Shangri-La at the Fort's High Street Cafe - Great Food, Modern Posh and Fine Dine

Every Christmas, I take my family to a special place. This year, I decided it was going to be at the High Street Cafe in Shangri-La at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City. 

The term "cafe" seems to be a misnomer here. After all, the term refers to "a small restaurant serving coffee, beverages, and light meals". But use of the term has evolved. Posh hotels now use this as a more welcoming name. Cafe, after all, is "less intimidating" for some people. But take Manila Hotel's "Cafe Ilang Ilang" or New World Hotel's "Cafe 1228". Nothing about these places are small, average or light weight, right?

The place must have been conceived to accommodate a limited crowd, even on special dates like Christmas, New Year. It also follows two dining shifts for night  diners: the first set starts at 6:30 PM and should wrap up at 8:30 PM, which is the start of the second set that wraps up at 10:30 PM (the official closing time). Having said this, reservations are necessary (63-2- 264-9069 extension 213). 

As a result, the dining experience doesn't seem like one big fiesta. Personally, I do not like clutter, manual or otherwise. Here, there's no chaos to speak of unlike in Circles Restaurant in their Ayala branch. More importantly, there's no ridiculous rule to actually go to their branch on the morning of the booked date just to pay for a reservation fee - the most ludicrous practice I have ever encountered in my life. Just call, book your seats and show up. Just as they do in the modern, civilized world!

High Street Cafe doesn't disappoint! 

The place is cozy, employing a palette of muted colors and home-style interiors. It has this very comfortable vibe. There are huge shelves all around and 9 kitchen stations (buffet stations) serving mostly Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian (laksa), Filipino cuisine. There's a table for frozen shrimps, lobsters, crabs, mussels, oysters and a variety of fish; another for desserts and fruits, 2 choices of drinks (lemon iced tea and fruit drink), and another table for breads and cheeses.

Take your crabs and shrimps and have them grilled or cooked with butter garlic - or however you want them done.

Their lechon (suckling roast pig) is constantly replenished and, more importantly, fresh, tasty and succulent. So is their lechon paksiw, which is among my favorites. I was looking for the "mango crab" which was recommended by someone, but it wasn't being served. No tempura either. I was also looking for their Dong Bao Claypot Rice which was nowhere to be found either. This must signify that menu changes every so often - for variety, which is a good thing.

TO HEAVEN AND BACK

Among the desserts, I loved their "Burnt Rice" Ice Cream (which smelled like pinipig or burnt rice) and their Molten Lava Cake which will send you to heaven and back. This should not be missed. Just proceed to the dessert table and order one. They'll prepare it and you can pick it up in 7 minutes. Have a slice of their bread pudding - it is delicious! 

The atmosphere in High Street Cafe is laidback. The crowd isn't rowdy or noisy so you can enjoy your conversations and light banter with friends or family. A senior among your crowd? Use their senior citizen card for a big discount. Mind you, the cut is considerable.

Shangri-La at the Fort is located at 30th Street, corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City. They've adequate parking (5-level basement parking) within the premises - so don't look elsewhere. I paid PhP100 for our 2.5 hours parking. 

Don't forget to look up the ceiling at the lobby to check out their gorgeous and grand chandelier set! Sia would be proud to have sung for it. 

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Brazo de Mercedes (left), cashew tart, bread pudding.

Break that upper crust for your sinful Molten Lava Cake

The grand chandelier at the lobby

#highstreetcafe   #shangrilaatthefort   #finedining   #manila

Guevarra's by Chef Laudico - Homely and Sumptuous in San Juan

At the start of 2015, I planned on taking my family to a hop-a-meal fiesta extravaganza via buffet dining. I'd pick a place, we'd reserve seats and eat out every 4 or 5 days within the next two weeks. This was before the whole holiday season was over and people would be back knee-deep with work. One of my choices was Guevarra's by Chef Laudico.

I have to admit that name recall was one of the reasons for this choice among 10 names mentioned in a food website's list-making "best of". This, surprisingly was one of the most affordable among the lot. I liked the idea that one doesn't have to pay a king's ransom to enjoy a culinary feast prepared by a celebrated chef.

It's an old house, said to be built in the 1940's; that it could have been home of a former president of the country. It looked like one of those heritage houses you find in Quezon or Ilocos. What's more interesting was, this used to be a spa called Tian Di Spa which fell from alleged mismanagement. It was said to turn seedy with gambling at the side. The spa folded eventually. Enter Chef Laudico. The rest is history.

Two years later, Guevarra's is a gastronomic hub that, on most days, easily fills up. In fact, reservation is important - or you would hardly get a walk-in seat. A day before your reservation, you'd get a text reminder; i.e. that you will be allowed 30 minutes from your reserved time. Or your reservation will be cancelled. Fair. On the day of your dinner, you'll get a call reminding you again. They're that efficient - or segurista? :)

The chef is Rolando Laudico, educated at the Culinary Institute of America (New York), a culinary school with a lot of history (it was founded in 1946 originally conceptualized as a vocational institute for returning veterans of World War II). In the succeeding years, Laudico worked in France (he apprenticed at "L 'Essentiel") and Australia before deciding to come home and pursue his culinary craft in his country.

Food really concentrates on Pinoy cuisine. There's lechon and there's bagnet. There's a tender and mouth watering stock of baby back ribs, and everything else, including non-alcoholic drinks. Pizza, pasta, and a sinful regional dessert selection are in place as well. Due to the onslaught of customers, Guevarra's is said to follow a strict "2-hour meal" so they can accommodate other customers. I didn't get this impression of guests being rushed away, to be honest.

HEROES ROOMS

The place has white-washed panels and a gracious wooden arch at the central hallway. Rooms are named after heroes: Abad Santos, Recto, etc. Outside this ancestral home is a lawn decked with tables and chairs as well, and a garden. There's ample parking space to its left. Unlike hotel buffets with a tag price of PhP2,000 to PhP3,500, Guevarra's is exceedingly generous at PhP500+

Guevarra's by Chef Laudico is located at 387 P. Guevarra Street, San Juan, Metro Manila. For more information, please call (63-2) 705-1811.

Their Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ChefLaudicoGuevarras.

If you want buffet dining rich in old-world charm, a homely atmosphere and a sumptuous selection that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, look no further.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Our table at the Recto room.

This photo only courtesy of Guevarra's Facebook page.

Buffet Dining at Cafe 1228 (New World Hotel, Makati)

I've dined at the New World Hotel probably half a dozen times in the past but haven't been there in a while. There are, after all, so many restaurants all over the metropolis that it would be almost foolish to keep coming back to even a favorite restaurant. Variety, as the spice of life, is what everyone prefers, isn't it? Last November, before flying to Maldives, I brought a friend to the hotel's Cafe 1228, located at the hotel's ground floor. The place is quite accessible because it is just across Greenbelt 3 right in the heart of Makati, Metro Manila's financial district - where a government parking building can cost up to PhP2.3 billion (wink wink). That's a whopping $52 million, if you can't count. But I am digressing.

I've recently taken my family back because they haven't been to New World. This post accounts for the two visits. During each visit, the "cafe", which seems a misnomer for a grandiose spread of epicurean delight, had credit card promo deals, i.e. a buffet plate is cut 50% off if you use the credit card that's hosting the promotional offer (BPI last November 2013, BDO this September 2014).

Moreover, a senior citizen enjoyss further discount. That adds to a lot of savings. All in all, a bill that should cost me PhP15,000 was slashed to a mere PhP7,250 (for a party of 6). How's that for discounts? What's sweeter, I didn't even go there for the promo. I just wanted to take my family out for a relaxing, albeit sumptuous dinner. Half-price was the bonus.

The restaurant offers 5 live-cooking stations, including a Pinoy table, a seafood spread, a salad-and-international spread and a dessert table. And though I am not particularly fond of sweets, I have to admit (without guilt!) that their dessert selection is to-die-for. My favorite though is the seafood table where you could pick your choice of crabs, shrimps, oysters, clams or fish (e.g. snapper, grouper, tilapia, etc.) and have them "cooked" according to your own preference. I like them soaked in garlic - and I have one heavenly viand (below) that lets you drool pre-prandial and after. If I could choose a single dish here, this would be it - crabs and shrimp in garlic sauce. They cook it so well that the chambers are easily broken into pieces, yet the meat is left tender, not macerated. How's that for a contrast of gastronomic preference?

My favorite

I usually pick a little of (almost) everything. That way, I get to taste several of them then come back for seconds of what I found most delectable during the first haul. Yup, haul. You should see other people's plates - the way they pile them up like it was going to be their last meal before they croak and go to heaven.

Their "adobo" should be mentioned for its exquisite cooking, taste and quality of meat (pork and chicken). After all, what is Pinoy Food without the "adobo"? What I like about Cafe 1228 is its relaxed ambiance and the sprawl of the restaurant. Even during peak hours, the place doesn't feel like a culinary zoo. Ironically, my Monday visit was busier than the weekend dinner I had - so it's hard to second guess a more relaxed day.

Plus point includes chatting with one of their chefs who ears his toque to check out or even welcome the crowd. A pastry chef whispered, and "insisted", that I try their pannacota so I did and I was blown away by its sinful taste. Apple crumble? Lemon cheesecake? Have I gone to heaven? If it seemed that way, that wasn't a bad time to be on Earth.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

My first plate during my first (November) visit.

Pick a seafood and have them cook your plateful while you wait at your table.

I prefer a table away from the buffet spreads.

The Filipino spread includes your rice, menudo, adobo, etc.

My dessert plate during my second visit (September 2014).

They call this spread "fruit sushi". One look and you're full. :)

You could choose an intimate table for your date.

Information

New World Hotel, a 584-room, 25-floor deluxe hotel built in 1993 (but recently renovated in 2014), has 5 restaurants. They include Club Epicure (for exclusive members), The Lounge (for dining with live entertainment), Jasmine (for classic Cantonese cuisine), Bar Rouge (for evening cocktails and Cuban cigars) and Cafe 1228. Buffet is offered here. The restaurant is open from 6AM to 12 midnight and also offers a la carte menu. Yup, burgers and pasta could be had here. To book a table and reserve, call (632)811-6888 and have it connected to Cafe 1228. Please do not ask this blogsite for reservations and bookings. New World Hotel is located along Esperanza Street in Makati's Ayala Center just across Greenbelt 3.

Check out their website here -
- http://www.manila.newworldhotels.com/en/overview/new-world-makati-hotel/

Facebook account here - https://www.facebook.com/NewWorldMakatiHotel.

Photo #2 and this photo only courtesy of the hotel's website.