Estero Fastfood

     When one talks about Chinese food, most would probably have dimsum on the top of their minds. However, a famous eatery in Chinatown takes their menu up a notch by offering exotic food aside from the usual combination of Chinese and Filipino dishes most restaurants do around the area.

     Estero Fastfood, as the name implies, is located near the creek by the main road inside Chinatown and is famous among the locals in the area.

     A diversion from the usual business strategy of keeping a good ambiance, Estero keeps it simple by going back to the basics - focusing on food with no frivolities. With a simple monoblock chair, a budget of P150 and up and plain table, you're already set to begin your gastronomic journey inside Chinatown.

     The first dish that was served to us was the crispy noodles with stir fried vegetables and liver. Below the dish was a broth that resembles the taste those of a Chopsuey's. It can serve around four to five people.

     Another dish served was the Oyster Pancake, which was my favorite. It is oysters and vegetables battered in egg and flour, pan fried until golden brown. It goes well with ketchup or hot sauce, but is still yummy without any condiments. The combination of seasonings used for the oysters and vegetables is already flavorful and would want to make you eat more after every bite. It can feed three to four people.

     We also ordered their deep fried frog just to try how it tastes like. It tastes like chicken, but is a bit salty since the salt is used to remove the odor of the frog. The frog has a lot of bones compared to the chicken, so it may be a good dish to eat with beer, but not for lunch.  It can feed one or two persons.

     Their Yang Chow rice had a lot of toppings. I have found it a bit bland, needs some salt though, but considering that their other dishes are already well seasoned, the rice balances everything out. It can feed five to six people.

     We also had squid, as seen on the picture on the left side. It can feed four to five people. The sauce tastes slightly sweet. The squid was also cooked well - easy to chew and flavorful.

     As a safe option compared to the frog, we ordered chicken. It can feed four to five people. The chicken served in the dish had the fleshy parts and was cooked well. If you're hungry, have the chicken instead of the frog.


     Overall, Estero is a great option if you would like to eat tasty food. However, if you are ambiance and aesthetic conscious with the places where you eat, I would recommend that you have your food for take out.




     With great food and fast service, Estero is definitely a good place to go to when you are offline.

     

Cafe Ysabel

     The Philippine Hispanic Era has come alive in a quaint restaurant located along Wilson Street in Greenhills, San Juan. Cafe Ysabel, a casual dining restaurant established by Chef Gene Gonzales on 1982, has long been famous for its reputation of good food, romantic ambiance and fine dining suited to the affluent.

     The cafe's facade envibes those of a genteel family's house from the Spanish occupation. To be exact, it is actually an ancestral house of Susan Roces' family built around 1927 that is refurbished to become a resto. A small fountain with floating lotuses and with swimming with Koi greet the guests as they arrive. Moss frolic around the concrete's surface, adding the to the 'old-age' feel Cafe Ysabel has.

     As you enter the room, you would really feel like you have moved back in time. Wooden floors, wooden pillars and a wooden bar furnish the room. The ceiling and the walls are painted with a Caribbean-like motif which looks as if it had aged through time.

  The windows are wide, just like those of old Spanish houses built in the Philippines. Even the chairs and tables try to cross the boundary of time with its classic design.

     Upon being seated, you will be given their newspaper-like menu which has a very interesting cover written by Brillat-Savarin, a lawyer and politician who became a well-known epicure and gastronome. It is an excerpt from his book, entitled 'Physiologie du Gout' or The Physiology of Taste, which is known to be the most famous book ever written about food and the source of the famous aphorism 'Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are'.

     

     Among all the restaurants I have been in, Cafe Ysabel would probably be the one with the widest array of dishes and beverages on their menu. They have over 150 dishes, over 70 beverages and over 20 desserts and pastries to choose from. Their price range is also wide. They have items that would cost below P200 and those that would range around thousands. 

     After placing your order, you would be served with refillable drinking water and complimentary bread with which seems to be Balsamic Vinegar with Olive Oil. The bread is baked well. It is soft and a bit moist on the inside, crisp and powdery on the outside. It blends well with the sweet yet tangy taste of the Balsamic Vinegar with Olive Oil. The good news is, the complimentary bread is unlimited. 

     Due to our prior food adventure in the morning, my friends and I decided to order something light - lo and behold, the souffle. A souffle is a lightly baked cake made from egg yolk and egg whites combined with other ingredients. It originated from the French word 'souffler' which means to puff up - thus its appearance.

     Cafe Ysabel's was my first souffle. One order is good for two - not the serving size, but they will literally give you two souffles. It costs P198, so that is like P99/person for two people. It was served separately with milk. What we had was chocolate flavored. On first bite, one would easily taste the egg white present in the dish. The taste would greatly remind you of 'Champorado'. The feeling of eating it on the other hand, would probably remind you of breakfast and childhood. It is quite amazing - how food is able to stir up memories.

     My other friend ordered Caesar Salad for himself, and let me tell you, I have just seen the most intimidating salad in my life. It looked as if they had served a quarter of the Cabbage on his platter. However, it only seemed like that since the bottom was filled with other veggies. My friend enjoyed his meal. He found it tasty and filling. The Caesar Salad costs P380, but if you are planning to eat their entrees, it would probably be good enough to serve around two to three people as an appetizer.

     One would probably need around P250 to P400 to be able to dine in Cafe Ysabel. I would greatly recommend it for dates, especially romantic dinners. It may also be a great place to take visiting relatives from abroad due to the historic feel that the place exudes and the wide array of food offerings that will suit a well-traveled person. 

     A place seemingly teeming with romance and history, with a well-thought of menu from their chefs to match, Cafe Ysabel is definitely a great place to dine when you are offline.   

TeaTap

     The tea craze is heaven for tea lovers like me. Lately, names like Gong Cha, Happy Lemon and Serinitea have been popping out of the scene. However, I am choosing to blog a tea place which was introduced to me by another friend of mine - Teatap.

Image source: TeaTap Fan Page, Facebook

    Teatap is located at P. Guevarra Street in San Juan, right across the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). It is near Greenhills and Navigating towards there is not hard, but the problem comes with the parking. It is usually full, especially around lunch time, around 3:00pm and around dinner time. Here's a tip - the best place to park is anywhere but the basement parking. It is so steep that your car has to use hill assist just to come back up to ground level.

     The troublesome parking is worth it though, for the moment you step inside the cafe, you will feel all fluffy due to the interiors. You are to be welcomed by the synthetic grass on the doorstep with a statue of a cute cat staring at you. The dim lights also make the place homey, making you want to spend more time inside the cafe than taking your food for take-out.

Image Source: TeaTap Fan Page, Facebook

     As its name suggests, TeaTap has a wide range of teas to choose from. They have their Fresh Brewed Tea line, Grass Jelly Series, Milk Tea line, Fruit Tea line, Yakult Series and Mousse Series.

     Like in other tea places, you will be the one to determine the sweetness level and the contents of your tea after choosing from their tea line. The price ranges from P70 to P100.

 

Image Source: TeaTap Fan Page, Facebook

     Aside from tea, TeaTap also offers entrees as well as yogurt from Simply Life. Some of the entrees they offer are Takoyaki (P100/5pcs), Korean Spicy Buffalo Wings (P160), Chili Cheese Dynamite (P100), Karaagedon (P190) and others.

     They also offer a line for pastas such as Carbonara (P180), Creamy Shrimp EbikoPasta (P260), Spaghetti Bolognese (P180), Spicy Shrimp Aglio Olio Pasta (P240) and Mushroom Cream Pasta (P180) - which are their best sellers.

 

     My friends and I have never tried their entrees, but we did try their yogurt and tea. 

     Their yogurt is available in three flavors - Mango Almond Caramel, Nutty Yogurt and Tokyomochi. It's available in two serving sizes, small and large. The small one costs P150 and the large one costs around P190.

     I would recommend Tokyomochi among the three due to its taste and its interesting array of ingredients such as dried seaweed bits, red beans and the now-popular, mochi.

     Upon placing your number and then paying, you will be given a number. While waiting, you can opt to check their shelves for some cute items on sale or to try wearing their odd looking glasses for fun. Then again, you can choose the most ordinary option, which is to wait and admire the interiors.


     When your number is called, go to the right-side counter, give your number card and claim your order.






     TeaTap is a nice place to hangout by yourself, with your friends, to do your homework or to read a book. You could already buy something with P70 in your pocket and would already be full with P200 to P300 as your food budget.

   
      TeaTap also offers free wi-fi and sockets to charge your laptops while working or while browsing away online.

     Before you leave, do not forget to check out their tip box on top of the counter, by the cat. Put a coin on the platter with a fish bone, press the button, then see what happens.


     With its relaxing and playful ambiance, awesome tea and yogurt, TeaTap is definitely a good place to go when you are offline.

Happy 6days

     I was quite nonchalant when the so-called 'Korean Wave' hit Manila. Well, that was until I watched their series, tried their make-up and most of all, ate their food. Only then did I realize why people are so hyped up about it.

     A friend of mine, who is a loyal J-pop and K-pop fan, introduced me to a Korean Restaurant around the Ortigas area named 'Happy 6days'. It's along Escriva Drive, a few blocks away across the back entrance of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P).

     The first thing that one would notice upon entering the restaurant is its homey atmosphere. The place is lit with dim lights, the interiors are filled with wooden chairs, tables and floors and tiny details such as plants, Christmas decors (all-year 'round) and  beautiful walls would really make you want to sit down, talk and relax.

     The Korean greeting from the employees would also make you feel really welcomed.

     Upon being seated, your order is going to be taken. While they are preparing your food, side dishes are going to be served. They vary each day, depending on what the resto decides on. Plus, it's unlimited, so you can ask for more if any of your side dishes run out.

     On this particular day, we got to eat sweetened potatoes (upper left), bokchoi kimchi (upper right), lettuce kimchi (lower left) and seasoned innards (lower right), as seen on the picture on the left side.

     The last time we ate at Happy 6days, we got to munch on macaroni (left), bokchoi kimchi (top), bean sprouts (right) and omelet (below), as seen on the picture on the right.

     The waiting time for the food is quite fast regardless of the number of customers. It usually varies depending on the preparation time for the food that you order.

     We ate Japchae (upper left), Shin Ramyun (upper right) and Kimbap (below) on our last visit.

     The Japchae is like the Korean version of the Filipino dish 'pancit'. The only difference is that it has a tinge of sweetness. If you're not a fan of spicy food, Japchae is the best entree to order. It costs P250 and can feed three to four persons.




     We ordered the plain Kimbap which costs P100, but they have other varieties such as the Beef Kimbap and the Tuna Kimbap, which costs P150 respectively. The Kimbap is another recommended dish for those who do not want spicy food.


     The Shin Ramyun costs P150 pesos and can serve four to five persons - and yes, it's the same Shin Ramyun than you can buy in Korean grocery stores. However, they add in more toppings compared to the ones that you can buy from supermarkets. As most Korean dishes are, the Shin Ramyun is also Spicy, but for those who are fond of spicy food, it only has a mild spiciness to it.

 

     Happy 6days also has Samgyepsal which costs P250. It's roasted pork belly served with sliced fried garlic, kimchi paste and lettuce.


      Most people who have not watched any K-drama would not know how to eat Sampgyepsal. Roasted pork served on a different platter, foreign condiments and an intimidating serving of lettuce - I was also worried the first time we ordered one; good thing I was with my k-pop devotee friend.


     To eat Samgyepsal, first, take a piece of lettuce and put it in your palm. Next put the roasted pork belly on top of the lettuce. You can also add in some of your side dishes, the fried garlic and the kimchi paste if you want to. If you're satisfied, wrap it. Then, dig in.


     Happy 6days is open six days a week, thus, the name for the restaurant. They are open on Mondays 'til Saturdays, 10:00am until 2:00am. The owner is Korean, while the employees are Filipino. So if you can speak in English, Korean or Filipino, you would not have trouble in terms of communication.


     With a budget of P100 and up, you can already eat at Happy 6Days. For a relaxed ambiance and great Korean food, it is definitely a place to go when you are offline.