Category: Restaurants

I feel so touched that my high school friends picked me up at my home and we had a nice lunch in Kimono Ken.  We haven’t seen each other for years!  It was nice to catch up with each other & enjoy nice Japanese food at the same time.  Some of us had restrictions: Ann & I doesn’t eat raw food and Chris doesn’t eat chicken.  We compromised, we still ordered raw food but we still have some other dishes that we can share.

It wasn’t my first time to eat at Kimono Ken but I remember that I had a pleasant experience when I dined there before.  I also got feedback that their food is worth trying for.  I had high hopes.  Fortunately, the experience was as expected 🙂

The ambiance during lunchtime is good especially with them using natural light.  It was refreshing and we didn’t feel like we were enclosed in a secluded place.  There weren’t too much people as we arrived almost 2pm already.  We were really starving then.  Just glad that service was fast and we didn’t have to wait for long.

Here’s a list of our orders:

• California Maki (Php 135)

California Maki will always be in everyone’s table in a Japanese restaurant.  I do not know if this is a tradition in the Philippines or all over the world.  I may have to check when I get to visit Japan if this dish really is a hit there.  Basically, all california maki dishes taste the same.  Kimono Ken’s california maki was no exception.

• Sashimi Moriawase (Php 300)

If you love sashimi then you will definitely love this sampler!  It has sea urchin, egg omelette, crab sticks & tuna sashimi.  Since I don’t eat raw food, I only took one serving of crabsticks.  I totally forgot about the egg omelette but just seeing those sashimi made me wanna run away hahaha!

• Spicy Maguro (Php 120)

As soon as I saw this dish, I knew that it was raw! RAW!  I stayed away from it.  For your information though, this dish is fresh tuna with spicy sauce.  They finished it so I guessed it was good.

• Uni Spaghetti (Php 180)

It’s rare that I eat fried noodles in a Japanese restaurant but Kimono Ken’s Uni Spaghetti was definitely nice to look at, mouth-watering and you would wanna try it right away.  It was basically sauteed sea urchin with butter sauce on spaghetti.  Not so bad.

• Katsudon (Php 165)

Another usual order in Japanese restaurants – Katsudon.  I love Kimono Ken’s version as the porkloin was flavorful.  It must be because it was deeply breaded.  Egg was also mixed into the porkloin.  This was served with rice.

• Beef Teriyaki (Php 200)

This was my favorite, I cannot get enough of it.  I love the sweetness of the sauce and the tenderness of the beef.  The teriyaki sauce was the perfect mix into the thinly sliced beef with sesame seeds.  This was the winner dish among the ones that we ordered.

• Gindara Teriyaki (Php 480)

If you love to order california maki & katsudon in a Japanese restaurant, I, however, wouldn’t miss ordering Gindara teriyaki.  I just love this cod fish cooked with teriyaki sauce.  Of course, there’s always this impression that you’re eating something healthy but I can’t deny how delicious this dish is.  I loved Kimono Ken’s version but I think they cooked the fish too much that it was burnt on the sides.  You can see the black thingy in the picture.  I had to take it out before eating.

• Kimono Ken’s Special (Php 75)

Kimono Ken’s specialty drink which is a fruit punch but this has more orange-y taste.

• Green Tea Shake (Php 100)

You must ORDER this green tea shake from Kimono Ken!  Please don’t ever snob this drink in the menu!  I never thought that green tea shake would taste this good!  It wasn’t too sweet and it wasn’t watery!  I was sipping through it until I noticed that I finished it already.  We may like Green tea ice cream but gosh, it works too as a drink!  Yummy!

I’m glad I can finally share with you what Kimono Ken offers.  Sometimes, I do admit that I tend to forget to share with you some of my food experiences.

Kimono Ken has decent food.  Their place is good for friends who wanted to hangout too!  Price is a bit on the expensive side but still acceptable.  The picture below is me with my high school friends.  Aren’t they pretty?  We’ve finished eating and was just capturing our moments 😛

I was actually about to eat dinner at Kimono Ken again earlier but couldn’t find any parking.  They do offer valet parking though.  Have you tried Kimono Ken?  What do you think of their food?

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Kimono Ken
256 Tomas Morato corner Scout Fuentabella, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 928-1228

March is The Establishment’s anniversary month.  To celebrate it, they offered a special menu wherein we can enjoy 14 of their signature dishes.  I wouldn’t want to pass up on that!  I heard that The Establishment serves good food but they are quite expensive.  So Php 1,998 for an Anniversary Dégustation is definitely a steal (well more as they offered it in Deal Grocer at 50% off!).

I can’t quite find the time go to the Fort area last march.  I had to push myself to go there last March 31 to avail of the limited time offer.  It was the last day and whew, glad that I was able to go there finally!  It was well-worth it!  The experience was great!

As I entered the restaurant, I felt like I entered into a different world.  The interiors are totally astounding.  They really invested a lot of resources in making the restaurant/bar look good.  I noticed that they divided the place into 3 different areas.  On the left is their minibar wherein you can just hangout and have your favorite drink/s.

The biggest area which is located in the middle is the Hall.  People usually go to Establishment at around 10pm, hang out and enjoy live bands while eating & drinking.  Definitely for people who love to go out and stay till wee hours in the morning.  I’m old already for that kind of gimik but I’m surely the young and active will love this.  We can also enjoy our dinner in this area while listening to music.

On the right is the Crystal Room.  This is where I had my dose of The Establishment’s Anniversary Dégustation.  Crystal Room is the area where people usually dine in just for the food.  Best for small groups and for those dating as the tables are small hehehe 😛

The Anniversary Dégustation is a sampler of The Establishment’s 14 Signature dishes created by Chef Godfrey Laforteza.  It includes 3 different appetizers, 3 kinds of sushi rolls, 2 different salads, 4 main entrees & 2 desserts.  It was just a sampler but it could really fill an empty stomach.  What I really love is that I was able to try out most of The Establishment’s specialties.  Now, I know what to order when I go back.

While we await for our orders, we were served bite-sized bread with 2 sauces on the side.

The dishes were served in batches.  I loved the presentation!

Appetizers

• Pan Seared Foie Gras & Sweet Miso Glaze

Foie gras drizzled with miso sauce and served with mushrooms.  I love that the dish was super flavorful and the foie gras was soft.  The best appetizer among the ones I tried.  Ala Carte version of this is at Php 475.

• Salmon Tartare

I’m not fond of raw food but I tried this anyway.  It’s fresh salmon with chopped hard-boiled egg.  There was also crostini on the side.  You can eat it in such a way like a sandwich.  Yum!  Ala Carte at Php 225.

• Golden Camembert

I didn’t enjoy this dish but this was deep-fried camembert with raspberry puree.  Ala Carte at Php 345.

Salads

• Oriental Chicken Salad

this was my favorite among the salads served.  Oriental Chicken Salad is lettuce topped with chicken strips & orange wedges.  I can’t stop eating this and hoped that there was more.  I’ll surely get this when I get back to the Crystal Room.  Ala Carte at Php 250.

• Warm Goat Cheese & Roquette Salad

Goat cheese atop aragula and lettuce leaves.  Goat cheese is really not my thing but I tried it anyway. Ala Carte at Php 345.

Sushi Rolls

• Spicy Tuna Rolls topped Mango

Fresh tuna roll spiced & garnished with chopped mangoes.  Ala Carte at Php 300.

• Avocado Salmon Salsa Roll

Salmon roll with avocado and topped with salsa.  I’m afraid to think that the salmon was fresh because I don’t eat raw but I loved this dish too much!  Yummy!  My fave among the sushi roll sampler.  Ala carte at Php 350.

• Prawn Tempura Roll

Our old favorite shrimp roll, just the way we like it.  Ala carte at Php 370.

Main Courses

• Pan Seared U.S. Angus Beef with Lychee Truffle Sauce

This is a must-order!  The meat was cooked excellently!  Wow!  It was juicy & tender all throughout.  With flavors of sweet lychee, it was a perfect combination indeed.  I was slowly enjoying each bite, it was heavenly!  Ala carte at Php 990.

• Green Tea Crusted Australian Lamb Chops

I don’t eat lambs but I tried a bite of this and surprisingly, it didn’t have any after taste whatsoever.  I do not know how the chef did it.  Maybe, it was because of the green tea flavor?  Whatever it is, I liked it!  Ala Carte at Php 975.

• Sea Bass with Teppanyaki Rice

The original dish was a Hainanese salmon but they ran out.  They apologized to me and asked if they could substitute the salmon with sea bass.  I was more than happy!  I’d choose sea bass over salmon any time!  This was my favorite among all 14 dishes from the anniversary degustation.  The sea bass with teppan rice was a good pair too!  I loved it a LOT!

• Tofu Tempura with Mixed Mushrooms

I wonder how a single tofu can be so delicious.  It was perfectly seasoned with soy sauce, enoki and shitake mushrooms. I highly recommend this dish too when you visit the Crystal Room at the Establishment.  Ala carte at Php 295.

Desserts

• Pistachio Jateu de Lupe

21-layered cake with pistachios.  Wow! 21 layers of deliciousness!  I always prefer pistachio whenever I buy ice cream but now, I think I will have to choose pistachio too for cakes.  Why?  Just because I loved The Establishment’s Pistachio Jateu de Lupe.  Delicious!!  Ala carte at Php 375.

• Chocolate Bette Noir (Php 350)

One important thing to note: The Crystal Room’s Chocolate Bette Noir was flourless.  I wish they have a white chocolate version of this though.  I’m not a fan of dark chocolates huhuhu.

I was totally satisfied with the food I tried out at The Establishment.  I believe those 14 dishes already make up 70% of the whole menu.  I now know what to expect next time I go back.  I’m not sure if it’s going to be anytime soon as the prices are a bit steep hehehe 😛  But you do get what I mean and I hope I was able to give you an idea too through my experience.

I also like to commend the excellent service in The Establishment.  Every single staff were courteous, tactless, proactive and friendly.  Even the guard were knowledgeable of the menu, the restaurant and was able to answer our questions with great respect and knowledge.

Top notch service, great food, awesome interiors that’s The Establishment for you.

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The Establishment
Unit A, The Fort Entertainment Complex, 26th Street corner 5th Avenue, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines
(02) 844-6364

I’ve been hearing a lot about Sunrise Buckets but I didn’t have a chance to try it out.  I heard they started out selling their products in bazaars.  Since they were successful, they ended up expanding and opened up their first branch in Greenhills.

I keep seeing their big signage in Ortigas avenue as I always pass by that area whenever I drive home from work.  I was curious but didn’t have that much urge to try out.  However, when I saw their promo at one of the budget sites, I knew then that I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.

As I entered the place, I was in total awe.  They have a beach theme.  There were surfboards all around and some other beach stuff in Sunrise Buckets.  The place was lively!  Servers were very friendly & accomodating too!

See?  Even their menu were written in surfboards!  Total coolness!

One more unique feature in Sunrise Buckets was their gloves!  We get to grab those gloves so we can use while we eat Sunrise Buckets chicken!  There’s no other way to enjoy chicken but with our hands right?

We ordered too much as I bought Php 1,000 worth of food vouchers!  I should have used only Php500 hahaha!  Oh well, at least I get to share a lot with you in this post 🙂

• 1/2 Pound Sunrise Original (Php 155)

I liked this flavor among all the ones that we ordered.  Sunrise Original is the restaurant’s Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings with Sunrise Original sauce.  I was also about to order their ‘Real American Buffalo Wings’ but the server told me that it has the same sauce as Sunrise Original, it was just a spicy version of Sunrise Original.  This was the only 1/2 pound chicken wings dish we finished.

• 1/2 Pound Smokin’ BBQ Chicken (Php 145)

A bestseller in Sunrise Buckets but unfortunately, I didn’t like the taste of it.  The chicken wings were tossed with their homemade barbeque sauce.  I’m not sure if I just ate too much chicken that I didn’t appreciate this anymore but I think the flavors really didn’t fit my taste buds.

BTW, Sunrise Buckets also offer boneless chicken wings.  You might wanna try it out if you dislike deboning your chicken.

• Cloud 9 Garlic Parmesan Poppers (Php 165)

I can now say that parmesan cheese & chicken doesn’t blend well.  As much as I appreciate the way poppers are prepared with chicken meat lightly breaded cooked and tossed with the sauce.  I would advise to order a different flavor over garlic parmesan.

Here’s the list of flavors available: smokin’ bbq, Juan’s buffalo, crispy, garlic peppered, sunrise original, hickory, pepper steak, teriyaki, real American buffalo, honey jalapeno, honey mustard, Jack Daniel’s, garlic parmesan (yeew), ultimate crazy hot.

• Jack Daniel’s Porkchop (Php 275)

I didn’t like this dish and we ended up just trying it out.  We just ate the fries 🙁  The meat was too tough and it wasn’t tasty at all.  We didn’t intend to order this but their fish & chips was out of stock.  Tough luck.

• Wild Rice (Php 60)

Tasted like a Java rice.  This was good.  You’ll like it.  Order with your favorite flavor of chicken wings if you’re used to eating with rice.

• Solo Poutine Fries (Php 115)

Very unique recipe as they put melted cheese & gravy into the fries.  I didn’t find any special with it though.

• Rootbeer Float (Php 115)

I was amazed when the rootbeer float was served to us.  The rootbeer was literally put in a bottle.  The glass was filled with ice and topped with a huge serving of vanilla ice cream.  This was the drink ordered by my friend but boy, it did look yummy!

• Sunrise Iced Tea (Php 55)

As with most restaurants, Sunrise Buckets also have their own homemade brewed iced tea.  Yummy!  I wish though that they make it bottomless in the future.

While I may not have given Sunrise Buckets’ food products a perfect approval score, I have to give them a perfect score with presentation.

Their chicken wings are served in buckets with a mini chalkboard in front wherein they put the name of their customers.  Perfect visual presentation, I really loved it!

Sunrise Buckets’ poppers & fries, on the other hand, are served in mugs!  You can buy those mugs too!  Sunrise Buckets have their own merchandise to sell inside the restaurant.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience though I wouldn’t rate their chicken wings as top-notch.  Looking at how successful they are, there were able to capture the taste buds of their target market.  Kudos to them for being a successful chicken franchise.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to see more branches of Sunrise Buckets in the Metro.

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Sunrise Buckets
Unit 1, Madison Square, Ortigas corner Madison St., Greenhills, San Juan City, Philippines
(02) 477-7636

My addiction with group buying sites have lots of pros and cons.  Discovering cool restaurants is definitely 1 of the advantages.  I discovered Ba Noi’s through a promo by Plejee.  They offered a whole set of dishes for almost 50% off.  I bought it without knowing what to expect, I took that risk.

We had a hard time finding for parking.  However, we were lucky enough that during our 2nd attempt, there was one vehicle right in front of Ba Noi’s which was leaving.  We walked to Ba Noi’s & was delighted to see even just the front of the restaurant showing some traits of Vietnam.

The ambiance was nice and you could feel that you’re dining at a Vietnamese restaurant.  I hope though that more people will discover Ba Noi’s as it would be such a waste if you haven’t dined in there.  I can say that Ba Noi’s is one of the hidden restaurants in the Metro.  If they open other branches (e.g., in the malls), I’m sure they’ll be successful.

It’s also interesting that Ba Noi’s was one of the nominated restaurants in the best specialty cuisine in the Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant’s awards.  I saw the certificate in the entrance.  They must be proud 🙂

Ba Noi’s was ready for us as I called for reservation and informed them I had the Plejee coupon.  After a few minutes, they served our food.  I was only able to check out the menu for their other offerings after our meal.

Here are the food that we consumed & finished:

• Fresh Sugarcane Juice (Php 90)

I saw that they have their own sugarcane machine.  I did see that they have prepared beforehand and put into bottles.  They pour to the glass from the bottle whenever they receive orders.  I think this is efficient.

I also appreciate that I don’t need to go to Manila just to get my own dose of Sugarcane Juice.  Ba Noi’s was as good as theirs.  Yipee!

• Shrimp & Pomelo Salad (Php 175)

Ba Noi’s Shrimp & Pomelo Salad is one unique dish.  I was actually wondering why there were kropecks with it.  Apparently, you put the kropeck into the lettuce then put shrimps & pomelo on top of the kropeck.  Lastly, you pour the sauce over and you get one awesome bite of delicious salad.

• Fried Spring Rolls (Php 160)

This may be the best fried spring rolls I have ever tasted so far!  I wonder what they put inside but it was oh so yummy!  My mom said it was probably a combination of meat and veggies which I also believe so.  To eat Ba Noi’s version, you have to wrap the spring rolls into the lettuce, dip in the sauce then take a bite.  I remember my mom eating so many of it haha!  She surely enjoyed the fried spring rolls.

• Beef Noodle Soup (Php 225)

I can’t believe that I liked each and every dish served to us by Ba Noi’s.  Their beef noodle soup was also a winner.  I’m not really fond of noodles but I was able to finish the beef noodle soup.  It has tons of flavor.  Since we got the dish from a promo, the servings weren’t too big w/c was just right for me.  I didn’t put the lime, bean sprouts & sauce.  I ate it as is.  My mom, however, did put the lime, bean sprouts, chili and the black sauce (my mom called it soy sauce paste) to her noodles.  She liked it and was raving about it while we were eating.  There was also chili paste if you like spicy food.

• Bo Luc Lac (Php 310) & Steamed Rice (Php 30)

Bo Luc Lac is stir-fried honey spiced beef with fried basil.  I loved how tender the beef was.  Usually when we eat fried beef, they are usually hard to chew.  With Ba Noi’s Bo Luc Lac, it wasn’t the case.  The beef was so enjoyable to eat especially if you dip it with the sauce.  Basically for the sauce, you just squeeze the lime into the salt-pepper mixture.  Delicious!

My mom & I were so happy with the food.  They were so delicious that we both agreed to go back and try their other dishes.  The parking is the only thing that is setting me back.

When I checked the menu, I found out what the meaning of Ba Noi’s is.

1. grandmother on the father’s side
2. a culinary experience that brings together authentic & traditional processes, ingredients and recipes from Vietnamese cuisine

I’ve never been to Vietnam so I’m not in the position to judge its authenticity.  All I can say is that the food was definitely delicious.  I will recommend this to friends who are looking for Vietnamese restaurants here in Metro Manila.

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Ba Noi’s – The Fresh Flavors of Vietnam
G/F Greenbelt Mansions, Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 893-7359

In my mind, Sango has the best rice burger in the Metro.

I had known that their only branch is at Pasong Tamo.  That’s why it has been a long time since I last visited the restaurant.  Recently, I was too delighted when I found out that they also have a branch inside Powerplant mall.  Location is more convenient to go to finally!

I brought my mom to Sango! last tuesday for lunch.  I was pretty sure that my mom would love it.  It took us some time to choose what to order.  I really admire how friendly the cashier & servers are.  The cashier smiled while she waited patiently for our orders.  She even suggested some items that we might like.

I also love the ambiance of Sango!  It was designed way differently from their 1st branch.  You can see that they are more commercialized.  The green and yellow colors really blended well giving it a welcoming vibe.

There were available Japanese reading material all around the place too!

Even though food are cooked fresh upon order, we didn’t wait for too long.  Our orders came one by one and I was excited to eat Sango food again.  It has been a long time after all!

• Large Master Fries (Php 125)

My mom insisted ordering this.  I didn’t eat much as I’m not a fan of fries with too much stuff in it.  I’m a fan of plain ol’ deep-fried potatoes.  Sango’s master fries comes in 2 sizes: regular & large with only Php 20 difference.  Their fries has cheese, meat sauce & onions on the side.  It was pretty okay.  Not the type of dish that I would go back for though.

• Large Yougurt Shake (Php 85)

Plain ol’ yougurt shake that was sweet.

• Large Iced Milk Tea (Php 50)

I super love milk tea.  So when I saw this in Sango! menu, I immediately ordered it.  It tasted okay, not too sweet and not too milky.  There were too much ice though.  I felt like drinking water towards the end.

• Unagi Rice Burger (Php 255)  & Yakiniku Rice Burger (Php 145)

Our main orders and definitely the star of our meals!  The burgers were sooooooooo good.  I really wished we can have them as eat-all-you-can.  Pictures doesn’t do justice to the burgers.  I already would like to apologize in advance.

Each burger was served with a white paper cover and put in a basket.  We can either eat it as a burger or with spoon & fork.  My mom and I both ate our orders as burgers.

My mom ordered Unagi Rice burger which is Sango’s Lenten offering.  It was a bit expensive though.  The unagi was big enough and I thought that it was reasonably priced.  Considering the big serving of unagi and the super yummy taste.  Come to think of it, it was like ordering unagi with plain rice on the side.  My mom loved it.  It actually took a short time for her to finish everything!  Good thing, she made me try before she finally finished it!

My order was Sango’s signature burger, Yakiniku rice burger.  I can’t even describe how delicious this was.  Sango! was really generous with the beef.  Every bite just gives me this super good feeling that we’re eating good food.  I miss it already.  Can someone give me a Yakiniku Rice burger please?

My mom and I enjoyed our dining experience at Sango! the Burger Master in Powerplant mall.  The food & ambiance, both are worth raving for.  We will surely be back.  I’ll order Yakiniku Rice Burger again.  I can’t get it out of my mind!  Wahhhhh!

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Sango! The Burger Master
Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City, Philippines
(02) 556-3182