Therese in the Philippines: My Kitchen by Chef Chris

Oops, I hadn't realized that this post has been in the drafts for quite some time now. I know that there have probably been a lot of changes (food, prices, etc.) since I last visited but I still decided to post this in case anyone wanted to try this restaurant.

I first tried Chef Chris' creations at his previous restaurant, C Italian Cuisine in Pampanga. I remember feeling that their food was a little pricey (I was only in high school back then, and only relied on my allowance to get me by XD) but that it was really, really good. My friends and I especially liked the panizza, and for good reason, since that was their specialty.

Complimentary

Oasis Salad | 540 PhP
a blend of artichokes hearts, roasted peppers, capers, caramelized
onion, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, arugula and romaine lettuce

Mussels

The Original Verena | 790 PhP
    tomato and white truffle oil enhanced cheese sauce
topped with scallop, prawns and sun dried tomatoes

Lemon and Lime Cheesecake | 320 PhP
baked cheese cake with almond crust
finely crusted with sugar crust sweet lemon lime sauce and almond

Mocha Latte | 120 PhP

We were lucky enough to see Chef Chris himself walking around the restaurant asking the diners about their dining experience. I like the fact that he interacts with customers and how down-to-earth he seems.

Location: 1032-34 Belen Street San Fernando de Paco, Manila
Operating Hours: Mon-Sun 7:00-22:30
Contact details: +63 2 521 2371 | Facebook

Therese in the Philippines: Uncle Cheffy

I've been in the Philippines on summer vacation for the past month now, and what that means is... Eating and more eating! One of the restaurants I went to is Uncle Cheffy, located in Lucky Chinatown Mall.

Since I was only with my mom that time, we couldn't order a lot of food just for the two of us. We went with their all meat barbecued panizza, for which they are famous for, and their New England pot roast beef paired with a cup of rice.

There were 6 slices of panizza, enough for two people. We really liked it because it was cheesy and crispy. There were also good bits of BBQ although we didn't really like their meat. They also gave us an extra set of fillings for free. If you ask for another set after that, you'd have to pay extra.

After that, the roast beef and the cup of rice arrived. The beef they used was fatty and there weren't a lot of pieces so we were sorta disappointed with that. The sauce and the couple pieces of root vegetables were yummy though!

All Meat Barbecued Panizza | 235 PhP (medium), 450 PhP (family)

New England Pot Roast Beef | 280 PhP

All in all a good meal! Yum!

Have you been there? Any other recommendations? My mom and I are thinking of going back there to try their grilled oysters and other panizza flavors! You can also cross-order food from Kusê, a Filipino restaurant because they have they are in the same location (same owner, perhaps?)

Address: 3rd floor Lucky Chinatown Mall Binondo, Manila
Contact #: (02) 708-9576
You can email them at chefsbinondo@yahoo.com or add them on Facebook!

Therese in Taiwan: Saizeriya 薩莉亞

One day, while my classmates and I were walking around Taipei City Hall, we saw this restaurant called Saizeriya. According to my Japanese classmate, it's a Japanese owned chain of restaurants that serves Italian-inspired dishes. Since we were hungry, and the food was reasonably-priced, we entered the restaurant.

Here are a couple of shots from their menu (pasta selection):

I was in the mood for pasta so I went for the Spaghetti "Nero di Sepia" 墨魚義大利麵 (which I think should really be spelled as "Nero di Seppia"), or otherwise called spaghetti with cuttlefish black ink. I wish it had more cuttlefish, and that it was a bit more... moist. Other than that, I liked it.

Spaghetti "Nero di Seppia" 墨魚義大利麵 | 90 NTD (~131 PhP)

If I remember correctly, you get unlimited drinks for an additional 30 NTD (~44 PhP).

One of the pizzas we ordered. I forgot what it's called and how much it is! >___<

One of my classmates had Spanish paella || 120 NT (~174 PhP)! Looks yummy!

The branch we went to is located in the mall beside MRT Taipei City Hall:

阪急店
Operating hours: 11AM-10PM
Telephone number: 02-2723 2339
Address: 台北市忠孝東路5段8號B2樓 統一阪急百貨B2

There are also branches in Ximen 西門店, Zhongxiao Dunhua 忠孝敦化店, and Zhongxiao Fuxing 忠孝復興店.

Official website: www.saizeriya.co.jp