Lost Flores

The reason we went to Robinsons Magnolia yesterday was to have lunch at Las Flores. We've been craving for good Paella and croquetas, and this place is one of our go-to spots.

But when we got there, it was already closed!

That makes 2 Las Flores branches that closed already. The first was in Podium, and now Robinsons Magnolia.

Hope this isn't a trend and their other branches don't shutter, too.

Meals with Mark: Rico Nando's

Only 80s kids will get the reference.

While we're in SG, one of the restos that was in my list for Mark to try was Nando's.

This restaurant is wildly popular in South Africa, and serves peri-peri style chicken. What makes them popular is the choice of sauces that you can pair with your chicken.

I've tried this before and was very happy with their meals. The chicken is super tender and flavourful, and the sauces give it a different zing.

That's why the next time we're in SG again, we'll have this battlecry:

Just Nando It!

Meals with Mark: Hot and Cold

No, this isn't a Katy Perry song post.

It's about this Japanese restaurant that Mark and I saw outside the Seogwipo Maeil Ollie market.

The Japanese restaurant was called "Gold Finger" and they serve different types of sushi and maki. But what caught our eye was the cold noodles - a go-to order whenever we're in Japan. 

What made their version interesting was the broth. In Japan, the broth is usually warm, or room temperature. Here, it's cold. And not just cold, it had ice in the broth!

It was odd at first, but it turned out to be really good! And the sides and accompaniments also made this meal a joy to eat.

Eating something cool has never been this hot.

Sukiya Shocker

As a country that's known for their safety and adherence to the highest sanitary and health standards, this piece of news really comes as a shock.

Sukiya is one of Japan's most famous beef bowl restaurants. Mark and I would eat the their branch just above Higashi-Koenji station, and this brand brings back a lot of good memories of our meals there. So, I'm hoping that this issue is resolved and they won't have to make any drastic measures.

Hopefully, the next time Mark and I are in Japan, Sukiya will be back on its feet and we'll be able to dine in there again.

Rockin' burgers

Speaking of outlets, this was a perfect opportunity to try new cuisine. 

We saw a burger joint called Rockaway Burger, and it was a Hawaii-themed resto. Since the vibe was nice and the food looked good, we decided to give it a shot.

Mark got the burger combo, and I got the Surfer Salad.

In terms of taste, value and overall ambience, this place rocks!

Wu you?

Another thing great about traveling with family is trying new restaurants together.

We’re all fans of Chinese food, and luckily, there was a Cantonese restaurant in our hotel called Uncle Wu’s.

We didn’t have ultra-high hopes since this was Albay. But we were pleasantly surprised that the food was good! 

Some of the dishes reminded me of my stint in HKG, particularly the veggie dishes. And the empty plates were testament to how much we enjoyed.

Wu-hoo!

Meals with Mark: Ari-run

It was lunch time and Mark and I wanted to eat at a more authentic and hole-in-the-wall place.

We spotted a small restaurant ear the hotel and decided to try it. The fact that there were a lot of locals who were ducking in the restaurant for lunch - it was a good sign that the resto must be authentic. So, it was decided that our lunch would be at “Arirang.”

Yup, the food and side dishes were so fresh and local. We both had the vegetable Bibimbap, and they served it with 4 side dishes which Mark ranked based in how good they were: salted fish with greens, kimchi, mushrooms and boiled spinach.

There was also a shared side dish which tasted like a cross between a tteok-bokki and kimchi. Also delish! 

It was a filling and satisfying meal. And considering the name of the restaurant and what it means, it was also a very apt and providential choice.

Little goes Big!

Little Quiapo has always been our go-to halo-halo and palabok place since I was in grade school. It’s most likely because of its proximity from my old grade school - Claret. We’d sometimes go there after school and have our merienda.

It’s so much part of our lives that even as an adult, i’d still go to Little Quiapo. Nowadays, the Little Quiapo crew is usually composed of Maricar, Mona and Bonique.

We haven’t been to that restaurant in 2020. We’ve always wanted to go back, but haven’t gotten around to doing it. But after seeing this post, we want to go back!

Looks like there’s a big change at Little Quiapo. And i’m here for it!

Meals with Mark: Yahoo Yabu!

One of our "regulars" that Mark and I have been talking about the past years is Yabu.

This is one of our go-to eating places, and it's one of our faves and fool-proof choices.

The last time we had Yabu was early 2020, and we've been longing to eat there again.

And yesterday, we did!

Yahoo for Yabu!

Planting Ruth's

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse was a go-to place of the office folks when I was still living in HKG.

Our bosses were huge steak fans, and Ruth's Chris was one of the best steakhouses on the island, bar none.

And while they would go there for the steaks, I'd go there for their desserts. Their cheesecakes and chocolate cake were simply divine! And since their sets always included dessert, I'd look forward to dessert more than the main course.

Imagine my thrill when this piece of news popped up on my feed:

They're in Manila!

Just thinking of their desserts makes me want to go there, stat!

Oh (no) Ootoya!

Ootoya will always have a special place in my heart.

It's one of the first places where Mark and I had dinner in Japan, and it's also a place where we'd bring friends who were visiting. It's also a go-to dinner place for the Filipino gang at GRIPS, especially the branch in Roppongi.

They have a wonderful selection of dishes, but my usual order is the grilled mackerel. Since it's in Japan, the fish is always so fresh and slightly sweet. The meat is tender and almost melt in your mouth. And the rice - well, it's Japanese rice. No explanation needed.

Because of this affinity with Ootoya, it was a bit disheartening to see this piece of news.

Forwarded this to Mark so he'll also be updated about one of our food haunts. And our reaction is the same. We both hope that Ootoya will still be there by the time the travel restrictions are lifted and we can go back to visit Tokyo.

And again, we're both hoping that'll happen soon.

Seoul Food, redux

Now, that headline was pretty obvious.

In my previous visits to Seoul, I haven't been very adventurous when it comes to food. Often, I'd eat are Western chains, Western restaurants, and, of course, McDonald's. The most "Korean" I had would be the traditional Chicken restaurants, and their national fast food place, Lotteria.

On this trip, I was with several hard core Korean fans. So, they wouldn't have any of that Western shiz. They made sure that whenever we'd go out for lunch, it would be at a place that's legitimately and unmistakably Korean.

Fun fact: I've never eaten Korean Barbecue or "Samgyupsal" in Seoul. Yes, I've done that in Manila more times than I can remember, but no, I've never tried the "real thing."

Bea and Lyka brought us to this really legit Samgyupsal place in the outskirts of Seoul. It was really far, but the authenticity of the place well made up for the long travel we had to take. Their side dishes were new to my palette, and it went so well with their barbecue.

Another place we went to was this old restaurant which is popular among the locals. They serve spicy chicken and cheese, which they cook in front of you. When dipped in cheese, the spice and creaminess explode in your mouth perfectly.

If I didn't travel with this group, I'd most likely be eating at McDonald's and Lotteria.

And that's why you should travel with K-fans!

Little Joys!

One of today's highlights? An impromptu merienda with Maricar and Gary at the little gem in East Avenue!

Little Quiapo is a legend in the area. Their halo-halo and palabok are to die for! We've been going here since my grade school days, mainly because it was near Claret.

I didn't know that they moved, and apparently this was more than 5 years ago. And I haven't eaten here in about a decade.

Needless to say, the halo-halo and palabok we ate was more than just a little joy.

It was massive!

Javier is not impressed. Or is he?

Last Saturday, we ate at 8 Cuts as part of our send-off to Biboy and family. Javier was with us, and we ordered his favorite restaurant combination - fries and coke.

When it arrived, he looked not at all impressed.

But surprisingly, he loved it! He finished the skinny fries on his own. (And kept us from getting from his plate in the process.)

Never judge a book by Javier's first reaction.

This restaurant is Cat-chy!

Speaking of old photos, it was pleasant to see some of the photos that we took from our lighting HKG visit a few weeks ago. Gosh! I forgot I even took all those photos.

This shot is from the restaurant at Best Western Plus Hotel. 

Their restaurant is called "Pasta Kitchen by Chef Gatto."

So, it's no surprise that their poster has a shot of their chef, the "Gatto" himself.

He looks grumpy in this shot, though. Despite that, this poster was enough to cat-ch our attention.

Error to the Max's

Mark and I had dinner at Max's tonight, and this automatically caught our eye.

Were you able to spot the difference?

But hey, Max's still has awesome chicken! Too bad they don't have awesome proofreading skills.

Shaka it off!

Nope, it isn't about Taylor Swift. (Though still a huge fan.)

It's about this nice Hawaiian restaurant that we encountered near our hotel.

Shaka is apparently one of the newest and busiest hang-outs in the Cebu I.T. Park area, and for good reason.

It captures the laid-back vibe of Hawaii in the middle of the busy city. Stepping inside feels like transporting yourself to some breezy beach, cocktails in hand, and enjoying grilled food.

Best part is, you can actually do it instead of just feeling it.

I'm sure I'll be going to Shaka again the next time I go to Cebu.

Very Vegan

 When deciding where to eat, it's always a toss up between the old reliables and something new.

For lunch yesterday, we decided to try something new.

It was a quaint, vegan cafe in Roppongi, and it served most of the regular fare, but with a vegan twist.

 They had vegan burgers, vegan rice bowls, even vegan desserts!

I tried the vegan teriyaki burger, and it was pretty good. The sauce was a bit salty, though, but overall, it didn't feel like eating veggies. Then again, I'm used to eating vegetarian burger, and I think Triple O's still makes the best one.

On to the next new restaurant!

Oh what fun(nel)!

Last night's dinner at ABC Canteen was so good, we forgot to even take a photo of it. But at least we got a photo of dessert!

We had two kinds of funnel cake: green tea and red bean, and mixed berries. And they were both good!

Here's to more great food and dessert the next few days!

More snail mail

Looks like the 180th anniversary of Los Caracoles (or "The Snails" in English) in Barcelona is really a big deal!

First, I saw a couple of TV features, then a magazine article, and now, they're on-line, too.

Although my Spanish is rusty, I was able to read and digest the article and found out some new facts about the restaurant. That includes the fact that my cousins, Cristy and Yoly, are the 5th generation of Bofarulls who are running the restaurant. (Along with their cousins Aurora and Ramon.)

I have to schedule a visit back there. Soon!