Kubiertos

The Secret Recipe is an award winning global cafe that was first formed more than ten years ago. Although several of its awards include Best Restaurant or Best Casual Dining establishment, the place is more popular for their selection of desserts especially their famous cheesecakes.

Their chosen name makes me think of a homey place that serves comfort food that will make you keep coming back. This thought though stops with the restaurant’s name.

I admit that it was my idea to have our high school "barkada" (a.k.a girlfriends) reunion at the Secret Recipe in Shangri-la Mall. I grabbed at the opportunity for lunch out with my friends plus the chance to try out this much talked about place.

My first thought as we entered the place was actually impressive. The colors and decoration were funky in a splash of red and white. The vibrant ambience created a feeling of youth and life to say the least. There were pictures of the food they offered that hung on the walls and my mouth watered at the thought of subjecting my taste buds to the dishes that my eyes feasted on.

I was debating between ordering the pasta carbonara and the dory with lobster sauce when I heard the server say they did not have both prawns and lobster sauce in stock. That made me scramble to pick another dish which took me another 30 minutes as I could not find one that really catered to my mood at the time. I settled with the Caribbean style sea bass in cream sauce thinking that at least I was getting premium quality fish. I ordered Spaghetti Bolognese for hubby and kid’s portion of it for my eldest son.

Bolognese Pasta Php 180.00

The Bolognese pasta was described to be butter spaghetti noodles topped with minced beef (or chicken) and mozzarella cheese. It appeared as described when it was laid down in front of my husband. His expression after the first forkful contradicted the assumption that it was good. Thinking my hubby was just being picky, I urged my kid to eat his. He put a big portion into his mouth with excitement. And then he looked at me and crinkled his nose. Uh oh. My kid obviously did not like what he was eating. He reached out for the fries that we had earlier ordered and stuffed his mouth full with it.

I was surprised because kids always like spaghetti. Ok, I braced myself and spooned the sauce inside my hesitant mouth.  Hmmm. Ok. Weird. I could not tell what I was tasting. Sure there was the beef, and definitely some tomato sauce, but I could not pinpoint why it did not taste at all like Bolognese. I looked closer and saw some bits of what looked like carrots mixed in with the ground beef. I tried to look for other stuff that would have altered the traditional ragu taste but it looked like the normal red sauce to me. Whatever it is, it did not work for me, my hubby and my kids (oh even yaya hated it).

Caribbean Sea Bass Php 350.00

The fish was unceremoniously lacking in any kind of presentation. My first impression was bland and lifeless, not even ordinary. The size of the fish smothered in pesto cream sauce overwhelmed the small plate that I wondered how the big leaf of lettuce managed to fit in. I meant, the big leaf of wilted lettuce softened by the dressing it was dipped in. For 300 bucks, I expected more. I did not get it. Although what it lacked in presentation it certainly made up in taste. The pesto cream sauce was unusually light but tasty. The sauce made the dish bearable as I hardly tasted the fish which disappeared underneath all the sauce. I could tell hubby loved it as he finished almost half of it (or maybe he wanted to get the Bolognese out of his mind and mouth).

Not wanting to end the experience with such disappointing fares, I convinced my friends to order dessert. I personally selected caramel cheesecake. The cake looked so smooth and pristine inside the glass display together with all the other seemingly yummy dessert selection. It did not disappoint. Our frowns turned into grins as my kid and I tried not to finish the whole slice of cheesecake as we promised everyone we would share the desserts. I was forced to take home a slice as I could see my kid was still salivating over the leftovers.

I wish that Secret Recipe would evolve into truly the award winning restaurant it so clearly boasts of. Although their desserts were top quality, they marketed their place as a restaurant rather than as a dessert place. And really if you came for the food and found it inadequate, do you think a good dessert will make you forget it? I don’t think so.

Secret Recipe
Level 5, Shangri-La Mall,
EDSA corner Shaw Blvd.,
Mandaluyong City
Tel. no: 637-0367

You would be surprised to know that although I love to eat and I mostly eat anything or at least try anything, I am extremely hesitant about anything that appears to contain a variety of spices I am not familiar with. Take Indian food. It would probably be the last food I will try, personally. Not that I have had the opportunity to try it but I have seen and smelled the spices that they use in their dishes that I have learned to stay away from it (my loss truly).

So when I was invited to eat at a Greek restaurant, I took a deep breathe before saying yes. I was promised a different and delicious dining experience that it was not long before I became convinced. 

We went to Cyma at Greenbelt 2. The place was filled with lunch diners and the atmosphere was bustling with chatter. We had to squeeze between two groups of people - an all male CEO-type businessmen, and a family of sorts. The air was contagious and soon my spirits lifted with the excitement akin to festival fever.

I let them order as I was not about to pretend to be an expert on Greek cuisine. I just read the description of the items they were ordering just to make sure that there wasn’t something there that I did not like.

Saganaki - Is a Greek cheese-based dish that is either fried or grilled. At Cyma it is served at your table with great grandeur by igniting it as all the servers shout "Opa!". I was literally amazed. It was my first time there and it surely beats the usual "Happy Birthday" that is usually done in other places. The Saganaki was served with grilled bread that was a perfect partner with the fried greasy cheese appetizer. Php 180.00.

Spinach and Artichoke Fondue - After my spinach experience at Cibo, I openly welcome the opportunity to try the different ways that spinach is used in dishes. Again, this dish is smothered in cheese that gives it the tangy and intense flavor that you mellow with the garlic bread or pita. Another winner for me. Php 280.

Souvlakia - this is the Greek version of grilled meat that Cyma served on a stick (like a kebab). It came with the grilled vegetables and a sauce made with garlic and yoghurt. The chicken was so tender and tasty absorbing all the flavor that the roasting brought out. The sauce reminded me of a ranch dressing that lacked the bite. Php 240.

All in all, it was an exhilirating and intensely flavorful lunch. Although the place could do with improved airconditioning, and we went out smelling like gyros (pronounced "year-ohs") ourselves, I would definitely go back and eat there.

Cyma
G/F Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 729-4837

I am a self-confessed chocolate lover who is not inclined to indulge in desserts that are either pale, pastel or entirely colorless. That means I do not buy vanilla ice cream unless I plan to combine it with chocolate or brownies. I also do not like butter cakes unless they are melt in your mouth or are truly outrageous. I prefer moist chocolate cakes to butter chiffon or even dulce de leche. I make exceptions of course but mostly, I would probably order chocolate first before anything else.

So when I was offered a chance to try frozen brazo de mercedes, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. But they promised me I would love it so I obliged.

A small slice of cake on a paper plate was given to me and I first thought, wow, cute. My plastic fork encountered some resistance when I tried to slice through the ice cream. I tasted ice cream, meringue, a drizzle of caramelized sugar and a graham crust. Everything sort of meshed together in my mouth until it eventually melted and slid down my throat. Hmm. Sweet. Addicting actually as I swallowed slice after slice.

Ok I’m a convert. I wanted it. I loved it. Tough, because the small slice was soon gone. Aww. Good thing, I found out where to get myself this delicious dessert. This particular frozen brazo de mercedes is called The Sweet Surrender by Ange of The Sweet Life. She also offers other flavors like Mango, Strawberry and Cheese. I can’t wait to try these. Yummy.

The Sweet Life by Ange
Address and pick up point: 75 Amorsolo Street San Lorenzo Village, Makati City, Philippines
Landline: 815-0188
Cellphone: +63917-8238198
E-mail: sweetlifebyange@yahoo.com

If you ask me, I would definitely say that pumpkin and squash are the same thing except pumpkin is more associated to Halloween (easier to say probably). But I did a bit of internet research and discovered that although they are of the same family, they are in fact two distinct types of vegetables. The main difference being the color and the stem. The pumpkin has a darker orange colored skin (suitable for Halloween) and a thicker, sturdier stem (better handling for trick or treaters). The squash would have more variety in terms of color, stem, skin, etc. What is commonly sold in local grocery stores would be considered a squash of the winter squash variety. I think they also taste different but don’t take my word for it as my only exposure has been to the local vegetable.

I have always been intrigued what a squash soup would taste like given that I love mashed squash in my Pinakbet - a vegetable stew that includes squash cooked with shrimp paste or fish sauce. I also love eggplant and squash cooked in coconut milk. See how much I love squash? It wasn’t too long before I graduated to squash soup so I found myself a simple recipe that would satisfy my tastebuds.

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large squash cut into cubes
2 large onions, diced
2 liters of water or chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
250ml cream
some parsley

Procedure:
Combine pumpkin cubes, onion and butter in a pot. Boil everything in water or chicken stock until the squash becomes fork tender. Pour everything in a blender and puree. Pour cream and blend well for about 1 minute. Put some parsley and serve warm.

There are just a few places that stick to my mind when I think of steak - Alfredo’s (but I no longer remember the last time I was there), Larry’s Bar (which no longer serves Filet Mignon), and Steaktown in Shangri-La Mall (salad buffet - yummy!). One in particular caught my fancy when I was strolling along Mall of Asia. It was called Highlands Steakhouse. I did not try it at that time as I knew a meal cost an arm and a leg (about Php1500++). I haven’t gone to any of those places now and the last steak meal that I had left me disappointed.

Its a good thing I was able to make my way into Myron’s Place. The entrance of Myron’s presented a formal entryway into an elegant dining place that had cozy leathered seats and full bar. The dining area seem to stretch endlessly and it was enclosed with floor to ceiling windows that looked out into the Greenbelt gardens. Cool, classy, and ultimately fancy, I was inclined to expect sky-high prices had I not read about it in Lori’s and Anton’s blog. My friends too were hesitant but I quickly reassured them that the place was actually affordable.

We opened the menus all at the same time and I could swear we all gasped at the same time. It was not because we saw something ghastly or was shocked by the design of the menu, we were in fact surprised that the prices we were seeing were not as expensive as we had prepared ourselves to see. We got all excited and wanted to order everything on the list. Hehe. In the end, two of us ordered the Bianca’s Cut Rib Eye, while the others ordered kebabs and pasta with bleu cheese.

I was asked by the server to walk with her to where the huge mound of beef was presented to me in a gold-plated chafing dish. I said “wow that’s what you call beef”. She then explained to me how thick my Bianca’s cut would be and I was again surprised. I was expecting more of a thinner slice but I got a huge chunk all to myself.

While waiting for our orders we were served chocolate bread with some creamed butter which disappeared almost immediately, ate some calamari fritti and shared a plate of Mesclun salad with sea scallops and raspberry vinaigrette.

Everything was so good that I thought I would no longer be able to finish my steak as I was so full already.

Bianca’s Cut at Php800

The steak came with three different sauces: mushroom, peppercorn and red wine concoction. I chose the one made out of red wine as it blended really well with the beef. The (again) surprisingly thick chunk of meat was served with some mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. I sliced through the meat cleanly and smoothly to get my first bite. Uhhmmm. Tasty, flavorful, and oh so tender. I’m spoiled for life. No other rib eye (except maybe Wagyu) will ever taste as good as what I had at Myron’s. It tasted soo good and felt so soft in the mouth that I did not realize I had just finished 250 grams of US Certified Angus beef.

Oooh I am definitely in cattle heaven.

I am definitely going back to this place and I am pretty sure that dining in the evening will be an even better experience.

Myron’s Place
Ground Level Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St., Legaspi Village
Makati, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 757-8898