Northpark: Yen for Chinese Food

Lately, I've been mad jonesing for Chinese food and when the craving calls, North Park I go!

Here are some of my favorite:

North Park Chow Mien - stir fried noodles with fish fillet, fish cake,
sliced asado, meatballs, prawns, 3 kinds of mushroom and Chinese vegetables.

The noodles is just the right amount of thickness. It has that salty/sweet flavor combination which reminds me of my favortie instant noodle without the grease. Plenty of toppings. BIG serving! I call this my miracle dish because even when shared, there's always plenty of leftover.

North Park Lechon Macau - charcoal broiled juicy pork belly
served over egg fried rice

I don't know why but this dish always make me smile. The pork skin is very crunchy but not too hard while the meat is tender and juicy. Not your usual lechon kawali. Combine this with their sauce and pickled vegetable ... a dynamic combination with the fried rice. Again, another big serving which is good enough for 2 person.

North Park Salted Garlic Squid - golden fried slices of squid dashed with
sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorn

The dish is really simple but this is, by far, my favorite. Squid, cooked too long, becomes tough and chewy. But at North Park, their salted garlic squid is always tender. The flour coating is not too thick and they added just enough salt to add flavor but not too much that you automatically reach for water.

Combine everything with their freshly made lemonade and you're good to go! Simple, flavorful and affordable Chinese food. My only wish is that they have meryenda size or rice toppings good for one. Bring a friend and expect to pay P200-P350/each.

Grabe, gutom na ako!

Recommendation of the Week : Emerald Siopao

I call this siopao (steamed bun) on steroid.

This thing is HUGE! Easily two or three times bigger than your normal siopao. The filling has it all; bola-bola (ground pork), Chinese sausage, roast pork and chicken with salted egg. Instead of having this all mixed up, they neatly layer the filing so you're able to get everything in each bite. Delicious all the way and you don't even need the sweet sauce. Eat half for breakfast and have the other half for lunch.

This can be bought at Emerald Restaurant which is just across the United States Embassy at Roxas Boulevard. However, you would need to buy this early since the restaurant always runs out by early lunch. Restaurant opens at about 7am - 9pm  and from 11am-2pm. No delivery but you can call to reserve at 522-3457.

Each one cost P99 which is a bit pricey for siopao but definitely worth it.

Buon Giorno?

If you feel like going somewhere quiet in Tagaytay with a great view of Taal yet easily accessible, head towards Cliff House. It's a small compound of eating establishments located along Aguinaldo highway beside the more known restaurants such as Leslie's or Max's.

Cliff House - good view of Taal, plenty of space so not too crowded, pretty garden

One of the more popular places to eat here is Buon Giorno. My friend and I always wanted to try this place out but there's always a long line of people waiting for a table.

perfect - no customers yet

Last month, we finally decided to phone in our reservation for early lunch on a Saturday.

Buon Giorno's mix of best salad ingredient drizzled with the
well revered house dressing P218

We started with the Buon Giorno Salad - Tagaytay greens with fruits in season accompanied by their well "revered" salad dressing. The dressing had plenty of flavor (sour/sweet combination) but would have preferred they lightly tossed it with the salad instead of putting gobs of it on top.

Prosciutto Funghi Pizza - deep flavors of ham, mushroom and oregano (about P249)

The Prosciutto Funghi Pizza is about 10' inches with a thin, crispy crust. The prosciutto, a fancy name for thinly sliced ham, had a subtle taste. Mushrooms were plenty as were the mozarella.  Overall, the pizza looks impressive with every space filled with toppings and cheese but there weren't any real "deep" flavors. Thank the culinary gods for chili oil!

Lasagne Al Forne - alternate layes of spinach pasta, ragu and cheese P280

The Lasagne Al Forne looked delicious with its bubbling tomato and cheese sauce. The flavors were deep and rich. However, after a couple of bites, we began to wonder, where's the pasta? The ragu was more meat than tomato sauce and they packed so much in between the layers than it completely obliterated the thin delicate spinach pasta. It tasted like we were eating just pure ground beef. Not a good feeling.

Servings were good for 1-2 person.

Chocolate Pistacho Sansrival P207

Unlike their other dishes, the Chocolate Pistacho Sansrival was really really small.  One bite and all we can say is, "Wow! Butter!" I like butter but not that much. The person who assembled the sansrival must be the same one who did the lasagna because the icing layers were so heavy that the wafers in between were just flattened out. Saying that, kudos for using a generous serving of pistachios.

ready to eat

Service

Service was really really weirdly bad. When they showed us to our table, there were a lot of bugs, spider and ants on the banquette seating. When we pointed this out to our waitress, she just looked at us and said, "wala po kaming magagawa". No effort at all to sweep it away. After just standing there and the waitress looking at us blankly, we decided to take matters in our own hand and just sat at another table.

Waiters were inattentive and borderline rude. Service was slow and you have to call their attention repeatedly to request anything. They would talk to each other about personal matters even though they were just standing beside us. One waiter was singing (off key!)  in a normal voice despite another song being played over the speakers. Honestly, the owners should seriously consider teaching the waitstaff some manners.

Final Verdict

The food prices are not that bad and except for dessert, the food can be shared by two. Expect to shell out P400-P500/person. The food is very pretty to look at and except for the pizza, their dishes has strong flavors. However, any enjoyment you derive from the food and the peaceful surrounding is destroyed by very bad service. You might want to avoid the aggravation and try the other restaurants at Cliff House instead.

Buon Giorno

4 Cliff House
Aguinaldo Highway
Tagaytay 
(beside Yellow Cab Pizza House)

Tel 046-4832102

Coffee Anyone?

Not a food review but I wanted to show you the new Starbucks which just opened in Tagaytay this week.

can't miss the sign

From Tagaytay Rotunda, go towards Picnic Grove. After passing the hotel Estancia (white and blue greek inspired building), slow down and you'll see the sign for Starbucks.

Outside, the building itself looks a bit stark/minimalist surrounded by all concrete parking lot. It's located down a steep hill. Going down is a feat in itself - not for the faint of heart or novice drivers.

Inside, it was spacious and very very nice. The big windows let a lot of light in. There were a lot of seating areas for groups. Plenty of space to move around. The wood/glass design fits very well with the Tagaytay vibe.

another seating area in front of, what I presume to be, an electric fireplace

high table/chairs

veranda

view from outside - the white concrete square is actually another type of
seating area. For smokers? 

You don't see much of the Taal Volcano but nevertheless, the view is still good. There were still some work being done on the floor below. Hopefully, they put in a nice garden.

view from the deck looking in

Below is another seating area with plenty of tables and chairs. Thankfully, they have another restroom area in this part so no need to go upstairs.

Unfortunately, you won't have much of a view here because of the stone fence.

nice design on the wooden drop lights 

additional seating outside

way to go outside

a bit of zen feeling

plenty of parking space - aside from the one beside the building,
each level down has space for parking

really not for the faint of heart - exit to Starbucks

We came in on a Tuesday morning and the place was practically empty (love it). There's plenty of sitting areas for big groups but not a lot small tables. Might pose a problem if you're alone or with a friend and don't want to hoard the big tables/sofas. Also, if you want to work and need a high table instead of a coffee table. Plenty of areas for smokers. Very nice interior with the big glass windows in contrast to the wooden furniture. The tables were smartly spaced apart. A lot of parking spaces. Exiting could be a problem because of the high incline and little to no clearance room from the exit to the main road itself. Safety is an issue especially at night.

The barista told us that this is the biggest Starbucks in the Philippines. I believe, one of the nicest one too. Try to come in midweek to truly enjoy your coffee in a peaceful surrounding.

Opening hours:

Friday - Sunday
6:30am - 12mn

Monday - Thursday
8:00am - 12mn

Recommendation for the Week : Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie (P220)

I don't like sour things either in drinks, foods or desserts so I usually avoid anything with lime or lemon. My food buddy, Adrian, decided to order the Key Lime Pie at Bubba Gumps despite my reservation and I'm glad he did.

The custard of their Key Lime Pie is velvety smooth, not too sweet and have this perfect amount of sourness from lime. Think of it as good leche flan with a hint of sour. I know it doesn't sound good but it works! If you're tired of the same old chocolate cake, try this and be pleasantly surprised :)

Antonio's: Breakfast with a View

In my opinion, there are only two things worth going to Tagaytay for: the spectacular view and good food. Better if you can combine the two together. That was what we were hoping for, at least, when my friends Gladys, Adrian and I decided to have breakfast at Antonio's.

bright sunshiny day

Breakfast at Antonio's is one of the more high end food place in Tagaytay. Normally, I'd be perfectly content to have pancakes at Pancake House (cheaper too) but we decided to try this place out since everyone has been raving about it.  

busy Sunday morning

No need for reservations. We came in on a Sunday morning but was able to snag a table with no problem. First thing you noticed is that the dining hall was open and airy. The big Veranda windows not only lets you see the unobstructed view of the famous Taal volcano but it also allows a fair amount of the cool Tagaytay air in. Too bad all the tables near the window were already occupied when we arrived. 

Devil's Delight P260
Chocolate Pancake with Strawberries, Cream, Chocolate Ice Cream
and Drizzled with Chocolate Sauce

Of course, we chose the most sinfully described pancake in the menu named Devil's Delight which, unfortunately, wasn't as delightful as it sounded. The pancakes were a bit dense, unlike the fluffy ones at Pancake House and wasn't as chocolaty as I would have liked. I thought there'd be fresh strawberries but it came out in a form of a jam. Nevertheless, the jam was good - not too sweet and had a fair amount of strawberry chunks. I think the best part is the ice cream which my friend swore tasted like the one sold by Magnolia.

Eggs Benedict P400
2 Poached Egg, Smoked Ham on English Muffin Topped
with Hollandaise Sauce

The Eggs Benedict were surprisingly small. The size of the english muffin is comparable to your ordinary pandesal. The eggs were soft but not too runny. Ham was good (not your typical grocery ham) but really couldn't taste the "smoke" effect. The hollandaise sauce was a disappointment. I was expecting this rich, smooth and creamy sauce but instead got a thick, almost dry, bland sauce that did not add anything to the dish. Worst, they put mustard on the bread which overpowered the taste of the egg and ham. 

Fresh Corned Beef with Swiss Cheese and Russian Dressing Frittata P400
Slices of Corned Beef and Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Onions and Parsely
with Horseradish, Mustard and Russian Dressing on top of a 3 Egg Frittata
with Hash Brown, Panini Bread drizzled with Sundried Tomato Pesto (whew!) ..
with a small cup of baked beans

The title itself is a mouthful! Among all the things we ordered, I had low expectations for the Frittata since I am not a fan of corned beef or Sauerkraut or Horseradish or ... you get the drift. Also, it didn't look too appetizing and I thought that the black thing on top was bagoong (fermented fish/shrimp paste). Turned out it was the sundried tomato pesto (oops!) :p 

Surprisingly, this was actually good. The corned beef is homemade and not your typical canned variety. It was very tender, flaky, and just plain mmmmmmmm .... delicious! All the things I mentioned I was not a fan of really melded well together and complimented the creamy eggs. Even the baked beans was good. I really liked this dish and was more to my expectations of what was served at Antonio's.

Hot Chocolate Grande P230

I don't drink coffee much so I usually order hot chocolate. The one at Antonio's was good but I had better ones at Cafe Adriatico.  

with food buddy, Adrian

The place is along Aguinaldo Highway and easily accessible by car or public transportation. To go there, turn right at Tagaytay Rotanda going towards Nasugbu, Batangas. Go past Taal Vista and Bag of Beans. Once you reach the turn for Puzzle Mansion (you won't miss it since you will see a sign for this every few meters), start looking to your left. After about 5 minutes, you will see a white building with white picket fences - this is Antonio's. If you see Residence Inn, you have already passed the restaurant. Ample parking space.

The Verdict? 

Expensive for breakfast, a few misses and a hit. The menu doesn't have pictures so you just pick based on how the item is described. The waiters were attentive and patient. Some of the food items were good, others were just too hyped up. The place is simple but very elegant. Too busy, thought, for one to have a leisurely and quiet breakfast. Try to hold out for a table beside the window. Personally, I would think twice before spending P500-P600 for breakfast. If you got money to spend, good for you! There are some items on the menu worth exploring further.

Breakfast at Antonio's

Brgy Bagong Tubig
Tagaytay City, Batangas
Tel (046) 413-0738

Yabu: All Good Things Fried

Yabu restaurant at the Mall of Asia is truly worthy of their moniker House of Katsu. A peak at their menu reveals, what else? Katsu-galore: Tonkatsu, Chicken Katsu, Seafood Katsu, Katsudon .... the list seemed endless!

Black and white sesame seed which you can grind as much
or as little as you like

Pour on top with the sweet and thick Katsu sauce

101 lesson about Tonkatsu: It is salted pork fillet dredged in light flour, beaten eggs and coated with Japanese breadcrumbs before being deep fried. There are two main types, hire and rosu. You choose the first if you want your pork to have a bit of fat while the latter has the fat removed from it. Personally, (don't judge me) I prefer the one with fat. It makes the meat a bit more flavorful. 

Rosu Tonkatsu Set 150g P405

My friend decided to be a good girl and ordered the Rosu Tonkatsu Set. It had 3 fairly large Tonkatsu with Japanese organic rice, Miso soup, Japanese pickles, shredded cabbage and a small bowl of fruits. For each set, the rice, soup and cabbage is unlimited (yey!). 

The miso soup was so-so, the rice was nice and smelled good, the pickles light and crunchy, the fruits were okay but the cabbage with the sesame seed dressing was perfect. The best part is the Tonkatsu. It was crispy outside without being greasy and the meat was really tender and juicy. It could even stand alone without the sauce - it's that good. 

Hire Mixed Set P485

The Hire Mixed Set has Tonkatsu, black tiger prawn, cream Dory and scallop. Like the Rosu set, it also has the rice, soup and cabbage. First, the prawn is really a decent size and not the usual shrimp some restaurants pass of as prawn. The Dory was big enough, flaky but not oily on the inside. The scallop was very big which led me to believe (correctly) that it was sourced outside the Philippines. Again, no complaints. Everything really tasted good. 

ready to attack 

There is a bit of a wait especially during lunch and dinner hour. Their tables are on the small side and narrow spaces between tables can feel make you feel a bit crowded. Not really good for large groups since it's not the type of restaurant where you can linger long. The waitstaff is very attentive and accommodating but becomes easily distracted when the restaurant fills out.  

The Katsu meal we had, although very good, made me wish there were different items on the menu. Maybe more appetizers? The set meal is big enough to be shared by 2 persons but the menu said no sharing of rice, cabbage and soup. Easily solved by ordering an extra rice (P95) which is also unlimited. For the cabbage, just smile innocently at the waitstaff and be discreet about getting this from your friend. 

satisfied customers: mom and me

 The Verdict? 

Their Katsu meals are excellent and big enough to be shared. There is really nothing else in the menu except Katsu so if you're not a fan of fried food, tough luck. Restaurant is small and can be a  bit crowded sometimes. Waitstaff is attentive and accommodating  Price is reasonable if you share the meal. Otherwise, it's a little expensive. Expect to pay P300-P500. I will definitely come back for more!

Yabu 
2/F SM Mall of AsiaMain Mall Atrium, South ArcadePasay(02) 511-7202