Felix

Saturdays are reserved for good food (at least we hope that the food is good).

This time around, we wanted to try one of the new restaurants in Greenbelt 5. Our strategy now is to find out about the restaurants present in a particular area that we are heading to so as to familiarize ourselves with the menu and not be surprised of the price once we get there.

I remember reading about Felix in a review of restaurants in Manila and it was hailed to be one of the best--and we tell you, it did not disappoint!

Ostrea , originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

On this particular day, I was not in the mood for salad or soup so we decided to order oysters. We ordered "Ostrea". This is probably one of the few dishes which sounds like its name. The oysters were baked in "3 terrific flavors" and indeed they were distinguishable. Even though we enjoyed the oysters, it did not meet our expectations. For us, nothing still tops the oysters at Mr. Rockefeller at Greenbelt 3. The taste quite pales when compared to Mr. Rockefeller's but it satisfied us nonetheless.

Ala Jay, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

This dish was called "Ala Jay" which was "Truffle cream with crispy parma ham". The description was a mouthful so maybe settling for "Ala Jay" was a good choice. The look did not impress us as it looked your ordinary carbonara. To my surprise, it was the dish I enjoyed the most! I'm a sucker for pastas as I've read that eating pasta makes you feel full for a longer period of time (which is exactly what I need if I want to eat less).

Mactan, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

Now the names get weird from here... She ordered a "Mactan" (but deep down, she really wanted kare kare ;p) The entree had "Grilled prawns with dried scallops, chili, cucumber, radish and XO sauce, served with rice and green asparagus". Fancy! As with all our food adventures, she shared this with me. Again, I liked this better than my food. I guess that's just the way it is. She tends to make the better choices.

Cordero, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

My order was a "Cordero" which was "Lamb short ribs with sauteed fennel and thyme potatoes". Given several choices of meat, I try to eat healthy(?) by ordering Lamb and this was not any different. I liked the blend of the sauce with the lamb as it did not overpower the taste of the meat. I thought I'd get away from rice for that meal but the potatoes definitely cannot replace the void from my belly that only rice can fill. Maybe someday I'll be able to do away with rice and settle for substitutes :D

Abi, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

We ordered two desserts. This one was "Abi" or creme brule (she loves creme brule). Personally, I prefer this over the other one (and she loves creme brule :D). Although this was pricey for its quantity, "Abi" made up for taste. My only regret on this was that I ate it too quickly. Since one serving fitted one teaspoon full, I ate it that way. Note to self: eat slowly next time especially with dessert ;p

Treviso, originally uploaded by belly happy tooooo.

I've been craving for Tiramisu for quite some time and when we saw this on the menu, I was very eager to try it. Much to my discontent, it was not what I was hoping for. Needless to say, I'm still looking for my good Tiramisu fix (0_0)

Overall, we thought that the bill was a bit too pricey for the experience that we had. As with restaurants that have the sticker of "Manila's Best Restaurants" on them, the service was pretty good. However, taste always weighed more. After all, people go back for the taste and not the service.

My Thai Kitchen

Yes! It was time again for another belly happy date! All week, she was craving for Filipino cuisine. She's got it planned: Kare-kare. After all, she can "eat it for an entire day" and maybe more. We knew the perfect place to get our Filipino cuisine fix. You'd think that since the cuisine is native Filipino, there would be a lot of restaurants to choose from but NO. The fact is, since the cuisine IS Filipino, we'd have pretty high expectations as we'll already have the ideal taste.

Anyways, we were headed to Mesa Grill (future review) at Greenbelt 5. Apparently, everybody else also thought that the place is one the best in Manila and decided to ruin the experience for us.

Since our bellies are in need of immediate attention, we left the long waiting line and decided to explore the nearby area and search for a place we haven't tried before.

Alas! We came across the old Temple Bar to discover that it was replaced by MY THAI KITCHEN. The ambiance looked pleasant enough and surely there was no line because it was a shame that nobody was eating there during this busy lunch hour.

Since our bellies were talking nasty to us... We ordered Tom Yum Goong, Thai Fish Cakes, Crispy Tofu with Vegetables and Chili, Pineapple Fried Rice, Stir Fried Squid with Pepper (Something), and Moo (Pork) Red Curry.

Tom Yum Goong, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We really do not have a lot of experience in Thai Food. We've only tried two other places namely: Dusit Thani in Glorietta (good times!), and Jatujak (yummy!!!) at SM Mall of Asia (drool). We always seemed to order the same stuff over and over as there isn't actually a wide array of selections (or maybe we're just not THAT familiar with the cuisine). We always started with this soup, Tom Yung Goong (different restaurants spell it differently... I wonder why). The taste was amazing. It had the right mix of chili and sour taste that I, bellyhappy, proclaimed it to be the best soup that I've tasted (among the other restaurants).

Thai Fish Cakes, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We don't usually go for appetizers in Thai Restaurants as we go straight to the main course and frankly, even though she and I eat meals good for 3-4 people, we won't be able to finish everything.

But this day was an exception. Call it hunger, call it frustration from not being able to go to the restaurant that we wanted, call it lunch...

The fish cakes were a welcomed addition to our table. All our six dishes were served instantaneously and again, we felt eyes glancing at us from those working there.

"What an odd couple..." ( but a cute couple nonetheless :D )

Crispy Tofu with Vegetables and Chili, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We always make it a point to (at least TRY to) eat healthy even though we eat a lot. This was our vehicle for satisfying our covenant to do so. I expected the usual vegetable dish that was more of a side dish than a main course but this really surprised me. I ended up getting more of this dish than the others in the table. I guess I can say that I ate healthier now (?)

Pineapple Fried Rice, originally uploaded by belly happy.

We are actually cutting down on our rice consumption. She always says "those will just be added carbs". I don't really count carbs but lately I rationalized that I'd rather taste more entrees than fill my belly with more of the same thing.

This time though, after seeing the picture in the menu and my belly commanding me to feast... I couldn't resist. Surely as always, my belly was right. The rice was full of taste and blended perfectly with the rest of the courses.

Stir Fried Squid with Pepper (Something), originally uploaded by belly happy.

For some reason, whenever we see this in the menu and couldn't think of anything more to order, we get this. This is my favorite seafood after all. Having all of our experience in this food in our history, we were pretty adept to how it should taste. Consistently with My Thai Kitchen's other dishes, this one did pretty good in our books as well. The Squid had a very nice texture which went perfectly with its sauce.

Moo (Pork) Red Curry, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Lastly, we wanted to try this dish solely for its name--MOO. We like cows. This particular moo however, meant pork which was contrary to its name. Nevertheless, I think we can both agree on this, that it was the best curry that we've tasted. (ooooh yes :D)

Fate really has a way of humoring us. It turned out that the long line in that other restaurant was a catalyst for bringing this wonderful taste to our bellies. I was able to practice taking more pictures with my camera and ended up capturing my favorite photo of her. As we left the restaurant, we forgot that we wanted Filipino cuisine. She still wanted Kare-kare though... Maybe next time :)

Capricciosa

The past week was tough. So for the weekend, bellyhappy and i planned to do something within our comfort zone. We said hello to an old favorite, Capricciosa :)

The story: After killing zombies and buying tickets for Avatar, we looked for a place to eat. We thought of trying a new restaurant but my very hungry tummy didnt want to go far. Then, we saw Capriciossa. Aha! Perfect!

We first tried Capricciosa back when we were in college --- kinda pricey for mere college students but we didnt mind (we've always loved food and it was that goooood!). They always had stellar service and great ambiance. The place wasn't too crowded; perfect for couples who want to have that roman-tick moment! Considering it has been a while since we've been there, we decided to order something familiar and something new.

Caesar Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

Yes, the Ceasar Salad is good for 4 persons and yes, we finished it all. We finished it not because of the price but because we missed it (and we were really hungry). I'm a big fan of salads, and i have to say that their Ceasar Salad is out of the ordinary. It had the clean, fresh taste that i like ---the dressing not too intense, just the way i like it!

Escargot in Garlic Butter Sauce, originally uploaded by belly happy.

When we saw this in the menu, we weren't sure what it was. After a few bites, we still weren't sure what it was but we didn't care--bellyhappy thinks it was some sort of a breed of shellfish which was cooked in a certain style. Needless to say, we loved this dish. We were smiling like little children after each bite! :D How we ate the Escargot: First, we dipped the bread into the sauce, then we ate the bread with the Escargot. <---- this is highly recommended! get your hands dirty... oh yeah! It was at this point that we were getting relatively more attention from the attendants compared to the last time we were there. The added service was most welcome. We thought about it and could be either one of two things: 1) Their management was really into customer service (because we still recognize the woman attending to us), or 2) They thought we were food critics because we were taking pictures of the our food. Nonetheless, it helped the experience. If bringing a camera warrants more attention and service, then it's definitely something that we would welcome.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio E Pepperoncino, originally uploaded by belly happy.

When he first ordered this dish, i wasnt too happy about it. i thought it was too simple. but after trying the Spaghetti, i couldnt help but have some more. We usually order the Squid Ink Pasta (it's a must-try!) but this is a great alternative. We wanted to order it but I didn't bring my toothbrush :D If i just had more tummy space, i would have finished half of the pasta. Naturally, he was the one who finished it.

Chicken Cacciatore, originally uploaded by belly happy.

And Finally, the Chicken Cacciatore. We loved it the first time, and we still love it now! :D Looks can be deceiving and this dish has deceived us before. The first bite was a total surprise. We never thought that the chicken would still have a crunchy bite since it was covered with sauce. And the side dishes? nice, crunchy, yummy, and not to mention, healthy (plus points for healthy)!

Capricciosa is definitely our top choice for Italian cuisine. They have really nice attendants, very tasty food, and a subtle lighting that positively influences the quasi-formal, roman-tick ambience. We'll go here again and next time--with our toothbrush ready.

Mario's Restaurant

January 2, 2010.
We've been planning to start a blog for a while now and with the start of the new year, we knew when and where to start it.

We usually have lunch dates every Saturday and we make it a point to eat at places that will satisfy our 'bellies'.

With little knowledge about the place and an empty stomach (literally), we and our wallets were off to Tomas Morato to try out one of the best restaurants in Manila.

What better way to start the year (not to mention the blog) than through great food and great company! We had our lunch at Mario's Restaurant today and it was surely worth it!

Bread, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-As with most restaurants, they served us the usual 'bread and butter'. Usually, I (bellyhappy), would not finish an entire basket of bread because I save some of my tummy space for the other food that we order... but MAN! their bread was really good and i wanted to have it all. In the end, we didn't finish the basket as she (bellyhappy too) pushed it out of my reach and distracted me until our salad came (which was too long because I kept staring at the bread that seemed so, so far awayyyy).

The ambiance is hard to describe through text as it surely is something that you need to experience for yourself in order to appreciate it (like kissing). Let's just say that the arrangement is like a mix of a hotel lobby and an old house with wooden fixtures and huge glass windows to add a natural lighting to it. (cooooooool)

Crab and Mango Salad, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-She has been craving for crab and mango salad and I believe that this has been satisfied. There is a natural blend between the flavors that we were able to finish it in no time. It was at this point that they noticed that we were taking pictures of what they served us as we heard a waiter saying to the chef "(name), kinukuhanan ng picture yung luto mo!". We don't know if this unintended and misconstrued display of criticism somewhow affected the plating for the next orders to come but we welcomed it nonetheless.

Surtido De Tapas, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-The Surtido De Tapas was served after just a couple of photos we took of the salad. We don't know what Surtido De Tapas means but based on their menu, we're a little confident that 'Tapas' is the same as 'appetizer' and not the TAPA that you put in TAPSILOG. This mix of appetizers included four types of dishes--Sausage, Calamari, Buffalo Wings, and Drunken Shrimp or Nilasing na Hipon (We're really interested on how this is made and what beer they use to make the shrimps drunk). There are three types of dips--vinegar for the shrimps, tartar sauce for the calamari, and salsa for the buffalo wings. Out of the four, I'd have to say that I had no favorite dish but my least favorite would be the sausage. Maybe because there's no excitement of dipping it in a sauce although she, the ever-experimental one, tried dipping it in different sauces. (-_-)

Steak and Shrimp Orientale, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-At last! The main courses! We have this habit of sharing our food since we both want what the other is having. She orderedd Steak and Tempura which surely was one of the best steaks I have tasted. We usually request for our steaks to be medium-well which usually makes the beef juicy and this was perfectly achieved. The tempura was delicious as well although we don't have a lot of experience in Japanese food that we can compare it to. Nonetheless, it satisfied our palettes which was our goal. The fried rice was also very tasty and i ended up eating half of her rice. Honestly, I wished that I ordered her food instead.

Lengua Con Setas, originally uploaded by belly happy.

-My order was Lengua Con Setas which I only understand as 'Tongue blah blah'. The mushroom gravy was very rich in flavor which was only complimented by the mashed potatoes and sauteed string beans. (she on the other hand ended up with half my potatoes and veggies)

Overall, we had a great meal and we cant wait for our next visit to mario's. Despite the long drive, it was worth it. The price range is almost 500 an entree. in our case, it cost us almost 2,000 bucks. Though it was a bit pricey, the meal made us very happy anyway and we gave a little extra for the waiters who welcomed and served us like we've been there before.


...and that was our first adventure for the year. As they say, start your year right... And we surely did.