Restaurant Review: Linguini Fini at SM Mega Fashion Hall

More and more international restaurants are finding their way to Manila, and it has easily become the most prominent food trend in our country this year. Filipinos are tend to be drawn to anything "imported", that's why most international restaurants are always sure-fire hits.

Adding to the ever growing list of foreign restaurant franchises here in Manila is Linguini Fini, an Italian restaurant from Hong Kong. 

Interesting chalkboard art at Linguini Fini

Linguini Fini operates with the concept of farm-to-table dining. This ensures that all ingredients used in their dishes are organic and fresh. To make this happen, Chef Vinny Lauria tweaked the dishes to include locally-sourced ingredients - such as kesong puti, tinapa, longganisa to a name few. And he definitely succeeds in making the food distinctly Italian yet comfortingly Filipino.

The restaurant's vibe definitely screams hip and cool. The walls are covered with artworks by local artist Dee Jae Paeste, with art pop posters, cool signages and an open kitchen to complete the hipster-chic look of the place.

Manila Caprese Pizza - cherry tomatoes, in house kesong puti, basil, olive oil

But what's equally cool are the dishes in this restaurant. The ingredients are so simple, so basic, yet incredibly delicious. Take for example the Manila Caprese pizza. Every bite is a perfect symphony of flavors from the kesong puti, tomatoes, and basil. It all tasted so clean and fresh yet rich and flavorful.

Papardelle "Nose to Tail Bolo" - pork testa, veal & oxtail ragu, Parmigiano Reggiano

The Nose to Tail Bolo is one of the most amazing dishes Linguini Fini has to offer. The ragu made from pig's head and ox tail compliments very well to the perfectly cooked papardelle, and the parmigiano reggiano just takes everything to another level. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Porchetta - slow roasted, fennel rubbed pork belly chopped with chili mostarda, fennel, in a bed of focaccia

But the dish that made me cry from pure ecstasy is the porchetta. The fennel rub on the pork belly is superb, the skin charred beautifully, yet the meat remains moist and fall-off-your-fork soft. The chili mostarda provides the right amount of heat and tang, while the focaccia serves as an excellent neutralizer. This dish deserves a standing ovation, I swear to the food gods.

Picked chili

And be sure to ask your server for a jar of pickled chili! Sprinkle it everywhere - the pizza, the pasta, or even the porchetta. Your taste buds will forever be grateful to you, trust me.

I have high respects for restaurants who are able to create the most stunning dishes using the simplest of ingredients. It just all depends on how well you handle each and every component of your dish. And with Linguini Fini, Chef Vinny just proves how masterful his craft is.

Pros:

Value for your money food

Organic, fresh ingredients are used

Chic restaurant interiors

Helpful servers

Cons:

Can't think of one yet

Rating:

 

LINGUINI FINI, Level 3, SM Mega Fashion Hall, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City 

Restaurant Review: Sarsa Kitchen + Bar by Chef JP Anglo at BGC Forum

Here's a thing about celebrity chef restaurants: they are usually over-priced.

And in this world, there is no worst feeling other than emptying the contents of your wallet just for a dish with a serving size good for a newborn baby.

Good thing there's Sarsa Kitchen + Bar. This restaurant by Chef JP Anglo promises to deliver "your favorite Filipino comfort food and then elevate it". But what's even better is that it's affordable. Really really affordable.

The interiors pretty much reflects the essence of Sarsa: simple, unassuming, homey, but still current and beautiful.

We had to wait for an hour to get a table, which is something we expect since we went there on a Saturday evening. Good thing the lovely crew serve us some peanuts and cornik to munch on, which made the waiting not so bad.

Dinuguan Chicharon Bulaklak

The dinuguan is definitely one of the most sinful dishes I've ever tried in my life. Pig's blood + deep fried pork mesentery + chopped pig's intestines = the perfect recipe for hypertension and higher cholesterol levels! But believe me, this dish is worth the pain in the neck. And is definitely perfect with a cup of steaming white rice.

Monggo-nisa (Monggo topped with longganisa bits)

Everything about this monggo dish is perfect: the cook on the beans, the seasoning on the dish, and the crispy longganisa and chopped chicharon sprinkled on top. You can even eat it on it's own, it's that good!

Inasal na Pecho ng Manok

Chef JP is a proud Ilonggo, and he definitely takes pride in his inasal. Sarsa's take on this ubiquitous chicken dish is perharps the best in the city: the meat is moist and beautifully cooked, the charring on the skin is amazing, and the flavors are spot on.

Ginamos Fried Rice

Although most of the dishes in Sarsa are best paired with plain white rice, one should definitely give the restaurant's signature ginamos fried rice a try. It has the right amount of shrimp paste flavor, enough to give your appetite a little boost (not that you really need it).


Sarsa is one of those restaurants that would leave you very very satisfied once you leave, and will definitely make you want to go back for more.


Pros:
Worth your money dishes
Simple, no fuss menu
Nice restaurant interiors

Cons:
Not all servers are attentive. Some are very warm, others looked pissed
Parking can be difficult
Very sinful dishes


Rating:

SARSA Kitchen + Bar: The Forum, 7th Avenue Corner Federacion Drive, BGC, Taguig City

Restaurant Review: Paradise Dynasty at VivoCity, Singapore

I'm entirely, wholeheartedly, head over heels in love with xiao long bao.

I had my first xiao long bao in Hong Kong, in none other than the famous, Michelin-starred restaurant Din Tai Fung. The minute the broth inside that thin wrapper touched my lips, I knew I had found the one.

After reading about Paradise Dynasty's flavored xiao long bao on Pepper.ph, I got super curious. The process of creating this broth-filled dimsum is so intricate, delicate, and tedious. Now imagine doing that with 8 different flavors!

That is why the minute I found myself standing in the streets of Singapore, I immediately hunted down this restaurant.

Chopsticks and deep spoon - aka the tools to attack  xiao long bao

But before I talk about the star of this post, let me introduce you to the supporting cast. Paradise Dynasty has an extensive Shanghai-cuisine menu, so I decided to try some of their other dishes as well.

Shanghai Fried Rice - a true MSG goodness

Deep fried fish - not PD's best. Too oily and bland. Needs a flavorful dipping sauce.

Braised pork belly - Oh. My. God. OH. MY. GOD. Ohmygod.

Paradise Dynasty's braised pork belly is so unbelievably tender I swear a toothpick can cut through it. The sauce is incredibly delicious, and the meat is moist and has a beautiful layer of fat. I cannot recommend this highly and strongly enough.

The flavors are: Original (white), Ginseng (green), Foie Gras (brown), Black Truffle (black), Cheesy (yellow), Crab Roe (orange), Garlic (grey), and Szechuan (pink).

And now for the xiao long bao. First thing I noticed is that the wrapper is way too thin, and that it sticks to the cloth of the bamboo steamer. Getting a piece is difficult, as the smallest mistake can cause a tear in the wrapper, spilling the broth in the process. As you can see in the picture, when the xiao long baos were served, one of them already had a tear :(

The xiao long bao attack plan

As per the "xiao long bao attack plan", here's the order as of  how you should devour the dumplings:

1st: Original (white) - broth is tasty, meat is seasoned, although not as great as Din Tai Fung's.
2nd: Ginseng (green) - I kinda imagine this is what Groot's pee would tastes like. It tastes like "nature".
3rd: Foie Gras (brown) - DELICIOUS! It's amazing how they captured the foie gras taste successfully.
4th: Black Truffle (black) - really good flavor, but too overpowering.
5th: Cheesy (yellow) - subtle cheese taste but good
6th: Crab Roe (orange) - MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! Great crab flavor! I could eat 7 more of these.
7th: Garlic (grey) - REALLY strong garlic flavor. If it was toned down a little, it would've been lovely.
8th: Szechuan (pink) - this was supposed to be a palate cleanser. It's like the broth inside it was made from boiled down rose petals. I'm not a fan.


Pros:
Orgasm-inducing pork belly dish
The novelty of eating multi-flavored and mulit-colored xiao long baos.

Cons:
Some items in their menu are a miss
Servers are not so friendly (maybe it's a culture thing?)
Long wait for a table


Rating:

PARADISE DYNASTY : VivoCity, 1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-08A, Singapore

Fancy Kitchen: First Edition

Tips on how to create expensive dishes

using affordable ingredients

In the first edition of Fancy Kitchen on a Budget, I tried making paella minus the tears from having to spend half of your paycheck in buying all the ingredients.

Ordering paella in a restaurant would cost you around PhP600 to PhP1000, with a serving size that would leave you more depressed than satisfied. The reason why paella can get expensive is because of its one key ingredient: saffron.

In some parts of the world, a small jar of saffron threads can get more expensive than a bar of gold. According to Wikipedia, "to glean 1lb (450g) of dry saffron requires the harvest of 50,000 to 75,000 flowers; a kilogram requires 110,000 to 170,000 flowers. Forty hours of labour are needed to pick 150,000 flowers."

No wonder saffron is expensive.

But fret not! Here are a few tips on how to create a stunning paella dish in just PhP 300 (good for 8 people!):


Instead of using saffron, paprika, and turmeric powder, use INSTANT KALDERETA MIX.

Yep, that's right. Instant kaldereta mix. Available in almost all grocery and sari-sari stores. The flavors, the heat, the color - it's all in there. And for a fraction-of a-fraction-of a-fraction-of a fraction of the cost.

Buy just 1/4kg of the seafood ingredients.

Seafood can get really expensive, so buy just a small portion of it. Once you combine these small portions of seafood, they would look plenty and bountiful.

Use frozen veggies to garnish your paella.

They're really affordable, and saves you from all the chopping and peeling. Plus they cook faster, just throw them in a few minutes before you turn off the heat.

The finish product - look at the lovely colors!

You don't have to spend like royalty in order to feast like royalty. :)