Features | YOU Magazine

YOU magazine turns its eyes on our 5-month-old food blog in its feature "Manila Foodistas: Student foodies chronicle their campus food indulgences." Here's a photo of our feature in the magazine.

Again, thank you YOU magazine for having us. We're very humbled to be included in your issue.

Manila Foodistas represent!

Grab your copy of Sept/Oct 2008 Issue of YOU in any of your local magazine stands nationwide.

Restaurant Review | Sa In-Yō

Sa In-Yō
68 E. Abada St. Loyola Heights, QC
Type of Cuisine: French-Japanese Fusion
Average cost per person: Php 400 to Php 600 (US$10.00 to US$15.00)
Overall Rating:

We've been meaning to dine at In-Yō for months now, but we never really pushed through with it. But when we noted that our anniversary as being best friends was drawing near, we decided that there was no better time to have dinner at In-Yō than on our special day.

The place itself was gorgeous. Joey was especially taken by how part of the floor of the entrance was see-through. The service was also brilliant, with our waiter very attentive and accommodating. We had difficulty choosing what to eat, since everything sounded tempting.

While waiting for our meals to arrive, we were served slices of freshly baked cornbread, which Hannah adores, and dollops of butter. We were also each served a small plate of wasabi fried oyster (review below). The meals themselves were also wonderful, pretty much sealing the deal that we'd be making In-Yō our anniversary dinner destination from then on.

It's a wonderful and satisfying experience to dine at In-Yō. Give them a ring at 928-6459 and reserve yourself a table. It's the perfect place for an intimate family dinner or a romantic date -- or even the anniversary of your being best friends ;)

Wasabi Fried Oysters
This was interesting. The oyster's exterior wasn't as "slimy" as it typically is but the interior retained its rather creamy texture. It's not something you can have a whole lot of, but it was a nice surprise. It was a fun play on Japanese Kaki Fry, with a light wasabi batter replacing the traditional breaded batter.

Shitake Mushroom Udon with Light Soy&Garlic Sauce (Php 240, US$6)
Kat really liked the presentation of the shitake mushroom udon. With every bite, you get the nice crunch of vegetables and the juiciness of the mushrooms, which complemented each other well. The sauce was really good, rich in flavor but not too overpowering.

Honey Glazed Grilled Salmon (Php 440, US$10)
The salmon was cooked just right, just bordering on medium rare to well done. This made the fish a "melt in your mouth" texture. Hannah really loved how the sweet tones of the honey and the sauce complimented the fish. Strangely reminiscent of tare sauce, in how well the salmon was complimented by the honey and citrus miso sauce. The wasabi mashed potato could have been much creamier and smoother.

Mesquite Smoked Fillet of Local Halibut (Php 450, US$10.23)
This was wonderful, from the taste to the textures. The emulsion was light and with hints of sweetness, the watercress fresh and crisp, the pasta al dente and the fish perfectly cooked.

Reviewed by Hannah, Joey and Kat.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Restaurant Review | Vieux Chalet

Vieux Chalet
Taktak Road, Antipolo* (+63 2 697 0396)
Type of Cuisine: Swiss
Average cost per person: Php 250 - Php 300 (US$6.25 - US$7.50)
Overall Rating:

Having trooped to Antipolo to work on our feature for Table For Three, Please, we decided to go ahead and hit two birds with one stone and make our way to Vieux Chalet, a wonderful Swiss restaurant tucked away in Taktak Road. And tucked away, it was! We almost got lost on the way there, but the search for this jewel of a place is part of the experience, as Miss Hassig would tell us later, grinning. Once you get there, though, famished and more than a little relieved that you weren't lost, after all, you'll find that the Vieux Chalet dining experience is definitely worth the trip.

Vieux Chalet is perfectly situated so that you have an unobstructed view of the city. The restaurant itself is a house with a very restful and homey feel to it.The service was very good, even if there was only one waiter attending to everyone when we had gone (there were only three occupied tables). And, like the place itself, there is a very homey feel to the food. The prices are rather steep, but we account this to the fact that they use only the best and freshest ingredients.

Vieux Chalet is the perfect setting for a romantic dinner, or even for a long, leisurely meal. The surroundings are tranquil and beautiful, almost leaving you without a sense of time, and the food is of the sort you imagine coming home to at the end of a long, hard day.

Rösti (S: Php 125, US$3.13, M: Php 185, US$4.50, L: Php225, US$5.63) Swiss-style potatoes; this tasted a whole lot like hash browns. It wasn't anything exceptional, in other words. If you're fond of hash browns or potatoes, you might enjoy this. If you're looking for something a bit more interesting as a side dish, however, we suggest you try something else.


Italian Soup (Medium: Php 265, US$6.63)
This wasn't listed in the menu, but our waiter recommended it. The soup was creamy without being too heavy. You can tell that the bread topping the soup was homemade. This was, all in all, wonderful. It was very homey and comforting — perfect for a cool rainy day.


Osso Buco (Medium: Php 585, US$14.63, Large: Php625, US$15.63)
The meat itself was very tender, easily falling off the bone. The taste of tomato was very distinct. It was good, but Bong says the one from Cyma is better.



Mango Flambe (Php 125, US$3.13)
The mango flambe is supposed to be served with butterscotch ice cream but we had it changed to their homemade parfait au chocolat. The ice cream was wonderful: very thick and creamy, with a hint of rum.

* How to find it: Make your way through Ortigas Extension (you'll pass Ever Gotesco Ortigas, Junction, Brookside Hills, Valley Golf, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, etc) until you reach the fork at the end of the stretch. Head left (the path to the right ought to take you to SM Taytay) and follow the road until you reach Villa Christina. Drive through the narrow, slopey road. You'll be seeing signs pointing you to Vieux Chalet. Follow them and you'll get there without any trouble :)

Reviewed by Bong, Harrell, Joey, Kat, and Tiffy.
Photography by Joey.
See more photos on Joey's flickr.

Manila Foodistas at Table For Three, Please

The Foodistas were asked to write a feature on Filipino Street Food for Table For Three, Please.

An often overlooked aspect of the Filipino gastronomical experience is that of our street food. From your typical isaw & barbeque, to your fishball & squidball, and to the bibingka and puto bungbong that is reminiscent of cool December mornings and misa de gallo.
Read the rest of the article here.

We really enjoyed going out and working on this feature ♥ Thank you so much for having us!

Restaurant Review: Friuli Trattoria

Friuli Trattoria
79-A Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City
Type of Cuisine: Italian
Average cost per person: Php 85 to Php 150 (US$2.13 - US$3.75)
Overall Rating:

A couple of our friends have been telling us about this great, relatively cheap Italian place on Maginhawa Street called Friuli. We've all been meaning to try it, even before Manila Foodistas came to be, but never really got around to doing so until now.

Friuli was a bit of disappointment. We got there around 11 in the morning and found out that they were still closed. One of the waitresses informed us that they weren't ready for customers just yet, and asked us to wait for thirty more minutes. We found it a bit odd that they'd be caught unprepared during lunch hours (11am-1pm), but okay'd the waiting. She let us in a few minutes later though, telling us to ignore the other waitress who was hastily mopping up the floor. We wanted to tell her that we were fine with waiting a little longer for them to be a little more prepared, but she had already rushed off to get our menus.

While ordering, our waitress kept running back to the kitchen to ask if the dishes we were requesting were available. To quote Mark, "Don't bother opening if you're not fully prepared, you know." While we appreciate their accommodating us, despite their being caught unprepared, we really would have rathered they got themselves a bit more customer-ready before taking people in.

For an Italian place, one would think that they would have had more variety in their choice of pasta (they had four: carbonara, puttanesca, pesto, and tuna & mushroom). Their pizzas were alright -- nothing special, of the thin crust variety, and, thankfully, not very greasy. The term "ice cream cakes" was quite deceiving. We expected your usual cake topped with ice cream, but they meant cakes made of ice cream, not made with ice cream.

Friuli was, at best, mediocre. If you're looking for good, cheap Italian food, there are better places out there.

Mozzarella Sticks (Php 125, US$3.13)
This was maybe our best order. Your usual deliciously cheesy mozzarella sticks found in pricier bistros at almost half the price. Very cheap, for 6 relatively long mozzarella sticks and an ample amount of tomato sauce. (Photo by Mark.)

Viva Venezia (Php 190, US$4.75)
For their best seller, it wasn't as good as we thought it would be. Looked and smelled fantastic but was a little on the bland side. (Photo by Joey.)




Buono Verdure (Php 170, US$4.25)
If you're particular about what you put into your mouth, this pizza may appeal to you. For a vegan pizza, it was quite pleasantly savoury. If, however, you're not a big fan of eggplant, you may not like this very much. (Photo by Mark.)

Tuna and Mushroom Pasta (Php 100, US$2.50)
The usual tuna and mushroom pasta, in cream sauce and spaghetti noodles. The sauce was a little watery in consistency. Nothing really special about this. Looks and tastes like the sort of pasta you can enjoy in your own school's cafeteria. (Photo by Mark)

Bianco Tartufo (Php 100, US$2.50)
You won't go nuts for this gelato coated with an unusual nutty flavor. The gelato tasted a bit too much like clay, and the nutty coating was a little too overpowering, which may make you leave without even getting to the "surprise" cherry center. (Photo by Joey)


Nero Tartufo (Php 100, US$2.50)
Essentially like the Bianco, only this is made from chocolate and was dusted with cocoa powder to make a faux truffle. (Photo by Mark)


After Eight (Php 85, US$2.13)
This is Bong's comfort food. Mint gelato sandwiched between two layers of rich chocolate goodness, and infused with chocolate bits -- according to Bong, who absolutely loved this, "Definitely a must try! :)" (Photo by Joey)

Pharaoh's Delight (Php 90, US$2.25)
The gelato itself was very light and refreshing, while the heaviness of the pistachio gave it a bit more character. Not very sweet, but definitely not lacking in flavour. A nice, light way to end a heavy meal. (Photo by Joey.)



Tiramisu (Php 85, US$2.13)
Their tiramisu was essentially layers of vanilla and chocolate gelato with cocoa powder sprinkled on top, and a very thin layer of liquor-soaked biscuit in the center. If you're looking for the usual goodness and texture of rum-dipped ladyfingers, this may be a little disappointing. Still a good choice for dessert though, and an interesting gelato-spinoff of our favourite Italian dessert. Worth giving a try. (Photo by Joey)

Reviewed by Bong, Harrell, Joey, Kat and Mark.
Photography by Joey and Mark.
See more photos on Mark's multiply and Joey's flickr.