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

Troy in New York: Toni Pepperoni

I have always been a fan of buffets. So when I got my first ever paycheck from school, I did not hesitate going to this Italian restaurant at 4224 Maple Road, beside the North Campus of SUNY-Buffalo.

I saw this small advertisement of Toni Pepperoni during my first week in Buffalo: all you can eat buffet for only $ 6.25. This very student-friendly price offers a large selection of over 15 different pizzas (I looove the dessert pizza!), chicken fingers, meatballs, fried dough, and garden salad. (And don't forget the soup!)

I forgot to tell about the additional tax (yeah, prices here in the United States are always before-tax): $ 0.55. But hey, for $ 6.80 I got my more than my money's worth. Like I promised the cheery owner, I am definitely going back. You should go too, when you visit the Queen City of the Great Lakes.

Visit their websites at:
Amherst/Buffalo branch: http://www.toni-pepperoni.com/
Lockport/West Seneca branch: http://www.tonipepperoni.com/

Tiffy: Revisiting Pizza Hut

Revisiting Pizza Hut
January 1, 2012
by Tiffy

I don't know about you but Pizza Hut was the place that my family and I go to every Sunday when we go out. I have fond memories of the place.

Really looking forward to getting some pizza! 

Aglio Olio | Php 109 | USD 3.49

3-Cheese Bacon & Spinach | Php 329 | USD 7.51

If you're looking for some greasy loving, you know where to go. 

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

---

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.)

Restaurant Review | Sicilian Express

Sicilian Express
Petron Gas Station, Katipunan Ave., Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Italian
Average cost per person: Php 350-400 (US$7.30-US$8.34)
Overall Rating:

Since the meeting with a couple of friends didn't push through, Manila Foodistas' Bong and Tiffy, together with their friends, Alex and Fritz, decided to have dinner instead. Since they were in Katipunan, Tiffy suggested eating at Sicilian Express, which can be found in Petron, Katipunan, near Miriam College.

Aside from your usual pizzas and pastas, you can also buy a cup of ice cream for dessert!

Fettuccine Cheese (Php 156, US$3.25 | without VAT)
When we ordered our pastas, we were told that they ran out of fettuccine and ingredients (Seriously--restaurants run out of ingredients? An Italian restaurant, at that!) and we were asked if it would be okay if they used spaghetti pasta instead. It turned out so-so. It didn't taste like cheese and the pasta was soggy.

Seafood Marinara (Php 174.11, US$3.63 | without VAT)
We were supposed to order Chicken Alfredo. But just as the order was punched in, we were informed that they had no Chicken Alfredo. So we switched it to Seafood Marinara for the same price instead. Again, this was a bit of a huge disappointment. Like the fettuccine cheese, the pasta was soggy. Old. It didn't help that the food chilled fast because the place was cold -- it was like eating paste.

Italian Sausage (Php 388.39, US$8.10 | without VAT)
Thank goodness for their pizza! If not for this, the whole experience would've sucked. Their pizza was yummy. Although of course, we're not sure whether it was yummy because the pastas sucked, or it was just really yummy!

All in all it was a nice experience. Nice because the place was clean and the staff was accomodating! We gave it a 3 because it might have been their off-night. We might do another review if we get to eat there again.

Reviewed by Bong and Tiffy.
Special thanks to Alex and Fritz for their inputs.
Photography by Fritz.

Restaurant Review | Cafe Bola

Cafe Bola
2/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Type of Cuisine: Italian
Average cost per person: Php 120 - 200 (US$2.40 - US$ 4.00)
Overall Rating:

One thing that differentiates it from most other universities is the fact that student organizations in UP Diliman have application processes that last a whole semester--some organizations even have them for the whole school year. Part of the application process in UP Chinese Student Association (UP CSA) includes having a buddy lunch.

So lunch they had.

Since Tiffy has previously eaten at Cafe Bola, albeit in Gateway, she suggested it to the rest of them since they were then having the age-old dilemma of picking of a place to eat!

Bong, on the other hand, really wanted to try the place out since Cafe Bola is one of the restaurants, along with Cibo and Pepato, co-owned by famed chef and restaurateur Margarita Fores.


Penne in Chorizo-Parmesan Cream (Php 199.36, US$4.14)
Bong thought that this dish was so creamy -- the chorizo bits really complements the cheese well. According to him, it's a rich dish that "truly makes you happy."



Chicken Cutlet with Mozzarella (Php 147.84, US$3.07)
It came served with newly-prepared shoestring potatoes on the side, which were different from Piknik that people are usually accustomed to eating. The sandwich was rather tasty, which was surprising considering it was a bit dry.



Chicken Lollipop Balls Rice (Php 129.96, US$2.70)
It was Charles' first time to eat chicken lollipop. It was yummy in a chicken-y way. No big deal -- the dip was the ordinary mayo-and-ketchup mix. It's pretty straightforward. Although he thought that the three pieces didn't fill him up well and nice.

Chicken Bolas on Pasta | Sour cream paprika sauce (Php 180.32, US$3.74)
Sherlaine remembers the sourness of the dish. It was different than what she's tasted before. Tiffy, on the other hand, thought that it reminded her of yoghurt. Creamy sour yoghurt.



Oriental Teriyaki (Chicken)Alex thought that it was a bit lacking in presentation. The chicken balls were real meaty but the dish wasn't that spectacular. There was the rice, the balls, teriyaki sauce, and then the sprinkled carrots! The serving was kind of generous, though, so it was all good. He liked the chicken pesto pasta better!

Beef Bolas on Pasta | Parmesan cream + Ham (Php 180.32, US$3.74)
Tiffy didn't really taste the parmesan in the cream. Although it was creamy. She didn't like the bolas on it, though, since it tasted weird -- dry.



Chicken Skin Fritters (Php 129.92, US$2.69)
According to Bong, you really have to try this if you're a chicharon (fried pork skin) lover, or even if you just really love chicken skin, you'll just fall in love with this dish.



Overall, we loved the place -- from the round chairs, the bola (circular) themed walls, the numbers painted on the tables, and even the music and ambiance of the place. It's sort of like the restaurant counterpart of a cafe -- minus the racket of chattering people.

Reviewed by Bong and Tiffy.
Special thanks to Alex, Charles, Justin, and Sherlaine for their inputs.Photography by Tiffy.