Tortilla Soup

After my weekend shopping trip, I decided to try a new restaurant in Shangri-la Plaza and I think it would be unfair for me to attack this restaurant head-on, as this was my first time to eat here. Thus, any discussions about this post would simply be based on assuming first impressions.

So, disclaimers aside, I tried the Mexican restaurant, Agave Mexican Cantina in Shangri-la Plaza Mall (at the outdoor food strip). Manila has delicious Spanish-fare, but going Mexican, you get creations from Mexicali, Tia Marias or El Polo Loco, which are not entirely up to par with judging palates. But I marched in and a 2-piece Persian-like outfit for the door manager welcomed me in. I was actually late for lunch (around 3pm), thus there was no one in sight, except for the staff.

The decor is a simple dark wooden interior with a clear glass window (to see or be seen) and a small bar at the side. Beyond that was the service stairs. The seats were quite comfortable and the waitress handed me the menu. Seeing the menu, it had combo meals (combination of tacos, enchiladas and chile rellenos), large plates for family serving, and traditional Mexican dishes. I would vouch for the combos or the large plates as I feel these are the dishes that normally get served. The great thing about this establishment is the choices of salsas in terms of acidity and heat component from the spiciest roasted tomatoes to salsa verdes.

The first dish I ordered was a Tortilla Soup with grated cheese, chicken chunks and garnished with a cube of avocado (photo above). Though nothing different, say from, Italian Minestrone, the deep red tomato soup didn’t go overboard to taste like tomato sauce. It’s white cubed chicken breast pieces were still moist and the avocado and cheese lended a sweet and creamy comforting introduction to the dish. But I wish they introduced more avocados. Also, the crunchy chips of tortilla provided a nice textural counterpoint to the clean-tasting soup. Yet, the dish lacked depth and spiciness that I was looking for.

Cheese Enchilada with Shrimp Chile Relleno

The entree I ordered was a combination of Cheese Enchilada with Shrimp Chile Relleno, served with a Roasted Tomato salsa, mexican rice and refried black beans. The Cheese Enchilada had a delicious combination of tartness (from the tomatoes), sweetness (from the onions) and salty-creaminess from the cream and cheese. The jalapeno on top was just a garnish. The roasted tomato salsa was indeed spicy, but had an earthy and warm tones, complementary more to the crunchy and deliciously surprising Shrimp Chile Rellenos. The rice was sticky and vastly needs improvement, while the refried beans was served cold, but lacked depth of flavor. But the rellenos – I could eat constantly! They had a warm creamy and cheesy center with crunchy cubes of shrimp.

Mango Mojito

Lastly, the meal was rewarded with a Mango Mojito. Though the acidity from the lime, mint and alcohol overpowered the mangoes, the coolness of the mint and the acidity of the limes cuts through the fat of the entree easily and provides a refreshing close.

In entiriety, Agave Mexican Cantina is one the best Mexican restaurants in Manila I had eaten for quite some time. Apart from its simple ambience, its dishes are different from the normal enchiladas or tacos. Though Agave serves these dishes, they provide richer and delicious flavors to its Mexican counterparts.

Photos are properties of Foodie Business

Agave Mexican Cantina

1st floor, Shangri-la Plaza Mall

Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

Chef’s Bistro is a quaint hole-in-a-wall operation with pleasantly homely interiors, a fusion of cuisine, but heavy on the comfort food aspect. Their bestsellers are delicious crisp salads with citrus vinaigrette, warm pumpkin soup and plated meals. Similar to Katre, quite hidden in Tomas Morato, Chef’s Bistro does not boast the popularity nor the food that the other boldly delivers.

A one floor restaurant that exhibits white ceilings, large glass windows (not much of a view though – just neighborhood gates), dark wooden tables and long comfortable benches. During lunch service, I had to be aware of the bored waiters who only had me for their customer. Though I love the privacy and service attention, having no diners during lunch, even if it is in Tomas Morato (known for its nightlife), shows me that the crowd in this area hasn’t clicked with this restaurant and I have empathy with the problematic lunch expense the owners of this restaurant might have.

After ordering my Salmon Fillet (with Pistacio Beurre Blanc, Buttered Vegetables and Herbed Mashed Potatoes at P288.00) and Bistro Iced Tea, the waiter serves me my water. Now the result of idleness comes into play. I slowly sip my water waiting for my food to arrive, when the waiter serves me my iced tea. To my surprise, he gets my water (after me just holding it and still was half full), serves me my tea, and walks halfway to the kitchen with my water! The other waiter seeing the grave mistake returns my water, but turned me skeptical, if I ever wanted to drink from it again.

My salmon fillet arrives with the salmon on top of the mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables. The chef played with the design of the sauces as line wisps were created. The plating (to my opinion) was wrong. The highlight of the fillet was the skin and it should be served skin side up, and then the vegetables and lastly the mashed potatoes. It came to me with fish meat side-up, mashed and then veggies. Also, the Chef shouldn’t have played with my sauce!

The salmon, though properly seasoned and moist, had a soggy skin. Crackling salmon skin is always my highlight of great prepared salmon. The mashed potato was like starchy cake. Very starchy, not creamy. It had specs of dried herbs (rosemary and thyme). In combination it had a bad mouthfeel. I loved the sauces though, delicious nutiness of the pistacio complementing the fish and butter. The restaurant branded iced tea was nothing special – just orange juice and iced tea.

Next time I visit Chef’s Bistro – I’m sticking to the salads.

Chef’s Bistro

94 Scout Gandia Tomas Morato

(Behind Citibank Morato)

Quezon City

414-4515

Baguio, the nippy, tourist-friendly, mountain attraction of the Philippines, where strawberry-themed everything is all a flutter accompanied by whipping pine trees and hilly golf courses. To cut things short (not exactly Anthony Bourdain here), was excitedly invited to visit during the weekend and ended sampling the local produce of what this city in the skies had to offer. We started our lunch in the famed 100-year old Baguio Country Club. The place had a fantastic scenic view of the golf course, but in terms of the food – simple no-fuss Filipino comfort food. Below is a duo of astonishing dishes that I would gladly go back for.

I had been craving for a good Lechon Kawali (literally means pork in a pan) and Baguio Country Club offered a perfect fried pork-stuff that literally made me want more. The very crispy crackling of its skin, the almost ethereal and almost liquid gelatin of its fat underneath and the crispy, but tender pork meat was a perfect combination with a soy-lime dipping sauce (or even without it). After getting my fair share, I was placed in a state of inner peace.

The meal was served with Sinigang na Baboy (Pork with vegetables simmered in a sour tamarind broth) that had a good sour-note and crisp vegetables, Fried Chicken which was a downer as it was crisp but very dry, Bulalo (Beef Shank with vegetables simmered in broth) had a comforting but very light approach to its broth, Chopsuey (Stir-fried assorted local vegetables) which were crisp and deliciously showcased how this mountain region’s climate provided the best snap peas and broccoli in the country, but again – pork reigns supreme!

The meal ended with a Meringue cake with Buttercream and Almonds, served with a fresh strawberry, whipped cream and a mango coulis garnished with a chocolate butterfly. The cake was the main attraction and the wisps of the temporary pleasure coming from the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the meringue provided a good sweet counterpoint to the somewhat sour note from the mango sauce.

Overall, the meal was fairly comforting given the nippy weather. The vegetables evoked a certain freshness where only at Baguio you could get and the pork made me deliriously happy. Baguio Country Club gets 3 stars out of 5.

The Verandah at the Baguio Country Club

http://www.baguiocountryclub.com.ph/

Daily 6:00 AM to 11:00PM.

Photo courtesy of Ms. Anna Dimerin

In the past couple of posts, I have ranted and directly attacked some Manila-based establishments and then ranted some more. Three words – I LOVE IT (and then laughs with a booming cackle).

In this blog, I’ll really tell it as it is. If it sucks, it really does suck. If their White Chicken tastes like feet, I’ll say it tastes like feet. But if their service is gracious and wonderful, I’ll be more than happy to share my praises. The power of blogging…I’m not tied up with corporate sponsorships to review this restaurant or feature this brand. With stars or no stars – I’m telling!

Then, what makes me happy? Well at first it’s up to you, actually.

Got a surge of doing good and I’m asking YOU, dear reader, to suggest GREAT restaurants I can visit, review, and you think would make me post a joyous post.

Post your restaurant suggestions in the comment area.

Just visited a restaurant at Blue Wave, Macapagal avenue at Pasay City to grab a quick dinner after our meeting and found a few points that I want to share that restaurants have to consider. Some of these details I have observed between the top and dying establishments within Manila.

a. A Streamlined Menu – A good restaurant ensures that their menu is easy to read with enough spaces in between per choice to see what each offering.

An example:

DO: Crispy Pata – P300

Sinigang – P 150

DON’T: Crispy pata – P300 Sinigang – P150

Having too much or a crowded menu shows your diner that you don’t have enough time to make consistently GREAT dishes and in reality, you really don’t. If you have 4 cooks, serving 20 Main course choices, 10 appetizers, 10 desserts, 10 soups, etc. with a changing cuisine. Who are we kidding? Even having 7 won’t manage it. Sure they can do it. But is it the freshest? The Best? Consistent?

Another bad that restaurateurs practice is spreading their cooks too thin by accommodating too many culinary genres. Such as Chinese dimsum in a coffee shop that serves American/Filipino food. Make up your mind on at MOST 2 cuisines and stick to it. I actually prefer just ONE. Be careful with cuisine fusions though. This not only solves the quality of food that you serve, but it also reduces the logistical and skill limitations you might be imposing on your chef. But still interested in serving Chinese food? Don’t do it in your American diner establishment. Make a separate restaurant. Trust me. Your chef and diners would love you for it.

ARGUMENT: What if diners tell you they want “this” in your establishment?

ANSWER: Think and assess. Does it match the food you currently serve with the cuisine you chose? If yes, assess if your chefs and your ingredients can be at par with excellence in serving the dish. If not, then choose an existing choice and remove and replace with the new one OR just scrap the suggestion. I don’t think diners will mind getting their superbly done steak compared to having a fish fillet that they suggested done poorly.

b. An Evolving Menu – Great restaurants stick to a theme with the food they serve, focused and consistent, but develops a menu that is always evolving. Don’t remove the best-selling Shrimp Cocktail, but if it’s not Mango season anymore – don’t serve the Mango Crepe. Master the seasons and ingredient cultivation. Know your ingredients. Focus on your theme. Evolve. Don’t stick your menu in a rut.

c. Tailor your Restaurant’s Identity – What is your restaurant being to your consumers? What is your waiters being that contributes to your restaurant’s identity? What are you being that contributes to the business? Normally I prefer chefs that tailor the decor and name of their restaurant with the theme of their cuisine. But you could also do it, vice versa, but be careful as decor themed-restaurants can become gimmicky, especially if you don’t serve good food.

If you are doing decor theme first before the food theme, make sure to incorporate the personality of your theme with the food by making it different and delectable. An example would be if you are a Halloween-themed coffee shop, why not have coffee shakes that actually bubble or orange? I haven’t had orange coffee before. Or a coffee blend with exotic spices? If a Halloween-themed restaurant serves regular beverage – heck, I’ll just go walk a bit longer to get a Frap.

d. Don’t play Chinese sing-along music in a coffee shop. – Enough said. Except if you’re a Chinese tea salon. But still no sing-along music.

e. Focus – If you are a coffee shop – serve the best damn coffee. If you are an American diner – serve the best damn pancakes. If you are a Filipino restaurant – serve the best damn Crispy Pata. Don’t serve beer (in buckets!) if you are a coffee shop, even if you are near bars. I see a Max’s or Starbucks nearby and they don’t serve beer in buckets! Why should you?

f. Consistency – Consistency is crucial in any restaurant. It is more crucial if your diner’s first experience was lovely in your establishment. Consumers loving that first experience or knows that when s/he orders Beef Sinigang, s/he would get the same sourness, same beef tenderness, etc. etc. Though they (diners) are willing to try new things, there is always a sense of comfort knowing that the dish you choose in your establishment would be the same – always.

g. Service – Great service a must. A service post in detail in the future. Remember, tailor your service to the identity the restaurant has.