Potted Dreams at Roots Market Bistro, Promenade Greenhills, San Juan Philippines

In trying new food haunts, it seems that Greenhills hasn't been on our list as much as other places. So when an opportunity came up (Hubby had a dinner function around that area), I took it as a sign that I had to try out one of Promenade's selections. 

But eating dinner alone has never been my style. Luckily, my friend Athena was free... even at such short notice. (Hi Ats!)

The name alone makes me think of words like organic, basic & simple.

And their display makes me think of harvest & bountiful. 

They had two types of dining area; either this table top setup or the much fancier cabana-type seating. Of course, we had to go with the latter. ;)

Homage to Mason Jars

After browsing their menu, I gotta be honest with you, I couldn't wait for dessert. And can you blame me? ;)

And with a name like "Potted Dessert", can it get any more cuter? ;)

But first, we had to to try their mains. Here's our picks for the night.

Vongole (Php 360)

Our first choice (Black Pasta with Smoked Salmon) was not available so we went with this one instead. Noodles were cooked al dente & they weren't stingy with the clams. Food-Stars Verdict? Not bad although taste was leaning towards ordinary. Light on the tongue which was perfect considering our next dish was going to be beef.

Beef Salpicao (Php 520)

Tenderloin chunks served with bell peppers and a few greens. We were surprised with the sorry state of the meat; we asked for medium-well. What came out were these light brown unflavored bits of meat which were quite tough to chew. And the sauce on the side didn't help the dish either. Food-Stars Verdict? Disappointing. Roots definitely missed on this one.

Maybe we should've gone with our first instinct and had dessert first? By this time, we were hoping that the dessert would be able to salvage the night.

Roots Potted Dessert (Php 250)

Ahhhh.... it was as pretty as the picture. It literally looked like a plant in a pot. The "sand" was actually crumbled chocolate cake adorned with mineral type rocks (chocolate rocks). Each scoop yields creamy Madagascar gelato which helps in binding everything together. Food-Stars Verdict? Really fell in love with the aesthetic. Except for the choco rocks, this strongly reminded me of ordinary chocolate brownies.

So how did Roots Market Bistro fare? I was expecting so much more. It was a good thing that the evening was not a total bust; the company was more than enough to make up for an otherwise disappointing dinner. Here's to more dinner catch ups & juicier stories! ;)

P.S. This is what Roots looks like from above. The Scrabble nut in me got the chills! ;)

SERVICE:

TASTE:

VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:

'Til our next Good Eat!

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Roots Market Bistro

G/F Greenhills Promenade,

Greenhills Shopping Center,

San Juan Metro Manila, Philippines

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