My Birthday Lunch 2016 at Foo'd by Davide Oldani, Shangrila The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines

The main reason why Foo'd by Davide Oldani came into our sights was because they offer a 3-course meal by a chef, that owns a Michelin-starred restaurant, at only Php 800*.  Yes, that's an appetizer, main course & dessert. Hubby was game to try and timely too since it was my birthday. 

Located at the outside part of Shangrila The Fort, it takes a bit of walking but once you see Toby's Estate and Pink's Hotdogs, then you're on the right track.  From the outside, the huge black doors looked uninviting but Davide's smiling face (printed on a standee) welcomes you in. We made reservations 2 days before to avoid unnecessary hassles.

The receptionist was busy talking on the phone & took several minutes before ushering us in. A bit of a let-down since there were no other guests but I'm trying not to let that dampen our spirits. Chalking it up to their "soft opening blues".

As you enter, you'll notice that they divided the place into several areas. You can choose to sit by the open kitchen; by the side which looked like a big nook with decorative grills or in the middle part like we did.

Tables by the open kitchen 

The Nook

The middle part

As you sit, they hand you their one-page menu. At Foo'd, they make ordering easy; either you get their 3-course or 4-course and from there, you can begin to customize your meal. I got the 4-course (Php 1200*) while Hubby got the 3-course (Php 800*). Yes, since it was my birthday, I get to eat more! :)

While waiting, they give you these thick slices of bread that comes with an olive oil & balsamic vinegar dip. It actually reminded me of a certain Italian restaurant which serves the same dip but with parmesan cheese. 

We each took a bite, placed the bread down and pushed the plates as far away from us as possible. It just wasn't good.

Thin salty bread sticks

Then we turned our attention to these thin bread sticks.  Now this we absolutely liked.  Crunchy and with a bit of saltiness, it was like you were nibbling on a pretzel.  We happily munched on these the whole meal.

Latin American Vibe at Empingao, Poblacion Makati City, Philippines

When talking about Latin American cuisine, the dish I'm most familiar with is tacos. Imagine my surprise when we went to Empingao, which boasts Latin American wares, and find out that tacos takes a bit of a backseat in this place.

With the walls covered with colorful busy artwork, it never felt lonely even though we were the only ones there during dinner time.

The first item on the menu that jumped at me was the dish called Mofongo (which I first heard from Guy Fieri). I was really excited to try it out but at the same time scared to do so. After much deliberation, we decided to save that dish for next time and chose some safer/ more familiar options.

To start us off, we ordered from their Churrasco (grilled/barbecued meats) section.

We ordered a stick each of their Lamb Chops (Php 95/stick). They serve it on a skull plate which was definitely unique. They top each stick with salsa and sour cream. The brown sauce on the side looks weird but works really well with the game-y taste of lamb; so go ahead and dip.

Lechon Bites at Pepita's Lechon, Hole in the Wall, Century City Mall, Philippines

Pepita's Lechon has been on our sights for months but we couldn't commit on ordering one whole pig just to have a taste. Fortunately, Century City Mall's Hole in the Wall held a pop up event to showcase the said dish.

Lechon is all about crunchy pork skin & soft pork meat. Get those 2 just right and you'll definitely be in a yummy albeit sinful gastronomical journey.

Two candelabras with a large silver platter in the middle, this looked like a lechon altar of sorts. But where was the pig? 

It was actually moved inside for easier chopping. We got two orders of the Truffle Rice Stuffed Lechon de Leche. 

It didn't take that long before they served it up on plates. Instead of the usual lechon sauce, Pepita's serves theirs with spicy labuyo on the side. Those tiny Philippine flags were a nice touch.

Korean Cravings at Bornga, Alphaland Makati Place Mall, Makati City, Philippines

I always go nuts over wrapping my freshly grilled marinated meats in veggies and having all the flavors hit my mouth in one go. But you know what's funny about my Korean craving? I hate Kimchi. I know that it's no Korean feast without that sour orange side dish of fermented vegetables but I really can't stand the taste. Serve me all the other side dishes/banchan (bean sprout, seasoned spinach, stir fried radish, braised potatoes) and I'll gladly polish them off in a heartbeat; but no kimchi please.

Okay, enough about my not-so-lovable relationship with kimchi, let's proceed with my review of one of our favorite Korean restaurants, Bornga.

Located at Alphaland Makati Place Mall, it's a place that you certainly have to make a special trip for. The mall looks a bit abandoned, with lots of empty spaces for rent. If this was your first time here, you'll feel anxious and a bit antsy (like we did the first time we went). But the Korean craving in us was too strong so we threw caution to the wind and ascended the escalators to the second floor.

Don't bother to wait for the receptionist to assist you, it doesn't happen. Just walk straight to the tables and pretty soon, a waiter will appear asking if you made reservations (we did). Ask to be seated by the couches, it's roomier and the tables here are designed with the grill on the nearest side to the waiter. This matters as your meal progresses because here at Bornga, they grill their meats for you table side. 

After taking your order, they serve you some side dishes. Bornga's banchan selection, though limited, is refillable which is a plus since other Korean places we've been to were a bit stingy with theirs. Go for refills on their fish cakes, salad and watery cold kimchi soup (if you're a fan).

While waiting for our food to come out of the kitchen, their place mat kept me occupied. They've printed on it a short description on what Woo Samgyup is (more on that later); plus a mini-tutorial on how to eat it, which even comes with colorful illustrations.