Mainstream Indian Restaurants are not that common here in the Philippines even though there are a lot of Indians living here in the country or probably I am only living in my own world and never really bothered to find my way to try “uncommon” Indian restaurants. I guess there is only one name that prevails in the Mainstream Indian cuisine, which I won’t bother to mention in this blog post .

Just a few weeks ago, we got an invitation to try out this newest Indian restaurant in Jupiter Street, Makati. It’s not all the time that Karla and I get to experience Indian cuisine so we immediately agreed to the invitation of the owner of Legend of India, Rakesh Alwani.

Bar

Legend of India opened last January 2010. This is not your typical Indian restaurant which have Indian motifs and symbolisms all over. Actually, I’d like to call it Cosmopolitan-Indian theme. The only Indian elements there, aside from the food, are the image of Taj Mahal and the Indian music videos being played in their TV screens. We were greeted by Rakesh’s younger cousin, who entertained us while Rakesh was still on his way to the restaurant.

Mixed Chevro with Fried Plain Papad (on the house)

While choosing the dishes that we’ll try, the waiter gave us Mixed Chevro with Fried Plain Papad. Chevro is just like mixed nuts while the fried Papad is just like Kropeck. The two condiments that you see in the photo above is the universal condiments that you can combine with any dish that you wish. The green one is the Mint Sauce while the other one is the Tamarind Sauce. I’ve been having this before but I didn’t really knew what it’s called!

Mutton Seekh Kebab @ Php 380

Most of the dishes that we ordered were the suggestions of Rakesh’s cousin. For our appetizers, we had Mutton Seekh Kebab. FYI, mutton is also lamb. The kebabs were tasty and tender. This is best when it’s paired with the Mint Sauce.

Chicken Kathi Roll @ Php 280

Another appetizer we ordered was the Chicken Kathi Roll. This is like Peking Duck wrapped in pita bread, but the filling that was used is chicken. The filling is savory. This is one of my favorites in Legend of India.

Hakka Noodles @ Php 280

The Hakka Noodles is not really an Indian cuisine but it shows the fusion of Chinese and Indian style in cooking. You can compare it to the Filipino Pancit Canton but saltier. This one is really good and can be shared by 3-4 people.

Sweet and Mango Lassi @ Php 110, 120

For our drinks, we decided to have the Lassi. The Indian feast isn’t complete with this one. Lassi is yogurt in India. This isn’t your typical off-the-shelf yogurt so don’t expect Lassi to be like it. I love yogurt, therefore, I love Lassi! I preferred the Sweet Lassi but Mango Lassi is good too.

Mutton Biryani @ Php 400

We’re actually almost full towards this part of our feast so we struggled to still try the remaining dishes. For our main dishes, we ordered Mutton Biryani and Chicken Tikka Masala. The Mutton Biryani is good fo 3-4 people. I loved their Biryani. I can taste the different spices on it and it’s not overwhelmed with meat.

Chicken Tikka Masala @Php 380

Chicken Tikka Masala, is one of the most popular Indian dishes lately. I remember seeing this in popular Facebook games such as Restaurant City and others. Legend of India boasts that this is their most popular dish in the menu so they made us try this. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed on this. The curry taste was very strong and it overpowered the whole dish. I’m not sure if it’s just me and my Filipino palate but I felt that it’s too strong. My suggestion would be to lessen it a bit. But in general, the dish was okay and I appreciated that there is an abundance of chicken meat.

Garlic Naan @ Php 120

Naan is also one of the popular Indian food. Naan is leavened bread made of white flour and baked in tandoor. Instead of just ordering the plain one, it was suggested that we should try the Garlic Naan. Honestly, this was the best Naan I’ve ever tasted. Naan is best eaten when it’s freshly baked. It’s really a good thing that it was served to us fresh. The Garlic Naan smelled good because of the garlic. Yummy!

Mithais (sweets)

Now this is the most exciting part, the desserts. In India, their sweets are called Mithais. I’ve noticed that most of their desserts have milk in its composition. This is probably because milk neutralizes the palate. The Mithais that you see above are not the actual size when you order from the server. They are usually bought in kilograms. So if you want to order, just let them know how many grams you can eat. Here are the specific names of each Mithais that you see above: Kaju Katri (cashew, diamond shaped), Pista Mithai (pistachio, green), Gajiar Halwa (orange) and Kalakhan (fresh milk). My most favorite among them is the Pista and the Kaju Katri.

Gulab Jammun @ Php 60 (1 pc), Php 120 (2 pcs)

The Gulab Jammun is probably the most unique dessert I’ve ever tasted here. It’s made of fried powdered milk with rose water syrup. Interesting huh? The fried powdered milk is just like pastillas but the rose water syrup made this dessert one of a kind. This may be common for Indians, but for a Filipino like me, this is something new!

Various snacks

To be honest, it was quite hard for me to describe Indian food for the very reason that I can only compare it to a few restaurants. I was very excited when I was eating and was trying to decipher how to translate the taste to you. But if I will base this on my Filipino (but adventurous) palate, this restaurant is definitely a must-try for people who have adventurous taste buds. The whole dinner was an adventure to me, and also to Karla, because we are both discovering the basics of Indian cuisine which we know is “near-authentic”. As for their prices, they are in the common range for Indian restaurants here. It would be preferred to go there in groups because most of their dishes are for sharing. Budget per person would probably cost around Php 400 – 500.

Their chefs are from India so you can be assured that they are serving the real thing. If you have Indian dishes in mind that is not in the menu, feel free to ask the server and they can ask their Indian cooks if they can prepare this for you. My tip for you guys who are afraid of spicy food, order their lassis so your palates will be neutralized or ask your friendly servers to lessen the spiciness a bit .

Legend of India
114B Jupiter street Bel-Air 2
Makati City
(632) 836 4232

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Lolo Dad’s Brasserie (at 6750 Ayala Ave., Makati City) is the more affordable version of Lolo Dad’s Cafe in Malate. According to Chef Ariel, the concept of these two restaurants are different. This means that the food that’s being offered in Lolo Dad’s Cafe don’t necessarily mean that it’s also being offered in Lolo Dad’s Brasserie.

Herb butter

We started off with the pop-over bread and herb butter. What I like about their bread is that it is freshly baked.

Pop-over bread, 130 pesos (3 pcs. of bread with herb butter)

“Only for the Rich” Salad, 1,650 pesos per order

“Only for the Rich” Salad is a combination of Diver Scallops, Lobster, Seared Duck liver, Jamon Serrano and Cured Salmon with Mesclun Greens in Pomegranate and Molasses dressing. If you are a first-timer there, you would probably think why is it called such. But when you see a serving of it on your dining table, you’ll understand why.

Pate of Goose Liver in Jar, 850 pesos per order

Another popular appetizer in Lolo Dad’s Brasserie is the Pate of Goose Liver in Jar. The goose liver pate is served with Apple-pear relish and grilled toast.

Dungeness Crab, Scallops and Fresh Corn Chowder, 520 pesos per order

Aside from the fact that I love chowders, I like how creamy it is. The chowder is served with a paprika pastry garnish on the side.

Roasted Whole Rainbow Trout, 690 pesos per order

For our main course, we had a Goose fat fried chicken, a roasted whole rainbow trout and a mushroom cannelloni baked with raclette cheese. Lolo Dad’s Brasserie is well known for their Goose fat fried chicken. It is a must try aside from their famous “Only for the Rich” salad.

Mushroom Cannelloni baked with Raclette Cheese (With Potato and Mango club), 850 pesos per order

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When I was in Legazpi, I announced in Facebook that I was there when suddenly, Denden Villanueva, my grade school batchmate in St. Scho Manila  messaged me to visit her restaurant in Daraga. I felt excited about it because it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other. Imagine, we were in prep when we became classmates. I didn’t realize that she’s now managing her family’s restaurant. The restaurant started years ago and was dormant like the Mayon Volcano nearby and just recently opened last May 2009, now with my schoolmate managing it.

The restaurant is called Balay Cena Una (in Filipino, Sinaunang Bahay) which is situated in Daraga, Albay. From the name itself you’re going to get a hint what the restaurant is all about. It’s a two-storey restaurant which used to be an old colonial house. The interiors of the place is a combination of the old and modern colonial theme. The place felt very relaxing and with the delicious food, you’re definitely not gonna go wrong with this. Actually, this is a fine dining place especially during dinner time because most guests from high end hotels in Albay dine here.

Heart of Palm and Apple Salad @ Php 85

Now the most important part is the food. They serve European-Asian fusion cuisine. Of course they have the usual Bicolano dishes but they added some twist. The owners of the restaurant boast their chefs who were trained in Europe but Bicolano at heart: Chef Dick and Connie Condeno.

We started with our appetizers. The first one was the Heart of Palm (ubod in Filipino) and Apple Salad. Actually the apple in there is Makopa (Java apple or Mountain apple in English). This is my first time to eat a dish which has Makopa in it and the most interesting part is that it’s combined with ubod. The salad indeed is very refreshing because of the hint of light vinaigrette.

Makopa Shake @ Php 60

We were also served Makopa Shakes. This one is mixed with coconut milk to add flavor to Makopa because it can’t stand alone. The Makopa gave texture to this very delicious and refreshing shake. Good job on the makopa shake, I really loved it!

Fresh Lumpiang Ubod @ Php 85

Another appetizer is the Fresh Lumpiang Ubod which is a very common Filipino dish. This one is just like your home made lumpiang ubod which can’t go wrong.

Pasta Cena Una Especial @ Php 180

This one is really my favorite, Pasta Cena Una Especial. It’s made of fettuccine mixed with coconut milk, taro leaves, saffron and shrimps. Mmm. I really love this (did you realize that I said this twice??). This pasta is really unforgettable. Now this is European-Bicolano fusion cuisine.

Marinated Boneless Chicken @ Php 195

The next dish is the Marinated Boneless Chicken. The chicken was marinated with fresh lemon juice. This dish is complimented with rice. I liked chicken because it was very tender and tasty. The mixture of sweet and sour is very pleasing to the palate.

Cena Una Chocolate Cake @ Php 80

Now we go our favorite part of the meal, desserts. Balay Cena Una is famous for its scrumptious desserts. Denden sampled us with 2 of their best desserts: Cena Una Chocolate Cake and Mt. Mayon’s Choco Boulder.

The Chocolate Cake was very moist and it’s so delicious! It wasn’t that sweet.

Mt. Mayon’s Choco Boulder @ Php 60

If you’re a person who likes fruity desserts as well as rhum, now this is the dessert for you. I also enjoyed this dessert but I like the Chocolate Cake more .

Albay food tripping is incomplete without going to Balay Cena Una. For urban people, this fine dining restaurant is way cheaper than what we have in Manila. Every centavo is well spent in this restaurant. By the way, they have lunch buffet on Sundays for only Php 395 (?).

Balay Cena Una is also a venue for private functions and gatherings. They have a big function room at the back of the restaurant. Also, they have a small house wherein guests can stay overnight. The room can accommodate a family. Very cozy.

For inquiries, you may contact Lourdes (Denden) Villanueva at 09178684030 or you may email at balaycenauna@gmail.com. You can visit their Facebook page here.

Balay Cena Una

Calle F. Lotivio Street
Daraga, Albay

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Ham Ensaymada @ Php 90

After participating on the silent protest against Conass and dimsum dinner at David’s Tea House,  fellow bloggers and I decided to have our dessert at Kohikan. It was actually Jayvee who suggested that we try Kohikan’s award-winning ensaymada.

There are 3 flavors of ensaymada to choose from: plain, ham and ube. According to the waitress, their best seller is the ube ensaymada. I wasn’t really in the mood for ube so I tried their ham ensaymada instead. When the waitress served the ensaymada, I was really surprised on how big it was. It’s as big as 3 typical sized ensaymadas combined! 2 people can actually share this (I shared mine with Karla ).

The surprise does not end with the size of it. The moment I had my first bite, I couldn’t help but feel giddy inside. Whenever I have this kind of feeling whenever I taste something new, this is definitely a sign that it will be part of my random food cravings . The ensaymada was soft and packed unlike other ensaymadas that are just like cotton candies that are filled with air. I was actually searching for the meat but I couldn’t find it. Probably, they used real ham juice to get the taste of ham. I am guessing that they wouldn’t want to mess up the consistency of the batter. I don’t know. But really, I dig this dessert! The best of it all is that there is an abundance of cheese!

Yogurt Lemon @ Php 195

I paired my ham ensaymada with a drink called Yogurt Lemon. I am a yogurt lover so I can’t help but to order this. I loved how the tanginess of the two main elements (yogurt and lemon) complemented each other. It’s a good marriage between the two .

Other sumptuous desserts are being offered at Kohikan. The prices of their cakes range from Php 160-200+. I’ll definitely be back at this place to try their other desserts and of course to taste their coffee.

Kohikan
G/F Diamond Hotel
Roxas Boulveard cor. Dr. J. Quintos Street, Manila 1000, Philippines
Telephone: (632) 528-3000
Fax: (632) 526-2255
Website: http://www.diamondhotel.com

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We were invited to dine in Portico and my oh my I was really delighted with joy because it’s been a long time since I’ve dined to any Chateau restaurant. The last time I was in a Chateau place was in Sidebar Cafe last year and the last time I was in Portico was way back in High School (it was in Malate then, right?).

For our appetizer, we decided to have the Baked Cheese Fondue. It was so good and the nicest thing about it is that the waiter would give you additional bread if you asked for it (and even though you don’t ask for it! ). The fondue is made of melted Fontina and Mozzarella Cheese and topped with chorizo and green bell pepper. Another good thing also about this appetizer is that it doesn’t leave you with the “maumay” taste unlike other cheeses.

The beverages we ordered were Honey Ginger Lemonade and Iced Green Tea. Both of them were really good. The Honey Ginger Lemonade was like “salabat” but it does not have that yucky taste. The Iced Green Tea was very refreshing and also it was the real thing (not the powdered green iced tea nowadays).

I was so looking forward to a dish that I truly missed which is the Lamb Osso Bucco. It’s lamb shanks which were braised in tomatoes, celery and carrots. On the side was mashed potato cake (just like your normal mashed potato).  The serving is enough for 2 or 3 people. This dish isn’t very common among other restaurants and Portico was able to master the art of making this dish. It’s very tender and tasty as well. One thing that reminds me of Chateau actually is this dish.  (Chateau 1771 by the way, serves the Beef Osso Bucco which is also very good.)

Another entree we ordered was Steamed Barramundi (Philippine Sea Bass) which was recommended by our friendly waiter to try. It’s filleted served in a deep dish with sauce made of lemon juice, patis (fish sauce) and tomatoes. We ordered this one because we felt that the Lamb Osso Bucco is already heavy for the 2 of us so to compliment the heaviness of that is this light and very healthy dish. It actually looks like your everyday “Pinangat” or “Paksiw” but the taste is not similar to those familiar dishes. I appreciate that the Barramundi was fresh and wasn’t overcooked. As we all know, cooking fish is sometimes difficult because when it’s overcooked the meat would become too soft. Also, the fish was able to absorb the sauce.

For our dessert we ordered Creme Brulee, another dessert that I truly missed. I was a bit disappointed with this one because the caramelized sugar was so thick that it became so hard to break it. As for the custard, it was too liquid. I have eaten a lot of Creme Brulees in my life so I know how it should be: custard should be a bit semi-solid or semi-liquid and caramelized sugar should be really thin. I have no problem with the taste, it actually tasted good.

After struggling to finish all those dishes, we decided to have tea to lessen our bloated stomachs . We had rose hip and green tea for the both of us. They aren’t your normal tea in tea bags, they were the real thing and served in cute tea cups and tea pot .

The overall experience was exciting however having that exciting feeling comes with a price. Their prices are expensive, probably the budget is a thousand per person. This place is good if you will be celebrating a special day of your life, just to have a different ambiance. The service was fantastic, our waiter (I think his name was Marco) was very helpful and conscious of our needs as their customers.

Portico 1771, by the way, is a member of the Chateau 1771 group of companies (Sentro, Sidebar Cafe and Chateau 1771).

Piazza Serendra, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
(02) 856-0581

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The exterior of the restaurant was actually filled with Christmas lights. Well, it wasn’t Christmas season yet so it’s really part of their normal look. They have stairs on their entrance and the very first thing you will see is a table and few chairs before entering the restaurant. The moment we entered the restaurant, we were surprised because it somewhat transported us to another world that is so not like the busy restaurants in Makati. It was dinner time and lights were dimmed, candles were lit and flowers were on the table. We immediately thought of this as a ‘date place’. It was very cozy and the ambiance is really superb.

I was craving for pasta so I chose Penne Salsiccie (Php 295). It’s penne w/ spicy Italian sausage, fresh mixed olives in tomato sauce. My oh my, I was astonished by this dish. It was so delicious. I thought that it would be just like the ordinary restaurants I’ve eaten before but this is different. Their ingredients are so fresh plus, they have big serving so no need to add another entree.

As for Karla, she ordered Fettucinni All Grotta (Php 315). It’s fettuccinni pasta mixed with Italian sausage and Italian bacon in Ricotta cream cheese. It’s somewhat like the common Carbonara. It was also delicious.

They also serve freshly baked bread. You may have the option to have butter or olive oil with balsamic vinegar. This is on the house of course.

They don’t have any branches so better visit them at:

AETNA Bldg., V.A. Rufino., Legaspi Village
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 894-1320

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Alfredo’s Steak house has been one of the “institutions” in the steak industry in Manila. It doesn’t have any branches, probably they want to maintain the quality of their food. As you know, when restaurants expand the quality of food tend to deteriorate. They are situated along Tomas Morato, QC. They have a big red sign on top of the restaurant, you wouldn’t miss that. The dining area is in the 2nd floor.

The last time I’ve been there was when my father was still alive and that was probably like more than 4 years ago. Everything was still the same, the entrance, the stairs, the fake fire in the fireplace in the first floor, the carpet, tables, chairs, etc.. Even the menu is still the same, I believe they haven’t increased their price eversince the last time I’ve been there. When we arrived there the place was jam-packed (and that was about 8:30 pm) since it’s Mother’s Day.

I ordered Tenderloin Steak ( cooked medium rare) with Charbroiled Chicken while my mom ordered the same but she had Grilled Butterfly Prawns on the side. What’s good with Alfredo’s is that all their steaks come with free soup and salad. They also have unlimited bread and butter being served. Real good deal. The first food that was served was the bread, butter and the soup. After that the salad came and we waited for a few minutes for our main course to be served.

the bread, butter and soup

the salad with thousand island dressing

Tenderloin Steak with Grilled Butterfly Prawns ( with mashed potatoes and stir-fried vegetables)

Tenderloin Steak with Charbroiled Chicken ( with mashed potatoes and stir-fried vegetables)

The ratings:

Food: 4.5/5

I would really recommend this restaurant to the people who want have real steak. There are some restaurants who offer steaks and believe me it doesn’t compare to Alfredo’s or even Melo’s. The steak is really tender and they have a really delicious gravy. Though the free salad is eventually having lesser vegetables through the years ( hello, it’s free don’t ask for more )

Ambiance: 3.5/5

Though it’s actually fine dining, there’s no dress code. There are some pros and cons in having no dress codes. Before they used to have a pianist playing while you’re dining but now there’s none. According to the waiter, the pianist only plays during Valentine’s day. Everything else is the same really.

Price: 4/5

It would seem pricey but compared to other restaurants that offer steaks this has a good deal. Each of our meal is priced at Php 455.00 and we had 2 cans of softdrinks priced at Php 60.00 each. So probably if you wanna go there, you can have a budget of Php 500.00. The lowest price of Tenderloin Steak is Php 355.00. The most expensive steaks are priced Php 600.00-900.00.

Service: 4/5

I liked the service here waiters really take good care of customers. I understand that there is a special occasion and our waiter pro actively apologized for the long wait for the main course to come. Also, waiters are aware if the customer is done with the food that they’re eating and will be getting ready to get the next course. Of course I gave him a tip for taking good care of us.

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