Pre-Chinese New Year Dinner at Fireside by Kettle, SM Mega Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

For our pre-Chinese New Year dinner, we chose to celebrate it at one of SM Megamall Fashion Hall's restaurant. Set in our sights was Fireside, Kettle's better half. 

Fireside's menu offers new twists to the dishes served at their first foodie venture. Calling ahead is a good idea since the place pretty much gets filled up by dinner time.

Truffled Potato Chips (Php 199)

To start us off, we ordered this appetizer from the menu.  Aside from the fact that this finger food is built for sharing, I've always believed with the saying that you can't go wrong with potato chips. Food-Stars Verdict? We practically inhaled this one. The potatoes were sliced thinly and fried 'til crispy. The bleu cheese sauce that drips down to coat all the chips was a welcome sight. Loved this one.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Fingers (Php 489)

We're fans of their Buttermilk Fried Chicken so it's no surprise that we were having this for tonight. Food-Stars Verdict? This is way better than their contemporary.The Cajun Ritz breading brought just the right amount of heat to the tender & juicy chicken fingers. Adding the fried doughnuts was pure genius! ;p  Fireside, you just managed to make a great dish turn into an awesome one!!! 

#FoodStarsAtLittleTokyo: Izakaya Kikufuji, Makati City, Philippines

Our first foray to one of Little Tokyo's hidden gems was truly a memorable experience; we discovered the yummiest wagyu cubes in Makati. Well, I'm happy to say that Little Tokyo is batting 2-0 with our recent visit to Izakaya Kikufuji.

With Kimono-clad waitresses and the no-shoes-policy strictly implemented when seated at their group tables, Izakaya Kikufuji does try to make it as authentically Japanese as possible.

Their menu gets kinda intimidating but don't worry, just ask for their simplified one.

Lunch time at Izakaya Kikufuji is no small feat.  Due to their popular lunch time promo (wherein their main dishes comes with free salad, appetizer, soup & rice), it's no surprise that it's always a full house come 12nn. 

Lunch Freebies

Before moving on to our dishes, I would just like to give special attention to their yummy appetizer. The spicy tuna with crunchy bits on top alone makes this lunch a winner in my book. It's just that darn tasty.

Now, let's move on to our main dishes...

Sashimi Large with Freebies

Sashimi Large (Php 560)

Craving for fresh sashimi, we ordered this from their menu. You get to customize the plate to your liking by choosing 5 kinds of sashimi from their selection. We got 2 orders of Salmon, Uni, Unagi & since the Hamachi was out of stock, we went for Mackerel instead. Food-Stars Verdict? Loved everything on this plate except for the Mackerel. Both the Salmon & the Uni was as fresh as can be; they literally just melts in your mouth. As for the Unagi...

Xiao Long Bao Fever at Din Tai Fung, SM Megamall Fashion Hall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

Xiao Long Bao has been the dim sum favorite that's been hogging the spotlight for months now thanks to the arrival of the Taiwan Michelin-starred restaurant. We all know who I'm talking about but for those who don't here's a hint...

This cute, be-dimpled, apron wearing Xiao Long Bao is the famous statuette of (you guessed it) Din Tai Fung! 

Scared of the long lines, we went early. We arrived at the front of the house around 5:40pm & was able to sit at 5:42pm. So for those planning to eat here, it pays to come earlier than the dinner crowd. 

This isn't our first time to try Din Tai Fung. On one of our visits to Singapore, we were able to taste their Pork Chop Fried Rice which eventually became Hubby's favorite. I didn't share his enthusiasm since I favored their Shrimp Fried Rice. 

Much like in the other Michelin-starred restaurant, they have a checklist of their menu for easier ordering. Not familiar with their dishes? Don't worry since they provide menus with pictures for reference. Here's a snapshot of our orders. They scratch off each item as the dish arrives at your table & as you can see the first ones out was their Xiao Long Bao.

Pork Xiao Long Bao 10pcs (Php 315)

This steamed, soupy dumplings proved to be as yummy as it looked. Some people suggest you bite off a little bit of the top (teat), sip the soup and then slice the dumpling for easier eating. But Hubby & I beg to differ. Here's how we enjoy our Xiao Long Bao.

Saturday Dimsum at Tien Ma's Taiwanese Cuisine, D. Tuazon, Quezon City, Philippines

Looking to hit a restaurant that tastes good & easy on the pocket? Well look no further and head on to Tien Ma's Taiwanese Cuisine. 

With huge tables & long benches that calls for group eating, you know that Tien Ma's all about food sharing. Don't expect any glitz & glamour here, the classiest thing you'll see will be the glass table tops (that goes through thorough cleaning after every session). As seen in the picture above, at 7:30 in the evening, all tables were filled & there was already a waiting list.

Tonight's menu choices comes from my mom's recommendations. 

A photo posted by Food Stars (@foodstars) on Feb 14, 2016 at 6:35pm PST

This is Japanese Tofu with Century Egg. The thinly sliced Japanese tofu is delicate and just melts in your mouth while the Century Egg gives texture to the dish. Don't forget to spoon over the sweet soy sauce. Food-Stars Verdict? You can never go wrong with silky tofu & sweet soy sauce.

Xiao Long Bao is 😍 #FoodStars #foodie #foodstagram #FoodStarsBites #xiaolongbao #chinese #tienma #tienmaph #taiwanese #FoodStarsAtQC #dimsum #igersmanila #foodphotography #philippines

A photo posted by Food Stars (@foodstars) on Feb 14, 2016 at 5:03pm PST

The craze for this soupy dim sum dumpling is greatly fueled by the coming of the Michelin-starred dim sum franchise from Taiwan. Tien Ma's version (Xiao Long Bao Php 200) is a nice homage to the dish. They serve it steaming hot & what I really liked about it was the fact that the "skin" doesn't tear easily. Picking it up with chopsticks is an ease. Food-Stars Verdict? Tien Ma's XLB is tasty & had none of the flour taste that some places have. The ginger sauce though lacked that certain kick that ups the flavor as you chew & swallow. 

Hand Made Pork with Kutchay Dumplings (Php 150)

This is basically seasoned ground pork with garlic chives. They steamed it just right and this tasted quite good. The sauce that comes with it really helps the flavor of the dumplings a lot so I strongly advise you to put lots of it before each bite. Food-Stars Verdict? Although I would've loved it more if they served it in bamboo baskets, this is a definite crowd pleaser.

Three Cup Chicken (Php 199)

There's nothing like Three-Cup Chicken to remind you of rich Asian flavors. I was looking for well-coated tender chicken bites swimming in sesame oil. Tien Ma's was able to deliver that but it wasn't exactly bursting in flavor. Food-Stars Verdict? Good but could've been better. 

Pay What You Want at Pound by Todd English, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines

"Pay What You Want", 4 words that was foreign to any establishment that wishes to turn a profit . Can you imagine leaving the power of pricing to the consumers??? Well, this new food hub by Chef Todd English was brave enough to do just that. 

Welcome to Pound.

This unique promo ran from Feb 5-10, 2016. Mechanics were as follows:

A photo posted by @pound_ph on Feb 4, 2016 at 4:54pm PST

Let me start off by saying that Todd English Food Hall in SM Aura is one of our yummy discoveries. We have our faves that we keep coming back for. Also, a restaurant that highlights burgers & brioche buns? We're so in!

February 9 2016 at 10:15am, there was already a line snaking around the entrance of Pound. The signing in process started at around 10:50am and by that time, a lot of people were already cutting the line. Sigh. 

   

The industrial design that starts from the tunnel entrance continues on inside. The white brick walls & the open kitchen with exposed stainless equipment were a nice touch.

Ask to be seated in the inner section of the restaurant for more privacy. Plush dark brown couches leaning against the walls & large mirrors creates a mood that spells casual yet classy. The sound system blaring out tunes from the 90's completes the nostalgia. That pretty much kept us occupied & had us singing along while waiting for our food. ;)