Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

FB page: Drei's Modern Day Cuisine

Location: 51 Katipunan St., Concepcion Uni, Marikina City
Nearby Landmarks: Strip 70, Baytree

After a long time, I've decided to put a new entry on my food blog :)

A few days after my brother's birthday, I decided to ask my brother and his wife to try out a new place recommended by one of my former colleagues. It was in Marikina anyway so I thought, why not? It was kinda easy to miss even for a Marikina-born resident as you won't easily notice the narrow driveway turned resto just after exiting Strip 70. If you were coming from direction of SDS Hospital however, it would be easier to spot.

So it was a good thing that my former colleague Joseph was there (as it was only a short notice when we went there) and Darmie, his girlfriend, whose family owns the place.

The place was named after Darmie's late brother who goes by the same name. The restaurant aims to showcase reinvented traditional Filipino dishes for the modern taste. And it also aims to promote creativity through art as you would clearly see on how the place is designed inside out. They eventually plan to display artworks of people interested in sharing and selling their work to the public.

Let's start off with the food then I'll talk about the creative side of the place later...

Here's their menu for your reference:

 

 

As you can see (or read), even the names of the dishes are quite creative.

When we asked for their best-sellers, they recommended a couple of dishes, which of course, we were happy to consume. Let's begin shall we?
 

Name: Lumpiang Sisig (160php)

This was a dish me and my brother (and his wife) got a little contradiction with. For them, it tastes like sisig. For me, not much. They didn't notice the cheese, I did. It tastes good but maybe I'm looking for a more distinct sisig taste. But the serving size and the dip for me made this a well-worth appetizer to get. A filling appetizer.
 

Name: Inasal Salad (145php)

This is a nice, clean and refreshing salad. Right mix of greens, citrus taste and a juicy, chicken breast makes it a must-have for salad-lovers.

Name: Malunggay Pesto Spaghetti (185 php)

Now, this is my favorite. I make pesto myself and I also use malunggay (for a healthier version) so I am not really surprised this recipe is in restos now but what did surprise me is the amount of actual pesto in the sauce. I don't know if you've noticed but whether in small or big restos, the pesto sauce is about 70-80% olive oil and 30-20% everything else. I mean, c'mon, why do they have to skimp on the greens when that's really what pesto should be? Anyway, this is a very tasty and fulfilling dish. Not your typical just oily or taste-lacking version of pesto. If you've never tried pesto or have some sort of fear for the lack of taste, you may want to start off with this. It won't disappoint.

Name: Crispy Kare-kare (Single (with rice): 185php, Sharing (no rice): 300php)

For bad memory reasons, I will not comment on the serving size on this one as...I forgot if the one we ordered was single or sharing. 

Now, my dad's an Ilocano. Pure-blooded. So me and my family are very much familiar (and in my case, in-love) with Ilocano dishes. And the bagnet, being one of their "healthiest" dishes, is one of my favorites. But the bagnet in kare-kare (or sinigang or dinuguan or sisig, etc.) isn't new either. A lot of people nowadays are converting already "healthy" food into "much healthier" versions. Anyway, I have to be honest, I was disappointed with this dish. This was one of their best-sellers in the main dish department and well, although the serving size seems reasonable, the bagoong was really good, and the vegetables were cooked nicely, the bagnet sadly lacked taste. It felt like it was just a semi-crispy pork belly in a neutral-tasting peanut sauce. The The pork belly didn't stand out nor did the sauce. They were all in the same level which contributes to the lack of character of the dish. Maybe either a bit saltier bagnetor a a more peanuty sauce?

Now to the artsy part of the resto: the place itself! That's what the EAT + ART means in Drei's: it's enjoying the food while getting to experience a place full of art (or even show-off your own art).

For me, this is really where Drei's shines the most. It's a small place with a big space for creativity. Almost every corner of the venue had an expression of some sort in it. I would love to go into detail on every single piece but I'll let the pictures talk for themselves:

Since the picture is kinda small, I decided not to waste the panoramic photos by posting their original size...

  

 

 

 

And my most favorite art of all...

You'll be surprised to find out where this awesome art is located hehe...

Till next time!

~2GBTG!

I Love Milk Tea & Coffee

Ah finally.

After a thousand years, a post :)

Anyway, I'm doing this for a friend so ... without further adieu...

(yes I won't explain my absence...it will take me too much time haha)

I Love Milk Tea & Coffee

(I Love Milk Tea & Coffee in Facebook)

I Love Milk Tea and Coffee

Location: 92 E. Santos St., Concepcion Uno, Marikina City
How to get there:

From Cubao, take any jeep/FX that goes to Concepcion (Philstress, Molave, SSS). Tell the driver you're dropping of at J. Molina (it's an intersection with E. Santos itself) OR Concepcion Elementary School. You should be dropping off either in front of the cafe or the corner nearby.

Liezel and John (the sweet owners)

Here are the owners of the place: the married couple John and Liezel Lucas. And yes, John's an American. The interesting part? Both of them came from entirely different professions not related to food before coming up with this cafe:  John actually was more into building bridges and boats for a long time before he came here to the Philippines. Liezel on the other hand, was into the IT field.

The whole team

So where did the idea come from?

John had some favorite indie coffee shops back in the US. One of them had a name "True Love Milk Tea and Coffee" which was where the place's name was derived. Liezel on the other hand, along with the ongoing trend of milk teas here in the Philippines, was keen on setting up a tea place. So they decided to create a cafe where they can merge both American and Philippine "cultures" to bring out some of the best of both worlds.

Now enough history lessons! :P

The counter

it's a nice family or friend get together place

The place is pretty cozy and warm. It's also very spacious which is good for birthday and small events. 

the "love" seats

As you can see, the "love" seats are cute and are comfy. The place needs some improvement on the wall decors though as they're still pretty much printed posters without frames or art.

for the "outsiders" :)

There's some tables outside for those who either smoke or like the roadside view. Don't worry, the place is well lit and safe as there's always people around the place. I guess the only downside to the place is parking. If you've got a car, you can either do a "to go" or park at the school nearby then go their place.

Now for the food stuff!

The place offers mostly, as the name suggests, coffee, tea and milk tea. On the side, there are also quick snacks to compliment your drink:

the drink menu

the snack menu

The prices are student friendly and are fit for the serving though I wouldn't say the same for all the stuff I've tried.

And now...

So I tried their bestsellers for each category of tea, coffee and snacks:

Mocha Frappe

Name: Mocha Frappe

Price: 90php

One thing I like about this frappe is that it was very easy to drink. The reason I said that is because the typical frappe I get from branded stores always have some of the crushed ice in the way or get left over. This was a pretty seamless drinking experience to me. And of course, I also liked those chocolate toppings which added more fun to it. On the downside, although the frappe tastes okay, it tasted kind of watered down. I don't really taste much of the actual mocha or coffee. I mean it's there but not too distinct... MY BAD: I drank it after I took some photos of the place SO it may really have watered down due to the melted ice... that means I may have to try this drink again haha.

Wintermelon Milk Tea

Name: Wintermelon Milk Tea

Price: 55php

Recently I've moved on from a coffee lover to a tea lover. Not exactly milk tea but I do drink that too. So I was kinda excited to try this one especially it has one of my favorite flavors: wintermelon. The verdict? I'd take their mocha frappe over this one. The reason? I was expecting a unique taste that I always get from wintermelon but somehow, I didn't find it from this one. It's there but not the one I'd usually get from other tea shops. And the milk was faint as well. The usual milk teas I get are either the right balance of both or the milk is just stronger (like in the case of Gong Cha). On a side note, the pearls are generous and good for the price. On the brighter side, since they're new, I could say that they have a good avenue to mix and match their drinks better. :)

Ham and Cheese Crepe

Name: Ham and Cheese Crepe

Price: 70php

Ah but of course, we save the best for last. THIS crepe over here is a WINNER :) For the typical Filipino palate, savory crepes are either not popular or unusual. Savory crepes are made from buckwheat and are unsweetened. Here though, as long as it's non-fruit, they call it savory. When you ask a commoner about what a crepe is, they'd usually say its got fruits and cream and whatnot. But actually, savory crepes have been around for some time. Not everyone's offering it, but it does exist :) Anyway, this obviously is a savory one and I'm glad that I tried it out. The crepe itself was done just right for me (looks kinda burnt though) but it wasn't too dry when you taste it. What won me on this dish is the fillings. It had a generous amount of ham and cheese inside and it was cooked really nicely that even if it was already cold, you'd still appreciate the taste of it. It had the right saltiness and the crepe was good for balancing the perfect combination of ham and cheese. RECOMMENDED!

the message corkboard

Besides the good food and nice place, they also put a message board near the front for those who are in the trend. :) A lot of people seem to like their fries. Hm, I should've tried that too...next time :)

love :)

Oh I only put this shot here because I remember my special someone when I see this. :) #uls.

Anyway, overall, the place is very accessible, clean and cozy. It had lots of space and has the standard entertainment like magazines, the corkboard and a TV that played movies. The snacks seemed good overall and the drinks are okay but I think it will be better. If you're in the Marikina area, I suggest you try out this place. Plus their staff and owners are very friendly :)

PS: I recently tried their caramel frappe...IT WAS GOOD :) and John let me try the grave for their new dish Burger Steak...IT WAS GOOD too! :)

See yah!

~2GBTG!

i decided...

... to post something here so that i can get the motivation to revive this blog...
i already have the materials but the blog itself is really time and mind consuming haha...
my supposedly dead personal blog is much more alive now than this :P
and i even started another blog haha...

anyways... thanks for those who still check my blog out :) don't worry, this will up soon :)

Cerveseria

Oh well... what can I do... my aunt asked me and my brother out to try this new place at Greenbelt 3. The fuss is all about a casual Spanish dining place/bar.

Well since we were both free and the food will be too, why not? :P

So we went there and ... well ... here we go ...

Cerveseria

(Cerveseria in Facebook)

Location: Greenbelt 3, Ayala, Makati City

How to get there:

Take a bus going to Ayala (along EDSA) and you should drop off at the Rustan unloading shed. You cross from there and you should see Glorietta 5. From Glorietta 5, it will be quite a walk. You have to walk until the Link then past that, at the corner cross to the left side, walk up the bridge, go down the other side. You should be seeing the Greenbelt chapel on the right (far center) and the Greenbelt sign itself on the left. At front, there's Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Continue that same path on the ground until you reach the center plaza. This is beside Seattle's Best Coffee. 

Of course you can take a taxi if you want haha.

This place ain't nowhere near Aubergine's prices (thank God) but you've gotta prepare quite a budget for it (around 400++).

But we'll soon find out if the price is worth it or not :)

So the chief chef and owner of Cerveseria is Mr. Gilbert Pangilinan. They opened only this year (I'll have to check the date yet) and is next to a successful restaurant, that also resides in the Greenbelt area: Kai (co-owned by the same guy). Primarily, Cerverseria serves Spanish cuisine both classic and reinvented. The place is very homey and is uniquely designed...

Yup, waxed chandeliers..cool and creepy :P

Just like home (not mine though haha) :)

this is something else :)

My favorite part of this place :)

So as you can see, the place is really nice and pretty. Mr. Gilbert says most of the stuff and furniture here were from an old house in Pampanga. The bookshelves and the books were from somewhere else however. I think it's a clever and creative idea :)

But enough of that. Time to eat!!!

Name: Patatas Bravas

Price: 230php

CAUTION: Hot filling (believe me)

As the caption says, even if you're so eager to dig in, DON'T...(well it might be different for you i dunno) coz I burned my tongue when I did haha. Anyways, the potatoes were great coz they're still hot and soft with the tomato and aioli sauce that blends well with that texture. I actually found a bit interesting was the contrast of the temperature of the sauce and the hot potatoes makes it more enjoyable for me :)

Name: Chorizos Fritos

Price: 370php

MMM-mmm

Ah... this one is a hit for me. Juicy, tasty and aromatic chorizos drenched in olive oil...what else can I say? Not tough, just pure tasty meat in bite-size goodness. :) I was even tempted to order rice to eat it with and have some excuse of pouring all that oil haha.

Name: Gambas ala Plancha

Price: 355php

you're not supposed to eat the salt ... right?

I am a fan of shrimps. I just love them. And to tell you, I've tried this same dish somewhere else. But I guess I never understood what it should be haha. It's good actually coz it's simply shrimp taste. Maybe that's it. Anyways, I don't remember if it was my aunt who ordered this or my curiosity of the name hehe. Oh and don't be fooled by the pic. These are big shrimps :)

Name: Cochinilio with Tomato Salsa

Price: 980php

That's one big, crunchy slab of pork!!!

Now if you're in the mood for some crunchy lechon (actually cochinilio is not lechon, but to keep it simple and easy to relate with, let's stick to that idea instead haha) with not only the skin but the meat as well, then you should get this. Just right crispy skin outside and very tasty and still crispy inside with or without that wonderful dip is definitely a sold lechon for me. Somewhere near Elar's if I may say. And it's definitely finger-lickin' good :)

I actually enjoyed the salsa dip that went with this dish as compared to the usual lechon gravy, most often than not, that is either too sweet, too watery or too weird or in some cases, overpowers the lechon taste. This one was besides being different, was good. It compliments the slightly salty and "crunchy" taste of the lechon with a cool, smooth tomato dip.

Name: Cerveseria Paella

Price: 760php

Simply a winner :) :) :)

I have a triple-tie here actually on what I liked in this place: the chorizos, the lechon and of course, my all-time favorite paella. If you've tried eating at Casa Armas, then you're rich haha. Really. It's expensive there. I only got to try their amazing paella because a friend of mine had some leftovers to share. But even so, I think they're beyond my wallet. Now this on the other hand, for the casual person, would still be expensive but I'd say at least it's more affordable. What I can honestly say however, it is equally good. :)

The veggies are still fresh and juicy. The beans were crunchy. The bell peppers added that welcome sweetness to the rice and struck that nice balance with the saltiness. The rice was not too sticky, just right and it was so good that we had the waiter scrape the semi-toasted rice that stuck on the paellera. The meat (chorizos mostly) was abundant but didn't overpower the paella taste. And of course, the fish fillet and shells made sure it had that seafood taste.

I could definitely eat a whole paellera of this. No kidding.

Anyways, although most of the food was good, I have to still say, this is not my typical budget. And yes, I still think it's expensive despite it's style and flavor. I would definitely recommend this place as a nice date place or an occasional family reunion resto. :)

Till next time!

2GBTG!

M-4 Pares

... and on my way home after eating at Yummy Roast, yes, I still wanted to eat. Not that I wasn't satisfied but let's just say that I really am that way hahaha.

Gluttony... oh dear... maybe I did :(

Anyways, I'll confess that next time so onward with this review...

M-4 Pares

Location: JP Rizal St., Malanday, Marikina City

How to get there:

Get a ride going to Cubao. Then at Aurora Blvd (where one of the main entrances to Gateway Mall is), take a jeep that says Parang Fortune, Calumpang or SSS. Any jeep that goes to Marikina Palengke. Drop off at 7-11 at the Marikina Bridge, cross to the opposite corner then take a green trike. Tell the driver to drop you off at Lamuan or M-4 Pares.

Unfortunately, I should have not indulged in such a sin...

My brother used to tell me about this place and how he said that the pares here was good. So on my way home, I decided to try it out. The place is open 24 hours and at the time I went there, there were no customers.

Without further delay, I went in and ordered pares.

And yes I kinda interviewed the store help but he thought I was weird so he decided to hide in the kitchen in the meantime haha.

After 10 minutes, voila! One of my all-time favorite dish is served...

Name: Pares

Price: 65php

... well, almost.

The pares was swimming in this supposedly beef stew sauce. The sauce was a sweet mix and was kinda okay but it seemed like it was all sauce in the end. There was only some beef slices in the rice was very dry. The pares actually had anise in it (that star-shaped spice) which of course, I can't eat but added a lil twist to the taste (though it was hardly noticeable).

Overall, it was a very bland and plain experience. It was just like eating food for the sake of just satisfying hunger or because I paid for it already. :(

Oh well... lesson learned! Hahaha!

~2GBTG!

Yummy Roast

On this day, for some reason, I just wanted to go eat and just eat. I didn't really plan on doing a blog for anything but you'll soon find that I have another post next to this where I ate on the way home... talk about pigging out haha...

One of my close friends already ate at this place so that triggered my interest to try it out too. She liked it a lot she said so that got me excited.

Yummy Roast

(Yummy Roast in Facebook)

Location: Eastwood, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao.

Once at Eastwood, go over at the old Citywalk until you get to Stackers, take a right going to Blue Onion and ride the escalator there. The place is just at the top.

Now what made me hesitate to try out this place is because I thought, it maybe another one of those inasal places again (if you still remember my Food Junction post hehe...). I would say however, at the time I went there, there were still a lot of people so I was interested to try it out anyways.

Yummy Roast is actually a Singaporean food chain. It's first branch in the Philippines is this one, in Eastwood. So far, I'm not aware yet of other branches but I'm sure there will be others soon.

Once I entered, I asked their staff what makes Yummy Roast different from other chicken places. The cashier answered by saying it's roast chicken that's more on the sweet side and more tender meat. I then checked their menu and found that their dishes are very affordable AND with unlimited rice at that! :) And what's more, you already get bottomless iced tea (or soda) for just 35php! Hmmm... now this has got me interested...

Name: Yummy Chicken with Rice (unlimited plain rice)

Price: 98php

Oh, by the way, you can even upgrade your unlimited plain rice to their special Yummy rice (still unlimited) for an additional 10php. Really, the price alone is getting me hooked (to think it's the same as Mang Inasal's prices) and along with other interesting options.

But of course, we can't just settle for quantity right? We gotta know if it tastes right too.

The chicken's meat is very full and packed. You can actually see when you cut the meat that the fibers are really stocked nice and tight. But despite this, the meat remains tender to eat. As the cashier said, the chicken doesn't necessarily taste like the other roasts as it is sweet from the skin to the meat. I enjoyed eating it all the way to the bones. :)

Now what's kinda unique is that they don't serve you ketchup or gravy (although both are options) by default. They serve you garlic and vinegar with the chicken. If you ask me, that's a nice and new treat for eating roasted chicken. The combination and contrast is a nice twist. :)

And of course, the bottomless iced tea (it should really be refillable right?) is a winner for 35php.

To tell you, I had 3 cups of rice for that quarter...

Oh dear, I feel a workout coming hahaha...

Till next time friends!


~2GBTG!

Heaven and Eggs

Oh, what else can I say? After office, what else is there to do?

Eat. Hahaha. I feel like I'm some everyday stressed office employee who lashes it out with food.

Well, actually, eating is not really my stress-reliever, I just love to eat that's all.

You see, ever since I was a kid (why am I telling this story?) my parents used to scold me whenever I don't finish what I have on my plate. So after years of "training" and knowing that a lot of people out there are trying really hard to even get a bit of food, I became a food monster.

Mind you though, I'm not some over-sized whale or something.

Anyways, back to the subject...

I've eaten at Heaven and Eggs quite a lot of times already mainly because I just love how they do their eggs (yes, I know it doesn't sound right) and they're one of the places that I know who knows how to do poached eggs. I love poached eggs :)

And so here we are...

Heaven & Eggs

(Official is also under Red Crab's website... still down though...)

(Heaven & Eggs in Facebook)

Heaven and Eggs' new look

Location: Fuente Circle, Eastwood City, Libis, QC

How to get there:

If coming from Cubao, take a jeep that goes to IPI or De Castro.

If coming from Ortigas, take a jeep that goes to De Castro or Jenny's. Go down at IPI then take a jeep that goes to Cubao. Tell the driver to drop you off at Eastwood (Citibank) then you need to walk in to get to Eastwood proper itself.

You'll need to walk all the way to the right side of City Walk. It's at the avenue where The Distillery is and is just past the Bed Room bar.

Not much research done on what is and what was Heaven and Eggs since the staff seemed too busy at that time :P

But the name already gives a hint on what they are: they're a casual dining place who serves all-day breakfast meals. Along with their new look (their look before was a bit softer and more homey), they are now serving quite a selection of American and modern Filipino dishes with large servings.

Most of them, of course, are eggs or have eggs with them. :P They can cook your eggs in whichever way you like and you can even have your eggs cooked differently (for more than one egg dishes).

Name: Sweet Spam

Price: 235php

However the eggs are cooked, it's fine by me :)

How can you not like SPAM?

For this review, I was only able to eat one dish. It was really late that time and we just wanted to eat and go home after.

So I made a pretty safe bet on one when I ordered: Spam and eggs. How can I go wrong? Actually I can. Haha.

Anyways, so this is simply SPAM. Really, it's just spam and it's just sweet. Is there something wrong with that? For me, no not at all. I'm kinda biased because I love spam. But in it's simplicity, this is a good combo: sweet and salty...with eggs! Haha. I initially wanted the eggs poached but I wanted to eat the eggs in a way I can mix them with the rice. :P Anyways, although I find the serving size in general small relative to it's price (in short I think it's expensive for what it is), five slices of spam ain't that bad. I love the "just right" spam taste, untainted and just slightly sweet. The eggs were nicely cooked and still milky (I like my eggs that way) which makes this the good ol' breakfast I'd take any day.

So that's it. Really. Simply sweet and salty. Just expensive for me :)

Next time, I'll try to post another feasty treat hehe.

~2GBTG!