Herschel: A Night at Uno Pizzeria

I was enthusiastic to take on the challenge of covering my first ManilaFoodistas event last Friday night (did I hear a song?!) – solo at that, and while the gang wasn’t around to supervise, I came to enjoy the experience, with food as the star of the show.

Organized by the people behind OpenRice Philippines as a “mini-eyeball”, several site members and an assortment of guest bloggers and friends were invited to Uno Pizzeria to mingle, sample and most of all, have fun!

Uno Pizzeria Ristorante Bar, an Italian-American-Asian fusion-themed joint, is located at Pasay’s San Miguel by the Bay (behind the MOA complex, and near the MOA Eye that Nicole blogged about last week), among the offshoot of restaurants that lined the strip. The façade of the resto was painted in red and black, quite like a playing card suit, while the interiors were austere white (even for the chairs and tables).

The rest of the room is spacious. Neon blue lights accented the dining area, while fiery red donned the mini-bar. Mini-bar, you say? If neon lights, mirrorballs and DJs were any indication, let me clue you in later…

Pride of place: the bestseller, Four Seasons Pizza

We started the night with a hefty Four Seasons Pizza (that consisted of West Side Shrimp Pesto, Tandoori Chicken Mango, Uno’s White Pizza, and Ruby Ribs, if I wasn’t mistaken). Among the three out of four variants I tried out the shrimp pizza won me over, as I am perpetually in love with shrimps slathered with white cheese. Good thing they came out with a similar pie, the Uno's Seafood Pizza, entirely indulgent with calamari and more shrimp. The Tandoori Chicken Mango wasn’t bad either, if you’re into a more savory, Asian bite.

Uno's Seafood Pizza

Tender and delicious: Ruby Ribs

The main entrée came shortly, and it was a revelation. Behold the Ruby Ribs, said to be Uno’s specialty – it was a juicy piece of bones and meat, tender to the bite and the sauce seasoned just right. Our platter was served with ‘Tato Wedges, although the menu says entrees are to be served with buttered vegetables with your choice of mashed potatoes or rice, or pasta with soup.

(from left, clockwise: Pesto Chicken Parmigiana, Grilled Chicken Salad Wraps, Jumpin' Jambalaya, Chicken Barbeque Quesadillas)

And with that the night just got started. We had appetizers of Buffalo Wings (not spicy or crunchy as I assumed) and Grilled Chicken Salad Wraps (light and filling). The only thin crust pizza came, called Buddha’s Feast, as it was strewn with lettuce and tomatoes. Two kinds of pasta were served: the Pesto Chicken Parmigiana and the Jumpin’ Jambalaya (pomodoro-style, smattered with ham, sausage, shrimp and chicken). While being a noodle head, the accompanying sauces were quite an overwhelming combination – mildly sour (in the case of parmigiana), and not the usual savory tomato (with the Jambalaya). I felt that the flavors could have been improved, as the servings were good (for 4, at least) and the toppings adequate.

I was appeased by the next entrée, a juicy, smoked chicken chop with mild-tasting sauce. We also had Chicken Barbeque Quesadillas (tasty, filled with cheese and smothered by toasted but soft tortilla wraps). And in case you wondered, we gulped the bulk (there were so many!) down with iced tea and a couple of mixed-drink towers (Margarita and Weng Weng).

For the encore, it was apt to have a meaty deep dish pizza. Being an inveterate bread eater, I had no qualms with the quality of the pies. The baked dough was soft in texture, whether thin or regular or deep dish. As mentioned earlier, I preferred cheese-overloaded and seafood-strewn pizzas, although Uno’s other variations suited my tastes too.

Our party was rather small, but the beauty of holding an early dinner was that as the night wore on, the vibe of the place evolved. Featuring an in-house DJ, R&B grooves as musical ambiance played as we ate. Around eight, when we were just about full, some guests were pouring in looking for a quick drink (hence the mini-bar). And up until the crack of nine, the aural pace slowly crept with dance tunes and current pop ditties! The pizzeria was converted to a lounge by the sweep of an hour! As we left the room with a crowd assembled near the entrance, I had to say that under the spot’s initially relaxed demeanor lives a frenetic spirit. HT for MF

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Uno Pizzeria Ristorante Bar
Bldg G, Units 9-14 San Miguel by the Bay MOA Complex
Pasay City, Metro Manila 1300
Contact Number: 555-1174

Special thanks to Uno Pizzeria’s proprietor Alvin Ong and manager Girlie Herrera, and to the eager team behind OpenRice.com (Khaezel, Cecille, Dani & Raissa) for the evening.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed on this entry are those solely of the poster/diner. The opinions do not represent the consensus of MF, the featured dining spot, and/or third parties.)

Tokyo Café Revisited

Tokyo Café Revisited
A review by Nicole

Hello everyone! :)

For my first review here in MF, I wanted and was supposed to introduce you guys to my favourite café somewhere in Mother Ignacia avenue but because I'm a nocturnal ergo I sleep during daytime and was such a slowpoke today, I was not able to catch it open (they close at 7:00PM on Sundays). So. . . I ended up in a different place. Here:

@Level 3 SM Megamall

The huge menu outside

I promised my sisters at home that I'd buy them pizza (was thinking of buying them a Margherita at an Italian restaurant). But on my way there, I saw this huge menu of Tokyo Café and saw that they have pizza as well so I decided to order here instead (just to try something new). I really appreciate those huge menu outside restaurants because they give you ideas beforehand. It's so helpful particularly when you can't decide where to eat. 

The moment I sat down at my table, the staff right away served me a glass of water. I was so pleased because in my past dining experiences, most often times it took a while before I got served with a glass of water.

I ordered the Tokyo white pizza for take out and while waiting, I was munching  on their Tokyo Caesar Salad. Tokyo Café boasts of offering western dishes with "distinct Japanese touch" but I got disappointed because I didn't see nor taste any Japanese factor in their Caesar Salad. I expected that it would be a somehow different kind of salad but it was just an okay salad.  When I got home, my sisters and I all shared the Tokyo White Pizza and it was good. The Tabasco sauce goes really well with it.

Tokyo Caesar Salad (Php 151, US$ 3.15)
Their menu says:  Classic light  mayonnaise piquant dressing over romaine with a Tokyo twist, served with crisp bacon bits, croutons, and parmesan


Tokyo White Pizza (Php 208, US$ 4.83)
Creamy white sauce and mozzarella




I can't really comment much on Tokyo Café's food in general because I have only tried two of their dishes. Now one thing that I really like about this restaurant is their service! Their staff is fast, friendly and attentive. I like the ambiance too - it's not loud and the seats are comfortable. I guess I'd be stopping by again when I've got some paper work to do (I'd like to try their cheesecakes!). And oh, they offer free wi-fi too.

P.S. Just in case you're wondering why I entitled this post as such, it's because MF hasposted a review of Tokyo Café last 2008.

Address and Phone Number

SM Megamall
SM Megamall Bldg. A, ESDA cor Julia Vargas Ave
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
SM The Block
2nd floor, The Block
SM North Edsa 216A-216B
(02) 441 0346
SM Mall of Asia
Ground Floor, South Wing
Main Mall Bldg.,
(02) 556 0517

Revel in Indulgence Deli Cafe

Indulgence Deli Cafe sits along the busy skyscrapers and corporate people in Perea St in Makati City. But even if this is the case, Indulgence isn't a fast food joint, where you can dine and dash within 5 minutes.

This place gives you a taste of home with its homemade pastas, pizzas and meals. If you're on the sweet side, their cakes and pastries would be very yummy. Oh, don't forget to try their brewed coffee. Coming from a family of die-hard-coffee drinkers, I must say that their coffee is one of the best I have tasted in a long time.

What I loved during my visit was their Mushroom Medley (Php 145). Combining three different kinds of mushrooms with lots of onions, tomatoes and garlic is to-die-for in my book. Don't be fooled by this simple dish, because it's really delicious.

I heard that their other pastas, like the Indulgence Deli Pasta, the pesto and others are also great.

On to the desserts - what I enjoyed the most was the Brownie Cheesecake. New York style cheesecake with lots of brownies and chocolate frosting on top. It's not too sweet, nor too rich, so you would love to take bite after bite of this satisfying goodness.

If you're a chocolate lover, you should try their "Death by Chocolate" which is made up of layers upon layers of different chocolates.

If you're not into cakes, I would suggest that you try the owner Mrs. Bhagwani’s homemade pili yema. You won't notice you already popped the whole lot in your mouth.

Pasta, Salad, Soup Menu | Rice Meals Menu

Indulgence Deli Cafe is open for breakfast at 7:30 a.m up to 10 p.m during weekdays only. It comfortably sits 25 people inside and another 20 al fresco.

Review and Photos by Bong.

Restaurant Review | Heaven N' Eggs

Heaven n' Eggs
Level 1, Space 1140, TriNoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Ave, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: American
Average cost per person: Php 200 to 300 (US$4.34 to US$6.50)
Overall Rating:

Joey was originally wary of eating here because she wasn't very fond of American cuisine or enticed by the idea of having breakfast all day (or, at least, the idea of having breakfast all day with the sorts of breakfast with fried eggs and fried anything in it). But every time we go to TriNoMa, Harrell would suggest eating at Heaven n' Eggs and, figuring that she ought to at least try it, Joey finally agreed.

We're happy to say that Heaven n' Eggs did not disappoint. The interiors of the restaurant were warm and inviting and reminiscent of charming diners and while we didn't quite understand why they had them, we were tickled by the TAXI signs that adorned the top of every bench/seat. Their service, we are very happy to report, was excellent. Our server, Arnold, upon our entering the establishment, swiftly ushered us to our table and handed us our menus. He was very helpful and attentive: helping us select our meals and generally made our dining experience that much better because of how comfortable and attended to he made us feel, even while also tending to other tables.

Since Heaven n' Eggs is famous for their meals of steak and eggs, their pancakes, and, well, their breakfast meal offerings, in general, and since we didn't think we could stomach their meals with larger servings, we decided on having two of their, according to Arnold, more popular non-breakfast dishes.

Heaven n' Eggs is definitely a place we'll be going back to one day. Maybe next time we'll have appetites enough for their (what we hear are) delicious Steak and Eggs. :)

Manila Spare Ribs (Php 195, US$4.23)
Delicious!! Joey initially had her reservations, since she's not one for sweetly marinated meat, but she was taken from her first bite. The meat is perfectly cooked and flavored and sits on a generous serving of java rice. The serving is quite large, but not a bit of it was wasted -- definitely a dish to try!


Roastbeef and Rice Skillet Slammer (Php 275, US$5.96)
This dish was not bad, but not excellent. The serving was enough, but the roast beef could have been a bit more tender. It could also have been more flavorful, as the dish seems to get rather monotonous after finishing half. Harrell liked Joey's dish more.

Reviewed by Harrell and Joey.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Restaurant Review | Wong Nai-Nai

Wong Nai-Nai
6 Christian Street, Grace Village, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Chinese
Average cost per person: Php 50 to Php 65 (US$1.11 to US$1.45)
Overall Rating:

It isn't often that we venture into this particular area of Quezon City. Since we were going to be in the area for an org affair that day, our friend, Francene, insisted that we have lunch in a place she called Wong Nai-Nai.

Situated within walking distance of Grace Christian High School, Wong Nai-Nai is a small, unassuming hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. It was pretty empty when we arrived (around 1.30pm), but we were told that during lunch time and after classes the place was always packed. Upon perusing the menu, we could already understand why.

Their prices are really cheap! We thought that it would mean that the servings would be small, so we were very pleasantly surprised when we discovered that their servings were very generous as well. And, even better, the food was good! We realized then why Francene was so fond of the place,and why it was so popular in that area.

Wong Nai-Nai is definitely worth a visit, if you're near the Grace Village area! Delicious food in generous servings and surprisingly low prices -- three things that instantly won our favour.

Steamed Sharksfin (Php 25, US$0.56)
We ordered this under Wendy's recommendation (a friend of ours who was the only customer there when we arrived). Of course, it's not actually made from a shark's fin. We suspect its prolly pork prepared so that it would taste like sharksfin ought to. Whatever it is though, it's very cheap and yummy.

Kiam Pung & Adobo Egg (Php 30, US$0.67, & Php 10, US$0.22, respectively)
This is what Francene calls the Filipino-Chinese sort of comfort food (her exact words were: "If Pinoys' comfort foods are bulalo, isaw, etc., these are the Chinese's counterpart for that."). Tasty and savoury and incredibly cheap.

Chicken Teriyaki (Php 65, US$1.45)
Wendy swears by Wong Nai-Nai's chicken teriyaki: "Super yummy!" There's a delicate balance of sweetness and spiciness. The chicken is not too tough and not too soft either. They don't try and make the dish look bulkier by putting too many vegetables and too little meat -- really great value for your money.

Wanton Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
It was surprising to see how generous they were with the serving. We don't think we've ever had a bowl of noodles with so many wantons till Wong Nai-Nai -- Francene wasn't kidding when she said to Joey, "That's a lot! Sobrang nakakabusog yung mga noodles nila!"


Chicken Steak Noodle (Php 65, US$1.45)
The chicken steaks themselves were a bit tough, although plentiful. The noodles were great, and made Harrell rather wish that he'd ordered the Wanton Noodle like Joey did.

Reviewed by Harrell and Joey.
Special thanks to our guest reviewers, Francene and Wendy.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Restaurant Review | Isdaan: The Floating Resto-Park

Fresh Catch Isdaan: The Halfway to the North Floating Resto-Park
Gerona, Tarlac
Type of Cuisine: Filipino, seafood
Average cost per person: ~Php 300 (US$7.50)
Overall Rating:

My mum was very excited to bring us here on our trip back from Baguio. She told us about how she and her friends had eaten here on when they had gone on a roadtrip a few weeks back and that we couldn't miss out on dining here. When she had said that the name of the place was Isdaan, I imagined it to be like one of those many, many dampa that have been mushrooming everywhere.

Isdaan is owned and operated by the same entity who holds ownership of many popular, well-known restaurants like Barrio Fiesta, World Topps, Bakahan at Manukan, etc, and you can see quite a bit of similarities between those places and Isdaan. And my mother was right: we couldn't miss out on dining there.

The place was big. Comprised mostly by walkways and huts floating above the very waters where they fish for, well, your fish. Various entertainers go from table to table, performing for the diners. (There are signs around that inform diners to give only Php 20 as tip to the entertainers.) Many Balinese-inspired statues are scattered around the area and, although we had gone there during the day, you can tell the place looks even more amazing at night.

The service wasn't as fast as you'd want it to be, but with an operation so big, I suppose you have to give a little allowance for "travel time." The place is so vast that the waitresses (all of whom are quite pretty) have walkie-talkies.

Beyond the good food to be had here, Isdaan also has several interesting activities for diners who want to make their experience at Isdaan more than just a food excursion. The most popular activity is probably the Tacsiyapo wall, where you hurl crockery at a wall naming various possible sources of frustration.

If you ever happen to pass by Tarlac, Isdaan is a great place to stop over for a good meal and some midtrip rest and entertainment.

Inihaw na Pusit (0.5kg: Php 160, US$4; 1kg: Php 320, US$8)
I adore grilled squid! One thing about having grilled squid is that sometimes it can be quite tough. This one, however, was rather soft and chewy and very flavourful.

Pinakbet Ilocano (Php 211, US$5.23)
I'm a big fan of vegetables, and an even bigger fan of Filipino vegetable dishes. I've never had pinakbet Ilocano before. I expected the vegetables to be a bit crisper, but despite the not as crisp as expected texture, this was delicious.

Sinampalukan(Php 254, US$6.35)
Sinampalukang manok, or sinigang na manok, was one of two dishes I looked forward to most when going home to my grandparents' house back when I was much younger (the other was kaldereta). This wasn't the best sinampalukan I've ever had, but after a long trip, it was very much welcome comfort.

Sizzling Tanigue (Php 289, US$7.23)
Tanigue is one of my favourite fish (beginning to see a pattern yet? haha) and this particular tanigue dish made me quite happy. It was a bit crisp on the outside and very tender and moist on the inside.



Marinated Inihaw na Liempo (0.5kg: Php 210, US$5.25; 1kg: Php 420, US$10.50)
This was maybe the best liempo I've had ever (that's inclusive of our inihaw na liempo at home!). The meat was very tender and flavourful.

Buko Pandan
It came to us with actually very little buko in it. We had it sent back and came back just overflowing in buko -- perfect! We've yet to go wrong with buko pandan yet. This was very refreshing.

Review and photogaphy by Joey.
See more photos on my flickr.