I wanted to postpone blogging about this resto but thought I should get on with it and simply edit after a couple more visits. I went solo the first time and during snack time so there wasn't any opportunity to sample a reasonable selection of dishes. The grape shake reminded me of my fav drink in Cibo. Except that the glass in which it was served was bigger unlike the tall but slim Cibo glasses. Works well for a fuller serving! I came at an odd hour but early enough to see the lunch crowd leaving from this place. Must have a decent client base on a weekday to fill up the somewhat limited and narrow space. The fresh lumpia was served in pairs. The egg wrapper and filling tasted homemade, just like how our moms would make them. There are other choices but as I mentioned, they'd have to wait till the next visit. Interesting menu if you like Filipino dishes. For sure, I'd try many interesting dish creations of Justin Sarabia, the chef & owner of Rural Kitchen of Liliw.
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I was out with the teens then when one of the 2 suggested we check out Barcino in Greenbelt 2. Now, you may think Barcino is a wine bar that caters to adults and this grandma has no business bringing an 18 and 15 year old to dine here. So yes, it's a wine bar. And yes, it's also a food haven. We found a tiny table by the wine cabinet. Surely they've got a good collection of Spanish, Argentinian and Chilean wine here. The chalkboard by the wall lists many Spanish favorites like Sangria, Tinto de Verano, Sidra and my fav beer Estrella Galicia. I chose the last. We were served Pan con Tomate on the house. This is my typical desayuno fare back in Madrid. And my teens love it. Since I was more thirsty than hungry, I ordered the Ensalada Rusa or Russian Salad many Spaniards are crazy about. It was a very generous portion. So was the Spaghetti Marinara which my 18 yr old teen ordered! Judging by how she looked when it was served, she had a problem. Good thing my 5'10"" 15-year old was around. But even with his help, and without him ordering anything, we simply found the serving overly generous for its price. So if you think Barcino is beyond your budget or is strictly a wine bar, you're wrong. The imported jamon y quezos are, naturally, pricey -- but remember, these items are imported from España. And they are indeed quality Spanish pica picas. Outside of these imported items, many of the dishes are very reasonably priced. So there. Go check it out!
Corner Tree Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant. Not exactly the destination of many foodies but the Christmas Season made us long for light meals as we got ready to feel "deprived" of meaty dishes. Looks homey, don't you think? The corner vegetarian restaurant is located in Jupiter Street along the stretch between Makati Avenue and Nicanor Garcia Street. It is right under the Miladay Shop and across Aristocrat. Not hard to find. And there's ample parking too, at no charge! The roasted chestnut soup was a good starter, though we were initially tempted to order the tomato soup. Next we tried the mushroom pasta which was ok, but not outstanding. The tofu teriyaki was --!which was served on top of brown rice. You wouldn't feel deprived with these dishes, at all. For dessert, we just couldn't pass up the vegan non-dairy ice cream. Perhaps good enough for them vegans, but I do want my real ice cream. Well, we can't win them all. So how do we score this? I would certainly go back to try other dishes. Besides, I do like the vibe here. It would be nice to grab a corner table even for just coffee and cookies. Quiet, good-sized, homey, healthy. Just what we needed in the midst of all the binge-ing, the traffic, the chaos.
Earlier, I blogged (and raved) about this cafe-bar in Salcedo Village. Here's the link: http://jollybelly.weebly.com/blog/commune-cafe-bar But Commune Cafe didn't close shop. Rather, they moved to a new, funkier site. You'd find it at the corner of Polaris and Durban Streets in Poblacion, Makati. Very near Alchemy, Señor Pollo and KITE Kebab Bar in nearby Ebro Street and right across Wang Mart in the same street where you'd find Alba Restaurant and La Tienda. The vibe remains the same. But we didn't find the same meals offered in the "old" Commune Cafe Bar in Salcedo Village. The coffee is still good and Latte Art rages on in this hipster establishment. By its lack of menu offerings, I think they just want to grab that niche for post-meal coffee and desserts. But they need to offer more desserts other than cookies . Overall, I still love the place for its amusing 3D latte art.
You know how it feels when you see someplace transform itself? We have visited this place weeks before it opened for business. In those weeks, a self-taught 17 year-old painted on 3 walls of this newbie restobar in Ebro Street in Makati's Poblacion. Easily 6-7 hours daily, painting away to "express herself". I admire the young artist's art, work ethics, and passion. And the same goes for the equally young owner of the business. Such a pleasure to see these budding artist and determined enterpreneur work at their craft. You could almost touch their passion and drive! Truly a privilege to witness how these 2 transformed a run-down apartment into this restobar with a distinctly mediterranean look. When KITE finally opened, I was out of the country. You bet I was eager to visit when I got back. We dined here to sample their Mediterranean cuisine. Hummus for starters, then chicken biryani and wagyu cubes on sticks with taboulleh to complete our meal. Our orders were served promptly and the service crew were very friendly. We liked everything we ordered but made a mental note to go back to try the falafel, lamb and other dishes. If you're here just for picapica and drinks, the front open-air area is ideal to have some beer and mezes. From inside, one looks out through the wide glass windows in airconditioned comfort. The seats are comfortable, and the hanging lights are very creatively crafted. The murals tie in with the overall ambience. Hip, mediterranean, colorful and lively. The colors cheer you up, snd the quotations on the wall are -- to use today's language -- "Instagrammable". The wide glass windows separating the open-air front area from the airconditioned interior along with the mirrors and lighting added "space" to a very limited area. Even the rest room's bare wall was adorned with a painting done by the young artist. I was more than pleased with how the entire area has been transformed. We were happy with the meals we ordered. KITE has a relaxing vibe, and for sure, we'd be back sooner than later.
IZAKAYA Kikufuji is my favorite in Makati's Little Tokyo. The frontage doesn't reveal much about this gem of a Japanese restaurant. The interiors are those typical of Japanese restos. In the center is the bar circling the open kitchen, filled with sushi chefs with busy hands. Kikufuji serves more than sashimi and sushi. They likewise have rice toppings and bento boxes. Our favorites are the Una Don which is unagi or eel on japanese rice, and the wagyu skewers which are 4 wagyu cubes on a stick. Sinfully good 😜 Ebi lovers may have them as tempura or tempuradon. Both crisp and good. If you like soupy dishes, try also their hotpot choices. We ordered something like sukiyaki without the noodles and liked it. Tofu so silky and yum. Sorry I can't recall what it's called. Then there's chicken teriyaki don and another favorite, agedashi tofu. The California Maki with crunchies are a bit on the spicy side but you can always have them the standard, non-spicy way. The Gyudon, just as expected. Who doesn't like gyudon, anyway? When you can't think of anything Japanese to eat, this is the safe choice. This, along with shake-don which is really salmon sashimi on a rice bowl. Little Tokyo is a cluster of Japanese restos beside Makati Square along Chino Roces St, formerly Pasong Tamo Street. There are many choices off the same street or in the interior part of Little Tokyo. But the family's favorite remains the #1. Kikufuji.
The Little Big Cafe is little in size but big in quality. If you're looking for honest-to-goodness coffee with baked goodies to pair with, this is THE PLACE. Last time I was in Madrid, I waited for this cafe to open. I had the good fortune to enjoy a slice of owner Max's carrot cake then, weeks before the shop opened. It was the bomb, and I knew I'd be back for another slice. As luck would have it though, I had to fly back to my home in the Tropics without stepping into this coffee place 😭 And so months passed with only a memory of that single slice of carrot cake. Of course, they have other offerings, each one deserving to pair with my flat white. Sourced some instagram photos here if only to show slices of this coffee-lovers' paradise. (Disclaimer: I don't know the owner Max but her good friend S sent me that delish slice) It was Halloween when I finally stepped foot here. Friends' children in tow, we enjoyed our coffee while the kids devoured slices of chocolate cake and other baked goodies. No photos taken then (we had kids with us!) but again, these Instagram photos should give you an idea. The chocolate cake was big on choc goodness without being overwhelmed with sugar overload. I like how a shade of choc bitterness remained. And the cookies and fudge? I wanted to slide some into my pocket! Lest you start thinking The Little Big Cafe only serves good (make that very good!) coffee, cakes and cookies, here are some IG snapshots of their meals. I know my sobrina based here enjoys their salads very much, but judging by these photos, my eyes are glued on the Eggs Benedict! Don't waste time. Visit The Little Big Cafe now and savor its yummy offerings!
I love going to mercados. Especially when I'm going solo. And Mercado de San Anton, Mercado de San Miguel, Platea Madrid are among my favorites. Of the 3, I am more drawn to Mercado de San Anton for 2 reasons: it is more quiet/less crowded and there is a rooftop terrace (La Cocina de San Anton) should one be inclined to linger, nurse a drink and enjoy the breeze and the view. Besides, I like the variety of tapas on offer here. One stall sells bacalao on tostada, cooked and plated in all imaginable ways. Another has olives and anchoas sourced from different areas. The same can be said of the many varieties of jamon, quezos and trufa! I just love it here. And should you grow tired of this mercado or wish for a more crowded place, there's one just a few blocks away. A tad cramped I think, but it looks like it caters to a younger crowd. Mercado de San Ildelfonso is right along Calle Fuencarral, not too far from San Anton in Calle Figueroa off Calle Hortaleza. The jamon, quezos, olives shouldn't vary much from one mercado to the next. However, the foie gras served with risotto and the pickled bacalao on toast in Mercado de San Anton are FTW tapas I won't mind having each time with my vino or cerveza. So there. You heard me. San Anton it is for moí. Minus the crowd 😄
We don't have many happy memories associated with Moroccan cuisine. To be fair, it was good the first 3 days. Then the novelty wore off. We couldn't bear to see another tagine, much less taste couscous. There were choices. Lamb, Beef, Chicken Tagine. No pork in this Muslim state. Couscous. More Couscous. Brochettes. Kefta balls. Beef or lamb stewed in apricots or dates. Mountains of salad. And the very Moroccan Harira Soup. I do like the Moroccan Mint Tea. As well as the Moroccan Nutella which they call Amlou. This thick, sticky spread reminds me of peanut butter but is actually made from crushed almonds mixed with argan oil, two pricey ingredients. Bought a couple of bottles from a coop by the foot of the Atlas Mountains. I also liked the egg dish served with klii in Riad Andalib. This one reminded me of sunny side up eggs with tapa bits 😄 Moroccan servings are overly generous to the point of wasteful. All the salads served to us were just too much. The tagines were infused with all possible spices and always served hot. The variety was quite limited though. It is hard to reach the end of Week 1 without putting up your arms and crossing them whenever you see tagine and the accompanying couscous. Vegetarians would dig those overflowing salads and starters. Likewise with the fruits. I am not a big fan of meat dishes so I was like growing a tad insane missing my shellfish and desserts. Luckily there were Italian-Moroccan and French-Moroccan restaurants. In particular, I liked Pepe Nero in Riad al Moussika in Marrakech. When we felt we needed to break the pattern, we sought out Japanese and Italian restos for our sushi and pizza fix. Such was our dining experience in Maroc. 😄
I've written about Casa Botin twice already. But my last visit was on my birthday where my good friends treated me to a cochinillo y cordero lunch. A tourist trap indeed, but a reservation solves that. After all, this resto can't possibly be here all these years if it weren't serving decent meals. Not the best cochinillo but you can't say it's bad. And yeah, the cordero's actually good. So's the sangria and chipirones en su tinta 😄 The oldest resto in the world per Guiness records. Serves them well. The kitchen is a must-visit if only to take a photo of those suckling pigs lined up in a row. Add to that Hemingway's mentions of this asador in his book "The Sun Also Rises". It is further immortalized with such trivia as Spanish painter Francisco Goya having worked here as either waiter or dishwasher. And because it's my birthday, I got a slice of my birthday cake! As for bebida, take your pick. There's rioja alta or sangria or cerveza. Buen provecho!
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