Claw Daddy @ The Shangrila Plaza

We went to the mall this afternoon to meet the guy who made Koryu's skin for me. (Yup, Koryu has a new look. I'll write a separate post about that later on.) We were also planning on watching The Dark Knight but our plans kinda changed so we just hung out at the mall. We weren't really planning on eating there - remember our budget? Being the easy people that we are, we got enticed by a flyer for Claw Daddy.

Though I had heard about it before, I hadn't tried the restaurant yet. The food looked good, the prices decent, and we were craving seafood so off we went to give Claw Daddy a try.

This was not really in our budget so we decided to go for their seafood platter (it has another name I just don't remember what it is). Basically, it was a huge tray of crabs, lobsters, shrimps, prawns, mussels, and clams. They also threw in a large grilled sausage, marble potatoes, and grilled corn on the cob.

Included in the price were two small bowls of clam chowder - pretty decent, although it could have used more clams - and a pitcher of lemonade, which was really very good (fresh lemons were used).

For the price of PhP1,100++ it was very much worth it!

Nikki got the fish and chips. It was not spectacular but I would order it again.
The best part of it all? The manager put a bib on me. I can't believe I got suckered into donning that bright yellow thing on! It did protect me from the splatter that Jerry made when he cracked the crab, though. So, who's laughing now, huh?
Anyway, if you've got a hankering for seafood, try Claw Daddy at the 6th level of the Shangrila Plaza. Take a peek at the menu if you will.

Oooh, look at the remnants of the "feast."
My only regret? I had to stop eating the crab because I was starting to feel weird. Did I tell you that I am allergic to shellfish, by the way? ;)

Death By Cake

I've heard of death by chocolate but death by cake? Well, I almost experienced it last night when we ate at TGI Friday's. You know by now that when I write about a dining experience, I normally cover everything from the appetizers to the dessert. This time, though, I'm going to cut through all the motions and go straight to the most astounding piece of pie that I have ever had. For details about the whole meal, do visit Jer's blog where I have a guest post.

So, what is this cake all about that you can die from it? We were actually done with the meal and were almost ready to go when I saw this small ad at the end of the table. The picture was just irresistible and knowing that it was Dulce de Leche, I knew that I had to have a slice.

Going against my nature, I ordered the cake without looking at the price. I still can't believe that I did that but all thoughts of not knowing the price disappeared when I took a bite of the cake.
Just look at that thick layer of chocolate at the surface! The inner layer was so rich that, combined with the chocolate topping and the chocolate syrup, I thought I would have a heart attack-due-to-richness on the spot. I never thought I'd dub a cake too rich for me but I was wrong.

Oh, it doesn't end there. When we got the bill, I REALLY thought I would die by cake. That rich piece of cake cost PhP400!!! God, just thinking about it makes me hyperventilate yet again.
That's Jerry's brownie a la mode. Not as rich and better priced. I better end before I start getting worked up again.

House Solo at Pino Resto Bar (UP Village)

My Saturday nights are normally spent at home but Ren invited us to watch Joff play at Pino last night. Pino is a resto bar located at Maginhawa Street in UP Village. I have never heard of it so I looked it up on the Internet and found a blog featuring it. From what I read, it was worth a try and since Joff was playing anyway, we decided to go for it.

If you are familiar with UP Village, it is not hard to find. The fact that Joff was standing outside helped as well! ;)

Anyhow, Jerry and I were starving when we got there so we ordered appetizers. The blog I had read somehow influenced my choice - I ordered the wasabi onion rings, Jer got an order of scallop and shrimp tempura, and Ren got kilawin shooters (raw fish in vinegar). I loved the tempura - hot off the deep fryer, the breading was crisp and the seafood tender. There was a hint of sweetness blended with spiciness.

The wasabi onion rings were good except that I sorely missed the kick that wasabi adds to food. Nevertheless, we ordered another serving as we needed more.

As for the kilawin shooters, I gathered the courage to try it. I am not a big fan of raw fish but they were all raving about it so try I did - and I actually liked it!

The prices were average - nothing more than PhP200, if I remember correctly. However, we were all still starving after we had the appetizers so we went on to order a real meal. I decided on the tomato aligue pasta - it sounded real good. Aligue is the fat of crab and adds a very rich flavor to anything you mix it with. By the way, it is also a killer when it comes to cholesterol - maybe that's why it is so good!
Anton and Am had chicken confit. I learned something new - confit means something is cooked in fat. In this case, the chicken was cooked in duck fat. It came with deep fried mashed potatoes - interesting concept, really.

The price for the main course was a bit steep, in my opinion, especially considering the fact that the servings were not big at all. And the taste? I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed! The pasta almost had no flavor to it! The shrimp toppings were perfectly cooked but tasted like they were boiled in plain water. I could barely taste the flavor of the aligue as well. I tried the mashed potatoes that came with the chicken confit and it was just average.

On the positive side, the presentation of the food - as you can see in the pictures - was awesome. If the chef were competing in the Kitchen Stadium (Iron Chef America), he would probably get 5 points for plating!

The ambiance is something else as well. Pino is very small and cozy. The lighting is very warm and the art adds to the whole experience. Watching the solo artists perform was also a treat. I forgot the names of the other performers but there was this guy - I think he's called Spazz Kid (spelling?) - who played electronic music. I don't really like this genre but his music was quite good. Of course, Joff performed as he usually does and we were all entertained.


We capped the night off with a bottle of nice red wine, several order of fishballs from Sarah's (a local hangout for UP students), and then headed on home.

Maybe I should go out a bit more often.

Food Tripping in Puerto Galera: Luca's at Talipanan Beach

When I first heard of "the other side" of Puerto Galera, one of the things that stuck to my mind was Luca's. A colleague told me about this little Italian restaurant at the end of Talipanan Beach. He insisted that if there is one place we should eat at, it was Luca's.

Of course, being the lovers of Italian food that we are, we were hell bent on going there at least once. We were fortunate enough to have met friends on our first day at the beach - thanks to Jerry's extremely extroverted nature - and Jerry got them all excited about Luca's as well.

What we didn't know was that Luca's was quite far from Tamaraw Beach, that is if you take the road, which we did. I imagine that it would have been easier and faster if we could have walked on the beach but there was this huge boulder in between Tamaraw Beach and Talipanan Beach. So, unless we wanted to swim around it, we had to take the road. Anyhow, the resort offered their van. Since there were 8 of us, the PhP400 fee was not bad. I am glad that we didn't take the tricycle as we originally planned. The last part of the road was VERY rough. I don't think a tricycle could have taken us all the way!

So what about the food? Luca is Italian and according to him, he has found his place in this world - in Talipanan. I am just glad that we found his little place on the beach - the food was fantastic! I would have to say that it was the best Italian meal I have ever had in my entire life! I love Avenetos but it is nothing compared to Luca's pizza and pasta.

The funny thing was that in the beginning, Luca didn't seem too friendly at all. When we first got there, there was a bunch of men at a table. Jerry and the other guys approached them and asked if they knew where Luca was. This guy shrugged asked them who they were. So introductions were made and it was only after a few minutes of chatting that they guy said, "I'm Luca." Hmmm...

It doesn't matter - he was friendly enough to make baked ziti, which was not part of his menu. Not only was it delicious, the servings were so big that we were able to take home some of it!

I think the dish that I liked most was the seafood marinara, though. (Thanks, Moncho, for ordering it!)

The stromboli is something else as well - I will forever be comparing it to Fazoli's (which is the nearest place I can get stromboli at).

Sorry about the lighting - we had to turn the lights off due to the insects!

Oh, and it was at Luca's that I had my first taste of grappa. I have heard of this drink from my Italian learner but I never thought that it was going to be that potent! Moncho, our new friend from Spain, bought us all a round of grappa. I was so embarrassed because I was not able to finish mine - lightweight!

Was there anything negative about our experience at Luca's? Nothing with regard to the food. We could have done away with the insects that came in droves when darkness fell, though.

Food Tripping in Puerto Galera: Tutti Frutti

The sound of the gently crashing waves, the warmth of the sun, the slightly pungent smell of the sea air, and the mouthwatering smell of pizza - our senses were treated to these each time we visited Tutti Frutti. We heard about it from Jerry's friend, Ali, but we didn't really go out of our way to find it. It was thus a pleasant surprise when we stumbled upon this little restaurant right next to Tamaraw Beach Resort.

We had just finished swimming for the night and were enjoying each other's company when the bright lights and the thumping beats of a fire dancer's show caught our attention from a distance. We decided to walk over and see what it was all about. It's a good thing we did - we saw the store and Jerry mentioned needing cigarettes so we headed over. That's when we saw the sign Tutti Frutti and we remembered what Ali was talking about.

It was way too late to have a bite so we decided to go over for lunch the next day. One meal and we were hooked. Their pizza has a thin crispy crust and a very light tomato base. It's not ready made tomato sauce, mind you. You can taste the freshness of the minced tomatoes with each bite!

For picky eaters, you can ask Raphael - the owner of the restaurant - to make a half and half pizza. I like everything on my pizza, Jerry only likes the meat. So each time we ordered a pizza, we had one side bare and had all the other toppings on the other side. The Margherita Pizza captured my heart (or stomach, rather). Pizza prices range from PhP200++ to PhP300++.

If you like adding a little kick to your pizza, forget about the regular hot sauce or pepper flakes. Try their garlic sauce instead - olive oil with garlic and crushed chili peppers.


The Weiner Schnitzel is a must as well. For around PhP300, you get two large slabs of pork and a nice serving of french fries.

Going to Tutti Frutti was not just all about the food, though. Raphael is a nice guy. He sits there and makes conversation with you. He's been in Puerto Galera for 15 years - you'd envy this guy's life! Oh, I shouldn't forget Tutti, Jerry's favorite buddy. Tutti is an 8-year-old monkey that Raphael bought from the natives. I think Tutti and Jerry made a connection - see for yourself.

Monkeys notwithstanding, you should make it a point to visit Tutti Frutti if you ever find yourself in Puerto Galera. Here's Raphael himself inviting you to come over and say hi - and eat his pizza, of course!

Not So Pleasant Banana Leaf

I have been meaning to write about Banana Leaf since we ate a couple of weeks ago but I just didn't have the time. Anyhow, that was the day I hung out with Hannah and Nikki at The Block. The husbands were supposed to be there but everything turned out perfectly as we had time to relax with each other.

After watching the U2 3D movie, we were starving as we hadn't had lunch yet. So we went around looking for a new place to eat at. The Banana Leaf caught our attention as we had not tried it yet and it seemed like a promising place - they specialize in a fusion of Asian cuisine. I was particularly excited by the Hainanese Chicken, which is one of my favorite dishes. It was very disappointing to say the least. The half chicken was more like half a breast:

For almost 300 pesos, it was certainly not worth it! The chicken itself was fine - tender and not dry. The ginger dip that went with it was awful, though. The texture was mushy and the taste indescribable.

I am not the only one to be disappointed - Cowlicks shares some pictures in her blog.

In fairness to the restaurant, their flat bread dipped in condensed milk was good. I forget the name - sorry about that. I was just overwhelmed with disappointment because of the chicken. If you ever come across Banana Leaf, I suggest that you go somewhere else.