recommendations which may come anywhere--from friends, fellow bloggers, food writers in traditional media, even celebrities in the know. All these I enter in a database of restaurants to visit. One thing is sure--the list gets longer and longer. 

I had already eaten in Arya before (click here for my review), and I thought that was it, until I reviewed my database. While waiting for a movie to start I headed to Arya to cross a couple of times from the list. 

First is the lovely, refreshing Couscous Salad. Couscous is a traditional Berber dish of steamed semolina (granules of durum wheat). The salad is tart from the vinegar and tomatoes, crunchy from the veggies and peanuts, and with the welcome sweetness from the raisins. The ingredients came well together, all these on top of a tortilla-like base.

I then had the Chicken Koobideh with pita bread. I'm a fan of anything that resembles shawarma, so this is a no-brainer for me. I  love crushing the grilled tomatoes over the smoky meat, which I also douse in chili and garlic sauce, and wrapping everything  in the bread.

Arya Persian Restaurant
Midtown Wing
Robinsons Place Manila
(+63) 02 567-7200

Top Picks from My Last Visit to My Kitchen by Chef Chris

I've been recommending My Kitchen to my friends since my first visit, and I'm glad they also enjoyed their meals there. I've been back a couple of times, and this is my report on the dishes I enjoyed in my last visit. 

The Oasis Salad is described as a blend of artichokes hearts, roasted peppers, capers, caramelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, aragula, and romaine lettuce with red wine vinaigrette. I love the zesty dressing and well-balanced flavors. This is my first time to sample artichoke and I  appreciate how it is rendered both sweet and sour. I wonder how it tastes like fresh. As usual, the sweetish dried tomatoes were divine.

The Pan Roasted Salmon Fillet with lemon butter sauce. The salmon was creamy and rich, tempered by the blanched tomatoes. The potato cake served as perfect foil for the tasty dish. .

The Slow Roasted Chicken, seasoned with lemon, white wine and olive oil , on a bed of chorizo pilaf with roasted carrots, pumpkin, and spring garlic. This tasted like upscale afritada. The meat was soft and the sausages were a nice addition to the dish.The rich dish was balanced by the slight bitter aragula.


My Kitchen by Chef Chirs
The Oasis Paco Park Hotel
(+63) 02 521-2371 to 75

Top Picks from Gen San's Ranchero's Grill and Seafood Restaurant

When someone asked me where to eat at GenSan, I suggested Ranchero, and he loved it. A quick look at Tripadvisor shows that it ranks 1 out of 45 restaurants in the city. My first visit was at the Paseo del Sol branch was about five years ago, and I was smitten. For this year I got to return twice, this time at SM. (I'm partial to the charms of the first branch, though.) Below are the dishes I enjoyed. 

Duck in Coconut Milk, I think (help!). I forgot where I stuffed my notes, but this dish was very memorable. Sweetish creamy and soft duck meat. I tried to resist eating more, which was futile. The bite from green pepper offered a welcome heat.

Dragonfruit shake. I had this years ago, and the I wondered what the fuss was all about. This time they I was lucky: it was refreshing and creamy, a medley of flavors that reminds me of mixed berries.

Pako salad. The plating is uninspired, but this one's a winner. Pour in the bagoong (fermented fish paste) for the flavors to meld in. The mild greens acted as good foil for the slices of bagnet and salted egg. I also love the tiny zing from the julienned ginger.

Again, ignore the poor presentation. The Pugon Pork does not look pretty, but it is flavorful and not greasy, with skin so crisp. It comes alive with either vinegar or bagoong sauce. And I must say, the pork in these parts taste clean.

SM City GenSan
Santiago Blvd cor. San Miguel St.
General Santos City, South Cotabato

Top Picks from Tagaytay's Marcia Adams's Tuscany

Some meals are magical they are forever etched in your mind: Ka Lui's. My Kitchen. First Colonial Grill. Rafael's Farm and Garden. Here's another: Tagaytay's Marcia Adams's Tuscany. Just being there is an event (I'll post about this later).

It's with a tinge of sadness that I write this. An earthquake and a super-typhoon has just wrecked havoc on the Visayas, and having visited some of them, Leyte in particular (see here, here, and here), I'm not sure if the restaurants I wrote about are still standing after these twin tragedies. As of this writing news is slowly trickling in, and I do hope that the people behind these establishments, as well as the general populace, are safe.

But life must go on, we must soldier on. Tragedies have a way of bringing people closer. For a date or dinner with family and friends, I could not recommend this enough. Below are the highlights of our Tagaytay dinner, which consists of a three course-meal including an appetizer and a dessert. Every dish was cooked by Marica Adams herself. Since we went as a group, we were spoilt for choice. Be prepared to pay more, but with food as good as this, it's money well-spent.

For appetizers, we chose:

Amalfi prawns--crispy prawns marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley, coated with bread crumbs, and pan-fried. Amalfi is a Italian coastal town and a tourist draw.  I wrote in my notes: "fat, crunchy prawns."

The provone, melon and aragula salad is the bomb. Refreshing, pretty salad. At first I thought the yellow orbs were tomatoes.

Warm cheese-filled salad with walnuts and pistachio.

The Aaegean (vegetarian) salad consisted of grilled pear, mixed greens, grilled Italian ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and roasted pistachios in herby, tangy dressing.  Very flavorful. You can do no wrong withe either of the two salads.

For mains we had

The Al-funghi--spaghetti with mixed fresh mushrooms, basil, and garlic. This vegetarian pasta disappeared in seconds.

The Italian pork chop--grilled loin chop seasoned with fennel and pepper, accompanied by organic rice made with leeks and chives.

We also had the shish kebabs. These were wonderful  even without the sauce. The lamb was not gamy at all.

For dessert we had

the lovely grilled banana split. Warm thick choco was poured over the bananas.

We also had the delicate panna cota with lemon sauce. Lovely lemon rinds. Don't forget to bite into the mint.


Marcia Adams's Tuscany
JP Rizal Street, Tagaytay City
0917-8011456

Le Petite Camille's Pomelo Salad

One good thing about having foodie friends is that you won't run out of ideas on where to go when eating out. A few months ago I met my favorite public defender in swanky Greenbelt 5, and we decided to go Vietnamese. Le Petite Camille's interiors was bright, sexy,and airy, not unlike stepping into a worldly person's bedroom. The staff were efficient, the service fast. We ordered summer rolls/goi cuon (fresh and flavorful), the pho combination (beefy, fresh vegetables, a tad less warm when served), and my favorite: the pomelo salad/goi buoi.

The pomelo salad is my friend's favorite, and now I know why. The dressing was addicting! It was a perfect combination of sweet, sour, and salty. For this alone, I'll return.

Tip: ask the staff to go easy on the MSG if you are so inclined.

Le Petite Camille

2F Greenbelt 5

Legazpi Village, Makati

(+63) 02 728-4965

Myron's Place for The President Steak and Caesar Salad

It was my friend Lulu's birthday, and for her we'd brave Friday traffic to be at Powerplant, Rockwell. Our first pick for dinner was packed--we forgot to make reservations, so off to the basement we go. Myron's Place was not bad at all. We ordered Oysters Rockefeller and two soups, Cream of Pumpkin and Cappuccino of Mushroom, but two items stood out: the President Steak and the Caesar Salad.  

see the pink himalayan salt crystals sprinkled on top of the steak?
by the way, the  onion rings were ginormous

this was the prettiest caesar salad i've seen

We ordered the President Steak, made of  US certified Angus beef rib-eye, medium rare. It was soft and juicy. When served, they tilted the plate to allow the juices to settle at the bottom. The fried rice that went with it was divine--perfectly cooked, a little on the dry side, just like what my grandmother's household do. The garlicky rice helped cut the richness of the steak. Pink Himalayan salt added a nice touch, but I don't know if it added to the flavor at all.

The salad was flavorful, and almost as good as those of TGIF, the standard by which I measure those of others. I love the way Myron's plated the salad, you have to see it for yourself. My picture didn't do it justice.

In fine the dinner went well and most of what we ordered were good. I appreciate the effort they put in presenting their dishes, and this is as it should be, since the place is quite pricey. From other blogs I noticed that the Greenbelt branch looks better, and I made a mental note to visit it soon.

Myron's Place
Powerplant Mall, Estrella St. cor. Rockwell Drive
Makati
(+63) 02 728-9898

Manila's Emerald Garden Restaurant for Hot Prawn Salad

fruit salad + prawns

Emerald Garden Restaurant, located along Roxas Boulevard near the US Embassy, is said to be one of the oldest restaurants in Manila, and some say the best, although I'm still not convinced. It's not a fancy restaurant, and it's a favorite of families and politicos. It is known for its humongous siopao (Hookien for steamed buns), one of its signature dishes. My favorite from its offerings, though, is the hot prawn salad. 

On paper it doesn't add up. The nearest I can compare it to is a fruit salad drowning with mayonnaise, with hot prawns included in the mix. But it's so good, and has been consistently so the few times I've been to the restaurant. Highly recommended.

For inquiries, you may call (+63) 02 523-8510. 

Makati’s Bizu for French Bistro Fare

I won’t hesitate to pay for quality. Some establishments deserve the price tags they foist on their clients, and I’m just too happy to fork over the cash (I won’t do it often, though—my budget remains, on the whole, proletarian).

I’ve heard about Bizu Patisserie, before, and I thought it served mainly macarons, a sweet meringue-based French confection that comes in a variety of fillings. While waiting for a dinner date I agreed to meet up with a friend at the Greenbelt 2 Makati branch of Bizu, and discovered they serve full-on bistro meals. Wiki defines bistro as a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. When planning another get-together, I suggested that we have lunch at Bizu.

Among the items we ordered—most of them quite good—were the chorizo aglio olio (subtle and flavorful), the Waldorf salad (refreshing) made from organic ingredients, and the poached salmon with pommery (balanced, clean). I regret not taking a photo of the ten hour roast beef (flavorful, with meat oh-so-soft), which was likewise a winner. Most dishes come in family sizes, good for sharing for 2-4 diners.

Do a good deed. Share this post.