Kettle @ SM Aura: Drool-Worthy!

Once a year every December, I would meet up with a dear friend and we'd have dinner in a special place. Last year, it was at Cafe 1228 of Makati's New World Hotel. The year before, it was Ramen Nagi. But we'd pick the place based on an atmosphere that's welcoming, convenient and significantly memorable. We were there to chat and have fun, with good food on the side.

This photo only courtesy of their FB page.

She ordered salad that was tasty, "crunchy"(the best arugulas do that), fresh and delectable, I took several bites. Kettle House Salad. I am not a salad eater but yeah, I could enjoy that served in front of me. Dang, I could still taste the toffee walnut and the manchego cheese (Don Quixote's own brand of cheese) just thinking about it. When my order came, I realized this was a special place for the "regular" gourmand (is there such thing?)

Served before me was "Buttermilk Fried Chicken": two big pieces of chicken that has been marinated 24 hours and spiced with paprika. Cooked southern style, you can taste a dash of sweetness in it, that's Cajun honey on gravy. It has this singular gustatory sensation: crunchy, tangy, flavorful, tender meat served in two big pieces. I thought I was in heaven's little kitchen. My friend then ordered her cake that we devoured mercilessly: just the right kind of sweetness for me. And if I were to use this adjective again, it's simply because it's the most appropriate - "delicious".

Lucy Torres-Gomez tweeted about this restaurant. Jessica Soho featured it. Food guru Erwan Heussaff wrote about it. Their Buttermilk Fried Chicken, their most popular dish aside from the "crunchy pork belly with fried potato strips", has been shortlisted as "one of the 6 fried chicken to try in Manila" by ABS-CBN's online reviews. Little did I realize that their SM Aura branch just opened last December, the same month I visited the place with my friend.

If it's good food you're after, come visit.

This is the Eye in the Sky!
  

That's manchego cheese, the Spanish cheese from La Mancha, with bits of toffee nuts and bacon.

SM Aura's Kettle is located at the Sky Park, Level 5, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. For more information call them at (63-2) 887-3564. No reservations needed, but the place fills up fast especially on weekends, after 6 PM.

Hap Chan at Harbour Square CCP Complex - Manila Dining

I am far from being a gastronomic adventurer. Most of the time, I stick to a dish that I actually love to eat. But my travels have taught me to spread myself a little more. Meanwhile, back in the country is a different matter altogether. I know what I wanna stuff myself with. One of which is Hap Chan's fish fillet in garlic sauce.

My family and I used to frequent Hap Chan's branch in Wilson Street, but that has since folded. Another branch opened at Megamall's Building A, but that also closed shop. I remembered visiting a friend at St. Luke's along E. Rodriguez, and right across the hospital was another Hap Chan. But that is really too out-of-the-way (and traffic at that side of town is a bit unbearable) for a frequent visit. A new one opened at St. Francis Square's 5th floor Food Court, one that is quite misplaced ina floor of smorgasbord turo turo food..

My post-Christmas holiday included a visit by the Manila Baywalk - at the Harbour Square, CCP Complex. And I found another Hap Chan! So what could be a better way to end the day than stuffing myself with some of my all-time favorites: lechon kawali and Hap Chan's divine "Fish Fillet in Garlic Sauce" - an item incomparably rare in this bustling city - and divine!

CCP Complex's Hap Chan branch is located at the extreme end of the harbor walk, a spanking new joint adorned with blood-red lanterns, cozy interiors and bright lighting fixtures. Of course, there's the amazing view of Manila Bay just outside your table.

This Christmas holiday was nothing but a constant dive into culinary wonders and a bevy of restaurants. Such was that perfect season.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Fish Fillet with Garlic Sauce - the choicest, freshest cuts of fish meat dipped in the succulence of garlic sauce. Nothing is more heavenly.

Lechon Kawali

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Chilled Taho

Bottomless Iced Tea

From a table with a view of Manila Bay.

Cafe Juanita at the Fort - Manila Dining

Kitschy is an oft-repeated adjective describing Cafe Juanita in reviews elsewhere, but I'd rather use more positive terms like "bohemian" and "eclectic". Even the food choices found at the menu are well appointed entries from all over South East Asia and beyond. But as we've mentioned in another post, the real essence of a great dining experience lies solely on how the food tastes. The buck stops there. And in Cafe Juanita - traffic indeed stops once you start munching, masticating, chewing, and digesting on whatever it is that you ordered!

It isn't our first time in Cafe Juanita. We've been to their Pasig branch several times in the past, but this would be our first visit at the swanky Burgos Circle at The Fort. We settled at the 2nd floor which has bigger space and higher ceiling than the one in Pasig. The place is still filled with a dizzying array of kaleidoscopic cloths and bead curtains hanging down the ceilings. If you dozed for a millisecond, and your REM suddenly takes you back, you might as well find yourself inside a gypsy's abode, swathed with trinkets and a motley of ornaments spangling 2 feet above your shoulders. The place can be disorienting, but we're not complaining. Sometimes, that's the point of visiting a new place.

Cafe Juanita is a Filipino Restaurant, but as we've mentioned earlier, they are also known for their Pad Thai (a traditional Thai dish said to have originated from Veitnamese traders of the old days) which is almost at par with the authentic ones we've tasted in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And there's a congregation of southeast asian culinary littering their menu. For my part, I couldn't dine here without a plate (or two) of their Bagnet, which is to-die-for! I do have to mention that Cafe Juanita is fine dining, thus prices are geared towards the upmarket crowd. But this fact is compensated by the equally upmarket quality of their food - although the waiters could be a little more receptive when filling up those bottomless iced teas which come at a pricey P90 ($2)! Special events deserve special food and this, more often than not, dictates special prices. Having said that, below are some of their best sellers. We were looking forward to the Sticky Toffee Pudding (P127 or $2.90) but we were just too stuffed to consider dessert after.

And this is the Eye in the Sky!

Bagnet, the Ilocano version of the Lechon Kawali. This "Bagnet Salad" is deep fried pork meat placed in a sinublan (a very large iron pot) to boil, then submerged in brewing oil until bubbles begin to appear while its skin hardens and begins to pop. About 20 minutes after the meat was taken out from the frying pot, the process is repeated until the skin pops further. One of my personal favorites from Ilocos Norte. This costs P357 ($8.15).

Tinuktok is crabmeat wrapped in taro (gabi) leaves and coconut milk. The tinuktok that we know hails from Bicol and the Visayas and makes use of shrimp instead of crabmeat, and wrapped in triangles instead of Juanita's rectangular dish. Sumptuous nevertheless. This costs P225 ($5.10).

Maya-Maya sa Miso is P385 ($8.75) and is seasoned according to your sour taste. This variety of sinigang is really Red Snapper in Tamarind and Soy Bean paste broth. This is the Philippines' sour-flavored stew associated with the tamarind (sampalok) which originated from the tagalog regions (particularly Laguna). Before serving it, someone would bring a cup and ask if this was sour enough - or not!

Bottomless iced tea at P87 ($2).

Pinoy Ratatoy is the local version of the French's ratatouille, a traditional French provencal stewed vegetable dish which originated from Nice (its full name: Ratatouille nicoise). Juanita's version is a sauteed traditional tuyo (dried fish) with fresh tomato, eggplant and herbs. This one costs P200 ($4.50).

Chicken Teriyaki - broiled slices of chicken meat is cooked in tare or sweet soy sauce marinade. This costs P287 ($6.50).

Forbes Town Center at the Burgos Circle

Contact Details:

Cafe Juanita at The Fort, Unit WS-2 Burgos Circle, Forbestown Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, 1634

Telephone: +632 403-1952
Email: cafejuanita@yahoo.com

Scale model of Forbes Town Center at Burgos Circle (The Fort) in Taguig City

Bistro Better - Makati's Intimately Delectable Food Corner

Fancy an intimate shindig with your dear friends? That nook far away from the madding crowd, yet stripped off the tedious thingamajig that characterize other greasy spoons - with price as delectably affordable as the food they serve?

We’ve found that place during the Christmas holidays.

Located at G.E.E. Building along Chino Roces Avenue Extension (Pasong Tamo Extension), Bistro Better is a comfortable bistro serving delicious food without much frills. Though a bit cramped, the bistro has 2 cubicle areas that sits 8-10 people each, perfect when you just wanna drop by for a fast meal – or that special get-together with a few friends, sans the crowd! The past weeks have taken us to an inordinate number of restaurants, carefully treading the path of gluttony. These places we shall document in these pages in the coming days. But I am particularly pleased to share our gastronomic experience at Bistro Better.

In all our travels, we are made acutely aware that the essence of a dining establishment (regardless of a theme, the interior atmosphere, the price list, etc.) rests in a singular criteria - the taste of food being served! From the fresh Grilled Dory down to the “luscious” Midnight Truffle Cake, I knew I’d be dropping by for that Chicken Alexandra which we missed! - Or their version of the traditional British and Irish staple - the Shepherd's Pie (a lamb mince) - one of the things we miss from London.

Here are some of their culinary jewels we tasted:

Roast Pork (P140 or $3.20) - Slow-cooked pork, thinly sliced, and covered with mushroom sauce.

Pork Embotido (P120 or $2.70) This one is a re-imagined version of Embutido (above and below), the traditional Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese serving of what's otherwise known in Latin America as Enchido. It generally contains hashed meat, generally pork, seasoned with aromatic herbs or spices (black and red pepper, paprika, garlic, rosemary, thyme, cloves, ginger) that is served wrapped in the skin of pig's intestines.

Saucy embotido.

Pork Embotido

Chicken Salad Sandwich with its potato salad side dish (P95 or $2.15)

Grilled Dory Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce (P140 or $3.20)

Midnight Truffle Cake (P130/slice or $2.95) – dark and moist chocolate cake embedded in bittersweet cream ganache topped with melted chocolate truffle icing. Sodas, coffee and tea cost P30 an order.

What’s interesting here is the potpourri of accoutrements on display: a vintage radio, some multi-colored crystalline decors, coffee mugs, and an array of reading materials – including a Lonely Planet Magazine that kinda surprised me. I didn’t know such existed here in Manila. The issue featured amazing stories and photographs from Egypt, China, Siargao, Pampanga and their cover story – Cebu’s famed Malapascua Island.

Bistro Better is located at the Ground Floor (GF-2), G.E.E. Building, 2301 Pasong Tamo Extension in Makati. If you’re coming from Edsa, you’d pass by Chevrolet and Chrysler Showrooms. It’s almost opposite Metro Bank. There’s a PS Bank signage at the side of GEE Building. Parking is directly in front of the Bistro, though a bit limited, but there are several places nearby. Unfortunately, they are closed on Sundays so if you’re taking a small group with you, you may call 505-4991 or 0917-6124858, just to be on the safe side. Make no mistake, this is a relatively new place of a modest size, but with great tasting food.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

Vintage

Lonely Planet - The Magazine, a local publication.

The menu.