Author: Rochelle Sy Chua

I was set to meet a long-lost friend of mine and other friends.  They asked me to decide which restaurant to go to as they are aware that I blog a lot about food.  I wanted to try out a new restaurant because I rarely write about a restaurant twice in HeaRty’s Haven.

I asked from friends in Plurk if they could provide some suggestions of good restaurants in Tomas Morato.  Most, if not all, suggested Restaurant Uno.  It’s actually ironic that I never heard of it.  I asked for directions and found out that Restaurant Uno is tucked inside Scout Fuentabella Street near Tomas Morato Street.

I followed my friends’ recommendation and we met up at Restaurant Uno yesterday.

Parking was a bit of a challenge.  Luckily, there was a space available at the left side of the restaurant.  As I observed, the owner of Restaurant Uno converted the apartment into a restaurant.

I hesitated a bit when I arrived at the entrance.  I wondered if it really was the door in front of me hahaha!  Anyhow, I got it right.  Whew!  It must have been embarrassing if I got it wrong 😛

The design of Restaurant Uno is very traditional.  You can see wooden tables, wooden chairs, clean table cloths and big windows.  Most of the light coming in are from the outside.  It gives a homey feeling.  Somehow, we stayed for 3 hours which explains how cozy Restaurant Uno is.

We were first served bread.  While we browse through the menu, we can already taste the freshly-baked bread by Restaurant Uno.  You can also buy if you like to bring some home.  The bread being served in the restaurant when you dine in is free though.  You can get more servings too if you like more.  Butter was provided on the side as well.

I was told that Restaurant Uno changes their menu quite often.  However, all feedback that I got are all positive which means that the food is really good.  I knew then that we would have a good dining experience.  Seeing also so many people dining in the restaurant proves that.

We had the following:

• Fresh Calamansi Juice (Php 60)

I was planning to order fresh fruit shakes but I was plain shocked when I was told that Restaurant Uno doesn’t have it.  I ended up with fresh calamansi juice which was great still.  I love anything fresh.  I’ve been drinking too much soda nowadays.

• Orange, Feta, Olives, and Chickpea Fatoush with Lime Coriander Dressing (Php 290)

There were only 2 choices available in the menu: this orange salad and the tuna sashimi salad.  I’m not a fan of raw food and I refuse to eat raw.  I shared that concern with my friends so we ended up with this yummy salad.  Honestly, just by looking at the dish, you can already see how delicious it is.  When I tried it, I was so satisfied.  The combination of the ingredients was perfect.  The dressing was poured all over the dish that each spoonful of the salad was flavorful.  I still hated the olives and opted to separate it.

• Baked Salmon Fillet “Jambalaya” (Php 510)

I’m not fond of Salmon but Restaurant Uno’s salmon was made of awesome!  I actually never thought salmon this thick can have such great flavors.  What was more intriguing is that the salmon wasn’t dry at all.  I wonder how the chef did it but this was admirable.  The vegetables and jambalaya rice complements well with the salmon.  Can I say it again?  This salmon was made of awesome, AWESOME!  Yummy!

• Roasted Breast of French Duck with Limoncello and Ginger Gastrique (Php 710)

When I got to taste this dish, I was already writing Restaurant Uno in my mind as one of my go-to restaurants in Tomas Morato.  Gee, this duck was heavenly.  I appreciate that they sliced it up thinly.  I’m not sure if this was baked but the temperature of the meat was perfect.  It was perfectly cooked, not raw and not overdone.  How lovely!

• Shrimp with Lemon, Capers, Garlic and Paprika (Php 290)

While I loved this shrimp pasta, I was thinking it lacked sauce.  I remember that if I get to eat homemade spaghetti, I always make it a point to put so many sauce in the pasta.  So I guess my comment earlier is mostly personal preference.  My friends loved this dish.  You can see that Restaurant Uno was generous with the shrimps.  Not a bad dish at all!

• Butter Rhum Cake (Php 55)

I’m surprised as to how reasonably priced the cakes are.  Come to think of it, I kinda felt it’s underpriced considering how delicious the desserts are.  Well, not for the butter rhum cake as I didn’t like it.  It wasn’t tasty as I thought.  It wasn’t sweet too as I thought it would be.

• Creme Brulee (Php 45)

Nothing special but it’s the creme brulee that we all love.

• Cheesecake (Php 65)

I was expecting something different but I was pleasantly surprised after I tasted it.  It was definitely a genuine cheesecake and shall I say, this should be how a cheesecake is.  Full of cheese and baked to perfection.  This is a must-order!  I bet this menu item stays in Restaurant Uno.  I believe only their main entree selection changes quarterly.

Delicious food, cozy ambiance and great company of friends.  What else can you ask for in a meal?

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Restaurant Uno
195-C Tomas Morato corner Scout Fuentabella, Quezon City
(02) 374-0774

Yoh-Gurt Froz is celebrating its 6th anniversary this year.  And they are taking it to the next level by upgrading their brand to ……. Yoh Froz!

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the launch at their newest branch located in Banawe, Quezon City.  I’ve actually noticed Yoh Froz in Banawe as it has a nice welcoming ambiance and the place is really, really big!  I was wondering why a yogurt place would open such a big branch if they are only serving yogurts?

Apparently, I was wrong.  Yoh Froz is way more than just serving yogurt.  While I hear the owners explain the history of Yoh Froz, I was totally in awe.  I admire the passion of the Gatchalian family!  Just look at their vision & mission:

• Vision – To become the country’s no. 1 frozen yogurt brand that will passionately promote health by integrating yogurt into the Filipino lifestyle through our products and services.
• Mission – with our vision as our driving force, we aspire:
  • to offer the most satisfying frozen yogurt experience to our customers through continuous product innovation, excellent customer service and quality control.
  • to provide our employees a workplace that is grounded on integrity and inspired by the pursuit for excellence.
  • to expand nationwide and allow passionate entrepreneurs to share in our vision by creating profitable franchises and working closely with our franchisees as we grow our business together.

Do you know that it all started with a simple family discovery in one of their trips abroad back in 2004?

They were successful as yogurt is now part of our lifestyle.  It became one of our favorite dessert!

As for Yoh Froz, from one tiny cart in 2005, they now have 17 branches in the Philippines.  Wow!
The branches are in the following locations: ABS-CBN, Alabang Town Center, Banawe, Bonifacio High Street, Dagupan City, Davao City, Eastwood, Greenbelt 5, Greenhills, Marquee Mall, Rockwell, Robinsons Place Manila, San Juan, Shangri-La, Shangri-La Supermarket, SM Las Pinas, SM Mall of Asia, Tomas Morato and Trinoma.

Health is definitely their philosophy (Do Your Health a Favor).  You can see all sorts of reasons why yogurt is healthy at the walls of their stores.  It makes you wanna eat more without feeling guilty since we’ll be getting so much benefit from eating yogurt.

Yoh Froz’ main product is the Froz.  The Froz, formerly known as Classic Fro-yo, is a 98% fat-free creamy indulgence that is loaded with prebiotics, probiotics and all the health benefits found in yogurt.  It’s low-calorie, has zero cholesterol and is safe for lactose-intolerant consumers.  Apart from all those descriptions, the Froz is actually delicious based on the products I’ve tasted yesterday during the launch.

In connection to their rebranding, Yoh Froz has expanded their menu offerings in order to provide us new ways to enjoy the Froz.

• We can have our Froz in Plain flavor or in the flavor of the season.  We can also create our own Froz by choosing the toppings from their big selection of fresh fruits, cereals, nuts, pastries and candies.

The favorites: Chocolate Jungle Froz (chocolate dip, rice krispies & banana) & Fruit Mania Froz (Strawberry, kiwi & mango).

• Yoh-Gurt Pasta & Sandwiches

• Belgian Waffles (Php 135)

• Yoh-Gurt Parfait (Php 175) – you can choose from Mango Parfait or Strawberry Parfait.  The Yoh-Gurt Parfait includes Plain Froz, almond nuts, banana, granola clusters and mango or strawberry (according to your order).  This looked so appetizing!

• Yoh-Gurt Smoothies – you can choose from Mango Banana (Php 125), Peach Mango (Php 125), Merry Berry (Php 135) or Strawberry Banana (Php 135)

Two more products will be offered very soon.  We were all so lucky to be the first ones to try it.  Actually, they were trying to get our feedback so they can improve the recipe before rolling it out in Yoh Froz.  Honestly, both items were sooooooo good!

• Yoh-Froz Mochi

I’ve eaten ice-cream mochi before and the combination really worked!  I’m glad that Yoh-Froz is trying that out as well with their Froz.  They are offering it in 7 flavors.  I was able to try out their coffee and strawberry flavors.  Both were delicious.  Loved it!

• Yoh Pops

This was definitely my favorite!  See the smile on my face there.  The pinipig pops was just too good!  Shall I say, PERFECT!  It was jampacked with Froz and the coating was yummy!  I will definitely wait for Yoh Froz to finally offer this in their stores as I will be getting it for sure.  This was the best item I’ve tried during the Yoh Froz launch.

I had a great time during the launch.  I enjoyed the different Yoh Froz products I tasted too!  Since Yoh Froz Banawe is near my place, I’m sure that I’ll be back soon.

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Yoh Froz
Banawe Avenue, between Sta Catalina and Scout Alcaraz streets, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 373-9651