I like "interactive" dining. I like eating at hotpot places, or places where you grill your own meat. (However, I don't like Teppanyaki, where the food is cooked in front of you.) Some people aren't fond of the idea of going to a restaurant and cooking your own food. To them, it seems like a chore. After all, you pay good money to have someone to cook for you.

There aren't a lot of shabu-shabu/hotpot places in the city. Off the top of my head, I could only think of Healthy Shabu-Shabu, Ganso Shabuway, Tong Yang and some chinese restaurants like Gloria Maris. Those who love to work the grill are more pampered. The city is literally littered with Korea BBQ restaurants and tons of Yakimix branches. (On a sidenote: I love Yakimix! My go-to place whenever I feel like pigging out in a buffet, without having to pay hotel buffet-level prices.) I have yet to try Ye Dang, which a lot of people [in the blogosphere] swear by. Our go-to Korean place is Song Do in El Pueblo Ortigas, which appeases both carnivores (good value and okay price points for their meat selection) and pescetarians (try the mackerel!).

That's why I was beyond thrilled when we ate korean barbecue during our Seoul trip. We were led to Hwaroyeon, a restaurant right smack in the middle of the bustling Myeongdong area. Blink and you miss it among the billboards, lights and narrow buildings jostling for a space in Myeongong.


Let the grilling begin!

We ordered the set menu, which included two types of meat (beef and pork), scallion and seafood pancake, soup, savoury egg custard, and the usual array of korean side dishes.


Side dishes


Good thing someone came over to cook for us, since we were too busy eating!


Tender slices beef


Really fatty slices of pork


Interesting soup - a cold, refreshing soup that was a little bit sour. A welcome respite from the heat of the kimchi!





We asked for hot tea (it's like a reflex, really) to drink. Since they didn't have hot tea, they served us warmed up cans of oolong tea. How cute! We really appreciated the effort.

Hwaroyeon, Seoul
38-1, 1ga, Myeong-dong, Chung-gu, Seoul, ,Korea

I went to Seoul late last year. The weather was fantastic: the city was at the cusp of winter, so there was plenty of sunshine and cool breezes. Perfect weather for haphazard layering.

While in Seoul we went on a tour to the DMZ. I was so happy to have ticked off an item on my bucket list: go to North Korea and DMZ. (We were technically on North Korea territory when we entered the conference room where they hold negotiations and other important meetings. It was very eerie to have a glimpse of actual North Koreans, and to wonder what it must be like on the other side.)

Back in Seoul, there was a lot of sightseeing to do. I was happy that we stayed near the Myeongdong area. Myeongdong is their famous shopping district, where there is literally an Etude House (or Face Shop, Nature Story, Tony Moly, etc.) on every corner. Shopping isn't that great in Seoul (there's Forever21 and H&M, but price points were too expensive when compared back home, or even in Hong Kong), but if you are a fan of cutesy cosmetics, you will love it here.



One thing I loved about Myeongdong is the street food at night! Nothing better than munching on something while shopping (or even window-shopping).




A corndog covered in french fries! (I think they may have dipped the corndog in frozen french fries after dipping the hotdog in a light batter.)


A really tall ice cream cone. This was almost 12 inches high!)


Sausages and the ricecake they use in ddeokbokki


Steamed dumplings with pork and kimchi.


Barbecued meats! (I think this was chicken.)


Cream puff. (This tasted horrible. They filled it with this goopy, tasteless yellow substance.)




Dragon's beard!

Dragon's beard is a traditional Korean dessert. Sugar is pulled and spun into string (like cotton candy). Then with a flick of a wrist and some theatrical maneuverings (they literally break into song and a chant while they do this -obviously, for tourist's entertainment) they take a scoop of filling (peanut, sesame, almond, cashew or chocolate) and tuck it into a pillow puff made with the spun sugar. (TIP: If you're planning to bring this home, don't put it into your check-in luggage. Hand carry it instead. The boxes we brought home turned into hard candy when we reached Manila.)


And then you can duck in any convenience store to get one of their cutesy frozen delights! This one is a watermelon-flavored popsicle that looks like a slice of watermelon.

I love the "hidden gems" in Quezon City. One of these hidden gems is Nomama Artisanal Ramen, a nondescript ramen house that's tucked away in one of the side streets of the Tomas Morato area. The Tomas Morato (or "Scout" area - because almost all the streets were named to commemorate the Boy Scouts aboard the ill-fated flight) area is already saturated with restaurants and bars. As someone who lives in the north, I personally don't frequent the area because parking is horrible and traffic is too temperamental. However, for Nomama I will make an exception.



Nomama serves japanese and japanese-inspired fare that's executed by a skilled and well-trained hand. Clean lines, spartan interiors, and floor to ceiling glass windows give diners the notion that this is a no-frills place -and by that, they mean that the focus should be on the food, and just the food.



I opted for the prix fixe menu (P550), which serves as an excellent introduction to what Nomama has to offer. The prix fixe menu includes your choice of greeneries (salad) or raw composition (a selection of appetizers), your choice of ramen, and a dessert (their own version of the kitkat bar).

This was my selection for the prix fixe menu:


Soft Shell Crab salad (P260)
1/2 portion of deep-fried soft shell crab, nestled on a bed of greens and drizzled with spicy (a bit) dairy buttermilk dressing. This was fantastic.


Ox Tongue and Chili Tofu ramen (P290)
Tender ox tongue, punctuated with chili and cubes of tofu. I am not a big noodles fan, but I really enjoyed this a lot.


Kit Kat Bar (P175)
Their menu describes it as a "homemade peanut butter and chocolate bar with raspberry paint." The serving size is big enough to be shared by two people (or three, but that's a stretch). Perfect ending for those who don't like their desserts too sweet, and have a penchant for nuts.

Also on the table were:

Thai Green Curry ramen (P310)
Perfectly-cooked chicken (crispy skin, moist meat) and a perfectly balanced broth for the thai green curry.


Pork Gyoza (P115)
Too small portion for the price, would skip this and order beef tataki with chips (which was recommend by a friend) instead.


There is a fine selection of interesting teas. The interesting teas is served in an interesting pot; to dispense tea, you press it ever so slightly down against the rim of your cup.

I've been meaning to go back to Nomama to try everything else on their menu. One thing I fear about the restaurant is that it's too "upscale" for its location (it is, after all, in QC and in front of the flagship Max's branch) and that it will close down. This is definitely one hidden gem in QC that should gain traction and a cult following, as it rightfully deserves.

Nomama Artisanal Ramen
G/F FSS Bldg 2, Scout Tuason cor Scout Castor Sts, Quezon City, Philippines

We had Afternoon High Tea for my birthday again last year. (See my post on Afternoon High Tea at Raffles, Singapore here.) But since we were in Hong Kong (and we already tried High Tea at the Peninsula), we opted for the Afternoon High Tea at the Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons did not disappoint. It was not tourist-y at all, compared to the Peninsula. There was no long queue of eager tourists. The whole vibe was serene and languid, as Afternoon High Tea should be.

We didn't have a reservation, so we had to wait for around 30 minutes to be seated. (I fell asleep in the lobby, out of sheer exhaustion I guess.)


Tiers of joy, again.

There was the usual layer of two kinds of scones (one with raisins, one plain), dainty finger sandwiches, and cute pastries. One slight difference was the endless stream of petit-fours. Someone kept going around the room, offering refills of the loveliest petit-fours.



Of course I couldn't help it but ask for one of each kind.



I liked the Afternoon High Tea at the Four Seasons more than the Peninsula's. Just look at the detail that went into creating every little piece on that tray:


Open-faced egg salad sandwich bite with caviar on top!


Multi-layered dessert: speckled with actual vanilla bean and topped with a goldflaked raspberry


Strawberry macaroons with a slice of strawberry and a tiny dollop of cream on top


A closer shot of the pastries layer


Finger sandwiches: with pate, crustless smoked salmon and ham sandwiches, and a rolled-up crepe.


And of course, the Four Seasons emblem on the silverware.

The servings for tea for three were just enough for three people. Service was not as attentive as the Peninsula's. But given the technique and skill that went into the well-detailed selection for the Afternoon High Tea, the Four Seasons really lives up to its reputation.

I've always wanted a fancy tea party like that scene from Marie Antoinette. With plush pillows, pretty pastries, and lots of pastel. I also love that scene wherein she keeps eating all those luscious pastries. Divine. I love the pastel decadence.


Ah, shoes and sweets. The life.

One reminder of the decadence of royals past is afternoon tea. Afternoon high tea, to be precise. The book, 1000 Things to Do Before You Die, lists Afternoon tea at the Peninsula hotel in Hong Kong as one of the top experiences in Asia (or the World, for that matter). So a few years ago when we were feeling a bit decadent during the holidays, we had afternoon tea at the Peninsula when we were in Hong Kong for Christmas.


Tiers of joy!

Some say that Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula is too tourist-y. It's true. It is. Reservations are not permitted, and people are required to queue. The line gets long, and when you've been standing in line for over an hour, you can't help but develop hawk eyes and start subtly pressuring those seated to hurry up and finish their scones. It is, however, such an experience.


Love the details. This is too cute! Embroidered and starched napkins.


Pouring your tea.

Once you are [finally] seated, you can sink back into the plush chair cushions and enjoy their impeccable service. There is a long list of teas to choose from. You get to have your own silver (pewter?) tea pot, and there's a cute little strainer that ensures that leaves do not get into your cup.


Tier one: scones and other fancy starch
The scones weren't as warm as I'd like. But these buttery pieces crumble so delicately. They are perfect with clotted cream and jam. They are surprisingly heavy, and fill you up instantly! There were two varieties served: scones with raisins, and plain scones.


Tier two: Dainty finger sandwiches

Afternoon tea wouldn't be complete without dainty finger sandwiches! Crust-less cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon rosettes, and tiny ham sandwiches.


Tier three: sweet endings

My favorite tier of all: the one with the sweets! Little gingerbread cookies, petit-fours, mousse desserts, small tarts and some slices of festive loaf.

The tricky part about afternoon tea is the portions! Even though the portions look tiny, these devilish little morsels of heaven fill you up pretty fast! Usually tea for two people is enough to feed three people (but of course, if you are a party of three, you'd have to order tea for three). But after all, afternoon tea is something not to be rushed, so it's okay to take your sweet time savoring all the treats.



The Peninsula was having a promo during that time, so we were each given a Christmas ball for us to write our wish on. :) I think I wished for more chances of having afternoon tea!

We all have our own "bucket lists" -a list of things that one dreams of doing in this lifetime. Mine includes seeing the Aurora Borealis (the most feasible option is going to Alaska), eating live octopus in South Korea (I totally forgot about this when I went to Korea... but after reading a recent report about someone dying because one of the tentacles got caught in her throat, I'm reconsidering this), and eating blowfish in Japan. Obviously, there's an underlying theme of food [and travel] in my bucket list.

One of the things in my bucket list is going and eating at the Night Market in Taipei. When I went to Taipei, I wasn't able to go to the Shilin Night Market (out of despair and for posterity, I bought a fridge magnet instead). I was able to go to the more accessible (to us) Longshan Night Market instead. It also has its own quirks and charms.


Longshan Night Market






Deep-fried rice cake mixed with fishcake, the green sauce is wasabi

Like any other night market, food came in sticks. Most often, these were deep fried or redolent in fat. One thing I found really unique and interesting was an ice cream burrito:



The wrapper is laid on the table, and peanut brittle curls are shaved off from this big, 3ftx2ft block of peanut brittle. Three scoops of ice cream are added, and the whole thing is folded into a dessert burrito.

They say that the best travel memories are made when you get lost in a foreign city. I say that the best travel food memories are made when you stumble upon an a restaurant and end up being surprised.

This was exactly what happened when I was in Beijing with my family. We were hungry and not in the mood to make the trek outside in the nippy spring weather. We had already made the lap around the hotel dining choices, and nothing really seemed appealing. There were three other restaurants near the hotel: one traditional chinese restaurant that was too "regional" for us (and we felt that they overcharged us for tea), a japanese restaurant that seemed too expensive, and one other restaurant that seemed intimidating because it was so crowded.

We decided to overcome our fear as tourists and check out the restaurant of last resort: Tang Palace. It turned out to be a Cantonese restaurant that served dimsum and other Hong Kong-style dishes.


We ordered this stir-fry vegetable dish that was too pretty to eat! There were lots of interesting vegetables thrown in. It was really good, or maybe that was the MSG talking.


We also ordered a tofu dish that was also too pretty to eat. Imagine, very thin (1/2 centimeter thick) slices of tofu, laid together on a plate like a fan. I could imagine the knife skills it demanded from the cooks!





My mother spotted an interesting looking dessert that was ordered by the people in the next table, so with some nifty sign language and a smattering of English words she managed to order it from the waiter. It turned out to be a mochi dessert filled with the lightest, fluffiest cream! So good!

It was tragic that we only decided to eat at Tang Palace on our last full day in Beijing. We could have had some of our other meals there! Prices were very reasonable. For some reason, food is really cheap in Beijing. After a day of intense walking and touring (We managed to cover tiananmen square AND the forbidden city in one day), we had a food fest in Ajisen Ramen and ordered 5 dishes. The bill only amounted to PhP1000! Amazing! That would never happen in Manila, or any other place with an Ajisen Ramen outlet.

I love going to Bangkok. Accommodations are decent, clean and cheap. Shopping finds are amazing -a weekend in Chatuchak is never enough. And the food! The glorious food! I love spicy food, and Thai food is such a treat. I also adore mango sticky rice. We once stayed in a hotel that served mango sticky rice for breakfast every single day. It also helps that Bangkok is one hour behind Manila, so I always feel like I get an extra hour every day.

I want to go back to Bangkok.


Shabushi

Just to eat again at Shabushi! Shabushi is an eat-all-you-can hotpot place. But dining is more fun because you get your ingredients for the hotpot from a conveyor belt! There are also fried items like tempura and other breaded seafood and vegetables, as well as interesting sushi. There's also a great selection of drinks and simple desserts. It's no wonder that there's an hour wait. And, each dining party is given only over an hour to eat. I'm not sure what the penalty is, but when you're seated, they give you an initial receipt that indicates the time you're expected to clear out and settle the bill.

I've encountered two branches of Shabushi: one in MBK, and one in the small mall beside Siam Paragon.



And also to eat at A&W. The A&W in Manila closed ages ago. But I remember their rootbeer floats and hotdogs dearly. I was very surprised when I saw an A&W in Bangkok when we explored the backstreets in the area across Siam Paragon. I wonder if it's still there though.

I also want to go back to Bangkok to hoard Durian chips! And by hoarding, I mean buying 3kilos worth to carefully handcarry on the sad flight back to Manila.

I really hope I can go back soon. :( Maybe on my birthday? Only if the seat sale gods smile upon me.

Today's twentysomethings grew up with the McDonald's Happy Meal. Somehow, the concept of having a hamburger with fries AND a coke wasn't enticing enough to a little kid. Having the meal come up with a FREE toy just made it an irresistible treat. I had my first happy meal during an overextended stay in the US. Almost everyday, after school, my aunt would bring me to McDonald's and get me a Happy Meal. They had the BEST toys. I think my favorite one was Aladdin that came with an actual moving magic carpet (the wind up one, wherein you had to move it backwards a bit for it to rev forward). One time she got me two, so I had two sandbuckets to play with.

We twentysomethings have created an updated version of the happy meal: enjoying fantastic food with awesome friends. To celebrate the end of law school for my bestest friend, we decided to go to 2nd's for lunch, one bright (for the most part -the weather has been so fickle lately) Saturday afternoon.

To be honest, I'm a bit late to the "OMG 2nd's IS TOTES AMAAAZE" party. But as they say, better late than never. And as I sank into the leather covered cushion of the wooden chairs, I knew that 2nd's would be a fantastic experience.


Free appetizer: sweet potato chips

The meal started off with a small bowl of sweet potato chips. This was a prelude to the deep-fried fest that was about to begin.


Bacon Chicharon (P315)

Of course we ordered the much raved about Bacon Chicharon. Five thin slices of bacon, about 7 inches long and over an inch wide, deep fried like chicharon. There's a small side salad with pickled vegetables to cut the grease (and to make you feel less guilty, I guess haha). I loved it.


Red Horse Fish and Chips (P415)

My friend had the fish and chips. Servings were large, but manageable; this was practically a whole fillet. The one thing I love about excellently-made fish and chips is when you first take a bite: steam rushes out when you break the perfectly friend fish encased in a thin and crispy shell. The star of this dish, for my friend, was the fries. I loved the dill dip that came with it.


Smoked Salmon Eggs Florentine (P475)

I, on the other hand, had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Florentine. It's part of their Brunch specials that's only available on Saturdays and Sundays. I love ordering ANYTHING with poached egg, because it's something that's hard to make at home. Plus, it involves a lot of cooking elements, so I feel like I get my money's worth haha.



I have to be honest. When the dish first arrived, I thought that the serving was so tiny! It was practically the size of two baguette slices! With nothing on the side -not home fries, not some small roesti, not even a small side salad. It looked so lonely!

But what it lacked in accroutements, it made up for in layers. Piles of spinach and smoked salmon were nestled underneath a perfectly poached egg, with spot-on hollondaise slathered all over. Did I mention that even the toasted bread was buttered? It takes some mad skills and timing to get the textures right for eggs florentine; the bread might get too soggy under the weight of the spinach, overcooked poached egg (hence, no runny yolk when you first take a slice), the hollandaise might separate, etc. There's so much room for mistakes for eggs florentine, but 2nd's definitely nailed it.


Rhum Cake Trifle (P445)

The BEST part of this meal was the free dessert. Since it's graduation season, 2nd's is giving away complimentary dessert to all graduates. At first we thought that they were just going to give us a simple cake with a candle, or a scoop of ice cream (like what they do in some restaurants nowadays). When the waiter told us that we could pick ANYTHING from the menu, I practically squealed with glee.

The Rhum Cake Trifle is a cake in a [beer] mug -but the best kind. Buttery rhum cake chunks cuddling with clouds of cream (that was more creamy than sweet) and balanced out with a blueberry compote. We were digging scoop after scoop and it would just not run out. It is the dessert that keeps on giving.

Service was awesome. The waiter would magically appear to refill our glass with water, or to change our plates. He even changed the silverware for our main course. There's still so much in the menu to try, so I'll definitely come back for seconds.

2nd's
Bonifacio High Street
(Beside Agave, where Magnet Cafe used to be.)

When you're in your 20s and earning your own keep, it's easy to delude yourself into thinking that you can actually afford stuff. PhP999 for an iPhone? Sign me up! Flight rebooking fee (which sometimes means buying a new ticket altogether)? No problem, that's just x days worth of work. OMG I have to tweet this. Data charges be damned! You get my drift. But at some point I think I have to draw the line. Like at PhP135 fruit shakes or PhP250 for a slice of pizza.

It's not a class issue. I'm not sourgraping. It's just too expensive for me.

Of course, the capricious twentysomething in me will justify the expense. Yes, it is expensive, but it is expensive for good reason: it's goooood.

Nolita in the newly-opened Bonifacio High Street Central peddles pizza for a pretty penny (see what I did there). It boasts of new york style pizzas in a restaurant with a new york vibe: which translates to industrial chic (to the uninitiated, it means an unfinished ceiling, an open kitchen, and sitting on benches and tables without tablecloth).



The pizzas are innovative. The use of unexpected cheese like ricotta, or vegetables you wouldn't normally find on a pizza like spinach and artichoke (though the latter feels more like an homage to Artichoke pizza, home of the unforgettable artichoke pizza of my cheese-laden dreams) is refreshing. And sort of justifies the cost.

But the true clincher is the crust. One thing you should experience in this lifetime is to feed Yellow Cab pizza to an American. He will spit it out, walk out of the room and declare that it is the worst pizza he has ever tasted in his life. You, of course, would shrug it off and think that he's crazy, and that Yellow Cab is the best pizza EVER. The American has a point. At some point in your life, you have to admit the fact that what we know as pizza in the Philippines is not pizza. It's too bready. The crust isn't a magic product of water, flour and yeast wielded by expert hands, to be festooned with cheese and other toppings. It's pizza bread with toppings on top. Pizza, as the western world sees it, has a thin, chewy crust; a crust masterfully kneaded and thrown in an actual oven, not placed through a toaster contraption. The hours of kneading and the convection in the oven are the two things that make pizza the masterpiece that it really is.

In Nolita, you can expect that kind of crust. The crust that causes their pizza to be folded (ever so slightly) when eaten. The crust that serves as a perfect canvas -perfect width, bounce and chewiness. Biting into that crust made me forget that I paid PhP250 for one slice of pizza.

There are other things on the menu aside from pizza, like a bowl of chili and burgers. Also on the table was an order of potatoes which were eeriely a lot like mojos -clearly, this was not the bready mojo's from Shakey's that you develop a hankering for when you're a bit too drunk and/or a bit too sad. It tasted homemade since it was naked without the familiar breading. The dip on the side was the real winner. It was probably a mix of sour cream and hot sauce (paprika? Or all-purpose cream and lemon juice. I'm really bad at trying to decipher ingredients on my own) that cautiously struck the flavor balance between rich and fattening, and searingly spicy.



One thing that was worth writing home about -or in this age, worth posting on facebook was their cannoli. AH THE CANNOLI. At PhP85 pesos in a joint that sold PhP250 slices of pizza, I wasn't expecting much portion-wise. It came in a small plate, barely the size of the finger of a 6-foot man (around 5 inches, and not more than one inch in circumference). Oh, but it was bursting with ricotta filling, and dusted with crushed pistachio and powdered sugar. I love seemingly-simple desserts made with complex ingredients and technique. This one was definitely a product of the latter. Even the candied orange rind that sat atop the cannoli was something worth sharing -literally, because there were only two curls and I had to force my friend to eat the other one after I moaned about how good it was.

So yes, I griped about how expensive Nolita was, but in this case, it was worth it. I'll probably think twice before coming back -perhaps if they have the walnut and ricotta pizza, and of course, even for just the cannoli. I guess I'd have to forego the self-indulgent twitter emergency data charges to indulge in Nolita a second time.