• My Review: Lola Maria’s Restaurant @ The Legend Villas

    February 22, 2011 / 0 Comments
    Last January 21, I was invited along with other foodie bloggers as well as a few other guests to a food tasting event hosted by Lola Maria’s restaurant at the Legend Villas in Mandaluyong. I was actually the first to arrive because I found it necessary to leave home early so that I won’t be late for the 6pm event. I know how traffic is very bad especially along Edsa so I arrived at Robinson’s Cybergate at a quarter to 5. I stayed there and explored the mall as well as asked for directions to the hotel because it was my first time around that address. At about 5:30p, I proceeded to get to the location.
     
    When I arrived there, I saw this cluster of Filipino inspired old house villas smack dab in the city right next to tall buildings. I had finally arrived. Lola Maria restaurant is the main outlet of The Legend Villas as I was to know later on. I timidly went forth and looked for the restaurant. I finally found the restaurant and when I went inside, I introduced myself and was very well taken cared of. They handed me my name tag and I took my seat. I was the first to arrive. The people at the Legend Villas were all very pleasant and warm that I didn’t feel ill-at-ease at all. I was in fact very comfortable. Once seated, I then inspected and took a look around my surroundings. The interiors of the restaurant were very well and comfortably lighted. The restaurant exuded a cozy warmth which was very inviting. The restaurant had very traditional wooden furniture really in keeping with their theme of being Filipino. Admittedly, I am not really so into Filipino cooking and I was interested in what Lola Maria had to dish out for their guests.
     
    A few moments later, a few other of the food tasting guests arrive and we got to talking about the food which was about to be served to us. We were then given menu cards on the 8 celebrity dishes that Lola Maria was going to be introducing for 2011 and I was amazed at the list and couldn’t wait to get started. I had expected a fully Filipino repertoire of dishes but that wasn’t quite the case. We were going to have it degustation style so we could sample all 8 offerings from their resident chef. These dishes are so-called “Celebrity Dishes” because they were collaborated on by Lola Maria’s chef and the family’s close celebrity friends. I say family because the restaurant and the hotel are 100% Filipino owned under the Legend Hotels International Corp..
    For starters, we were offered 3 small portions of their signature drinks for us to choose on 1 drink which we would like to have all throughout the meal. There was the Pandan ice tea (ice tea with hints of pandan), the pomelo and pineapple slush and the dalandan slush. They were all good and refreshing drinks and I chose for my meal the Dalandan slush for a light and refreshing alternative and because I love Dalandan.
    The first celebrity dish which was introduced was the Vegetable Quiche suggested by Randy Ortiz. Although it is not really Filipino in origin, the dish makes use of produce we can easily get from our supermarkets. We were served 2 small portions and one had a dollop of sour cream on top. I liked it. It was very light and I especially loved it without the sour cream because the flavors were more pronounced than when they were eaten with sour cream. Very light and I loved how the vegetables tasted in this dish. Even kids would love it. This one is priced at Php155/5 pcs. Not bad with the pricing for good food.
    Next was the Fish Pinipig by Iza Calzado. It was served in shot glasses which contained their dipping sauce and lightly sprinkled with cayenne powder to give it a little kick. On the side were thin slivers of potatoes which were fried. You could say that this dish was the Filipino version of the Englishman’s fish and chips. I loved this dish and even asked for seconds. When you bite into it, you encounter the crunchy crust made out of pinipig flakes and then next you encounter the meatiness of the fish together with the kick from the cayenne. The sauce was really good with it. This was one of my favorites among the 8. Really simple but well put. Price: Php210/6 pcs.
    3rd on the menu was the Prawn Cake by successful local show car maker Atoy Llave. We were served prawn balls, degustation style. They were served together with some Hoisin sauce. The blending was really great. The dish was delicious and I also had seconds of it. Meaty prawns minced and coated with bread crumbs before frying. You could say it was kind of comfort food. Very easy to prepare and actually, this would be a great addition for cocktails. Price: 225/6 pcs.
    After the prawn cake dish, we were then served a calamansi sorbet to cleanse the palate. Very very cool and refreshing and now I am again ready for another batch….:)
    Our 4th dish is the Cocido from Anton Diaz of OurAwesomePlanet. After hundreds of years of Spanish occupation, we have adopted a lot of Spanish dishes and this one is very traditionally Spanish. It is beef ribs stewed in a rich tomato sauce with chorizo and fresh vegetables. This dish was as hearty as it could be. The beef was so tender that I had no problems eating it and the sauce was really good. This kind of made me full. The vegetables that went with it were so carefully cooked that they were just right. Also served together with the Cocido was an eggplant dip which was a revelation. The dish tasted so much better with it. The eggplant lent smokiness to the beef which was great. The chorizo in the dish added to the heartiness and lent additional flavor to the stewed beef ribs. This one I also dub as family comfort food. Price: Php360/ single serve.
    By now I was already full but wait till you get to the 5th dish we had. Rosemary and garlic rib eye steak from Ara Mina. I had mine cooked medium rare and I wasn’t disappointed with this cut of beef. The beef itself was so good to eat and so tender as well. Even without the shiitake mushroom sauce which was served with it, I could eat the meat by itself. It was that good. I had red wine to go with the steak. The chef told us that the beef was just seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic and was coated with rosemary infused olive oil before it was grilled. We were asked if we would like some mashed potato or garlic rice with it but I steered clear of the rice and got the mashed potatoes instead. The real mashed potatoes. I finished every one bit of the steak and felt satiated and ready for dessert. Price: Php650/ single serve.
    I have nothing but good things to say for all the dishes so far, they were all that good to me even if they were not all Filipino in origin. The ones that stood out for me were the Fish Pinipig, Ensaymada Pudding and Sumat at Tsokolate which I thought were very Filipino with their own twist.
    For dessert we were given a trio sampler of all their new celebrity dishes. They were the Ensaymada pudding by Ford supermodel winner Danica Magpantay, Ube and Langka Panna Cotta by Sherilyn Reyes-Tan and the Suman at Tsokolate by Wilma Doesnt.
    The desserts were what I thought essentially Filipino in thought and I think best highlights Lola Maria’s offerings. I wasn’t really expecting the mix of foreign cuisine there because I thought they were showcasing Filipino dishes but it was all still good. My experience was nice and very filling. I got home and took an hour break to digest all that I had partaken of. It was that filling.
     
    Please don’t take just my word for it but try and drop by the restaurant to form your own conclusions.
     
    A little bit of tidbit though, they have a sinigang and lechon kawali station during their lunch buffet of which I really want to try.
     
    XoXo
     
     
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  • Resto Feature: Unnamed Korean Restaurant Along Burgos Street!

    February 10, 2011 / 0 Comments
    One night when my sister was here for a short break, we went out to this restaurant that I had wanted to try for a few months now. No surprise, it was a Korean restaurant which a friend had said is really authentic albeit the interiors of the said restaurant are not really that nice. My sister asked her high school classmates to accompany us as it’s always better to eat out with a lot of people. More persons to share the bill and you can order a lot more of the dishes available. 🙂
    My friends had told me the restaurant was in Burgos St. along Makati’s supposed “red light” district. It was an unassuming very small restaurant that had a Korean proprietor and before you could get to the actual dining area, you had to pass through their prep area which was quite funny. Inside only a few tables were there like less than 10 and the capacity for this restaurant could just be around 20 max. The furniture was very simple. Plain wooden tables and chairs and some Korean writing on the wall stating their menu which I could not understand. The cashier, I think, was the owner’s wife and she was watching the TV which was on the Korean channel quite avidly.
     
    We were welcomed with warm smiles from the smiling Ahjussi (Korean respect word for an elder man) who led us to the big table which could comfortably seat 6. We were in total 5 so it was a fit. We were then given cutlery to use – steel chopsticks and the long spoon of which Korean diners normally use. There were also wooden chopsticks available upon request.
    After we were seated, the waitress immediately served as a bunch of Banchan (Korean side dishes). Take note the Banchans were free and we could also ask for a refill once. That was something else. The Banchans actually made me a bit full. They had some sauteed spinach (Sigeumchi Namul), the ever familiar Kimchi, bean sprouts (kongnamul), white radish strips (Muchae), thin pancakes with spring onions (Pajeon), Korean-style potato pancakes (Gamjajeon), they also had what looked like Dilis (Filipino style small dried fishes) but these fishes were quite tasty. There was also some sweet potatoes in syrup and a few other things that were all good in itself. They were served together with some gochujang (red pepper paste) and soy bean paste which were the perfect condiments that night.
    For our main dishes, we had some grilled pork belly (Samgyeopsal gui) Korean-style eaten inside a lettuce leaf with some sauteed green onions and gochujang and soy bean paste. This was delicious and I wasn’t able to eat all of my rice. In fact I think I just ate like a quarter because I was busy concentrating on the Korean food. 
    We also had some really spicy and sizzling chicken and of course the Bulgogi (strips of beef) which were really cooked nicely. We also had some Kimbap (Korean version of Japanese sushi). Overall I had a nice time and I also tried the soju as well. Soju is Korea’s staple alcoholic drink, which for me was like vodka. Clean taste, high alcohol content. This worked well after the very very filling and tasty meal. Also it cools down the hotness in your mouth as Korean dishes tend to be on the spicier side.
    The restaurant actually doesn’t have a name but you can find it on the first street to your right if you are coming from Makati Avenue and going along Burgos St. It is very unassuming with a little Korean lighted sign and the price is just right. If you want the experience of an authentic Korean restaurant, I’d say this little one is quite a find.
     
    My ratings:
     
    Price: 7/10
    Place: 5/10
    Food: 8/10
     
    Price Range: Always good to eat in groups so you can have a variety of dishes and not at all expensive. For a party of 5, we each shared around Php200++ and we had a great meal!
     
    XoXo
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  • On The Tummy Spot: Dolsot Bibimbap at Kaya Restaurant in SM Megamall

    February 2, 2011 / 0 Comments
      

    Admittedly I am a Korean food lover. I find their love for vegetables and spicy foods very similar to my own as well as their styles in cooking and I am always in the lookout for very authentic and yummy Korean food fare.
    One day in SM Megamall when I was on the way to our staff meeting with my workmates, I arrived very very early so I decided to grab some lunch before the meeting. I walked through the busy halls of SM Megamall and finally chanced on a familiar sight – Kaya Restaurant. I remember that I had eaten Bibimbap at a Kaya restaurant in Glorietta 2 years ago when I first heard of Bibimbap so I wanted to relive that experience again because I am very challenged to produce Bibimbap on my own although I’ve been experimenting on a few Korean dishes lately.
    I got myself seated by the receptionist and I preceded to check out the menu. Noticeably so, I think I was the only Filipino eating there. I was in the company of Koreans so I guess that was my indication that they served pretty good Korean food for Koreans to patronize their place.
    I, of course, ordered their Dolsot Bibimbap. Dolsot meaning stone pot and then Bibimbap which is rice topped with different vegetables and a raw egg yolk at the center with sprinklings of sesame seeds and served together with some gochujang (chili pepper paste). I am a big fan of gochujang and I even have some stock of it in my own pantry. I also ordered some Ginseng tea to go with it.
    I waited for quite some time but my wait wasn’t in vain. The Dolsot Bibimbap arrived hot on my table and I could still hear the sizzle of the rice. I put some chili pepper paste and then mixed up all of the vegetables and rice on the bowl and started to eat it. It was very hearty and very filling for that cold afternoon and I loved it. The taste was all that I wanted it to be. I loved the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot and the raw egg yolk as well as the assorted veggies on top. It makes for a very healthy and filling meal all by itself. Best eaten hot! I almost burned my tongue because I was so eager to eat all of it. Hehehehehhe! Now, writing this, I am yearning for more and I think it may be time for me to learn how to do it myself. I’d have to find a stone pot first though. I want the whole experience.
    I wasn’t able to try out the other menu items but I truly enjoyed Kaya’s Dolsot Bibimbap now and then.
    Do wait for my next Korean food article as I discovered a really nice hole-in-the-wall Korean place which served authentic Korean food and gave me lots of Banchan too. For those who are not familiar with Banchan, it is a variety of side dishes that Korean households and restaurants normally serve. I looked for them in Kaya but Kaya does not give you Banchan when you eat at their restaurant.
    P.S. Photo was taken with my Iphone. No edits done! 🙂
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