BHS Central Find Number 1

I had the busiest 7 weeks to date. It had been a series of events and family visits since May, and although it was fun I missed the blog. :D I did.

M and I went to a lot of food trips- two summer weddings, an office outing, and another getaway to one home province. In between,  we went out to food trips with family who visited the metro. It was a busy summer!

When we visited Bonifacio High Street Central , we were happy to find new places to eat. It's so nice there. There's an arena and at the bottom of it is an interactive fountain, much like the one in Market Market, only bigger and nicer. :) Kids go crazy over this thing.  

We looked up Our Awesome Planet, and found a good review of Stella, and so in we went.

Stella is a wood fire bistro, with a very elegant and light interior. I usually associate bistros with dark wood and hardwood furniture. Not this one. It seemed like a French cafe, actually. There was an adjoining bar on the other side of a wall with a tinted glass window- so we can fairly see what's happening  in the bar while we're having dinner.  Oh, and according to pareng Google, stella means star-this explains the star up above the top shelf.:) 

For starters, the waiter handed us a basket full of bread and made us pick one  piece of bread each.  Complimentary. Kind of awkward  this way of picking just one piece from a basket full of bread. This is the first time I've seen it done this way. I wish I didn't have to pick if I was getting just one piece. I wish they would change this. Or maybe we could pick from a menu instead of from the basket, if picking is part of the deal. Anyways, I picked a mini baguette, and M got a tomato bread. His choice was way better.

This was the dip for the bread. 

 Bone Marrow (395)
with a yummy Rosemary Sultana Compote, Gremolata, Herb Garlic Focaccia Crisps.


If there was any reason why we picked this restaurant for the evening, it was because I wanted to try this dish.   It wasn't roasted enough for me. But I did like the accompanying sides. 

Mediterranean NZ Lamb "Shepherd's Stew" (495)

This was M's dish. It didn't look large enough for him at first, since this bowl is a little small, but under the pumpkin puree is a lot of lamb meat. I think this was okay for him. Not amazing but better than the other dishes save for...

Stella Salad (295)
My order. I was going to make do with salad for the evening since it had bacon in it. But it looked so inviting that I had to share with the three of us. This salad is good. It had a light and creamy dressing, the bacon crisps were wide and salty good. So I shared, and I think I shouldn't have. Hehehe.

California Style Baby Back Ribs (395)
This was the other meat dish on the table. It was very big and tender. Sadly though, the sauce wasn't smoky enough for me. It was too tomato-ey. A good spicy and smoky sauce would have been perfect. The sauce does remind me to be more Middle Eastern in flavor. I think most of their dishes seem that way, including the lamb.
After dinner, we walked to a Happy Lemon outlet at the High Street. This was going to be my first time to try one and so I got their most popular flavor-

Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese

I admit I expected to be weirded out. But I liked it!:D
The cheese was a very light and frothy creamy milk on top of a strong and iced Jasmine green tea.
Refreshing! So glad we don't have to drive to faraway Mandaluyong just to try this. :D



Rock on.

These crab cakes and that shake!

What is it about men and sports that drives them out of their caves and makes them travel from one "city" to another just to be able to watch a live telecast of their favorite game? It's crazy!! 

M called me out of the  blue to "invite" me to lunch at Italianni's The Fort because his favorite game was being telecast live at that branch. I had lunch when he called so the invitation was late, but the thought of him rushing there to watch that game was just too much for me to resist. I needed to get some baking ingredients at the grocery anyways. 

I arrived after the game was over, and he was doing some work, and using the available wifi. I ordered a special on the menu-the Crab Cakes Capri. I thought they would be a light and filling supplement to my leftover pizza lunch :D Seafood is summer food! These were really good!

Crab Cakes Capri (P175)

Pure white, flaky, juicy real crab meat. Yum.  Good deal!

There were 6 pieces to this order. M had enough of the pasta that he ordered so he didn't get any of this. I was so full after. I think 2-3 people should share this dish. 2 would be perfect, 3's fine.

   

Strawberry Shake 

It was so hot outside... er, if you live in Metro Manila, I think you know how hot this summer is. 

I then ordered a truly refreshing Strawberry Shake that got me right in the mood to explore The Fort. It was full of fresh strawberries, with a hint of mint. I'm not so sure but I think this beverage cost as much as the Crab Cakes. Hehe.

It's so good that I would like to thank the Lord for the creation of the blender :D

I've had the Peach Mango from Shiok and this awesome Strawberry Shake 
from Italianni's to make this summer refreshing.

What's your summer drink this year?:)

Shiok in Summer

It was a dreadful weekday. Hot & Humid. Then the rain fell. One of those days. Having missed Tonton massage Perea, we decided to try Tonton Massage's Fort branch. Have you ever had a massage before dinner? Try it! You'll feel light and hungry. Well, having your massage before meals is actually more ideal for the body, they say. 

We parked right across the block where Shiok was located. Shiok is a Singaporean specialty restaurant supposedly reminiscent of the hawker centres in Singapore. This is what we had for the evening:

Hainanese Chicken Rice

I'm not a big fan of the Hainanese Chicken Rice, because I'm used to having my chicken dry or crispy. But the garlic rice that accompanies this dish is yummy. M likes that it's moist and juicy.

Nonya Laksa

This one was spicy and had way too much curry powder.
I like Toast Box's Laksa better because the curry, spice and coconut milk was my perfect balance.  I think M liked this one better though. He likes his food really spicy.

Peach Mango

This beverage served to refresh my spiced out taste buds.
Alone though or without the laksa, it would taste a bit cough syrupy ( I suspect the peaches were the canned variety.)
I am learning to prefer fresh fruit shakes instead of my favorite cola.


Hot summer and Peach Mango- nomnom.

2nd time

2nd's at The Fort is a restaurant on the second floor of a building at The Fort. I like this place for two reasons. It's ambiance and the food. I like that the place stays true to what they deem is good food, and did not attempt to stick to a theme. The first time we went there I ordered the Smoked Caprese Tower- a salad. I liked it, but I was enamored by my friend V's order- the Beef Ribs Adobo. 

On our second visit last weekend, this is what I ordered.

Beef  Ribs Adobo (P545)


It's not cheap for it's size. I also think that only two people can share this dish, with a good large cup of rice. I wish though the rice was brown ( they served a cup of  pristine white jasmine rice).

Adobo is a quintessential Filipino dish of pork or chicken, or both- cooked in soy sauce and vinegar. Good adobo takes some time to cook so that the meat is tender. This one was made with beef ribs, tender and succulent-although I must say, not quite healthy.  Could beat a steak dish. Highly recommended. 

Of Brick Walls and Pasta Trios

My Mom and I like two other things other than food-- and those are hardwood and bricks. This place we went to last night was a lovely, rustic and romantic Italian restaurant called L'Opera Ristorante Italiano at The Fort Strip, with walls warmed up by bricks. I was staring at the brick arches and walls from the loft, and I forgot to take a photo. Imagine that.

But I did not forget the grub. M was in the mood for splurging on a Friday night.

Minestra con Granchi

This was his soup- the Minestra con Granchi or simply Crab Soup in a tomato base. He liked it, and I could see big chunks of crabmeat on top of the soup.

Please forgive me for the mobile phone shots. I ran out of batteries. Sigh.

This photo doesn't do justice to my Minestrone Soup. It was so good. Earthy.

It was enough to fill me up. But the night was young.

Trittico della Casa

And because this was an Italian restaurant, I thought it was necessary to order pasta. We ordered the Trittico della Casa, a special selection of three pastas of our choice. So, the merry pinpointing began, where we ordered one from each category (Vegetable, Meat, Fish and Seafood).

They were good, but I am not going to do that again. It was excessive and not right. We couldn't enjoy each flavor on its own. Not again. But among the three, what stood out was the strong and pungent Penne Funghi Porcini ( under the Vegetable category, leftmost)). The sauce consisted of a thick and creamy Porcini mushroom cream sauce. Good. The other two flavors were the basic Ragu Toscano ( Meat sauce) and the Vongole Bianco (Seafood). They were good too.

Tagliata di Manzo con Fegato D’oca in Salsa Tartufata con Spinaci e Asparagus

But this one stole the show. Steak, medium well. Split into two.

Melts in the mouth. Salty, buttery. Enough said.

I only wish my camera was fully charged.

Their service is also good. Highly attentive waiters. :D

Bon appetit!

Decadence on the Day of Hearts

How was your Valentine's Day? M and I had the usual celebration. I prepared a bacon breakfast for him, which is an essential ingredient for most special day celebrations at our home. I made a cute cut-out heart greeting for him, too. He was nursing a flu, and had to work too. But he did come home early so we could get a table at one of our favorite restos to date- the Blackwood Bistro. Blackwood Bistro is located at the Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill, Taguig City. We were also lucky to dine al fresco, with outdoor entertainment provided by the mall showcasing an Opera Night for the evening. Lovely.

But yes, we've dined at Blackwood Bistro before, and we were pleasantly surprised that their dishes were delicious! To date, we've sampled five dishes, and all were good- kudos to the Buffalo Crab Claws (of which I wasn't able to take a picture of,boo!).

For this evening, we ordered the following---

Crab and Mango Salad

This lovely salad was filled with generous amounts of greens,

mangoes, strawberries, and lumps of crab meat. Yes, fresh juicy crab meat.

Baked Oysters

M's favorite appetizer, and this dish doesn't disappoint.

The oyster meat was large and juicy and smothered with a cheese-butter sauce.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Tender and earthy lamb shanks,

most probably slow cooked in a rich sauce

and accompanied by some roasted garlic, caramelized onions

and mashed potatoes.

Now for the piece de resistance. M ordered some dessert, and while he was poring through the dessert menu, the waiter suddenly bursts out and convincingly entices us to order their Valentine offering of Foie Gras, which was not on the menu. I hesitate, and the waiter continues on about it being so rich and sweet and good, and that the dish came with a glass of wine. We both looked at him, then we looked at each other, and let him get us some of that Foie Gras. While waiting, M and I were puzzled how Foie Gras can be dessert. Giggling, we had to confirm with each other that foie gras was liver. But yes, we both agreed that we were "seduced" by the waiter to try it. After a while, this arrives,

Foie Gras

Yes it was rich, and sensuous, if I may say so.

The soft goose liver was seared in butter. It came with a piece of toast, dressed with a blueberry compote, chocolate sauce and clotted cream.

The calories!

Oh, but this dish was playing on a different level. We were eating food for the gods, so to speak.

It was so decadent, I just couldn't resist staring at it.

We are never the same. :D

But yes, we just had dinner outside for Valentine's Day. I am just so glad I am able to spend this day with my love.

Later on he hands me a large, long box.

He gave me flowers.

Thanks babe.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's day, too!

A Little Formal at Aubergine

My Mark and I went out for dinner one week night, this time with his mother, where we chanced upon Aubergine at The Fort.

We were a little intimidated by its classy interiors, but food is food! We just wanted to eat good food, and felt better after thinking that. We were first seated at a table near the kitchen glass windows, where we could see the action. But alas, the chairs were too soft and were too low for the table so it didn't make for a very comfortable eating position. So I bade goodbye to the good kitchen view, where we saw the pristine white chef's uniforms together with ISCAHM students, and the stainless steel counters. Sigh for the view :) But it was indeed better to eat at the second table, which was situated right beside the floor-to- ceiling glass-covered wine chiller, another sight to behold.

I dare say the food we ordered for the evening was good. Expensive, but good. I loved the tableware and service was mainly good. Let us get on to the most important part... the food! We had the following:

Tuna Tartare
This one was compliments from the chef,
since my Mark ordered one of the evening's Chef's specials.
All three of us had a serving of the tuna tartare. The tuna was soft and fresh. It was a lovely start.

There was yummy bread (although I wasn't able to take a picture of it),
which was accompanied by a duo of fresh butter and a pesto cream sauce.
The latter was really creamy.

Mark likes oysters a lot, and cheese a lot...
so he ordered these Baked Oysters (P480).
I liked them. They were good!
I actually prefer my oysters grilled with lots of garlic...
but the cheese they placed here were not too much,
and complemented the spinach leaves inside it.
My mouth is watering now, just by remembering it!

Grilled Fillet of Chilean Sea Bass (P980)
This was my order. I wanted something different from the usual steak, and ordered this nice, and creamy fish dish. MunchPunch provides a menu for Aubergine, and the menu describes the sauce accompanying this as tomato fondue and boullabaise broth. The mashed potatoes were also incorporated in the broth... so what may seem as a light dish.. was actually quite heavy!

Chef's Special
This is one of the three Chef's specials for the evening, which the waitress offered
to us on a blackboard menu. Hehe. I couldn't quite remember the dish's exact description but I remember it having some Wagyu steak, Prawns and Foie gras. The foie gras, my husband enjoyed very much. It was creamy and well cooked, but not dry. It didn't have any bitter liver taste and was actually quite sweet. He's a fan now of their Foie gras, which I read somewhere is actually one of Aubergine's specialties! Yum!

My mother-in-law ordered this yummy Angus Beef Rib Eye.
It was good and well.... I love beef!
So I wish I ordered this too.
But I luckily got a bite of it! Thanks Ma!:)

They also served us a complimentary dessert from their Patisserie.. a trio of macarons in lemon, cherry and chocolate flavors. I think they need to improve on their macarons though. I've tasted Bizu's and I really love their macarons.

So there.. we were in la la land for an hour or so, eating lovely food in a lovely setting. The interiors were very classy, and the location is not that easy to access, as it is located at the 2nd floor of the 32nd&5th building at the Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. Most of the people there were foreign businessmen, so I suggest you dress properly in going there to avoid the discomfort I felt when I was there! Hehe.

Thanks Ma! Hehe.