Admittedly, one of the things that excites us when our US counterparts are here in Manila is their treat. During one of their visits, we had our team lunch out at Little Asia in Venice Piazza McKinley Hill.

 

Little Asia’s owner is the grandson of one of the original owners of the very first Savory Restaurant in Escolta, and is kin of the owners of The Original Savory and Classic Savory. But unlike the Savory brands which has a casual feel, Little Asia is on the fine dining side and has upscale interior.

classy interior

 

Little Asia offers a fusion of Asian dishes mostly with Chinese twist. We had Appetizer Sampler as starter.

prawns wrapped in bacon, Vietnamese spring rolls, shrimp curls, Indian minced meat, samosas and golden pouches

 

Boneless Tilapia with honey mayo sauce – didn’t try this ‘coz I don’t like mayo :(.

 

Beef Tenderloin Rolls with Cheese in Teriyaki Sauce – I love dishes with cheese… Actually, I love cheese! The expats liked this too.

 

Ahhh… sweet Korean Beef Stew…

 

Prawns with Garlic and Aligue Paste – you would love it if your fond of bagoong/aligue. Well, I’m not… ugh.

 

Little Asia’s Crispy Chicken - they said the recipe is inspired from that of the very first Savory Restaurant’s fried chicken recipe.

 

Chienese restaurant isn’t a Chinese restaurant without Yang Chow :).

 

And of course, a pancit of some sort - Combination Chow Mein.

stir-fried Lo mein with beef, pork, chicken, squid, shrimps and vegetables

 

But this was really what got my approval - Caramel Mango Tower FTW!

 

Thanks for the treat Steve and Pete, see you again in Manila!

 

Little Asia Venice Piazza
Ground Level, The Venice Piazza
McKinley Hill, Taguig City
Landline: (+63 2) 798-0354
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday 11:00am to 11:00pm

They say you haven’t been to Boracay without trying Jonah’s Fruitshakes. It’s a fruitshake pub along Station 1 with a strategic beachfront location; which also has branches along the main road, by the way. My personal favorite is their Banana Choco Peanut shake which has always been a Boracay staple for me. But during my Boracay 2013 trip, I tried another bestseller – Avocado Milk shake.

 

What I’m wearing: ombre T-shirt (Island Souvenirs), board shorts (Mossimo), white-framed sunglasses (SM Accessories), fedora hat (SM Accessories). Hype this look on Lookbook here.

 

I super like this ombre T-shirt from Island Souvenirs – very summer looking and perfectly matching my avocado shake peg hehe; my friends like it too :). For the board shorts, I got it from Mossimo a few years back. Sunglasses and fedora hat are from SM Accessories where you can buy affordable fashion items for both men and women ;).

 

Jonah’s Avocado milkshake tastes rich and full although it’s a little too sweet for my taste bud (nagdi-diet kasi). Nevertheless, the thick taste of avocado and milk were delivered; I would love to try this again on my next trip to Boracay.

Jonah’s Avocado Milkshake

 

But I guess Jonah’s Banana Choco Peanut milkshake is still my bet FTW (the first two from the left)! Mango-based shakes are also one of their best sellers especially to foreign tourists. As for the watermelon shake, I was able to zip a little and I would say it tastes refreshing!

 

Definitely, Jonah’s Fruitshakes is another reason why…

Beaches are Hotter in Boracay!

Don’t forget to HYPE this on Lookbook, just click here.

[This is another flashback post; accomplished July 2011; and I know – it’s already July 2013. After two years, I’m now ready to blog this. I dedicate this blog post to a good old best friend…]

 

The famous Spiral buffet in Sofitel Hotel is probably one of the most, if not the most, expensive eat-all-you-can in the Philippines. The price per adult then ranged from 2,200 to around 2,500 pesos depending on the day (weekdays vs. weekends) and time (lunch vs. dinner). But with the help of online deals, we got Spiral buffet vouchers for just 1,575 pesos per head (thanks Ensogo!). Yeah, still pricey but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to treat ourselves once in a while :).

literally Spiral staircase and sculpture

 

And so we used the voucher last July 2011 to celebrate my friend’s birthday. Nasa far far away province kasi ‘yung family n’ya so I was his companion for his 26th (also on his 22nd to 25th hehe). Anyway, I love the table assigned to us; it was beside the fountain so we can hear the flowing water which gave us a serene feeling.

very calming ambiance – love it!

 

Ready, Set… Lamon!!

round 1 for me – grilled meat for protein; grilled fish is also available

rarrr!! (mamamatay na sa gutom at this point)

 

It is my personal style to eat meat first and very less carbs on the first few rounds so I won’t feel that heavy immediately. Plus, we needed lots of protein since we worked out at the gym that morning.

Roasted Prime Ribs! – I asked for mine to be cooked medium rare but I guess I should have it well done next time; o baka hindi lang ako sanay sa lutong mayaman :))

 

If you’re on Chinese cuisine, you will surely not be left behind…

pecking duck, anyone?

 

dim sum galore: siomai not-so-unlimited

(ambilis kasi maubos; although they refresh it naman every now and then)

 

Japanese cuisine fans will not go home crying…

chicken teriyaki is always a safe Japanese pick for me ;)

 

different kinds of tempura – another Japanese staple food

 

it’s not Japanese without sushis and sashimis

(unfortunately, I’m not used to eating raw food; ayoko sa malansa e lol)

 

Hello seafood lovers…

crab-shaped seafood stand

 

bright orange seafood parade

 

oysters on the other side

 

We’re losers (and embarrassing). We ate the seafood as is. We didn’t know that we can actually ask the (on-the-job) student chefs to cook them for us (e.g. buttered shrimps). Haha, halatang first time.

 

Moving on, there’s also a portion for…

cold cuts

 

cheesy portion - I always thought I was a cheese lover;

but it turned out that it’s just the usual cheddar and parmesan that I really like

 

the famous foie gras a.k.a. duck's liver (pagkaing pangmayaman daw eto)

daming nakapila rito; it’s really oily but I like it nevertheless

‘yung friend ko ayaw tikman kasi naaawa raw siya sa mga bibe

 

pizza, mashed potatoes, sukiyaki and other carbs – good but nothing extraordinary

 

and more carbs – cookies and bread

 

There were still a lot more to try for the main dishes like Indian and Thai food, among others. There were also different pasta dishes like pesto, carbonara, etc. but we weren’t able to taste them because we were so full already.

cheers! (the voucher we got included a glass of wine)

 

When in Spiral, seriously consider to save room for dessert… WARNING: nakakasira ng diet!!

mmm teppanyaki ice cream – and a lot of toppings to choose from

 

select-your-own filling crepe; there’s blueberry and mango

 

jelly candies for the kids

at may nakita akong lola na pasimpleng ngte-take out nito para sa mga apo

 

specialty cakes

 

and more cakes!

 

many more to mention cakes, plus fruits and fondue

 

I would say it was worth the price considering the very wide array of food and the promo price that we got. Although not everything is best of its class; the food, in general, tastes above average. Bawing-bawi kami sa cheat day :D.

This Sofitel Spiral food trip was before it was renovated last second half of 2012. Upon its re-launch, Spiral now offers 21 dining atelier setup. “In France, an atelier is an artist’s special workshop, and in Spiral it is where secret recipes are masterfully prepared right before your very eyes”. For more information, you may visit their official website.

 

 

P.S.

Dear good old friend, first of all - mabuti naman at short hair ka na ulit the last time na nakasalubong kita :p... I can still remember how we started our food trips with those cheap BBQ food stalls along Evangelista St. (isaw, paa, betamax), deep-fried chicken sa nangingitim na mantika, instant pancit canton+maling ‘pag paubos na ang sweldo. And when we career-shifted to Software Engineering, finally na-afford na nating magpaka-high blood sa sisig ng Giligan’s at unli-Chicken ng Max’s. Nandyan ding matabunan ang 6-pack abs kaka-Jonah’s shake (FTW!) sa Boracay. At na-confine ka na’t naoperahan ay nakuha pa rin nating mag-food trip sa baba ng Makati Med (Pizza Hut, Seattle’s Best). Na-miss ko na rin mag-ihaw-ihawan sa Sambo Kojin. But on one of our last, I was amazed how we significantly leveled up when we finally conquered the most sosyal of them all - Sofitel Spiral!

We have really gone a long way… from bangketa to hotel, from turu-turo to fine dining, from Manila to Boracay, and from the best of friends to strangers (to friends again?)… Many things have changed, things that can never be the same again. But I learned that everything happens for a reason. For now, I’m just glad that when I was writing this blog post, it was more of the good memories and smiles that flashed back on the surface… [Belated] HAPPY BIRTHDAY my good old friend, this entry is for you. Kung nasaan ka man, I hope you’re doing well. Take good care of yourself and God bless you ^_^.

[This is another flashback blog post; I was in blogging hiatus for a year]

 

One of the perks of having friends working abroad is that when they here in Manila for vacation, they tend to contact their friends for some sort of reunion. And the best part – their treat lol! For this round, we tried Recipes by Café Metro in Greenbelt.

 

For first timers and those who don’t know what to order, just tell the waiter “Tatlong Sikat” (Famous Three). This combination is their best seller which consists of General’s Chicken, Crispy Tilapia and Gising Gising.

 

We really like General’s Chicken. It’s like fried chicken strips and has this sweet sauce mixed with eggplant slices.

General’s Chicken – sarap papakin; I so like this!

 

Recipes was able to transform the simple fried tilapia to a must try. I even have a friend who has never eaten tilapia her entire life until she tried Recipe’s Crispy Tilapia.

at ang nice ng presentation/cuts ng Crispy Tilapia – ready for sharing na

 

Gising Gising is made of chopped green beans and ground pork cooked in gata (coconut milk). I’m not a fan but I can say it’s good naman; my friends really like it though.

 

Aside from the Tatlong Sikat, we also had Lechon Kawali with Kangkong.

 

All together now…

thanks Donni, Denden and Bhennie!! (kelan ulit? :p)

 

At ciempre, tuloy ang kwentuhan sa Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL). I had Ultimate Frappuccino  - ciempre libre ulit :D.

 

Ang sarap talaga nang libre!