Yummy Date Night

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  I live to eat dimsum. I think that if dimsum didn’t exist, I’d die in a millisecond.

  Okay, I’m kidding. I just really love dimsum so much, because it’s so light and flavorful and yummy  and okay I should shut up. Just imagine my delight when Douglas and I found out that Shang Palace is opening its doors to dimsum lovers and is offering a dimsum buffet. We were enthralled.

   Th Dimsum Buffet is priced at only P810 per head. It includes unlimited dimsum, endless servings of soup, appetizer, rice, noodles, congee, vegetarian dishes and dessert and one main course per person. 

   You order everything at your table and specify how many pieces you want for each dimsum. That way, you’re sure to finish your orders. 

  Complimentary fried tofu cubes with sweet and sour chili sauce appetizer. 

  We got one piece of Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallops each. The blend of taro and the frying was done quite well. However, the coconut cream had an offensive smell at some point.

  We got these Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls which were served with sweet soy sauce. They were great, and the condiment really brought out the taste of the shrimps.

  We got two pieces of Deep Fried Sea Foods with Mango and Salad Sauce Wrapped in Rice Paper which I didn’t eat. Hehe. 

 Same with the Deep Fried Hongkong Style Shrimp Spring Rolls above, these Deep Fried Cuchay Spring Rolls were served with a sweeter soy sauce rather than the normal salty sweet one, resulting in a more unique and lovelier taste. We would choose this over the shrimp spring rolls, though, because the cuchay complemented the shrimps quite well.

  This is where you’ll get your money’s worth: Unlimited Serving of Steamed Giant Shrimp Crystal Skin Dumplings or in other words: Unlimited Hakao! The shrimps were fresh and plump, and they were all carefully tucked inside these beautiful translucent wrappers. Medyo nakakaumay though, since halos lahat ng dimsum nila may shrimp… tapos ito shrimp lang ang laman. :P

Of course, who could refrain from ordering arguably the most popular dimsum of all time: Steamed Pork Dumplings Filled With Shrimp “Siu Mai”? Unlike most xiu mai’s this one focused on shrimp more than pork. Overall though, it was good. The xiumai’s were fresh and the meat was tender. The roe on top was a nice touch.

  Careful with it, though, since it’s heavier than the other dimsum choices. You could get full with four pieces of these.

  This was my main course: Stir Fried beef tenderloin cubes in black pepper sauce. The beef was extremely tender and flavorful. Each strand of meat absorbed the black pepper sauce. Nothing I can’t say anything about the veggies, though, because we didn’t eat them. Hahaha! Baadd.

  The serving was good for sharing.

  This was Douglas’ main course: Hot Prawn Salad. He initially ordered this for me to try since I haven’t had hot prawn salad before. It was served hot, better than the usual hot prawn salad because the prawns were HUGE. Aside from the size, the other factor that made this good was the frying style/thin coating of batter which went well with the shrimp and mayo. 

   It’s a bit sweet, so it’s not my kind of food. But that’s just a personal preference.

   Mmmmm... Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce. I liked that the meat slides off the bone effortlessly since I have normally don’t have patience with bony things. It was sweet, juicy, and flavorful all throughout. 

  A bowl of Hot and Sour Soup to heat our tummies up. Felt like it was made from scratch. The sourness and spiciness was toned just right.

  And of course, if you’ve been following my blog, you should know by now that Steamed Shanghai “Xiao Lung Pao” is my all-time favorite dimsum. I could literally eat twenty of these in one sitting.

  But did I? Sadly, I only ate a few pieces of their Xiao Lung Pao because it wasn’t really worth the tummy space. The skin was too delicate and had no taste at all. The soup felt like it was just hot water. The black vinegar was able to give the meat a little taste, but otherwise, it’s just… gah. Really sad face. :(

  This is Douglas’ favorite: Sweetened Almond Cream with Glutinous Pudding. He said it’s “the best thing everrrr”. If I remember correctly, he had two bowls of these :P It’s sweet, and has a milky almond taste. The glutinous pudding had peanut paste inside. It smooth and goes down easily although the soup itself is a bit thick.

  The Chilled Sweetened Fruit Pudding with Syrup was so cute with the fishy design. The taste is very subtle, though.

(Shameless pacute picture)

The Verdict: With the unlimited serving dimsum and other offerings, this buffet is definitely worth what you’re paying for. However, it’s not good for Xiao Long Bao lovers like me. :P That aside, everything else was okay. Nothing exceptionally spectacular, but nothing below average, either.

The place has an excellent staff and ambiance perfect for special occasions. 

Make sure you reserve or call beforehand.

Shang Palace

2/F Makati Shangri-la Hotel

Ayala Ave. for Makati Ave.,

Makati City

840-0884

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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  To tell you the truth, I’m really tired of the usual Katipunan restaurants, so Douglas and I decided (more like I convinced him) to troop over to Xavierville to try the new burger joint in town, Boulevard Diner. 

  We were too stingy to take a trike, so we had to walk from Berchmans to Xavierville. It was tiring. But was Boulevard Diner worth the walk? Read on.

This is my Gorgonzola Burger (P180) which I upgraded to get a side of Fries and A Glass of Iced Tea (P45). 

  A Gorgonzola burger is composed of a 1/3 pound burger, lettuce, tomatoes, white cheese, and sauteed oyster mushrooms topped with rich gorgonzola dressing all under a poppy seed bun. I didn’t eat my top bun since I think it would distract me from the taste of the other ingredients. But the poppy seed bun was actually good.

  The beef patty was indeed thick and compact. It was worth the price. But the winning factor was really the gorgonzola dressing which gave the burger a unique, pungent taste.

  The Grinch (P190) burger is a Christmas Special burger. Maybe because of the red-green theme? :)) It’s basically a 1/3 lb. cheese burger plus guacamole and strips of bacon. Douglas said the bacon was really good.

  We ordered their Power Tenders (P160) mainly because we were curious (we love tenders!). It was served to us piping hot, which was good. The batter was pretty crunchy, too.

  The honey mustard dip was tasty, and it went well with the tenders, although I wish they had other choices for dips since I’m not that fond of sweet food. :P And maybe have an option to have it coated in sauce like in Wicked Kitchen?:) 

We had our 1/2 lb. Buffalo Wings (P130) coated in the Fury Sauce which is the milder version of the Death one. We had also had a Gorgonzola Dressing (P70) add on to go with it.

It was juicy and tasty all throughout. I think this is way more worth it than the tenders. The fury sauce was really good too, although not that spicy (maybe we’ll try the “death” one next time). This is one of the few wings that I really took the time to scrape clean off the bone. The touch of the gorgonzola dressing was again a winning factor, although I think that’s an acquired taste. :P 

The Verdict: I think it’s a great place to hang out. The service is great and the food is worth checking out if you’re bored of the usual Katipunan food. I’m glad we have this new place in town. :) Recommended.

Boulevard Diner

91 Xavierville Ave., Loyola Heights,

Quezon City, Philippines

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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  I have a love affair with Persian food. I think it’s one of the most comforting cuisines ever. Be it Beryani, Keema, Kebab, Shawarma, Lassi, Ox Brains, or the occasional curries, I’m totally up for it.

  The restaurant we will talk about today, Mr. Kabab, is usually the crowd favorite when it comes to Persian food. They offer various ‘halal’ dishes, so the restaurant is good for our Muslim brothers and sisters.

  Mr. Kabab’s Special Chelo Kabab (P120.00) is enough to fully satisfy me when I’m hungry.

However, the two chelo kebabs aren’t very flavorful in themselves, (unlike in Shomal) which is why you have to use a lot of garlic sauce and hot sauce to add flavor. I also found that the garlicky taste of the sauce in Mr. Kabab is a bit toned down as compared to other establishments like The Kebab Factory or Perspolis (review to come).

   The slab of butter really complements the taste of the garlic sauce, so if you have any qualms about the butter, I don’t believe that this dish will really do it for you.

  This is Mr. Kabab’s version of Sizzling Keema with Eggplant (P105). Keema traditionally means minced meat with spices. 

  The serving is generous as well, given the price. Douglas commented that it was a bit bland, and the taste depended too much on the gravy.We think Ababu’s version totally knocks this one out.

  I had my own order of Keema with Eggplant (P65). It didn’t have the rice or the gravy. It was a bit bland, so I didn’t finish it.

The Verdict: It’s not hard to see why people flock to Mr. Kabab because they offer meals that are big on value. In terms of taste, however, it’s not the biggest contender out there.

Mr. Kabab

Ayala Land, TechnoHub

Commonwealth Ave.,

Diliman Quezon City

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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  After hearing that Eat Well Delicious Kitchen serves Xiao Long Bao for only P88, I knew that I had to check it out. It was destiny. I live to eat Xiao Long Bao. I can eat around 12 of them in one sitting—and I would only stop because Douglas and I would no longer have money to buy more.

  But imagine my disappointment when I found out that the price of the Xiao Long Bao had inflated from P88 to P99. For the same price, you can get four pieces of Suzhou’s steamed Xiao Long Bao. But fine. Maybe the quality is good.

   Well, I was delighted to taste the rich broth that I’ve come to love in my Xiao Long Bao. The entire thing was alright. “Not bad”, in Douglas’ words. And you know him—he’s the connoisseur when it comes to Chinese food. It’s still the cheapest authentic Xiao Long Bao we’ve found in town. 

   You have to be careful in eating it because the wrapper is thin and delicate.

  I developed a soft spot for Beef Wanton Noodle Soup (P165) when I was a child. Every time I come home from school, my maid would have a steaming hot bowl of noodle soup ready for me. It’s only natural that it’s on my list of favorites. Eat Well’s version is ‘just okay’. The broth tastes like the beef—it’s clean tasting, without too much oil or anything. The noodles weren’t as chewy as I liked them to be, but they’re okay. 

  The bowl is huge for P165. It’s value for money.

  This is Douglas’ order of Deep Fried Porkchop Vegetable Rice (P188). It could easily feed two people with the serving. The meat is tender and not oily, and it’s also flavorful throughout. The rice was also good.

  THIS. THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MEAL. WHITE CHOCOLATE MASACHI BALL (P48) GOODNESS. Imagine a glutinous rice ball filled with indulgent white chocolate syrup. Like. Holy. Shit. Would totally come back here for this.

The Verdict: The food is pretty much average, but it’s a great option if you want to eat Chinese Food, but you’re on a budget. The menu isn’t that extensive, though, so don’t expect it to have all your favorites.

Eat Well Delicious Kitchen

Greenhills Shopping Center

Missourri St. cor. Connecticut St., Greenhills

San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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  It’s our second time at Wicked Kitchen since we didn’t get to order a lot the last time we visited. Quoting my previous post, “Wicked Kitchen is a restaurant that is run by the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA), although Wicked Kitchen has a far more casual ambiance and overall feel compared to CCA’s other restaurant chain, Cravings. Wicked Kitchen is famous for their Seven Sins Desserts, a series of desserts each adhering to a particular Deadly Sin theme.”

  (Forgive the out of place watermark, I’m too lazy to take it out)

  Here’s something we weren’t able to tell you guys about last time. You can avail of their weekday lunch bowls which cost P138 each, and they also come with a free glass of iced tea. Promo runs every weekday, 11am-3pm only.

  Meanwhile, if you order these dishes on their assigned weekdays, you’ll get a free mini gluttony dessert. We came on a Thursday so we got the Chicken Kebab to get a gluttony for free.

  This is the most visually appealing Chicken Kebab (P195) I’ve ever seen. It’s a half circle of two chicken skewer goodness served with salad greens and garlic mayo. I love the balance of garlic and mayo in their dip—of course, you cant compare it to the authentic Persian one, though, but it’ll do. The skewer itself has slices of chicken, lime, mushrooms and bell peppers. The chicken wasn’t as juicy as I had hoped, they were pretty tough at some points, actually, but taste-wise, this dish delivers.

   For P195, I’ll leave you to judge if it’s worth it.

  As you may know, I’m still on the lookout for the best lasagna in town, which is why I ordered “The Ex’s Lasagna” (P196). Have I found it? Well, not really. Wicked Kitchen’s lasagna version is ‘okay’. It’s not bad at all but it’s not something I would seriously rave about.

  The cheese is very creamy in taste and consistency, while the meat sauce in the layers below is a bit on the sweeter side (I like my pasta on the sour side, though, cooked the Italian way). 

  Notice that most of their dishes range to around 200, so the place is a bit pricey if you think about it.

  This is our free mini gluttony dessert which came with the order of Chicken Kebab. Well, I understand why this dish has garnered rave reviews from plenty of bloggers. It’s delicious, to say the least. The cookie has the right sweetness to complement the cold vanilla ice cream on top, together with the whipped cream.

  However, in their roster of desserts, I would say that although this is the most popular, it’s also one of the less creative ones.

The Verdict: Well, I can’t say much, actually. The food is still a little bit above average, but it was not a mind blowing stay. Our visit last time was better, I guess, because of the Chicken Tenders which were absolutely delightful. Nevertheless, we will still go here for the convenience (since it’s just a stone’s throw away from Ateneo). The food wasn’t bad, anyway.

Wicked Kitchen

Petron, Katipunan

Quezon City

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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  My initial impression of Sugi in Greenhills wasn’t exactly good. We weren’t exactly given a very warm treatment upon entering because we arrived at around 2 o’clock pm, just when the restaurant was about to close. Maybe they shouldn’t have invited us in if they’re just going to emphasize that they were “about to close”. That’s why we ordered more of the basic, typical Japanese food fare because the waitress kept on pressuring us to finish ordering and get on with it. I think we could’ve been more adventurous with our orders if we weren’t pressured to hurry it up so much. 

  Well, at least my impression of it changed as we went along. Read on to find out why.

 The ambiance in Sugi is very peaceful, fit for intimate dates. 

 Tekka Maki (P200?) is actually my favorite kind of Maki because of its simplicity. The basic and yet exquisite taste of raw fish mixed with Japanese rice and nori just hits the spot. I was very happy with Sugi’s version of Tekka Maki since it had a relatively large cube of raw fish in each roll (Check the picture). Sugi’s wasabi was very powerful, too—it sent a strong, powerful kick with every bite. 

  Douglas is a salmon monster, as I’ve mentioned before, so he insisted we get a platter of fresh Sake Sashimi (P350). The cuts were big, succulent and luscious. (Camera fail made them look like orange slices=)) )

  However, since I like the union of Japanese rice with my raw fish, I insisted we also get a platter of Sake Sushi (P170). As you can see, the salmon cut in the sake sushi differs greatly from the sashimi one, this cut being the fattier one (observe the thin layers of fat—they’re not just design). I believe the added layers of fat contributed a silkier, more complex taste.

  This bowl of Miso Soup comes with an order of Tempura Donburi. It was served piping hot, and was also full-flavored.

  We ordered a Solo Portion of Tempura Donburi (P330) to share, since Douglas is on a diet (I still don’t see why). You can see the rich glaze of donburi sauce coating the tempura, which was positively sweet, but not overpowering. The Japanese rice was freshly cooked and tasty. This is their bestseller, and we understand why.

The Verdict: Despite the hazy first impression, I’m ready to come back for more interesting sushi and sashimi variants because the ones we’ve tasted delivered quite well. Maybe just take note of their service hours and you’ll be treated better.

Crossroad Arcade, Ortigas Ave., Greenhills

San Juan, Metro Manila

Philippines

(02) 721-7111

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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