Omakase, My All-time Favorite

A must-try restaurant. :)

Hey, guys! First of all, I want to wish all of you a belated Merry Christmas! Curiously, what did you guys have for your Noche Buena? :) Also, aside from Season's Greeting, I want to remind you all that our giveaway is still ongoing! It would be great if you guys could join and spread the word, because we don't want any freebies going to waste! Now... on to the post!

I am an avid fan of Japanese cuisine... simply put, it's my favorite cuisine. I'm lucky that my boyfriend has the same tastes as me (and aside from that, loves food just as much as me!). I admit that I'm also kind of difficult when it comes to eating out because I prefer not going to the same place more than once, unless it's one of my favorites. Aaand, lo and behold, one of my "favorites" is Omakase. When my boyfriend suggests this place, my answer is immediate agreement. You'll have no trouble getting me to eat here days in a row.

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Fabulous Lunch at Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen

Onion Rings

Found in Las Pinas, Mama Lou's Italian Kitchen is a casual dining restaurant which serves authenthic Italian dishes. It's exact address is B1 L36 Tropical Ave. corner Tropical Palace BF International, 1721 Las Piñas. If you check out their facebook page, they recently uploaded a map on how to find their restaurant. After hearing about it from some friends, my boyfriend and I decided to check the place out... and we loved it! It's a reasonably priced Italian restaurant with good service and excellent food. We ordered a plate of onion rings as an appetizer, and while there honestly isn't anything out of this world about the onion rings, the vinaigrette sauce that came with it instantly made the dish an instant favorite for me. Hehe. It made for a good start.

Before you continue reading, I want to apologize because I wasn't able to take note of the prices. Again. I swear I did, but the note I made somehow went missing. Anyhow, like I said, just remember that that it's reasonably priced. I'd give an estimate of around 300 pesos per head for the average person.

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Hong Kong Roast Blog Giveaway!

Last October, I made a post about this amazing restaurant found in Makati. The name of this restaurant is Hong Kong Roast. The exact address is at 7467-C Bagtikan St., San Antonio Vill. Makati City, Metro Manila. Bringing authenthic Hong Kong food, it's a place you surely shouldn't miss. To sum it up, here are some of their many amazing dishes:

Salted Baked Chicken

Hainanese Chicken

Siomao

Shallot Rice

Now... check it out! Hong Kong Roast is sponsoring a giveaway, and they're really generous in what they have to offer. With that said, DON'T waste this opportunity and join as soon as possible. What exactly do we have in store for you? Well, HKR is offering a generous THIRTY servings of chia siu buns OR asado rice toppings with ice tea lemon. That's right, THIRTY people have the chance to win, each winner having a choice between one cha siu bun or one asado rice toppins with ice tea lemon.

For the winner though, be sure to check out the rest of their menu, because since they have such an array of amazing dishes, you'll surely be wanting to purchase more aside from the freebies they're so generously handing out. :)

Deadline for entries is on Saturday, January 7, 2012, 11:59 PM, and winners will be announced on the same day. Winners will be picked via random.org. Two entries maximum per person. That means that you may submit the form twice. Thank you!


Note: Please make sure the tags are done properly, and that your profile is public so I may validate your post! Posts which are marked private and cannot be seen by me will not be considered valid!


Here are the steps to submitting an entry:

1. Like the Taste's Intentions facebook page. 

2. Like the Hong Kong Roast facebook page and share this blog entry via FB (icon can be found after this post) with this as a message: "I want to eat at @Hong Kong Roast because _____. Hope to win some meals via @Taste's Intentions! @friend1 @friend2". 

AND/OR 

Follow the Hong Kong Roast twitter account and share this blog entry via Twitter (icon can be found after this post) with this as a message: "Want to eat at @hkroast_makati because _____. Hope to win some meals! @friend1 @friend2  http://shar.es/oVF6a" 

3. Finally, please fill out the following form:

 

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Quick Stop at KBOP: Quick Korean

Spicy Shrimp Rice Bowl

I recently found myself in the area of Venice Piazza. I needed a quick bite, and KBOP: Quick Korean seemed like a good choice. I saw pictures of their dishes near the entrance of Piazza and was instantly curious. The prices seemed reasonable, so I thought, why not? I ended up ordering their Spicy Shrimp Rice Bowl. Please forgive me if it's not the actual name of the dish, I forgot to note it down! Unfortunately, I forgot to note down the price as well, but I'm sure it's either P160 or P165.

The dish was delicious. The coating is crunchy and it was covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. As usual, my only pet peeve, as with most shrimp meals, was that the tails were still attached (but I ate them anyway, even though my friend kept saying it was "bad"). It was the only dish I was able to try, but it was delicious, and I definitely want to go back there to see what the other dishes are like.

Have you been to KBOP? If yes, what do you recommend?

KBOP: Quick Korean :)

KBOP: Quick Korean
 2/F The Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill
Fort Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila Philippines

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Had Fun Mixing Sauce at Yabu: House of Katsu

Before...

...and After!

If you're an avid follower of the food blogosphere, then surely you've heard of Yabu: House of Katsu. Located on the second floor of the Mega Atrium, SM Megamall, Yabu is a newly opened restaurant (currently in the soft opening phase) which boasts a menu filled with Katsu dishes. Tonkatsu, Katsudon, Katsu Curry, you name it. What exactly drove me to go all the way to SM is the fact that mix your own Tonkatsu sauce in a unique way I haven't seen before: Grind sesame seeds, pour in Tonkatsu sauce, mix it, and voila! As you can see from the pictures though I didn't grind the seeds too much because they kept flying all over the place (though the other didn't seem to have the same problem as me).

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Winners for the Inasal Chicken Bacolod Vouchers

Thank you, everyone, for participating in my first ever blog giveaway! The contest received around fifty entries, and after validating these entries, the names were entered into random.org and here are the three winners:

1. Jenny So
2. Kristine Bridget Rangel
3. Kienes Damaso

I will e-mail the vouchers soon to the e-mail addresses you entered. Don't forget to tell us about your experiences! :) To those who didn't win, don't worry, I'll surely be sponsoring more giveaways when I have the resources to do so. On the other hand, if you want me to advertise your products via a giveaway, don't hesitate to contact me.

Again, thanks everyone, and a happy December to you all!

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Trip to Little Tokyo, Makati!

The Arc and Bridge

Little Tokyo is one of my favorite places. Stepping inside this place makes you feel like you're actually in Japan (or, maybe not, because I've never been to Japan); aside from the general setting, because of the reason that most of the customers are from the country of Japan, a person somehow feels he's teleported to the country.

Anyway, the restaurants here are all authentically Japanese. You have a wide array of choices, which means that you can find the perfect restaurant that your wallet can accommodate. Little Tokyo can be found in 2277 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati. The entrance's landmark is an arc with the words "Little Tokyo" on it. This arc leads to an empty alley, which leads to a whole different world. Since a number of people ask me where to find this obscure place, I've placed a map at the end of this entry.

For Christmas?

Right now, the place seems to be decorated for Christmas... or maybe they just decided to make the place brighter, I honestly don't know. The arc itself has bright lights and beautiful lanterns hanging from it, and the alley is decorated with a row of lanterns!

Look at the pretty lanterns!

 My friend's favorite restaurant in Little Tokyo is Oishinbo, which upon entering is the restaurant on the furthest side. It's a simple and homey place, just like most of the other restaurants. It's also affordable, which is why that's where we decided to eat dinner in.

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Inasal Chicken Bacolod Giveaway

Inasal Chicken Bacolod's Menu (From here)

Hi, guys! I have six vouchers valued at 150 each for Inasal Chicken Bacolod. What is Inasal Chicken Bacolod? Here's an excerpt from ensogo telling us about them:

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Because it wants to be part of the specially selected fowl that will eventually be served in Inasal Chicken Bacolod. Once selected, the chickens will be treated to a bath of achuete oil, spices and secret seasonings, char-grilled and served fresh and piping hot. As to why the human reading this crossed the street to an Inasal Chicken Bacolod outlet, well, we probably don’t need to tell you that, do we? Switch lanes and do away with fairly pedestrian restaurants serving so-so chicken—Inasal Chicken Bacolod is the obvious choice for comfort food that soars.

The vouchers are from ensogo, and a maximum of two vouchers can be used per transaction. That said, a total of three people may win two vouchers each. :) Here is a list of participating branches. Deadline for entries is on Thursday, December 1, 12 am, and winners will be announced on the same day. Winners will be picked via random.org, and the vouchers will be sent through e-mail. Two possible entries maximum per person. Thank you!

Here's what you need to do in order to join:

1. Like the Taste's Intentions facebook page.
2. Share this blog entry via FB (icon can be found after this post) with this as a message: "I want to eat at Inasal Chicken Bacolod because _____. Hope to win some vouchers from @Taste's Intentions! @friend1 @friend2". 

          AND/OR

Share this blog entry via Twitter (icon can be found after this post) with this as a message: "Want to eat at ICB because _____. Hope to win some vouchers from  http://shar.es/o2OLQ! @friend1 @friend2". 

1. Please make sure the tags are done properly, and that your profile is public so I may validate your post! Posts which are marked private and cannot be seen by me will not be considered valid!
2. Finally, please fill out the following form:

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Cheese Steak Shop Manila!

Classic Philly Cheese Steak - 7" P280, 10" P399, 15" P720.00

After days and days of pestering my boyfriend, he finally brought me to The Cheese Steak Shop, Manila. The Cheese Steak Shop can be found at the ground floor of E-Hotel Makati, A. Arnaiz Street. Franchised from the US, it is the first branch here in the Philippines. According to their website, Operations Manager Doug Smith "left the Philippines fully satisfied that Cheese Steak Shop Manila offers the same highest quality standards that are found in US branches". I've been wanting (and, pestering) to go here ever since I saw the posts from other blogs, such as from The Food Alphabet and Tales from the Tummy.

Their cheese steaks are offered in three size: 7, 10 and 15 inches. We decided to get a 15 inch classic Philly cheese steak and divide it into two. It was way too much for me, but it was delicious! It was such a challenge to eat it, and we actually asked for spoons and forks to make it easier (losers!). My boyfriend liked the spiciness, though after a while he set the peppers aside and said he couldn't take it anymore. Haha. Since I love spicy food, I enjoyed the spiciness to the last bite.

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Deep-fried Snickers from Zark's Burgers

Deep-fried Snickers - P125

After eating dinner today, I suddenly had an intense craving for something cold and sweet. My initial thought was some Wicked Oreos from Gravy Fix or Flaming Wings, but after going back and forth, we found out that both places had closed for the day. My companion and I were just about to give up when I remembered that Zark's Burgers offers Deep-Fried Snickers. In my mind, it looked a bit similar to Wicked Oreos, so we decided to try it out.

The name says it all: it's Snickers deep-fried in batter. Also, it's served with a scoop of ice cream. However, when I tasted the snickers itself, it wasn't that hot anymore (I guess that's the ice cream's fault). I think it was really hot the moment it was served, because my companion was complaining that I hurry up with pictures because the ice cream was melting really quickly. Hehe. It was too bad because I really love ala modes on warm food, and I didn't get to experience this time around.

It was delicious, albeit way too sweet for my taste. A few bites off the dish and, for me, it was too much of a sugar overload. To be honest, it didn't look very healthy either (on that note, I've seen Zark's deep-fried burger, and I think a heart attack should be expected if you eat it). The good news is, I've tasted their other burgers, which are extremely filling and delicious and really is their main attraction. To sum it up... most of their burgers are a sure shot for any ordinary person, but their Deep-fried Snickers is meant for the hardcore sweet tooth.

Location: 
2nd floor Archer's Nook Building, Taft (Across La Salle Taft, above Yellow Cab)
Working Hours:
Mon - Fri: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sat - Sun: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Facebook

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Pizza Bianca from Shakey's

Pizza Bianca, Regular - P199

My roomie came back home last night, and she was in the mood for some pizza. Yeeey! :) So she ordered a Pizza Bianca and Mojos from Shakey's Pizza. After about half an hour, or maybe it was half an hour (I didn't take the time), the delivery man finally knocked on our door. But then... when we opened the pizza box, we found the slices all over the place. Just look at the picture... that's exactly how we found it. I guess the delivery man had a rough trip. It wasn't really a problem though -- the pizza was still delicious! Also, the sauce of the mojos was reaaally good. A teeny part of me might have liked the sauce even more than the mojos themselves (hehe).

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Banchetto's Wish Lantern Event is CANCELLED

(Update) Note: I will delete hate comments. Thank you for understanding. :)

Hi, guys. I want to emphasize that I am in now way connected to Banchetto (nor was I even going to attend), but it somehow happened that people used my previous post to disseminate information about the event. In lieu of recent happenings, I decided to post this for you guys since Banchetto has not updated their site and has only posted this on facebook, causing many people to miss the actual post because of a flood of messages. Again, I am NOT connected to Banchetto, but for those who are messaging me about their event status, here is their announcement:

Too bad, but I suggest we not flood them with hate messages either, because this is out of their control. I wish you guys the best of luck!

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Banchetto-Megatent's Wish Lanterns

(UPDATE) EVENT IS CANCELLED

Wish Lanterns at Banchetto!

It's all over Facebook, and it turned out to catch the attention of so many people. Banchetto Megatent will have a special event this Friday, November 11, 2011. To those who don't know, Banchetto Megatent is part of the many Banchetto locations. Banchetto locations are popular overnight food markets. Banchetto Megatent can be found along Meralco Avenue in Pasig City. A map can be found here. On Friday, Wish Lanterns will be released at exactly 11:11pm (on 11/11/11), and I'm pretty sure it's going to be an amazing sight. It's been one of my dreams to attend such an event ever since I saw the pretty scene from Tangled.

I bookmarked the facebook announcement and planned to reserve lanterns when I got home, but... wow. According to the site, more than a thousand reservations came in within a day. And since the organizers only plan to release 1,000 lanterns, obviously, not everybody is going to be accomodated. Really sad! However, don't fear because Banchetto events have no entrance fee. So even if you don't have your own lantern to release, you can still go there to see such a pretty sight. A part of me wonders if the lanterns can be seen from Pasig river... does anybody want to reenact the boat scene from Tangled? ...Well, go ahead, because I sure won't... but that would be a really awesome and risky idea, don't you think?

My favorite scene from Tangled

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Recipe: Mango Float/Refrigerator Cake

Mango Float/Refrigerator Cake

This dessert is very popular among Filipinos! I swear that almost every Filipino food blog out there has at their own version of this recipe. Despite that, I still insist on posting my own version, since this is just an absolute favorite of mine, and those who live under a rock and aren't aware about it should be introduced to it. It's a really easy dessert to make and perfectly cold and sweet for a warm day (heck, even for a rainy day). Personally, peaches would work just as great as mangoes. However, you can also substitute the mangoes with any other fruit you have in mind... strawberries, bananas, you name it.

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Gravy Fix!

Southern Fried Chicken 

Gravy Fix is a name I've heard here and there in the past, but only recently did I find out it was the sister company of Flaming Wings. Here in Taft, unlike in Katipunan, the two restaurants aren't side by side, and Gravy Fix is practically hidden from view (it can be found inside Burgundy, in front of La Salle). However, one step inside and you can see the similarities. What actually convinced me to try the place out was when I found out they also had Wicked Oreos. Of course, I knew it probably tasted exactly the same as Flaming Wing's -- however, I wanted to see what else was on their menu. Their best-selling dish is Southern Fried Chicken, which is boneless chicken fillet fried to crispiness. It's slightly salty and peppery. I supposed it's better than your typical fried chicken.

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Dark Banoffee Pie from Seattle's Best

Dark Banoffee Pie - P125

Seattle's Best is one of those coffee shops I see everywhere but I never actually set foot in. Truth be told, I'm not really a regular customer of coffee shops. The only reason I go to Starbucks is for their banoffee pies. Anyway, earlier today, I was walking around with my friend and saw Seattle's Best, and wondered if they had anything that 'rivaled' the banoffee pie of Starbucks. Out of a whim, we went to the place, and there I discovered that they DO have a rival! Dark banoffee pie!

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Jollibee's Hash Brown Burger

P64 - a la carte, P80 - meal

My friend has been wanting to go to Jollibee for some time now just to try this out. After enduring the long lines of the place, he finally got what he wanted -- their hash brown burger. It's a burger patty with cheese in between too hash browns, and you can smear ketchup around on it. It looks really plain, but is proving to be a hit to most people anyway. Definitely better than the innovative dishes other fast food restos have tried so far (rice burger, anyone?).

It's a fairly new addition to their menu, and honestly not something I've been paying attention to since I'm not a fan of hash brown. I always find hash browns too oily. But to those with the same worries as me, apparently the hash browns for this burger are baked. So, yey.

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Recipe: Spicy Beef Fried Rice

Spicy Beef Fried Rice

This is a meal on its own, and pretty easy to prepare. It's practically just tossing a bunch of ingredients together and ending up with a tasty and fulfilling meal. You can use any kind of meat as well, not just ground beef. As you can see from the image, I decided to put some rosemary in the rice. You can make do without the rosemary, because I included it just as an experiment, and it's not something I usually put in fried rice. I liked the taste of the rosemary though, it was a nice contrast to the spiciness and it gave of a neat aroma to the dish as well. :)

This recipe serves one, but if you want to make it on a larger scale, then just add rice and it will still work well with the rest of the measurements (unless you decide to put in mountains of rice :p).

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Dinner at Hong Kong Roast

Hainanese Chicken (Half) - P310

Hong Kong Roast is a small but comfortable restaurant that can be found in Makati. According to their site, they are here to bring Authenthic Hong Kong food to the people around Makati and beyond. My friend passes by this restaurant regularly and always says that it catches his attention. One day, we finally decided to eat there for dinner. The first thing we noticed is that according to a sign in their restaurant, following their twitter account can get you a free dish. However, when I tried searching for the account using my phone, I couldn't find it. I tried again when I got home, and found out that the account on the sign was outdated. However, according to their new account, hkroast_makati, I can get my complimentary french toast next time! Yey! :)

Anyway... I love how their menu has so much items on it -- it was so difficult to choose! Of course, since I'm a huge fan of the dish, the first thing I wanted was the Hainanese Chicken. HKR is different from most other restaurants that serve Hainaneses Chicken because they only served ginger with it, and not the typical three sauces (dark soy, chili sauce, and ginger). Nonetheless, it was still very delicious, and since ginger's my favorite condiment anyway, I had no complaints. For those who prefer the typical three sauces, I'm not sure if you can request for the other two.

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BonChon in Vito Cruz, Taft!

Best kind of fried chicken there is!

BonChon in Vito Cruz, Taft just opened recently. It can be found in the University Mall, which is the mall right next to the Vito Cruz LRT station. Since it's right next to La Salle, it's what my Lasallian friends have been raving for these past few days. Heck, when I was talking towards the place, I overheard some people excitedly saying, "Let's go to BonChon! Magandang ideya yun!"

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Recipe: Creamy Bacon Pasta

Creamy Bacon Pasta

In most Filipino households, this dish is more commonly known as Carbonara. However, I know the traditional Carbonara recipe is based on eggs, and... I didn't use any eggs for this dish. Anyhow, because of that, I thought it would be more fair to call it Creamy Bacon Pasta instead (really simple name)! It's an easy dish, and it took me around half an hour to prepare and cook. I didn't have any parsley around, but if you do, then you might want to try including it in the recipe. Put in a healthy amount!

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Cold Pizza at Sebastian's Ice Cream Studio

Cold Pizza - P195

Sebastian's Ice Cream, for me, is the BEST ice cream in the Philippines. No words can express how incredibly addicted I am to their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream, which they are very much known for. Their ice cream is on par with with the international Ben and Jerry's. They used to have a stall in Glorietta and Alabang Town Center, which are the two malls I frequent in. Imagine my dismay when I found out they were no longer in Glorietta... and some time after that, they left Town Center as well. Which is why, on the rare occasion that I go to Mall of Asia, you can more probably than not find me at their Ice Cream Studio.

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KFC Favorites

Kung Pao Chicken - P90

When I'm too lazy/tired to cook and I need food ASAP, I turn to my favorite fast-food deliveries, one of them being the classical KFC. So, today, because of laziness, my friend and I turned to KFC for a quick bite. Your bill has to reach 220 pesos, so my friend and kept adding items for it to reach that much. A bit troublesome, but it was fine.

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Wee Nam Kee: Best Hainanese Chicken!

Wee Nam Kee's Exterior

Wee Nam Kee originates from Singapore, and as I'm told, it's actually a very known restaurant. The first time we decided to eat in Wee Nam Kee, the restaurant had just opened in Ayala Triangle, and there was just way too many people -- which was why we decided to pass. The second time, we chose to wait... but after thirty minutes, we were already so hungry we just chose another place to eat in. Many times I thought of coming back, but I kept telling myself the same thing would happen again. Finally, after a few months, we went back. And even though I had convinced myself we wouldn't get seats... we actually did (though we did have to wait a while)!

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Tokyo Cafe: A Fusion of Western and Japanese

Teriyaki Chicken Salad - P178

Tokyo Cafe isn't a traditional Japanese restaurant, in the sense that their menu showcases a fusion of Western and Japanese cuisine. Their menu offers a wide array of choices, from salads to parfaits. At first glance, it seems their menu is one that a Western restaurant would give you -- Shrimp Bisque, Caesar Salad, Pasta, etc. However, looking more closely, their dishes also have a touch of Japan -- Teriyaki Chicken Salad, Japanese Carbonara, and much more. Tokyo Cafe has several branches (the one we went to was the one in Venice Piazza).

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