Blackwood Bar and Grill (Blackwood Bistro)

Blackwood Bar and Grill (Blackwood Bistro)

Since our parents just came home from an almost two week trip to the United States to visit my sister Darianne who is currently in Utah for her internship, we decided to eat out for dinner. And because my parents had somewhere to go to tonight, they wanted to eat dinner somewhere near our place. I remember seeing Blackwood Bar and Grill on my way home from a friend’s grand aunt’s funeral wake. Since we haven’t eaten here and it’s pretty near our place, I suggested we have dinner there. My family is always game to try out new restaurants so it was a pretty quick decision.

Jamon Serrano and Arugula Pizza

For our appetizer, we got the Jamon Serrano and Arugula Pizza. I have no words for how perfect this pizza is. Since I tasted pizza from Italy, I’ve become partial to thin crust pizzas. This pizza probably has the thinnest crust I’ve ever had. Also, the crust feels less like pizza dough and more like puff pastry. It took the pie in “pizza pie” to a whole new level. The thin crust made the cheese, ham, and arugula blend so much more better. It was probably my fave dish out of all that we ordered.

Crab and Mango Salad

We also got the Crab and Mango Salad as part of our appetizer. What sets this apart from most salads with crab? This one actually uses real crab meat. Not that I have anything against using crabsticks (I love crabsticks) but I don’t think I’ve ever had a salad that actually had real crab meat. The use of lemon aioli as the dressing added more zest to the salad and the addition of the strawberries slightly lessened the sourness of the mango. The crab tasted really fresh and was enhanced by the lemon aioli dressing. The dish was really refreshing to the palate.

Beef Brisket Burger

For the entree, my brother got the Beef Brisket Burger. I like burgers and I have to say, this one was absolutely delish. The patty tasted like it was made from scratch (which I’m pretty sure it was). Apart from that, the meat was juicy and tender. I really have no complaints about this dish. What I really like about the dish is that you can choose the cheese they will use: swiss, mozzarella, or bleu cheese.

Blackwood Seafood Ravioli

My mum, dad, and I decided to get two dishes to split. One of them was the Blackwood Seafood Ravioli. I love ravioli so I’m also pretty particular about my ravioli. This was perfect. I tried seafood ravioli from some other restaurant before and the stuffing was too overpowering. I didn’t finish it. Compared to that, the stuffing of this ravioli was filled with fresh seafood (at least, from what I could taste). It had real crab meat, shrimp, and fish. The sauce was also light and went perfectly with the clams and the mussels. It was perfect.

Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

The other dish we got was the Barbecued Baby Back Ribs. Now, I’m not a very big fan of baby back ribs. Mostly because I think that there isn’t enough meat for me to eat. It’s usually just bone. Also, I’m not very fond of barbecue sauce. I find it too strong for my tastes. This dish however was so delicious that I really enjoyed eating it. Apart from being super tender (I didn’t need to use my knife at all), the taste of the sauce was just right. Not too barbecue-y (yes, I know that’s a made-up word). Also, there was a lot of meat and the bones were not that big.

If you haven’t noticed it yet, all the food we ordered was delicious. I could not find anything wrong with any of their dishes. In fact, their food was so delicious that I was already eyeing some of the other dishes so I could pick which I would try the next time I go there. Although the food is a bit on the expensive side (around P400 average per dish), I think it’s worth coming back to because of the quality of the food.

After all, it’s okay to splurge on “expensive” food every once in a while. Food of superb taste and excellent quality are definitely worth it.

♥ Daal

Blackwood Bar and Grill is located at The Hub, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong.

Blackwood Bistro is located at The Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig.

Yomenya Goemon: Japanese Spaghetti House

Yomenya Goemon: Japanese Spaghetti House

When my family and I (minus my sister) went to Greenbelt to watch Skyfall last Friday (which was pretty cool by the way), we passed by a restaurant called Yomenya Goemon whose sign also read “Japanese Spaghetti House”. The phrase Japanese Spaghetti brought me back to our Osaka trip, when we went to Tempozan Marketplace and ate pasta cooked in a big bowl made from parmigiano.

Just thinking about it now is bringing the cravings back. That pasta was so good.

Obviously, we couldn’t pass up the chance to try a new restaurant and get to eat Japanese pasta again. 😀 So, we decided to eat there for dinner, Sunday, after my shift at work.

Excuse the crappy iPhone pictures. I always forget to bring a camera with me. ^_^0

Smoked Chicken with Four Cheeses Pizza

For our appetizer, we got the Smoked Chicken with Four Cheeses Pizza. The taste of the bleu cheese is a bit prominent so if you don’t like bleu cheese, you might want to try a different dish. I loved this though. Usually, four cheese pizzas don’t have veggies with them so the addition of the asparagus was very much welcome. My slice of pizza didn’t have a piece of chicken though so I’m not sure if the chicken was dry or not. The pizza was cheesy, as expected of a four cheese pizza.

Wafu Salad

We also got an order of Wafu Salad. Yomenya Goemon’s wafu salad actually kind of tastes like the Seaweed Shake-Shake salad of Pepper Lunch. Not that I’m complaining. I love Pepper Lunch’s seaweed shake-shake salad. The dressing was light and the taste was not too overpowering. Though, if you’re not used to vinaigrette dressings, you might not enjoy this as much.

Mentaiko Shrimp and Japanese Herb Ao-Shiso

My dad got the Mentaiko Shrimp and Japanese Herb Ao-Shiso. The sauce for dish dish was somewhat like white sauce. The special addition is the orange ball you see in the middle of the dish. That’s mentaiko which is marinated spicy cod roe. I’m not fond of roe but the sauce of the spaghetti and the roe blended well enough that the roe didn’t overpower the dish.

Shrimp, Bacon, and Onsen Egg with Tomato Sauce

My mum, on the other hand, got the Shrimp, Bacon, and Onsen Egg with Tomato Sauce. Considering I’m a big fan of spaghetti with tomato sauce, I was really looking forward to tasting what my mum got. For those who might be wondering, the onsen egg is actually just a poached egg. Mixing the poached egg with the tomato sauce gave the sauce a different taste. I can’t really explain it but it was really good. 😀

Hokkaido Cheese Cream Soup Spaghetti with Scallop, Corn, Bacon, and Potato

My brother got a bowl of soup spaghetti. You read that right. Soup Spaghetti. Specifically, he got the Hokkaido Cheese Cream Soup with Scallop, Corn, Bacon, and Potato. Now I’ve never tasted soup spaghetti. Never heard of it before eating here actually. It’s kind of weird but it’s kind of like a chowder with pasta. As I mentioned, it’s weird, but I did enjoy the taste. I thought that soup with pasta would be too weird but it was quite delicious.

Yakitori Broiled Chicken with Wafu Sauce

And lastly, I got the Yakitori Broiled Chicken with Wafu Sauce. The sauce is kind of like an aglio olio sauce though mixed with something else (the wafu sauce). I also like oil based sauces so I really liked what I ordered. The yakitori chicken went well with the sauce and the bacon provided additional meat-y taste to the dish. The dish also has a hint of spice which made the dish more appetizing.

Yomenya Goemon: Japanese Spaghetti House

I really loved the food that they served. At first I thought that the prices might be a bit high (considering that a dish costs an average of P350) but since each dish was a pretty large serving, I suppose it’s reasonable. Each dish also comes with a cup of soup. I’m definitely coming back and tasting some of their other dishes. I really want to try their Neapolitan spaghetti. And maybe try their desserts too. 😀

♥ Daal

Yomenya Goemon is located at the second floor of Greenbelt 3, Makati City.

Umami: Burger Steak and Japanese Cafe

Umami: Burger Steak and Japanese Cafe

Last July 7, my parents, brother, and I went to The Grove by Rockwell (near Tiendesitas) for lunch. My dad saw that there were new establishments there so we decided to go and try them out. There weren’t that many establishments there yet (three including Starbucks) and so we didn’t have too much of a difficult time choosing. Since I wasn’t really in the mood for something American, we went with Umami: Burger Steak and Japanese Cafe.

Umami’s menu is not too extensive. Their specialties are their Burger Steaks which are burgers served with rice, french fries, and coleslaw. They also have a variety of coffee and tea choices (which we didn’t get to taste but I promised myself I’d go back and try them out) and serve a few appetizers, ramen, curry plates, and dessert.

Edamame

As an appetizer, we got Edamame, which are boiled young soy beans and sprinkled with Bolivian pink sea salt. You eat it like you would a peanut: squeeze the ends until it opens then eat the pods inside. It actually really tastes a bit like peanuts which is cool. A bowl of this costs P150.

Miso Ramen

My mum got the Miso Ramen. The serving was plentiful which is always a good thing. My only problem would be that the soup is a bit too salty. Everything else about it is really quite good. This costs P295.

Burger Steak with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese

My dad got the Burger Steak with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese. I think my sister would’ve loved this. The tomato sauce was not too sour and went perfectly with the mozzarella cheese and the burger. It was a bit like eating pasta bolognese without the noodles. This dish costs P380.

Burger Steak with Truffle Cream Sauce

As for my brother, he got the  Burger Steak with Truffle Cream Sauce. Really, no surprise there. My brother loves dishes with truffle cream, and who can blame him. Truffle cream is just delish. And the truffle cream sauce of this dish was just divine. This costs P420.

Burger Steak with Japanese Gravy and Tamago Topping

I got the Burger Steak with Japanese Gravy and Tamago Topping. I’m still not entirely sure what Japanese gravy is but when I got the dish, I thought that it would taste like barbecue sauce. The consistency and the color of the sauce kind of looked like barbecue sauce and honestly, I was hesitant to try it when it was served. I’m not too fond of barbecue sauce. This dish though, really surprised me. The sauce was not barbecue sauce (thankfully) and was quite sweet. Adding the egg made the dish more appetizing. I was full after finishing the dish but I still wanted more. This dish costs P340.

Overall, I think the food is really delicious and the servings are quite generous. It might be a bit pricey but definitely worth trying. I’d love to come back and taste their other burger steaks and maybe also their desserts (they have crepe cake and deconstructed tiramisu!).

♥ Daal

Umami: Burger Steak and Japanese Cafe is located at The Grove by Rockwell, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Pasig City.

‘Cue Modern Barbecue

‘Cue Modern Barbecue

For lunch, my parents, my brother, and I went to Bonifacio High Street and ate at ‘Cue. The reason we ended up at Bonifacio High Street is actually because I asked if we could buy Jamba Juice. So, after mass, my parents decided that since we’re going to BHS anyway, we might as well have lunch there too. We chose to eat at ‘Cue because the last time we went to BHS, my mum noticed that there’s always ton of people there so the food must be good. Good reasoning there. 😛

We didn’t really order a lot; just one dish for everyone. Partly because we don’t really eat that heavily these days, and mostly because my sister isn’t with us (she’s in Utah right now for her practicum; Hi Darianne! :D).

Popcorn!

Anyway, as I mentioned, we only got four dishes. But, they served free popcorn for while you’re waiting for your food. The popcorn is refillable which is awesome. It’s plain but you can ask for cheese powder (just like the kids at the table next to ours did). Even without the cheese powder though, it’s really tasty — it had the perfect mix of salt and butter and a tinge of spice too. Definitely appetizing. We were only served two plates of this because the main courses had already arrived (points for quick service!).

Louisiana Style Beef Stew

My brother got the Louisiana Style Beef Stew. It’s cajun-spiced braised oxtail and short plate served with grits. That mash of yellow-y stuff on the side? That’s the grits. It’s kind of like a mix between couscous and polenta. It’s really quite delish and is usually associated with Western cooking. The beef was really tender and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. I thought the sauce would be really sour since it looked quite red but it wasn’t. A bit pricey at P575 but it’s a generous serving which I think could be split in two (especially if you’re not much of a big eater).

“Bacon” Slabs ‘Cue Style

My dad got the “Bacon” Slabs ‘Cue Style with a side of fried sweet potatoes. First off, the fried sweet potatoes are to die for. I mean, just the first bite got me speechless. The mix of crispiness of the outside and the tenderness of the inside was just heaven. Also, it had the right amount of saltiness which melded well with the natural sweetness of the sweet potato. The bacon slabs were perfect. I love me my bacon and this was one of those types of bacon that you would love to eat over and over again. It might look like the serving is too small but even though the slices were not that thick, it was filling. Dipping the bacon in the salsa verde gave the bacon a really refreshing taste which made you want to keep eating. I think it’s reasonably priced at P455.

BBQ’d Brisket Ragu

My mum got a pasta dish, the BBQ’d Brisket Ragu. It had pulled beef, pork, tomato, and a bit of cream. I think my sister would love this. The bit of cream in the dish added to the creaminess given by the cheese and lessened the natural sourness of the tomatoes. All the flavors just naturally blended together. The meat was really tender and since it used pulled beef, it was like eating a different type of noodles with the normal linguini. Another reasonably priced dish at P335.

Make Your Own Fish Tacos

I got the Make Your Own Fish Tacos. I was really craving for seafood today and this dish really caught my attention. I do not regret getting this dish. I’m quite picky when it comes to fish but their Panko-crusted white fish is really quite perfect. The fish, even though fried, was not oily, and it didn’t have that fishy taste. I also liked the texture of the fish. The tortilla was also perfect; even though you put the corn salsa, cilantro-lime tartar, and salsa verde, the tortilla did not tear. I think the price of the dish is just right at P385. For me, I think two people can share this and feel quite full afterwards.

Definitely worth coming back to. I want to try more of their food. 😀

♥ Daal

‘Cue Modern Barbecue is located at Space NELG 105, Lower Ground Floor Bonifacio High Street Central, Global City, 1630 Taguig.

Unmasking Italy: Lunch at DLS-CSB

Unmasking Italy

First of all: first entry here! Finally! Hooray!  (Yes. That is a lot of exclamation marks. Which really just stresses the fact that I’ve been procrastinating writing entries here. :P)

Anyway, last February 9, 2012, my brother and I ate at my sister’s school (which is at the AKIC building of DLS-CSB). Her event management class requires them to organize an event so for the past few weeks (and a few succeeding more), their class has a lunch set-up every Thursday. The theme for this week is Italy and so my brother and I got to sample a few of the Italian food that my sister and their class prepared.

Minestrone Soup

We had a full course meal, consisting of the soup, salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert. The first item on the menu was the Minestrone soup. Minestrone soup is basically a vegetable stew, which usually also contains pasta or rice. I hate celery and considering that their soup quite had a lot of celery (in my opinion; I might be biased since I don’t like celery), it says a lot about how well the soup was made. I really liked the soup though I wish the chick peas were a bit more… soft. I like my veggies a bit overdone so that they’re really soft. 😛

Mozarrella Salad and Margherita Pizette

For the appetizer, we had Margherita Pizettes which are basically small pizzas. It’s just the basic pizza margherita: tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. I liked that the crust was thin and crunchy and the blend of cheese and tomato sauce was perfect. I would’ve preferred the basil was chopped though so that I could’ve spread it on the pizza.

My favorite dish would have to be the mozzarella salad. I loved how the sauce wasn’t too overpowering but complemented the vegetables and cheese well. The onions were perfect; they gave the perfect blend of sweet and spice. The sauce had this sweet ingredient which I still can’t figure out. I know that I know that taste. The name just eludes me. Anyway, I can’t express how much I love this. I even asked my sister to give me the recipe just so that I can make it. 😛

Osso Buco with Pasta

Of course, the main course comes next. The main course was Osso Buco with pasta. I’m not sure what the pasta was but if I had to guess, I think it’s aglio olio. That’s a really easy pasta to make; the ingredients are basil, olive oil, and garlic. Easy peasy noh? 🙂

The Osso Buco was a delightful dish. Most Osso Buco’s I’ve tasted are very tangy. This one is sweet (a citrus-y sweet so I think they mixed orange extract) which was a welcome surprise to the taste buds. The meat was really tender; I loved how it simply melted on my tongue. It didn’t offer any resistance while I was cutting it with my fork, neither when I was chewing it.

Tiramisu

For the last dish, we come to the dessert. Of course, when we think of Italy the first dessert that comes to mind would be Tiramisu. And that is what was served. I definitely enjoyed the Tiramisu. The lady fingers were coated with just the right amount of liqour. I would’ve liked a bit more coffee in mine but I like coffee-tasting Tiramisu so that’s a biased preference. The cream on top was also to die for. The consistency was perfect: it wasn’t too light and it wasn’t too heavy. I liked that the second layer of lady fingers wasn’t dipped in liquor because it added a crunch to the Tiramisu and also helped tone down the taste of liqour.

Mystery Drink

We were also served a drink. I’m not sure what it is exactly so you’ll have to ask my sister. She told me that it was a mixture of different fruit juices; what fruits exactly, I don’t know. 😛 I really liked it though. I find that the sugar on the rim of the made the sweetness of the drink stick to the tongue so that was really cool.

Anyway, all of this cost P250 per head which I think was a pretty good cost considering that you were given a full course meal. There was also a bit of entertainment (a bit of dancing) and the ambiance was pretty relaxing. 🙂

Well, that’s it for today. I’ll try to make a write up for the other food establishments I’ve got lined up in my “to blog” queue. I’ve already finished uploading the pictures that I have so it’s really just the writing that I have left to do. Hope you’ll all watch out for that. 🙂

I’mma sign out now. Later!

♥ Daal

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