Fish Out of Water is one of the new restaurants in Greenbelt 5. As the name suggests, it specializes in seafood given new twists (fusion cuisine). The restaurant is part of the Red Crab group, of the famed crab buffet in Greenbelt 3. Apparently a good number of the restaurants in Ayala's new mall have more pedestrian pedigrees. Pia y Damaso is really Kookie Luscious in Rizalian clothing (I think the same desserts are available in KL at lower prices). John and Yoko is Sumo Sam all dressed up (I found this out when we passed by the restaurant just as the waitstaff were bringing out take-away in Sumo Sam plastic bags). Zuni is Duo.
We had danggit salad, stuffed kalabasa blossoms, lapulapu filet, and twiced cooked pork belly. Don't laugh, but the dish that stood out was the pork belly, in a seafood restaurant!
The danggit salad was an ordinary salad with danggit pieces thrown in. Cascada actually has a better version with tinapa and mango. The squash blossoms would have benefited from a lighter batter; as it was served, it was heavy and a bit oily. The lapulapu filet was roundly ignored (it was rather bland).
Monday, May 26, 2008
Solihiya
Solihiya is one of the new restaurants in Greenbelt 5 and specializes in fancified panciteria food. I am a great fan of good panciteria food, and I really wanted to like the restaurant (I had been batting almost zero in my food trip in Greenbelt 5; with most restaurants I've tried having been expensive and not really that good).
We ordered the shrimp diablo (my memory gap is widening); I do remember the diablo part since the dish was covered with sauteed chilies. Supposedly spicy shrimp popcorns (cornflour battered pieces of shrimp), the dish had neither shrimp nor spice. It felt like we were eating fried batterballs.
We also ordered kangkong with chinese bagoong; I found it salty but then again, what would you expect with bagoong. But my friends liked it.
Our last dish was steamed fish fillet. It came late, like thirty minutes after we had almost polished off the two orders which came ahead. It was very apparent that the waiter had forgotten to put in the order in the first place; the dish could not have taken more than five minutes to cook. The waiter gave some flimsy excuse that the fish delivery was late that day (a likely story). What was disappointing, however, was that the owner or manager was right beside us when all of this was transpiring (our table was next to his hidden office) and he pointedly ignored us. No apologies, no we'll do better next time. Just as disappointing was that the fish was not worth the wait; bland and pasty white, it lacked the umami usually found in chinese steamed fish. (We slathered on the soy sauce and sesame oil to no avail; the fish was internally bland).
While waiting for our orders, we were served a trio of appetizers. Pickled singkamas, spicy sweet dilis, and pickled quail egg. It is a testament to the restaurant that the appetizers were the highlight of our meal.
Solihiya is just one of a long list of restaurants in Greenbelt 5 that have failed to live up to expectations. It should not come as a surprise now given the mall's fantastically low batting average for its restaurants (expensive but unsatisfying food, more pretention than substance).
BTW, solihiya apparently means the woven rattan used to cover chairs. The restaurant used woven plastic strips to evoke the natural wicker, a foreboding of things to come?
We ordered the shrimp diablo (my memory gap is widening); I do remember the diablo part since the dish was covered with sauteed chilies. Supposedly spicy shrimp popcorns (cornflour battered pieces of shrimp), the dish had neither shrimp nor spice. It felt like we were eating fried batterballs.
We also ordered kangkong with chinese bagoong; I found it salty but then again, what would you expect with bagoong. But my friends liked it.
Our last dish was steamed fish fillet. It came late, like thirty minutes after we had almost polished off the two orders which came ahead. It was very apparent that the waiter had forgotten to put in the order in the first place; the dish could not have taken more than five minutes to cook. The waiter gave some flimsy excuse that the fish delivery was late that day (a likely story). What was disappointing, however, was that the owner or manager was right beside us when all of this was transpiring (our table was next to his hidden office) and he pointedly ignored us. No apologies, no we'll do better next time. Just as disappointing was that the fish was not worth the wait; bland and pasty white, it lacked the umami usually found in chinese steamed fish. (We slathered on the soy sauce and sesame oil to no avail; the fish was internally bland).
While waiting for our orders, we were served a trio of appetizers. Pickled singkamas, spicy sweet dilis, and pickled quail egg. It is a testament to the restaurant that the appetizers were the highlight of our meal.
Solihiya is just one of a long list of restaurants in Greenbelt 5 that have failed to live up to expectations. It should not come as a surprise now given the mall's fantastically low batting average for its restaurants (expensive but unsatisfying food, more pretention than substance).
BTW, solihiya apparently means the woven rattan used to cover chairs. The restaurant used woven plastic strips to evoke the natural wicker, a foreboding of things to come?
Flopjacks
The restaurant's real name is Flapjacks and it's one of the newer restaurants in Greenbelt (where good restaurants go to die). As the name suggests, it specializes in pancakes and diner food.
I am big fan of breakfast food; I honestly think breakfast should rank among the world's great cuisine. So it was with great anticipation that I set lunch at Flop... I mean Flapjacks (having a coupon for free pancakes also figured highly in the decision-making process).
We ordered salpicao, pork chop and country fried steak. I would have wanted to say that the food was great; but I would be fibbing. The salpicao was tough and bland, lacking the strong garlic taste; the pork chop was tough and bland (clearly overcooked, which was not hard to do since it had been pounded thin in an effort to extend a small cut of meat into something grander); the country fried steak was bland and lacked steak (really, it tasted more like breaded breading). Blandness seems to be an unhappy trend (which we banished with liberal doses of salty seasoning).
I'd give Flopjacks a good six months or as a good friend of mine would put it, a good candidate for closure.
BTW, the flapjacks were fine.
I am big fan of breakfast food; I honestly think breakfast should rank among the world's great cuisine. So it was with great anticipation that I set lunch at Flop... I mean Flapjacks (having a coupon for free pancakes also figured highly in the decision-making process).
We ordered salpicao, pork chop and country fried steak. I would have wanted to say that the food was great; but I would be fibbing. The salpicao was tough and bland, lacking the strong garlic taste; the pork chop was tough and bland (clearly overcooked, which was not hard to do since it had been pounded thin in an effort to extend a small cut of meat into something grander); the country fried steak was bland and lacked steak (really, it tasted more like breaded breading). Blandness seems to be an unhappy trend (which we banished with liberal doses of salty seasoning).
I'd give Flopjacks a good six months or as a good friend of mine would put it, a good candidate for closure.
BTW, the flapjacks were fine.
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