Mar 20, 2010

good food @ aubergine

i know that i have been mostly ranting about food i've had back in manila lately. i hope you guys don't take it against me. i have not been having wow moments which is quite frustrating for me. but aubergine has saved me from this gastronomic slump.

so here's the best meal i've had in ages.

some freebies first, whipped butter and olive tapanade. we got 3 bread choices potato, multi grain and i forgot the other one but there was three =) the pic is potato bread.





the amuse bouche, grilled blue marlin with a mango salsa (i think) definitely did its job of awakening my tastebuds. smoky and fresh blue marlin with the refreshing mango salsa . a good way to start the meal.


crabmeat salad with pineapple and cilantro served on thinly sliced wagyu beef top blade and bouillabaisse espuma accompanied by petit leave salad tossed in balsamic dressing

the wagyu was topnotch…this is what i call love. i didn't even get bothered that it was raw. it just melts in your mouth and it doesn't even taste like raw meat it was really love. the crabmeat salad tasted like embutido stuffed in this weird gelatin roll which i found a bit off for this ensemble. the espuma started out to be alright oozing with crab flavor but eventually got too fishy/crabby so we didn't finish it off.



frothy fennel-apple cream, scented with red curry, accompanied by crispy scallop-spinach wonton

this is what dining outside is all about. a melange of flavors that burst in your mouth that you cannot figure out the spices and ingredients used. i love the soup but the downside was, it was too rich. too rich you can feel it going through your throat. but still, i never really complained since i loved the flavors. the wonton i thought was some cheese stuffed wonton, didn't realize it was scallop until i reviewed the menu but it was a nice touch.




pan seared french duck foie gras on truffled potato mousseline with port wine glaze and raspberry

if the wagyu was love this was love love. the foie gras was nicely seared, it was just a melt in your mouth experience and everything just went well together. putting everything in one bite simply makes it a very unforgettable foie gras experience.


cranberry-aloe sherbet

something to cleanse the palate. the cranberry was too sour and the aloe was too flowery. i liked the presentation very much though.



grilled chilean seabass with calamari-olive and basil ragout on tagliatelle pasta in minestrone veloute

b and i love seabass and we've had our misses on this favorite fish of ours, but this was a hit. the fish was fresh and was well cooked. the downside? there was no wow factor. it was too plain. maybe because i've gotten so impressed with everything else that came before it. the flavors were very mild all i can think about was a piece of seabass topped on a bed of tagliatelle with white sauce and lots of carrots. i couldn't even remember if there was a ragout and if there was where was the calamari-olive flavor which i couldn't recall.



anyway, good thing we ordered another entree which was a special for the night.


mustard-thyme crusted rack of lamb on basil polenta, ratatouile and black olive jus

i love the lamb, it was nicely cooked. pinkish in color, very tender without the gamey after taste. the polenta was also love though i don't think it was basil infused but definitely very flavorful. this was the best entree, too bad it didn't go with the tasting menu =) well it costs almost the same as the tasting menu so you'd think you're really getting more out of it.

for dessert, white chocolate fondue cake served in warm forest berry froth and yoghurt ice cream.

i love berries but this was too much for me, maybe it didn't help that it was hot as well. the cake was fresh out of the oven meaning piping hot and then you add a warm froth the two hot elements simply overpowered the ice cream. maybe if they just made it like a berry coulis or something that is cool it would have been much better.



the degustation costs PHP1950++ and the lamb entree was PHP1450++. the question is, was it worth it? it's a definite YES! it was worth it. i have been experiencing a gastronomic drought that i thought i could never be amazed with food anymore. this meal brought my faith back to good eats. definitely at the top of my resto list now. i heart aubergine.

p.s. the tasting menu was shared by two people…some of the items they split into two while some have to be shared.


32nd and 5th building
5th ave cor 32nd st.
fort bonifacio, taguig


Mar 18, 2010

momo cafe @ eastwood mall

i was rerouted to eastwood because of some schedule changes and going back to makati for mr jones is just impractical and possibly toxic so i decided to eat at momo cafe which is owned by the same group. i guess mr. jones have to wait for a wee bit longer.


freebie toasts with cheese pimiento...i love this.




seafood pasta with pesto and tomato sauce...i forgot the exact name. this was ok. i was not craving for this so i couldn't rave much about it.



baby back ribs? i forgot again sorry guys but this is one of their bestsellers. smoky tender ribs served with grilled corn, rice and onion rings...really liked this dish. and it's a good value for money around 350PHP i think.

overall it was a good meal. like this more now, than the relatively upscale chelsea, maybe because of the good food at reasonable prices...fine i'd have to consider the location too. but the new eastwood mall gives a great a ambiance too.




momo cafe
eastwood mall, libis

Mar 10, 2010

golden spoon froyo

i am of course gonna try out as much froyo as i can in manila to see which is the best...though tutti frutti is in the list i haven't been there because there are kl branches so maybe i could try the ones here. anyway, golden spoon is the latest froyo in town. it's another korean chain as far as i know, just correct me if i'm wrong.

the unique thing about golden spoon is that their froyo comes in several flavors not just the plain one. you can get a sample to taste the different flavors. i read about cake batter so i wanted to try it first. ummm, nothing spectacular it's just like vanilla flavored "froyo". so i opted to get the original flavor and then had some butter pecan toppings



umm nothing spectacular really, cost me PHP 150 something i think for the small size. the yogurt is not smooth at all and doesn't have the creamy yogurt taste. i'd have to say that it's kinda overrated. i'd have white hat or red mango anytime.




golden spoon
shangri-la mall

Mar 7, 2010

seoul bbq in libis

i've read so many great reviews about seoul bbq and years after, i finally got the chance to try it. we first got the usual banchan...several appetizers which i didn't find that appealing...maybe i was really not into korean that day (sorry guys i feel like my recent posts are all sounding like misses). liked the fishcakes and zucchini but the kimchi was icy, yes seems to have been frozen totally eiwww.




koreano for me still serves the best banchan. ordered my korean staple, samgyupsal. grilled pork belly with lettuce. pretty much similar to koreano's version. served in a sizzling plate with onions and garlic, i'd have to say that woori jib's version is still my favorite.



got my japchae. this one is far better than woori jib's simply because it was piping hot. but both almost tastes the same and have the same amount of serving.



as far as i can remember, i read somewhere that they serve good beef stew so i ordered it. maybe it's just a matter of preference but i liked the thicker stew of chosun even if kalbi jiim is supposed to have a light sauce. also, i found it not flavorful enough and i also like more tendons =).




prices are affordable, same price range as other restos around 200-400PHP (sorry i lost the receipt again). i would prefer dining at a less commercialized resto like woori jib or koreano. somehow i find their flavors more appealing to my palate but if you're craving for korean food and find yourself in the libis area then seoul bbq is a potent choice.


seoul bbq
e. rodriguez, libis

chelsea at serendra

used to love this place but somehow i found the food unimpressive or maybe it was just not a good day for my palate.


5 cheese macaroni...didn't really taste the 5 cheese but i liked the crispy bacon bits.


roasted prawn and prosciutto pizza, still love the thin crust but i find the mozzarella overpowering the main toppings




chelsea
serendra
fort bonifacio global city