It's always a good thing when one stumbles onto hidden food treasures. Bok Lene (beats me what this means) is one such gem, a smallish hole-in-the-wall chinese restaurant just off the banawe restaurant row (if you are along banawe, coming from quezon avenue, turn left on the retiro traffic light. The restaurant is on the second corner on your right). Literally a mom and son shop with the owner as waitress, cook, and cashier.
We've been back several times after our first visit; this alone is a testament to the restaurant's good food (my family is notoriously hard to please). Among the dishes we liked were the oyster cake, fish filet and tofu hotpot, various dimsums (hakaw, spinach dumpling, shiao long pao, taro puff, and radish cake). A word about the radish cake--Bok Lene's version is one of the best I've had in a very long time. One can order a whole uncooked slab, ready for pan frying at home (in fact, am having a piece right now).
Have also tried their dumpling noodle soup (quite good; the noodle was very soft, almost misua-like) and quick stir fried vegetables. The Yang Chow was also acceptable (reminiscent of the version of downtown restaurants of yore; deep yellow with lots of duck egg). There were some misses, notable among which was the beef tenderloin Chinese style (much to sweet and swimming in sauce).
Price points is at par with the most of the chinese restaurants along banawe (dimsum around P70 to P80; main dishes between P150 to P250). But the friendly service, good food, and generous serving size do make the difference.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Lorenzo's Way
After that mesa, it was with some trepidation that I suggested to friends we try Lorenzo's Way (yes, another new restaurant in the [infamous] Greenbelt 5). The restaurant is a tribute to the late Larry Cruz, and pulls famous dishes from most of his well-known restaurants.
We had the pinaputok na plapla (malaking tilapia pala), kkk (karekare, what's the third K?), and bacalao. The giant tilapia reminded me of the same dish we had in Mesa; the only difference was that Lorenzo's version came with rice buro while Mesa's came with the four sauces (I chickened out of the buro and asked for the common suka-soy sauce-sibuyas dip). The bacalao, we all agreed, was too too salty (parang kulang sa babad). I recall a show on travel and leisure (can't recall the host chef) but I remembered the interviewed chef of a restaurant in Spain mentioning having soaked the bacalao overnight (or was it two days) with four or five changes of water.
The star of the meal was definitely the karekare. The peanut gravy was de-luscious and married perfectly with the guinisang bagoong and mixed with white rice. Yummy! One always hears this but in this case, it is perfectly true - Sauce pa lang, ....
Service was okay; the waitstaff helpful and attentive but could stand a bit more training. I came early and settled on the KKK as my first choice. However, I was having difficulty coming up with one or two more dishes to complete our order (given the eclectic menu). Asking the waiter proved frustrating and unhelpful as he was recommending baby back ribs, gambas, and paella. Medyo off.
As with most restaurants in GB5, prices are on the high size. However, the restaurant does make up for it with the serving size. For three persons, i think we spent just under P500 per head (including taxes and tip but no drinks). We could have easily fed another person with what we had ordered.
I would take Lorenzo's Way again. There were a good number of dishes which begs to be tried out (the famous knockout knuckles for one; the vegetable dishes and the costillas (beef stew) among others). And with hot, fluffy white rice!
We had the pinaputok na plapla (malaking tilapia pala), kkk (karekare, what's the third K?), and bacalao. The giant tilapia reminded me of the same dish we had in Mesa; the only difference was that Lorenzo's version came with rice buro while Mesa's came with the four sauces (I chickened out of the buro and asked for the common suka-soy sauce-sibuyas dip). The bacalao, we all agreed, was too too salty (parang kulang sa babad). I recall a show on travel and leisure (can't recall the host chef) but I remembered the interviewed chef of a restaurant in Spain mentioning having soaked the bacalao overnight (or was it two days) with four or five changes of water.
The star of the meal was definitely the karekare. The peanut gravy was de-luscious and married perfectly with the guinisang bagoong and mixed with white rice. Yummy! One always hears this but in this case, it is perfectly true - Sauce pa lang, ....
Service was okay; the waitstaff helpful and attentive but could stand a bit more training. I came early and settled on the KKK as my first choice. However, I was having difficulty coming up with one or two more dishes to complete our order (given the eclectic menu). Asking the waiter proved frustrating and unhelpful as he was recommending baby back ribs, gambas, and paella. Medyo off.
As with most restaurants in GB5, prices are on the high size. However, the restaurant does make up for it with the serving size. For three persons, i think we spent just under P500 per head (including taxes and tip but no drinks). We could have easily fed another person with what we had ordered.
I would take Lorenzo's Way again. There were a good number of dishes which begs to be tried out (the famous knockout knuckles for one; the vegetable dishes and the costillas (beef stew) among others). And with hot, fluffy white rice!
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Bawai's: Vietnamese Kitchen
My two friends and I just had lunch at Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen in Tagaytay. I had heard and read tremendous things about this restaurant that's not a restaurant (apparently it is in the owner's living room!).
It was a two hourish trip (coupled with a bit of getting lost) but we finally made it to the restaurant/house. A quirk of the restaurant was that you MUST call ahead to reserve and preferably pre-order. Once you get to the restaurant, everything is made clear; the place is tiny (large enough, by my guess, for only about 30 to 40? spread over five tables). When we were there, all tables were full. Someone without a reservation would have had a long wait. Also, it was apparent that the kitchen does not keep much inventory; one runs the risk of not getting a table.
We basically ordered every appetizer on the menu; these were Chao Tom (pounded shrimp on sugarcane skewers), Nem Nuong (grilled vietnamese sausage), Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls), Cha Gio (fried spring roll), and Banh Cuon (minced pork and mushroom rolls). Among these I liked the Nem Nuong, Goi Cuon, and Banh Cuon the most (and if you must know, I liked the Cha Gio the least).
We also ordered the Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) as our main dish (something light in light of all the appetizers). No complaints here. The flavors were delicate, subtle, the perfect foil for one's personal touches (a little more chili sauce, some hoisin, some more nuoc nam).
We spent a little over P1500 for the meal plus drinks. Definitely worth a return visit (this time to try all of the entrees and noodle dishes!).
BTW, bawai means grandmother in Vietnamese.
It was a two hourish trip (coupled with a bit of getting lost) but we finally made it to the restaurant/house. A quirk of the restaurant was that you MUST call ahead to reserve and preferably pre-order. Once you get to the restaurant, everything is made clear; the place is tiny (large enough, by my guess, for only about 30 to 40? spread over five tables). When we were there, all tables were full. Someone without a reservation would have had a long wait. Also, it was apparent that the kitchen does not keep much inventory; one runs the risk of not getting a table.
We basically ordered every appetizer on the menu; these were Chao Tom (pounded shrimp on sugarcane skewers), Nem Nuong (grilled vietnamese sausage), Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls), Cha Gio (fried spring roll), and Banh Cuon (minced pork and mushroom rolls). Among these I liked the Nem Nuong, Goi Cuon, and Banh Cuon the most (and if you must know, I liked the Cha Gio the least).
We also ordered the Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) as our main dish (something light in light of all the appetizers). No complaints here. The flavors were delicate, subtle, the perfect foil for one's personal touches (a little more chili sauce, some hoisin, some more nuoc nam).
We spent a little over P1500 for the meal plus drinks. Definitely worth a return visit (this time to try all of the entrees and noodle dishes!).
BTW, bawai means grandmother in Vietnamese.
Friday, May 01, 2009
Tale of Two Restaurants: Going Under the "Mesa"
Recently tried two of the newer restaurants in Greenbelt 5 (fast becoming known as the go to place for pretentious, overpriced yet forgettable eateries). Mesa is a contemporary Filipino restaurant, serving traditional dishes with a twist. I really wanted to like the restaurant given the raves by my friend but unfortunately, this was not to be. We had steamed apahap with soy sauce, caramelized garlic pork, laing two ways and the fried tilapia with four sauces. Among the four, only the tilapia and the laing stood out; not that the two dishes were extraordinary, just better than the other two. The fried tilapia came with four different sauces (honey patis, tokwa't baboy sauce, sweet chili, and mango bagoong (not too sure about this last one). This was a fun dish, as it allowed one to play with the flavors of the different sauces. The laing two ways came with sauce (the normal way one would serve laing) and without (dry, with the sauce cooked into the gabi leaves). I didn't like the dry version at first, but i must admit, it kinda grew on me.
The other two dishes were not so great. The fish was overcooked (the flesh was too firm and chalky). Steaming fish is a delicate science with much that can go wrong; if fine chinese restaurants do sometimes get this wrong, Mesa may be forgiven for this misstep. The caramelized garlic pork, however, was a disaster. The first time the order came to our table, the pork was more pork fat than meat (more suited for a carinderia rather than a fine dining establishment; the purchasing manager should be flogged). On the plus side, the wait staff was quick to pick up on our dissatisfication and quickly sent the dish back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, the revamped dish still failed to impress. Despite its name, the pork meat was pale and unappetizing; overriding flavor was sugary sweetness with none of the great garlic flavor. This certainly did not live up to its "signature dish" status.
I may need to try the restaurant again; there are other interesting-sounding dishes on the menu. Another plus is that the dishes are quite reasonably priced, certainly for a Greenbelt 5 restaurant. Despite the giant apahap (more than 700 gms, the smallest that the restaurant had at that time, and the most expensive item among our orders), our total bill was only around P1,300 for three persons.
The other two dishes were not so great. The fish was overcooked (the flesh was too firm and chalky). Steaming fish is a delicate science with much that can go wrong; if fine chinese restaurants do sometimes get this wrong, Mesa may be forgiven for this misstep. The caramelized garlic pork, however, was a disaster. The first time the order came to our table, the pork was more pork fat than meat (more suited for a carinderia rather than a fine dining establishment; the purchasing manager should be flogged). On the plus side, the wait staff was quick to pick up on our dissatisfication and quickly sent the dish back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, the revamped dish still failed to impress. Despite its name, the pork meat was pale and unappetizing; overriding flavor was sugary sweetness with none of the great garlic flavor. This certainly did not live up to its "signature dish" status.
I may need to try the restaurant again; there are other interesting-sounding dishes on the menu. Another plus is that the dishes are quite reasonably priced, certainly for a Greenbelt 5 restaurant. Despite the giant apahap (more than 700 gms, the smallest that the restaurant had at that time, and the most expensive item among our orders), our total bill was only around P1,300 for three persons.
Tale of Two Restaurants: "Thai Patio"
It was not a great week for eating out. The second of the two restaurants I tried was Thai Patio, also along the Greenbelt 5 resto strip. I am always up for good Thai food (one of my favorites) so it was with great hope that we made our way to the restaurant. We ordered fresh spring roll, dory in curry sauce, stir fried chicken and basil, tom yum soup with prawn, and pad thai. As you can see, nothing really extraordinarily difficult nor special, just the basics. That made what was served so disappointing. I have had better fresh spring rolls at Pho Hoa, pad thai at Soms, chicken and basil at People Palace.
The bill was also shockingly high (around P2000 for three persons), moreso given the weak dishes. For these prices, one is infinitely better off at People's Palace.
On a lighter side, we moved from tables to a banquette as we thought that the latter would be more comfortable. We had a good laugh as we were literally falling off the seats (they were two narrow; the table was also too narrow; an obvious attempt to fit two banquettes in a limited space). What made matters worse was that the food came in oversized dishes. It was a puzzle how to fit the food on the long, narrow table. Sadly, this was the highlight of the meal.
Thai cuisine is extremely tricky as it seeks to balance several divergent flavors (sweet, salty, spicy, sour, bitter) into a harmonious whole. For much, much better Thai food, please go to Azuthai along Pasay Road, Soms going to Rockwell, and Benjarong in Hotel Nikko.
The bill was also shockingly high (around P2000 for three persons), moreso given the weak dishes. For these prices, one is infinitely better off at People's Palace.
On a lighter side, we moved from tables to a banquette as we thought that the latter would be more comfortable. We had a good laugh as we were literally falling off the seats (they were two narrow; the table was also too narrow; an obvious attempt to fit two banquettes in a limited space). What made matters worse was that the food came in oversized dishes. It was a puzzle how to fit the food on the long, narrow table. Sadly, this was the highlight of the meal.
Thai cuisine is extremely tricky as it seeks to balance several divergent flavors (sweet, salty, spicy, sour, bitter) into a harmonious whole. For much, much better Thai food, please go to Azuthai along Pasay Road, Soms going to Rockwell, and Benjarong in Hotel Nikko.
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