Resto Bites - Kuppa

Since my office moved to Bonifacio Global City, I've been on the hunt for quality but reasonably-priced restaurants. There are a lot of good restaurants there, but the price range is more suited for an executive. That's why my team and I rarely eat out (but that's also because we have a kick-ass cafeteria/food court in our building hehe).

During one of our team lunch-outs, we passed by Kuppa, a coffee place that catches your attention because of the handwritten menu on their windows. It reminded me of the movie Amelie. That day, some of my teammates and I decided to have our dessert there. We tried two cakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombe and lemon cake (I forgot the actual name).

There is so much more to their menu than cakes and coffee, so I decided to come back with Jay to eat there during one of our date nights. Just to set your expectations, I am not a coffee drinker, so although Kuppa is also known for its coffee, there's none of that in this post.

Kuppa has nice interiors, a mix of concrete, brick and wood set against black and white walls. The space has high ceilings with exposed beams and plumbing. There are huge picture windows but the handwritten menu acts like a thin curtain for diners inside. There's a second floor with more seats, and a smoking area as well.

Yummy pastries, chalkboard menu, and nice interiors. I'm sold!

Here's what we ordered:

Water was complimentary, but the bottle is nice so I included it in the photo. :)

I had iced tea and Jay had lemonade. They serve their iced tea with syrup as sweetener, which reminded me of the one served at Chocolate Kiss (in UP Diliman).

I'd like to think I'm more adventurous than Jay when it comes to food. His philosophy is that when he's hungry, he'd like to be sure he's eating good food. We were nearly starving at this point so he opted for the basic bolognese. And I'm glad he did. This is one of the more flavorful spaghetti I've had in a while. The serving is good to share if you're also ordering other entrees.

While we were waiting for our pizza, Jay wanted to order the kebab but the server said it would take a while so we'll just reserve it for our return. There are other interesting entrees too, like the Osso Bucco and Lamb Caldereta. They also have a variety of sandwiches as well as a breakfast menu.

For our pizza, our server recommended the Prosciutto Cotto e Funghi as one of their bestsellers so we tried that. As you can see from the photo, some edges of the crust were burnt, but the rest of the pie was amazing. They didn't scrimp on the mozarella, cooked ham, and mushrooms. When I'm with my more adventurous foodie friends, I'd like to try their signature pizza called Cristina, which has an interesting mix of toppings: mozarella, balsamic, gorgonzola, fig and grapes.

Now, I've mentioned before that I am not a chocolate fan. But I'm more likely to eat chocolate when it's incorporated in another dessert, like a cake. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombe has my approval. It's rich, with the right amount of sweetness. A layer of peanut butter is sandwiched between white chocolate mousse and chocolate cake, then encased in chocolate ganache. You'll be licking your dessert forks with this one.

Just like Bob's, Kuppa is a cafe that originated from Bacolod. I wasn't able to pay a visit while I was there, but I'm happy they now have a branch in Manila. It's definitely worth coming back to!

Let me end my post with a shot of this decadence:

Kuppa Roastery & Cafe
31st and 4th
Bonifacio Global City
+632-552-1057

Resto Bites: Sunshine Kitchen

I love eating out, but that habit can be tough on the pocket especially when you want to eat in a good restaurant. To get quality food, sometimes you have to pay a high price. That's why I am so thankful discount websites have sprung like wild mushrooms everywhere! I've gotten so many good deals from those sites be it for health, beauty, and of course, food! It can get addicting though, so make sure you purchase stuff you really need. Everything in moderation. :)

Marye, Ten, and I shared a coupon for Sunshine Kitchen. It was a consumable voucher that allowed us to order items on the regular menu. That was good because usually when restaurants tie up with a discount website, they offer a special set menu. I forgot how much the coupon was, but what we did was pay for the additional cost of our orders.

My first impression when we entered Sunshine Kitchen was that it lacked sunshine. Maybe because we came on a gloomy day, or maybe I was just thinking about a different restaurant. You know, white furniture, bright and cheerful walls, birds chirping. Heh, my bad.

Sunshine Kitchen has brick walls, black tables, and yellow chairs. The sunlight comes from the huge picture windows covered by the restaurant signage in the middle. A bar with high black stools gives a peek into the restaurant's kitchen.

The sunshine comes from the food they serve: flavorful, well-seasoned, and with generous servings. Each dish is worth the price.

For appetizers, we had mixed mushroom with poached egg (P280). Two thumbs up for this dish. Even the bread was great.

We also ordered Pasta Al Nero (P410). It's squid ink spaghetti with shrimp, squid, snapper and cream. I love anything pasta, and this was a hit for me. Creamy and tender, it's good for sharing but I have no doubt I can finish it on my own.

Another great dish, this is the 6-hour Slow Roast Porchetta (P450). We also split this among the three of us (their menu says it's good for two), but if you're not too worried about your cholesterol levels, then go ahead and eat it solo. The pork was cooked right, and it has the right mix of crisp and tender, crunchy and juicy. It comes with three dipping sauces, but it's delicious even on its own.

One of the reasons we headed to this restaurant was to try out their "artisanal pizzas," and boy we weren't disappointed. We tried their signature dish, the Sunshine Pizza (P550). It has a bed of marinara sauce topped with Cabanatuan longganisa, porchetta, mozzarella, ricotta, bell peppers, and what we think could only be quail eggs on each slice. Smoky, savory goodness in every bite. This is definitely not from your neighborhood pizza joint.

Oh but the happiness didn't stop there. We finished our delightful meal with two scoops of Key Lime Pie Ice Cream topped with crushed grahams (P240). Ah, I could sing this dessert praises all day! I've mentioned before that I have a different taste when it comes to desserts and sweets, but this, this is definitely my type. It is exactly what you need on a hot summer day: cold, tangy, and refreshing. Actually, you'd want to eat it even if it's cold and raining! I can still taste it in my mouth as I type this. I shall come back for you!

Service was good, the servers efficient and knowledgable of the menu. I won't be surprised if this place is always packed with customers.

Sunshine Kitchen
The Fort Strip
7th Avenue corner Katipunan Circle
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig/Makati City
+632-8472791
+63928-8212625

Resto Bites: Sincerity

A couple of months ago, my former office mates and I decided to have a field trip in Binondo to eat at Sincerity, a hole in the wall restaurant famous for their fried chicken.

I first came to know about Sincerity through my Mom, who frequents Divisoria for her garments business. She would sometimes bring a take out order of fried chicken, which is so good even after you've put them in the fridge overnight. The chicken remains tender and flavorful. It's been years since I last ate their chicken.

One Saturday we met up in front of Binondo Church and walked for about ten minutes until we found the restaurant squeezed between other establishments on the busy Yuchengco Street. The interiors are nothing fancy: basic plastic tables and chairs. One wall has mirror panels to make the place look bigger. Above them, there are framed photos and plates signed by celebrities. A small TV screen by the counter plays on loop a Kris TV episode (with Kris Aquino and Kim Chiu) that was shot inside Sincerity.

I found it cute that their serving plates are the ones my relatives had when I was younger--those white and beige ceramic plates with a classic print of a lady and a gentleman. It brought me back to my childhood!

Our orders:

Three half orders of Sincerity Fried Chicken. Like I said, it's great. This is not your fast food chicken. Each part is seasoned well, and the pieces are cut just right. Looking back, I should've ordered some for take-out.

Oyster Cake. This is an acquired taste, one that I'm glad I got. The oysters are removed from their shells, enveloped in scrambled eggs, then it was either baked or fried. All I know for sure is this is a must-try! If you love seafood, then you shouldn't miss ordering this.

Polonchay belongs in the same family as spinach. Tastes like spinach too. We ordered this because of guilt. All our orders were fried and oily! Hehe.

Kikiam. Again, not how your typical kikiam looks like. One order costs P50 pesos, but the serving size is big. And it's yummy!

Sincerity Fried Rice. A Chinese restaurant staple. I think we ordered several extra servings of this.

And because one of my office mates ordered it, I got jealous and ordered a sago't gulaman for myself! Perfect thirst quencher.

We only had to pay P189 each for all our orders (including drinks). That was two hundred pesos well spent, I tell ya. Food is excellent and service is good. They even gave us house tea and complimentary ube ensaymada! If only Sincerity was more accessible, I'd be a staple for sure.

Here's a blurry group photo. Happy smiles and happy tummies!

Sincerity Restaurant & Cafe
497 Yuchengco St., Binondo, Manila
Tel. No. 241-9991/241-9990/241-9972

Sincerity Restaurant & Cafe
G/F Luck Chinatown Mall
Reina Regente St. cor. Dela Reina St., Binondo, Manila

Sincere Restaurant & Cafe
549 Banawe St., Quezon City
Tel No. 711-0212/711-0280

Resto Bites: Maple

I wanted to like Maple. I really did. I chose the restaurant for my despedida lunch with my office friends before I left my former job. Our office was near Shangri-La Plaza, and the recently-opened East Wing promised a lot of new restaurants waiting to be tried. The day before we went there, I saw Christine Dychiao post a photo of their Truffle Omelette Souffle on her Instagram account.

Maple is a modest-sized restaurant with dark wooden furniture, giving off a warm, log cabin vibe. An accent wall has a huge stencil of a Maple tree, with backlighting that emits an amber glow. Their menu reads like a fairy tale book, and they offer traditional and modern American dishes.

Only a couple of tables were taken when we came in (the photos above were taken after our meal), but the restaurant was filled soon after we sat down. The ratio of the servers to the tables weren't quite balanced, we only saw about three servers for more than twelve tables, and they were always out of sight.

Our bad experience started with the dusty water glasses. Ten called the attention of one waitress and told her of our concern. What I noticed was the waitress didn't apologize or seem bothered, she even thought what we were pointing out was a lime pulp, which they serve with their house water. That was fine, we let it pass. Our water glasses were replaced.

We ordered four dishes: Huevos Rancheros, Truffle Omelette Souffle, the Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pancake Tower, and Bourbon Bread Pudding for dessert. Presentation-wise, the souffle looked the best, while the pancake tower left us disappointed. It was lopsided and looked like it was put together hastily.

Huevos Rancheros is a Mexican breakfast dish composed of fried tortilla chips, beans, chicken and cabbage, topped with a sunny-side up egg, cheese, and a special ranchero sauce. We liked this dish, but you have to finish this immediately while it's hot, as the tortilla chips tend to get soggy when left untouched. Think of this as breakfast nachos.

Taste-wise, I also liked the omelette best. I never had an omelette souffle before so the texture of the dish was a welcome surprise. The smell of truffle (or was it truffle oil?) got us hooked. The dish, like most of Maple's offerings, is big enough to share. It is served with slices of garlic bread, but you can also order a side of rice if you want a more filling meal.

Now, remember the sad pancake tower? It turns out, it WAS put together hastily, because after only one bite of those pancakes, I had to stop and check why there was a metallic taste in my mouth. Out came a piece of aluminum foil the size of my thumb nail. Sorry, I was too shocked to think of bringing out my phone so there is no photo. We showed the waiter the piece of aluminum foil, and guess what he said? "Ay galing po yan sa cream cheese (That's from the cream cheese packaging)." As if we didn't realize that. The good thing is he asked us if we wanted the dish to be replaced (of course). The bad thing is he didn't apologize either! He just took my plate and acted like it was an ordinary thing, as if they always find a piece of foil casually mixed in their dishes all the time.

Our second tower of pancakes came and it didn't look any better, only there was no foil anymore.

But it's hard to get past the incident, and after that everything just tasted blah. Even the Bourbon Bread Pudding didn't do anything for me, and I love pudding!

In one of Top Chef's episodes, Chef Tom Colicchio said people come to a restaurant for the food, but they come back because of the service. And this is really what Maple should improve on. It was so hard to call the servers' attention, they were always inside the kitchen. And when we did get their attention, they seemed apathetic to the concerns we were raising. If they don't care about what they are putting out, why should we bother coming back?

Our bill, when split among us three, didn't really hurt our pockets. But I'd rather spend my hard-earned money some place else, one that has great food and even greater service.


MAPLE
L/GL East Wing
Shangri-La Plaza
Mandaluyong City

2/FL San Antonio Plaza Arcade
50 McKinley Road
Forbes Park, Makati City

Home Bites: Banana Bread

I baked my first banana bread from scratch today. I've baked brownies and banana bread before, but I always used boxed mixes. After attending a baking class last month, I found out it wasn't that hard to bake from scratch. But the recipes we did called for an electric mixer, so I was hesitant to try them out at home.

While browsing for recipes online, I came across Panlasang Pinoy, which has a simple recipe for banana bread that didn't require a mixer. He even had a video demo for it.

Last weekend I bought the ingredients and was planning to bake on Sunday night. But my laziness got the best of me so it was put on hold. Then this week, we had an unexpected death in the family. My aunt died of acute appendicitis.

I'm only on my second week at my new job so I'm still adjusting. It's been sad and stressful so I decided to make use of the holiday to bake the bad vibes away!

Here's the Banana Bread recipe from Panlasang Pinoy:

1 cup banana, mashed (I used five small lakatan bananas)
1 cup sugar (I used Muscovado)
2 pieces raw eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

I mixed the dry ingredients first: flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Then I added the wet ingredients: eggs, mashed bananas, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. I whisked everything together to form a batter. I made sure there were no large banana chunks. I transferred the batter to a greased 9" x 5" x 2.5" loaf pan.

My oven uses Celcius so I preheated it at 170 degrees (350 degrees Farenheit). I set the timer for an hour and watched Kell on Earth on my laptop.

Tick tock tick tock.

The smell of baking banana bread wafted around my small studio. I had to stop watching my TV show for a second and just indulge in that comforting smell. The combination of banana and vanilla smells amazing. I couldn't wait to see the finished product.

Ta-dah!

The edges were a bit burned but other than that, I think I did well. I give myself 3/5 stars hehe. The bread came out darker because of the Muscovado, but it was moist and soft. It reminded me of the banana bread from Edsa Shangri-La's The Bakeshop (not the taste, okay, just the appearance hehe). My uncle used to be their head of security and he would always buy me a loaf. This has been one of my favorite comfort foods (along with Good Shepherd's ube jam, Heat's pudding, and mac & cheese).

Maybe next time I'll add some walnuts and use white sugar, just to see the difference. This is a really easy recipe, perfect for a beginner like me. I can't wait to bake some more!

P.S. If you have tips on how not to burn the edges, please hit the comment section. Should I adjust my tray in the oven?

UPDATE: 

My second and third batches were much better! I added walnuts, used white sugar instead of Muscovado, and used rock salt instead of iodized salt. I also found out that the reason the edges were burnt because I used butter to grease my pan which is a no-no! Here are photos of my second try:

Everyone liked it! Jay, my officemates, my sister-in-law, even my Mom! I'm so happy. :)

Resto Bites: Kasbah

For my birthday, I treated my office friends Mariela and Ten to lunch at Kasbah, The Fort. I got a good deal from Groupon, which included a set lunch for four, for only P1600. It was our first time to eat there, and we weren't disappointed.

Kasbah is located at The Fort Strip, near Bonifacio High Street Central. It's the same building where Fitness First, Keg, and URBN are. The huge wooden doors open up to a loft-type space, with high ceilings and natural light coming in from the huge windows. The restaurant, which can probably accommodate up to 50 people,  also has a bar inside and outside seating where the shishas are smoked.

Just a disclaimer for all my restaurant "reviews": As a diner, I am pretty easy to please. I'm not a picky eater who would dissect each and every ingredient. I can be very particular about the service and the cleanliness, but I can eat at a carinderia or at a 5-star hotel restaurant. So when I say the food is bad, it must be really bad.

But no such thing at Kasbah, because we had flavorful Moroccan dishes. The set lunch was for four but since there were only the three of us, we were stuffed!

First we were served the Hummus Harisa, described on the menu as chickpea with tahini puree. The brown stripes you see on the photo are probably paprika, which added a kick to the appetizer. It came with warm sliced pita. The thing with Morrocan dishes is that they are really filling. You can order this and one kebab and you'll be good.

Also part of the set meal was the Tabbouleh salad. This is one of my favorite dishes! Whenever I eat at a restaurant that has it on the menu, I always order it. It's a simple dish of parsley, tomatoes and mint with a lemon dressing. It's so light and refreshing, I can eat this all day! Kasbah serves their Tabbouleh with couscous, which like I said, makes this dish filling. If you're on a diet, this can be your lunch.

Our meal also came with four glasses of iced tea. Kasbah's iced tea isn't your run-of-the-mill variety. It has a nice flavor that can be a tad sweet. But I'd rather have that than the watered-down kind.

Our main course was a platter of chicken, fish and eggplant topped with a mustard sauce. The chicken was stuffed with prunes, but the spices didn't make the dish taste too sweet. Everything was well-seasoned, and the portions were good for four diners.

We were planning to order Lamb Tagine which is one of their specialties, but we were so full from our lunch there was no more space in our tummies (we had too leave room for dessert though)! Service is also efficient and the waiting time between dishes was just right to allow conversations among our group.

On my next visit, maybe I'd get to try their tagine and their kebabs too!

Kasbah is definitely worth coming back to!

Kasbah, The Fort Strip
7th Avenue Corner Katipunan Circle
Fort Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
+6325534499
+639172058802