Kubiertos

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

Do food automatically appear good or taste delicious if your stomach happens to be growling? I have heard myself say that during those times when its way past lunchtime and I buy myself whatever is available in the cafeteria - for hunger more than anything else. I have heard others think that out loud too. And because it happens every time (I am hungry), I assume that nothing will taste bad to me at this state.

I was wrong.

A couple of weeks ago found me and my husband walking along Ortigas Metrowalk trying to find a suitable place to have dinner. We did one round passing by Brazil Brazil, Teazann, Capisce, Bacolod Chicken Inasal, Cravings, Good Earth, and finally stopping to check out a Japanese restaurant called Misato. The place was bright and inviting so we let ourselves in through big heavy wooden doors to friendly and welcoming waiters. The staff greeted us in what I assume is japanese and led us to our table.

At first glance, the place appeared informal but cozy. It permeated an atmosphere of a local family dining place such as Dencio’s or Gerry’s Grill without the ruckus. Upon looking closely, cozy turned to not so cozy and finally uncomfortable. I have no qualms about the service - it was EXCELLENT! I mean greetings were flying for every person who walked through the door and someone was always ready to take your order or request. Our food arrived about 5 minutes after the waiter took them and it couldn’t have been quicker than any place I have ever been to. But my disappointment came when I was handed a menu whose plastic lamination was so crumpled and blurred you could hardly read the selection. Oh but despite the blur, the price screamed out at me. Two hundred fifty bucks for Tonkatsu?!?! I mean really. There wasn’t anything overly spectacular about the Tonkatsu and for that price I was expecting fireworks. The maki that we ordered were the same way. Although not bleh - not truly spectacular at all.

Oh I guess one thing that I really love with Japanese dishes that really cheers me up is how sticky the rice is. But at Misato… well let’s just say, the increased rice prices may have had an effect because the rice I have at home is definitely better. Sigh.

Misato
Ground Level, Metrowalk, Meralco Ave., Ugong
Pasig, Metro Manila
Tel. No: 638-7951

I have always loved Dulcinea since I was little. Coming from a school founded by a group of lay people from Spain, it was only natural that I would be acquainted with a restaurant that specializes in spanish cuisine. I simply love their churros and I can still remember during Spanish day when Dulcinea brought over their huge machine-making-churros to our school to sell them to the students. I was a volunteer that day so I watched as the big vat of dough churned out tons of churros all day. And the hot chocolate flowed like there was no tomorrow. Hmm.

The other Dulcinea pastry that filled my memories was the chocolate eclair. Eclairs are long and thin desserts made with choux pastry that are filled with creamy custard and topped with icing - preferably chocolate. I know that I had tried eclairs sold by other stores like the local donut shops but I did not like the filling that they would use which would often be the famous Bavarian cream. To me, that just doesn’t go well with choux pastry.

Twenty years after, the chocolate eclair from Dulcinea still fills my head with delicious dreams so I troop over to the nearest Dulcinea to buy myself some of their pastries. And I must say they still taste as delicious as they were years ago. My my things certainly have not changed for my favorite dessert.

Dulcinea
2nd Level, Bridgeway, Bldg. B
SM Megamall
Tel. No: 634-0611

Manila’s weather is mostly hot and humid. This makes it easy for ice cream stores and ice cream products to foster because the demand is so great for iced concoctions even during the rainy seasons. Imagine Ice Monster, Zagu, Icebergs, Gelatone, Mamang Sorbetero’s Dirty Ice cream, Fruits in Ice Cream, Selecta Ice Cream, Nestle frozen delights. In fact, many of today’s big malls would either have a Nestle Ice Cream stall, an FIC stall, an Ice Monster stall or all of the above.

The thing though with eating ice cream, its such a messy scenario. Most of the time, I prefer my ice cream in a big waffle cone but because I either have to eat it while strolling the mall or driving on my way home, an ice cream cone just is not the best way to go. Even frozen delights like the Drumstick, or the Twin Popsies cause quite a mess while eating. True OC that I am, I cringe at the thought of having a sticky mess drizzling down my chin or staining my shirt.

So when I was given the opportunity to try out Nestle Ice Cream’s new product - Nestle Pops, I knew they hit jackpot. While everyone else was wishing for an easier way to enjoy their ice cream, Nestle went on and created it. Their vision was to market their product as a snack instead of a dessert. And to achieve this, they came up with an easy way to pop your dessert in your mouth whenever and wherever you are.

Nestle pops comes in a handy plastic tube in two sizes, 62 mL and 211 mL. Inside are bite-size pieces (the shape of Hershey’s kisses) of chocolate covered vanilla ice cream. It was similar to how an ice cream bar would taste but you get to preserve it longer because you don’t have to wave it around in your hand while you eat it. In fact its sooo easy to eat that you can’t help but keep popping it inside your mouth. Word of caution though - too much ice cream may cause sore throat (awww).

** Nestle Pops SRP are Php25 for the 62 mL and Php75 for the 211 mL. These are sold at local supermarkets and convenience stores (Mini-Stop or 7-Eleven).

Starbucks has did it again. Each time they come out with a new drink, they seem to couple it with dessert made of similar ingredients. Like when they offered the Dulce De Leche Frappucino and the Dulce De Leche Cheesecake. I can still remember how yummy it was. Hmm.. Now they are offering the Italian Dark Mocha Frappuccino with their Italian Dark Mocha Cake. I do not recall them ever making this a regular thing but apparently it sits well with the customers and now they have created themes for every new drink they introduce to the public. Not that I am complaining though - especially if you are getting to taste these new desserts for free courtesy of your friends (hehe).

At first sight, the cake looked dark and busy. I could see multiple layers of cake and mocha cream (I assume) covered in dark chocolate icing sprinkled with huge chunks of chocolate chips. Whew!

I was quite hesitant to take a slice out of the beautifully-crafted cake but the temptation was so overwhelming that I eventually gave in. The chocolate mixed with mocha taste exploded in my mouth. I had to say hmmm… because I literally could not speak. The cake offered a rich dark taste that came in smooth but interrupted by the chunkiness that was brought on by the chips. The mocha cream too was not smooth. It tasted like there were also bits of chocolate or nuts or even toffee in it that I did not care anymore to confirm as I was too busy pushing the cake around in my mouth.

The cake really is an explosion of flavor and may not please those who prefer a lighter fare or simply those who are counting their calorie intake. Or if you really must, I recommend you share. Right?