Toki Japanese Fusion Updated

Because Ayala Avenue is close last night we had to scrap our plans of dining at CiÇou and opted for a dining place at Fort Instead.  Since we had quite a heavy glutinous dinner the night before at Cav we figure to eat something lighter and hopefully healthier.  Hence, the choice for tonight is japanese.

There are a few japanese places at Fort but our favorite hands-down is Toki. As can be seen from my previous post we really enjoyed our set lunch before, but now we ordered ala carte.  Though i still prefer the set lunch - to manage your budget and all - I must say their ala carte orders are not only good but has perfect sharing portions. I won't talk much anymore and just let the photos do the talking. Bon Appetit, or probably I should say tabetai! :)

japanese pickles moriawase (6 types) Php240
One thing I will never tire of is pickles and this Japanese pickles strengthened that resolve. 

Onigiri (grilled salmon in japanese rice) @ Php160
I forgot what it's called but this one is yum-yum for sure!

Toki Style 3 Kinds Sashimi Carpaccio Style (Php380)
This dish was devoured in seconds. Toki menu labels it recommended, and I absolutely concur!

Takoyaki Roll (Php240)
Very nice, though the consistency of the octopus is on the rocky side, i have a chewy one and others got some soft ones

Unagi Bou Sushi (Php750)
One of the best thing in the Toki Menu is eel.  Whether topped on rice of sushi-fied, Toki eel never disappoints.

Nigiri Mori (9 Kinds) Php550
I didn't get to try everything but I didn't hear any whining, just nomnomnom. But then if it looks this good how can it be bad eh?

Spicy Lapu-Lapu (Php 370)
I like lapu-lapu and I like it spicy. This dish didn't seal it for me though, I blame the flour-y breading.

Japanese Cheesecake (Php170)
After all the binging a good diner knows to leave some space for dessert.  Ordering dessert is easy we just pointed to the most yummy-looking photo on their menu. I'm not really a big fan of japanese cheesecakes, always preferred the non-spongy ones. 

Macha Roll (Php195)
This feels like eating green tea ice cream -- indulgent but the same time giving you that 'healthy' feeling. Or maybe its just me who associates green tea with healthy.  Nonetheless, still a must try dessert!

Tiramisu (Php 190)
One of the best ones! I'm torn between these and the Macha cake.

3 Kinds Crepe (Php260)
I love love crepe and this one tastes like ice cream.  I can't figure out what the 3 kinds of whatever good stuff is inside it but it tastes like Ice cream and I love it!

We ordered other stuff as well and Asahi beer (Php200) too!  Toki is good but I kinda prefer doing it for lunch.

TOKI's full menu is found on this link.  You can also order online through their website.

Address: 2nd floor - 32nd and 5th Building corner 32nd St. and 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines

The Not A Burger Persons Best Burger List

The title says it all, I am not a burger person.  I have always associated burger with fast food and not being a fast food person either I can count the number of times, using both hands, I have eaten a burger at McDonalds (be it big Mac, the 49 pesos one or the quarter pounder), Burger King, Jollibee, or Wendys.  So when I finally got to overcome my fear of fastfood burgers, I got to appreciate this slab of meat wedged between two buns - before it starts to sound like food porn - topped with whatever you want.

The first time I tried an upscalish, you may refer to it as gourmet compared to McDonalds, burger was in Hotshots near ABS-CBN. That was college. At least 6 years ago.  Now more pounds and as much burgers as I can count I think I can now confidently come up with my five must try burger places.

The Top Choice: Malcolm's Place Wagyu Burger
Tucked between the road from Forbes to Global City is little gem of wagyu fiefdom.  If you think all beef burger is a-ma-zing wait till you try an all beef wagyu burger.  Succulent, fatty without the greasy feel, and satisfying.  Slightly toasted on the outside and pinkish on the inside.  You can opt to add mushroom, caramelized onions, blue cheese (my favorite!), or just plain ketchup and mustard sauce.  You'll never go wrong.  The price is a bit hefty but for all the goodness you're gonna get, it's definitely worth a try.

A wagyu burger costs Php400 ala carte. However, they also have set meals at Php499 which includes a nice pumpkin soup and ended with a scoop of ice cream and vittoria coffee.  I would recommend going for the set meal. More value for money.

wagyu burger
from www.monstercomments.com

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1st Runner Up: Murray and D'Vine's Big Ass One-Pound Burger
This burger is colossal! It is not for the faint hearted and definitely not for first date moments.  Eating the huge-ass serving - in Murray's signature heart shaped patty - would surely get your hands dirty.  Murray uses very good beef and you have a choice whether you want your patty cooked medium, rare, or well done.  We always go for medium.  Even though it was cooked medium, however; the thickness of the patty made it almost slightly rare.  We're not complaining though as all the juicy goodness that the beef has to offer is locked in -- within that (did I say this before) 1 pound of pure lovin goodness.  It may seem heavy on the wallet at Php550 but once you see and finish the whole burger, you can definitely say it is well worth it.

If you don't feel much like committing, with flair and fervor, gluttony though you can also opt for their other burgers.  The regular beef burger, the ostrich, and turkey burgers are also must tries.  Their burgers also come in minis called sliders, in case you want to maintain more grace while eating burgers.  Another must-try is their Mojitos, they're the best ones I've tried in Manila.

the murray facade
will update when I get a photo

2nd Runner Up: Monster Burger at Salcedo and Legaspi Market
The good thing about this burgers is that it's half a pound of good beef.  The better thing is that it is only Php130 pesos!  Unfortunately, this is only sold at Salcedo and Legaspi weekend markets.  Nonetheless, if you're in the area and is heading for a hodgepodge of gustatory adventure this Monster Burger is not one to miss.

Half Pound Patty
from www.bacontunamelt.com

3rd Runner Up: Chelsea Market Cafe Burger
Burger at Chelsea?! Seriously? Yes! Although Chelsea is probably more popular for their pizza and pasta their burger is also well worth a try.  Since their menu didn't explicitly say how big their patty is I'm guessing it is a little over 1/2 pound since it seems more filling than Murray.  I still prefer the slightly crispy on the outside way that Murray cooks their burgers.  Nonetheless, Chelsea's 100% angus burger suffices to satisfy that huge burger craving.  Surely, choosing Chelsea for 3rd runner up sure is a hard decision.

Since Chelsea and Murray is located very near each other at the Serendra piazza, if you have burger on the menu alone I suggest you head to Murray instead especially since their burger, at Php595 is more expensive than the big-ass burger.

Chelsea @ Serendra
photo from Anton of Our Awesome Planer (AOP)

Fourth Runner Up: Hotshots
Hotshots was the restaurant that launch the tipping point to my burger cravings.  The primary reason I chose hotshot over Brother's Burger though is their twister fries! I know it is not burger related but well, the best thing to have with burger is french fries...for that american greasy food coma in all it's finest.  It's been ages since I've had hotshots but their prices range about Php150.00 before.

from shootfirsteatlater.com

Other places I wanna try would be theburgerproject at Maginhawa St. in UP Village, and the burgers at Banchetto.

People's Palace Prawn Pomelo Salad

I got into the People's Palace cult the first time I had a bite of their prawn pomelo salad...more than five years ago.  Countless prawn pomelo salads and finally one photo after, I am ready to blog about it.

Prawn + Pomelo + Chicken + Cilantro + toasted peanuts + Coconut Milk + people's palace's miracle dressing equals the perfect example of the gestalt principle applied to food -- where the whole (concoction) is better than the sum of its parts.

prawn pomelo salad

The second our order of prawn pomelo salad lands on the table, my excitement level immediately goes up.  The anticipation of biting into the succulent sweet davao pomelo chunks which got a little drizzling of that magical people's palace dressing.  A bite of pomelo, and you realize it couldn't get better then you get a stray toasted peanut right with a piece of sautéed chicken and you think this is a good day.  The second bite was met with as much anticipation as the first, but just when you though it is a really good day your fork encounters one of the two (or three if you're lucky) prawns and you realize what could possibly wrong.  You eat it with cilantro for that burst of herb taste and you arrive at a state of mind called nirvana.

a fiery painting that was the sky of 9/12

Just when we were about to finish our food, we looked up and saw the fierce fiery painting that was the sky.  Fantastic! This is Sunday.

Oh My Gaudi (OMG)

Verdict: No redeeming factor. Must NOT try.

!Bienvenidos!

Welcome to a complete culinary 

experience from fascinating Spain --

a country that considers dining one of life's 

greatest pleasures.

So began the menu of Gaudi tapas bar and restaurant at the Piazza in Serendra.  Named after Antoni Gaudi of Spain, at least my guess is, the restaurant purports to be authentic Spain.  Since I haven't been to Spain I really couldn't tell whether or not it really is authentic, I just have to rely on Ferdi's comments on whether it really is true Spanish cuisine.  Authentic or not authentic, however; one thing is for sure -- the food is BAD.

the gaudi menu

To start of the evening we had three sets of appetizers first: Boquerones en Vinagre (Php290) which is marinated fresh anchovies, Surtido de 8 Pinxos Frios (Php250) a selection of cold tapas, and Croquetas Mixtas (Php 200) mixed chicken, serrano ham, and bacalao croquettes.

Nothing of the above is good.  We didn't finish half of the croquetas.  After finishing one, I couldn't eat any croquetas anymore.  The Serrano ham and chicken croquetas might be slightly better, but unluckily for me I tasted the bacalao one first.  It was the fishiest most nauseating croquetas I've had.  I love fish, and I eat bagoong but nothing comes close to how fishy this one taste.  Recalling it as I write now even makes me slightly puke a bit.  To add insult to injury it was also so heavily breaded and the oil they used is also not nice.  All in all, if you'll ask me to choose between UP fishball and this, I would choose the former.

deep-fried croquetas

Hoping the second of the appetizers will be better, which is not a hard feat considering how bad the croquetas were, we were only to glad when the mix cold tapas were served.  Unfortunately, this restaurant is just astonishingly consistent -- consistently bad, that is.  The selection of mixed tapas is just too oily and had too much mayonnaise! Ugh.  To make matters worse, some of it is served on toasts which are too soft and not crusty enough getting the poor toast so soaked up in alcohol and too soggy from the mayonnaise.  Same as the other one, we didn't get to finish it at all.  The mixed cold tapas is composed of some olives and baby onions on a stick, sliced parma ham (i think) which is the one on 5 o'clock, the one on 3 o'clock is anchovy and bleue cheese two of the things I love but hate when served together, and some egg salad with lots of mayo, and shrimp with quail egg, again smothered with mayo.

The mixed cold tapas

The third one is not as bad as the former two.  The boquerones has good fresh anchovies, a good smothering of olive oil with a lemon wedge on the middle that we squeezed for added taste.  The only disappointing thing about this is that they had to put grated cheese on top of the fresh anchovies.  Seriously, CHEESE!?  And no, it's not like it's hard cheese like pecorino or parmesan that would be forgivable with the anchovies but they had to grade soft cheese which looks like eden cheese to me.  I tasted it, and true enough it is tasteless!  We made sure to remove all the cheese on top of the anchovies before we ate it.  Not as bad as the former two but if it weren't for the cheese, this dish could have been the restaurant's saving grace. 

It's sobrang cheesy!

We chose not to order two main dishes and opted to just share.  We ordered Lamb cooked the Andalusian way.  After our dish was served though, that's when we realized that the Gaudi Andalusian way is pretty much just like how we cook our caldereta, at least the not good caldereta.  The smell of lamb was a bit too strong than normal and the sauce was too oily.  What makes it worse was that the potato was also fried and already a bit too soft for the dish.  Overall, it was bland and didn't have any 'identity' nor distinctiveness to it.  Of course, did I mention it was also oily?!

Lamb - Andalusian

At this point we're already too disappointed with the food and opted to just go.  We paired all the above food with Marques de Caceres wine which is not all too bad.  But this is not enough to make us go try Gaudi ever again.

Postcript: the food was that oily Ferdi had stomach pains the morning after.

A full menu of Gaudi is found here, courtesy of munchpunch.

Cantinetta is Open in Global City

Cantinetta just opened their third branch at Global City. Since someone is craving for good wine we headed there. The original plan was to walk from high street but alas, the rain poured, and poured and poured...

Drenched, cold and hungry we just went to Cantinetta by car.  Burgos Circle is unimpressive, but immediately seeing the restaurants around will make you want to park as fast as you can.

We didn't call to reserve, but the restaurant wasn't full so we were immediately accommodated.  As we weren't too hungry, we just ordered the Cantinetta Insalata, Mushroom Soup, Veal Osso Bucco, and Panna Cotta for desert.

Cantinetta Insalatta

Appetizer would be the Cantinetta Insalatta. I forgot how much it is exactly, but if i'm not mistaken it should be about Php280.  Since we like grilled vegetables, this serving is a hit.  The vegetable layers of zucchini, eggplant, and carrot were grilled just fine -- just enough to wilt it and bring out the flavours without making it soggy and mushy.  The layers of grilled vegetables was topped by two slices of fresh mozarella de buffala.  I really like how they have the authentic fresh mozarella, and not those cheapass types that's more runny than cheesy.  The 'creation' was drizzled with just enough balsamic vinegar sauce.

Crema di Fungi

I was disappointed that Cantinetta didn't have pumpkin soup, I have this habit of craving for pumpkin soap when it's raining, I opted to order the crema di funghi, instead.  The crema di fungi (Php 230) is not astounding or anything, neither good nor particularly bad.  The serving has enough mushroom to it, but not enough texture.  The serving was not runny either but one thing that really stands out with the soup is how salty it is!  It's such a shame since the saltiness detracts you from appreciating the taste.

Veal Osso Bucco

The Osso Bucco, at Php920, was really good! The veal is tender and cooked just fine.  The vegetable sidings was good too just steamed enough, retaining its crispy vegetable texture.  I particularly like the sidings for the fact that it was simple -- no butter, or anything. It was a bit disappointing that no waiter came offering some pepper, which I realised just now, would make it better.  The only falling grace of this dish was the risotto.  It's too creamy and a bit tasteless.  Other than that, this meal is particularly satisfying.  My best veal was still at L'incontro, before Chef Gino left it, but this one doesn't fail.

panna cotta

I like their panna cotta.  I have very sensitive sweet tastebuds, so I really don't like my dessert sweet.  This one is not sweet at all and just enough creaminess.  I particularly like how consistent and firm the texture is.  It is a bit heavy so if you don't have a particularly sweet tooth, I would suggest that this be shared.

Sharing is caring. :)

Full menu at munchpunch.

One really irritating thing though is the parking.  Parking at the roadside would cost you a flatrate of Php50.00. They don't do any validation, so it wouldn't make any difference if you ate at the area. Worse Megaworld, who owns the buildings, doesn't even issue an OR for the parking. ><

Ellana Sheer HD Finishing Powder

I first fell in love with HD makeup after I tried Make Up Forever's (MUFE) HD line.  My heart beat and broke when I first tried their HD finishing powder -- how fine, natural and soft it made my skin feel made me believe in the concept of sheer goodness again, the price tag of Php1850 for a small canister, however; broke my heart.

Nonetheless, good things are hard to find but a year after I found a cheaper version -- Ellana's HD finishing powder.  For those, uninitiated with MUFE's finishing powder, the whiteness of the powder might scare you a bit making you thing you'll either end up like a zombie or Michael Jackson - which is practically the same now I suppose but then I'm watching This is It on HBO, hence - that you wouldn't even try. Fret not, though, the powder is so fine it practically disappears on your skin.

my skin after class, hello pores

a much closer, but clearly more even, closeup

I still find the MUFE version better though. But surely, the Ellana version is highly comparable and not bad at all. Considering how the Ellana version is like 80% cheaper it surely is the best deal.

I find it very useful as well for these functions:

• Primer: to even our your skin tone and make pores appear smaller and at the same time have your liquid foundation slide perfectly.  I use those silicone base primers but they're kinda pricey and quite hard to find. I use Bare Escentuals.

• Finishing powder, if you wanna do three layers for perfect staying power as when you're going to an event or something and the only thing you can sneak in in your purse is an oil blot.

• Dusting powder, for those moments when you need to wear dark eyeshadow and it's just so hard to avoid getting eyeshadow on your undereye area.

Ellana Mineral makeup may be ordered online at www.ellanaminerals.com. 

Other products you might want to buy too are their:

• Foundations: good coverage, and natural.  The downside though is since they don't have such wide range of colors, you might need to get other brands to even out your tone.
• Eyeshadow. Very highly pigmented. It's almost comparable to MAC pigments
• Bronzers. Also very good pigments...a little goes a long way.

What I wouldn't recommend are the brushes though. I use Shu Uemura's brush, from the Holidays Edition, and comparing it to Ellana's brushes surely negates the claim that it's made of the softest materials...I suppose it wouldn't be bad for eyeliner brush or crease brush, though, since you would need stiff brushes for that one.

Conclusion:
If you love good quality makeup but don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, Ellana is surely a (online) store to visit.