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Tokyo Cafe in Manila?

We love Mall of Asia. You need to get use to it before really appreciating the genius of its design. We live near the area so we like to hang out here during the weekdays. Usually, Weekends are a no-no for us, but the Typhoon Milenyo weekend was an exception. With most establishments in the Makati area still having no power, Mall of Asia is back to business as usual. This is the kind of reliability that you need from a mall specially during times of crisis :) Aside from this, we love MOA because of its family oriented design where you can find play/ game houses for the kids in every corner and very good shopping places for my wife. This is the first time when we fell in love with a mall.

However, I felt I had exhausted all the new cool resto places in MOA when we suddenly can't figure out where to eat. We haven't tried Bed Scenes, but the food i hear is not that good (please let me know if you hear otherwise). There are the celebrity-owned restos facing the bay like the Yaku Japanese resto owned by jason webb and family and Lamesa Grill with Sen. Kiko Pangilinan as one of the owners I heard. But I cannot seem to drag my feet into those restos-- can't seem to find a reason to do so. Pink Peppers-- we are not sure too. We don't usually repeat any restaurants when it is just me, my wife and Aidan.

Out of nowhere, we came across Tokyo Cafe with its cool white interiors and seductive menu line up. It reminded me of Teriyaki Boy kind of food but without the Chicken grill in the menu. We saw the actor, Michael de mesa and family eating there so we decided to check it out too. I'm sure there is no Tokyo cafe in Tokyo and this would be a Manila version of what a Tokyo cafe would look and taste like. I'm not sure who the owner is and I was not able to get more info about its existence and ownership. Let us know if you know the story of tokyo cafe.

The Verdict? It is very good as expected for a fast food type of resto. We don't mind going back here to check out the Pizza and Pasta items.

Mall of Asia, Restaurants

Sebastian's Ice Cream @ Shepherd's Staff, Mall of Asia

Ian Carandang's Sebastian Ice Cream was heralded by Lori as the successor of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream in the Philippines. This has been on my blogging list for a few months now and I've got a few online friends (Spanx and Anna Ria) who rave about this ice cream. I've always wanted to visit Sebastian's Ice Cream Studio in Alabang Town Center but time was not on my side. I'm glad that they opened a distribution point in Shepherd's Staff in Mall of Asia. Actually, only people in the know would stop by this Christian and inspirational bookstore to eat Sebastian ice cream which was characterized by Lori in her post "Ian the Ice Cream Man" as enthralling complexity, gutsy tastes, and unusual combinations.

The Verdict: One can easily get addicted to this ice cream and I won't look at any other ice cream when I'm in Mall of Asia. We tasted their Cookie Dough best seller and Mango Sansrival which have very generous serving of tasty chunks of its finest ingredient. It taste more like a cookie dough with ice cream rather than an ice cream with cookie dough ingredients. Same is true for the Mango Sansrival which my wife absolutely love. She even bought a slice of sansrival after a day because she was once again craving for that cake! How she adore eating that sooo sinful cake. Only thing is each scope costs P68 which is expensive for a scoop of ice cream even more higher than Better than Ice cream. Although one scoop was really enough for us to satisfy our craving for this because of the fullness of flavor of the ice cream.

Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines, Restaurants

My Rice Table @ Mall of Asia

12 dishes
4 people
490++ pesos
My Rice Table!

"The Rice Table concept was introduced hundreds of years ago when the dutch first visited the spice islands of Indonesia and asked to sample each dish one at a time. So impressed were the Dutch with this unparalleled gustatory experience that they began the tradition of rijstafel or 'Rice Table'. " -- excerpt from the Soft Menu of Rice Table

The rice table concept is very simple and cheap. It is also based on the insight that Filipinos love to try out small portions of dishes. When we eat out with my family, we make it a point to order different dishes and share the food with everybody so that we can have a wide assortment of taste. This patikim habit is also the reason why most of us get fat because visually you are eating small portions but you wouldn't know that you have eaten a lot already. I love Asian food and Rice Table is for those people who wants a light dinner before that IMAX movie. All the dishes are served on top of a stainless table with a matching votive candles below to heat it up. I like the food and it is very affordable but the different dishes got mixed reactions. What I like about it is that you can exchange some of the dishes included in the rice table with the other menu items. We particularly excluded Koffee Babi (Pork Ribs with Coffee Sauce), and Daging Rendang (Spicy Beef Stew).

Manila, Philippines, Restaurants

Gumbo's Seafood Jambalaya -- From Ahh to Ayy

Grande Seafood Jambalaya (P425) To Share

You would always hear the chefs in the open kitchen of the Gumbo, shout "Ahh. Seafood Jambalaya" as they serve their "star" dish to their customers. Gumbo is the newest themed restaurant revolving around the concept of "A Taste of New Orleans", their first branch. This less than a month old place in the Mall of Asia is a sister company of Burgo's Restaurant so this is not a multinational chain but proudly Filipino owned company. You can see the servers wearing the multi-colored beads necklaces, inspired by the women collecting these beads during the New Orlean's Mardi Gras. Bag Hag actually enjoyed her visit to this place in her posts "Salcedo Market + TRESORMAKATI update" but unfortunately, we had a different experience.

Actually the "Ahh. Seafood Jambalaya" turned into "Ayy, Seafood Jambalaya pala". I always hate it when the photos in the menus are dishonest and typical of any marketing hype. We were fooled by the menu on how good the Grande Seafood Jambalaya looks like and was disappointed by the presentation when it was served to us. We were expecting the our jambalaya would be full of shrimps, squid and mussels like it was in the menu but to our dismay the paella rice was all over the dish! The supposedly toppings were hidden somewhere down there. Excitement turned to disappointment but to be fair and of course, we already ordered it, we digged in. I did not really enjoy the paella-type cooking because there was no consistency in taste throughout the journey with our Jambalaya -- some portions were too tasty with spices, while some were bland. I guess Lori is right that we should give restaurants a good 2-3 months in operation before judging them for the quality of food they serve. So I will pause for now for my rants about Gumbo and I do hope that my readers who have a different experience with Gumbo (please post them in the comments). The last thing I wanted to do is post negative comments on my blog about restaurants. The reason I still posted Gumbo is that the interiors were lovely and the place is a very promising alternative to Fridays or Burgoo's. Maybe we will just have our little amnesia phase about our experience with this place and check this out after some time, maybe after we finish off the MOA restaurants.

Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines, Restaurants

Chocolat Cakes -- Best Chocolate Dessert Place in Mall of Asia!

Classic Deep Dark Chocolate Cakes (P43/ slice)

I've always wondered what Lori meant with this description of a chocolate cake in her post " 5 of the best chocolate cakes in Manila " :

"For me, a chocolate cake has to have structure – it shouldn’t be one big fudgy brownie slathered in icing. The cake should have “bite,” and a consistent crumb. The cake should be moist, an indication that it was mixed well, baked properly, and most importantly, not a week old. I’m not fond of eating cakes that are so dry it feels like my throat is being scrubbed with every swallow. Lastly, a good chocolate cake should have enough icing: ganache, marshmallow frosting, 7-minute icing, or simply the instant stuff from a can – whatever it may be, there should be enough of it. A cake that lacks icing is like eating kare-kare without bagoong or peanut butter without bread. Sure, it tastes good enough, but why settle for good enough? "

Finally I was able to taste the moist Chocolat cake that Lori is taking about ! I'm glad that Chocolat opened up a store in Mall of Asia and you should look out for this place when you are craving for that perfect chocolate cake dessert to finish your meal. Their place is actually hidden behind a huge pillar in the North parking towers.

This is one of those places that can impress your date in Mall Of Asia. This would give an impression that you are in-the-know about the best places to eat specially dessert. I teased my wife last friday that I know the perfect dessert place in Mall of Asia and she thought that I was just fooling around. She kept on guessing until we arrived at the place and finally ate the best Chocolate cake she ever tasted. Chocolates are always a winner with women so let's just hope that she is not reading this post too :)

Mall of Asia, Philippines, Restaurants

Taste Asia @ MOA- Best Kept Secret in Mall of Asia

Where can you eat authentic tasty Cebu Lechon, yummy Pampanga Sisig, sweet, smelly Durian and juicy Suha of Davao, fresh seafood from Roxas City complete with a "Dampa" cooking service concept all in one place? The secret is out, Taste Asia is voted as my best restaurant in the Mall of Asia. Whoever conceptualized this place is a genius and really knows the Filipino taste in food at an affordable price! Most of the dishes will play around P100-P200 price range and expect to pay P300/ head at the maximum if you avail of the cooking service.

What I liked about Taste Asia: the seafood was deliciously fresh not like the ones at the Seafood Dampas along Macapagal Blvd. Also, Taste Asia was able to achieve a one-stop shop for authentic, affordable Filipino favorites where Tiendesitas failed and nowhere close to how good the food was in Taste Asia. It is not only where you can find "The True Taste of Pinoys" but you can also explore the other Asian cuisine all in one place. All your cravings for asian dishes will be satisfied :) If you are a healthy eater, fret no more because fresh fruits and salads are available for your indulgence. You can also specify the way you want your seafoods are cooked, similar to the dampas. One thing amiss was the limited choices of vegetable dishes and limited display of fresh vegetables. At night, there are bands playing similar to the boardwalk along Roxas Blvd.

The entire place is al fresco, and it is definitely not ideal to eat here in the afternoon or during summer unless you missed having your summer tan just don't forget your suntan lotion. Best time to eat here is during weeknights because Mall of Asia is lovely during the weekdays since it is not too crowded.

Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines

Highland's Steakhouse finally in Mall of Asia!

10z Ribeye Steak. Airflown Certified Angus Beef (P 1,080)

Finally the best steakhouse in Tagaytay, exclusive to Tagaytay Highlands members only, opened last week in Mall of Asia! We ate there with my family last Friday and we were excited to find out that it was there second day of operation. I got the tip from Tanya, one of the bloggers I follow, and she is among those who absolutely love Highland's steakhouse. As for me, I'm not really a steak lover but I got interested with steaks ever since eating in Myron's. One of these days, I will try the suggestions of my readers to try out the steaks of Handle Bar in Makati and Steak MD in Tomas Morato.
I like the log cabin type of ambiance consistent with the Tagaytay Highland's interior design. It has a cozy tungsten lighted atmosphere complete with fireplace which should be perfect during the cold season. As for the food, all the food items we ordered were deliciously satisfying that we didn't mind paying for about P800/ person. Kudos to Highland's Steakhouse management for a job well done in providing a good steak experience immediately after its opening.

Technorati Tags: Philippines, Restaurants

[Mall of Asia 06] Ted's Old Timer La Paz Batchoy since 1945

Ilonggo's are very proud of Ted’s Old Timer La Paz Batchoy and they opened their 6th branch in SM Mall of Asia! I'm glad that Ted's Batchoy is near Makati already so that it is easy to satisfy that craving for authentic Batchoy. What I love about it is they have a 100% beef Batchoy rather than just the pork version. Batchoy goes very well with puto manapla and it is also available here. Their menu is very simple and the ambiance is simple.

Now since this is in the Mall of Asia, it might be tricky to find this. I'll tell you exactly where it is.

Mall of Asia, Manila, Philippines