creamy yogi at californiaberry

craving for a tart, sweet and creamy dessert - what else but yogurt ice cream. i just couldn't get my hands on them until i had lunch at paseo center and i saw californiaberry.

i kept thinking about it that i wanted lunch to be over soon. got the californiaberry special which has kiwi, mangoes and strawberry (PHP 100 ++), i like the fresh fruits which is unlike the ones i've tried before and the ice cream was really creamy with the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness. loved it!





californiaberry
2nd flr. paseo center

dining at myron's place

the first myron's was at rockwell and it made quite a stir in lori's blog. back then, i was not my usual carnivore self so it never piqued my interest.

however, recently, the meatlover in me has had an awakening of some sort. i had a steak craving and i've thought of myron's place at greenbelt which i've learned has a very nice ambiance compared to the rockwell branch.

had freebie bread, the bread was soft but that was pretty much it.

my friend c had the braised lamb shank (PHP 575), it was so huge! we were amazed on how big it was. it has a very rich morrocan inspired sauce with apricots and almonds that makes a perfect blend of flavors and textures in the palate. the lamb was very tender and the tendons were gelatinous which made it even more yummy. however, i deem that the mashed potato wasn't really a good starch for this dish. it would have been perfect to have couscous on the side (the couscous lover me kicking in) or a nice serving of long grained rice for the rice lovers out there.

as for my craving, i settled with the bianca's cut (PHP 900) which is 240 grams of us certified angus ribeye. i even saw how it was cut from this huge slab of beef before it was sent to the kitchen for further cooking. i had mine done medium well which was perfect - cooked through but still pinkish and tender. had 3 types of sauces, my favorite would be the shiraz- cabernet jus because of its strong flavors. the peppercorn was not significant - i was expecting a hot/peppery gravy but it was not flavorful enough for me and similarly the mushroom gravy was a bit bland as well. it had roasted garlic, carrots and zucchini on the side with a choice of potato - i chose baked potato.

i felt like splurging that i ordered foie gras on the side. i actually forgot to mention that i prefer the choice cut which means it has foie gras too. i was saddened by how small the foie gras was =). it satiatied my cravings for a melt in your mouth experience but in restrospect i don't think it's worth the additional PHP 350.

overall, it was a great meal. good service, nice ambiance and good food. i wouldn't have second thoughts coming back.

myron's place

g/f greenbelt 5

s&b curry

been seeing s&b curry in supermarkets but i have no clue on how to use it. eventually, some bloggers posted about this japanese curry cubes. so i've decided to give it a try. this is the medium hot variant.

i don't like plain meat like chunks of meat used in usual filipino dishes. i enjoy cuts like the pork belly and the beef cut with loads of litid (tendon) but these are unhealthy cuts due to high fat and cholesterol content. so i decided to use "buto buto" which are basically pork ribs cut into small pieces. the bones give the sauce more flavor.

i sauteed the meat with garlic and onions and a little fish sauce similar to how filipino dishes are initially cooked. simmered the meat with water until tender and added some potatoes and carrots. after which, i added the curry, i used half of one plastic container which equates to 2 cubes. i let it simmer until the veggies were cooked and the sauce thickened. and voila, i now have a pork japanese curry fix paired with whole wheat couscous, this has suddenly become a comfort food of some sort.

savory (sa - bo -ri )

savory is a chinese chicken resto. i never knew when it really became famous but it's not as mainstream like the others. my fondest memories of this resto is when i was around 10 years old and every time i get my acupuncture treatments in escolta, my mom would treat me to savory afterwards.

i've never tried their chicken though. i always get the cheeseburger. huge juicy patty that appears to be steamed. lately, i have seen posts on this chicken chain that has suddenly become ubiquitous around the metro. i was itching to try the chicken to find out what's the fuss all about. when i visited the place, i found the the prices are affordable. they have set meals for 2 or more people which basically appears to be a lauriat of some sort with several food items.

got the half chicken, pansit, salt and pepper squid combo (PHP 300 ++). it comes with rice, drinks and buchi and turon for dessert and is good for two people. the chicken was tender and flavorful has the hint of star anise which makes this fried chicken very chinese. the other items were ok, not spectacular but you'll get your money's worth.

even though i am not fond of lomi, there was this picture over the internet of savory's lomi (PHP 180) that looked appetizing so i tried it. a bit pricey for a simple dish but when it came and i saw how much ingredients were in it, i'd have to say that it was worth every peso.

the place is very budget friendly and has efficient customer service which probably explains why there's still a huge turnaround of customers even after lunch time. very good place for a quick chinese fix - traditional chinese menu but much better than chinese fastfood.


savory
sm north edsa

wagyu heaven or not?

just a stone's throw away from my office, i haven't tried malcolm's wagyu offerings which they are famous for. convinced by my colleague's testament on how great their burgers were, i made sure that the next time i get a burger craving i'll get the fix from malcolm's.

we got freebie fried wontons with a mayo dip. and while waiting we got the ABS - apple bacon salad (175 PHP). strips of bacon, chopped apple and slivers of cheese with a mustard based dressing. the salad is ok...the greens are not fresh - not crisp and vibrant. they better rethink calling it the "great abs".

finally it came, wagyu burger (400 PHP) thick burger patty in a bun with potato wedges on the side. the bun, nothing special. i would expect some fancy or distinct burger bun but it was a typical commercially available bun. anyway, it's time to check the patty. burnt on the outside? a way to seal in the juices? as i cut through the patty no juices came out, my medium well burger is mostly still red. i cannot determine what's the wagyu in this lump of ground beef. a burger that is dry in the insides with a crispy/burnt outer layer. what's wrong with this 400 peso lump of beef??? everything!!! it was disappointing. the only saving grace are the potato wedges and garlic mayo that was a perfect side dish.

the other menu items are still worth the try. i actually enjoy the grilled vegetables sandwich and the salpicao is also good. overall, malcolm's offer other promising dishes, just don't bank on the wagyu that much.

malcolm's place
hv dela costa cor. tordesillas
salcedo village, makati

giant pizzas

it's not a battle of giant pizzas. i just got the chance to try new gigantic pizzas. the first one is from xtremely xpresso in subic.

huge pizza, with a normal crust similar to 3M hehe but of better quality. the texture is not your typical oily or thick crust. the toppings are generous, lots of mozzarella cheese and meat toppings. the pic is the big ben i think which is the everything on it house special. i actually forgot, it's been so long already. very cheap, the largest one is just around 600-700 PHP, 22" inch in diameter.

next one is niro's 30 inch pizza. the pic is the margherita flavor which is plain tomato sauce and cheese. the pepperoni is my favorite because it's spicy, has a nice kick. this one has a thin and chewy crust and not oily at all, close to an authentic italian pizza. the 30 inch pizzas go for 900 PHP and up.

both are interesting, value for money goes to xtremely xpresso but then you have to travel up north to try it. niro's is the closest italian pizza you can get in the huge pizza category. but i like the niro pizza much better because of the crust and the distinct flavors.

xtremely xpresso
#1 dewey ave. cor. sta. rita st.
sbma, zambales

pizza niro
G/F, ayala dela rosa 1 carpark, dela rosa st. (near perea st.),
(02) 387-7395

paul calvin's

wanted to have a quiet and intimate lunch with my mckinley friends and paul calvin's came to mind. i was already contemplating on what to get but when we got there, they have a lunch buffet for 250 PHP. what a steal! they have 6 dishes, soup, salad, desserts and the omelette and pasta station and you can add 60 PHP for unlimited buko and gulaman for drinks. here's the spread.







i tried all of the dishes, honestly, nothing popped out but they were decent. i liked the battered fish the most...maybe because it was fresh out of the fryer.



my friend said the roasted chicken was good, but i, on the other hand thinks otherwise. maybe i just chose a bad piece.




they said the bulalo soup was also delish, unfortunately i didn't try it.

i liked the pasta. mine was mixed - tomato with cream. the cream was not too rich, it actually just made the strong tomato flavor a little subtle. it was the perfect blend because it was able to cut the tartness of the tomato sauce. a decent pasta though i wish it had more ham or bacon.

for dessert, i tried the panacotta which is a layer of plain panacotta and ube flavored panacotta. not your usual jelly like panacotta - this one is creamy and thick but still good. the jello shooter was so so.

i recommend the place especially the lunch buffet. a good value for money, ...total damage was around 350 PHP including taxes. not bad for lots of food, great service and a very nice ambiance.

paul calvin's deli
forbeswood heights
rizal drive, the fort