dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I came from a family that loves grilling. I love grilling so much that whenever there's a chance, I would lovingly marinate kilos of pork and chicken single-handedly. And honestly, it's no easy feat, but I love it.  My answer came quite obvious when I was invited to try this hang-out place in Greenhills Town Center, aptly named Grillery . The place is quite hidden from the main street, which is better if you want to eat al fresco.   The restaurant is owned by two brothers with a passion for great food: Rayan and Chef Edmond. What was originally a bar evolved to a resto-bar. We were served their bestselling dishes: Balinese Fish (Php 200) and Chicken ala Kiev (Php 250). Balinese Fish Beautifully slathered with Chef Edmond's secret sauce that plays the main role in making this dish flavorful yet simple. 

Note: This location is already closed.  After our hearty lunch at Primero Casa Filipino and a soothing foot spa at Beijing Foot Spa (more about this soon), my friend Jeng and I went to UP Town Center for some desserts in Cafe Shibuya . It was a full house when we arrived, but we're glad we scored a table near the counter. While seriously deliberating on which dessert toasts we'll be ordering, we indulged with the Ghirardelli Frappes. Yes, you read that right: Ghirardelli . :P

Numerous Japanese restos have sprouted these past few years -- ramen, katsu, sushi restos. But one unique Japanese restaurant that has just opened specializes in gyoza or Japanese dumplings, Osaka Ohsho .  Osaka Ohsho started from a humble gyoza stand in 1969 and now has 360 locations all over the world.   Osaka Ohsho's Gyozas are handmade daily from the freshest ingredients. Flavors are Original (Php 175 for 6 pcs, Php 350 for 12 pcs), Cheese (Php 190 for 6 pcs, Php 380 for 12 pcs), and Nori (Php 190 for 6 pcs, Php 380 for 12 pcs).

Bikes and coffee.  Both words don't really usually combine, but in Epic Coffee Roastery -- or Epic Cafe -- it does.  I have visited this Kapitolyo coffee shop thrice and I always get one drink: the Pour Over Coffee (Php 85). The coffee addict that I am, I watch the barista create my drink like a child watching her favorite show.  Pour Over Coffee The coffee shop is not exactly small to hole-in-the-wall standards, with wooden chairs and real bikes on display. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I had a reunion-slash-dinner with high school friends in Hanayo Grill , as suggested by my good friend Abby. The resto was easy to spot from Tomas Morato as they have a sign along the street the points to the place.  The place has two floors, since we are early, we were seated on the first floor.  Hanayo Grill is not your usual Korean buffet restaurant, as it offers not only samgyupsal for the grilled meats but various US meats as well.  The buffet spread includes a banchan (appetizer) section and bibimbap station. Bibimbap -- prepared by request banchan

It was a meet-up with my travel buddy, who just went home from a short stint abroad. Though we initially planned to try the buffet restaurant there, I decided against it as I had too much food during the holidays, so we went to The Clubhouse instead. :P Finding this resto was a bit of a challenge, as we had to walk around outside Robinson's Magnolia to spot it. What we didn't know was they also have a door inside the mall. 

It's been months, or years since I first visited Poco Deli in Kapitolyo . That first time I've tasted their Truffle Oil Pasta is still a vivid memory. I invited my college friends to dinner at Poco Deli as a late celebration of my birthday. And in all honesty, I really wanted to revisit this place for the longest time.  Our group arrived later than we expected, but glad we didn't lose the table reserved for us. Thanks for the consideration, Poco Deli.  For appetizers, we ordered the German Sausage and Cheese Platter (Php 360, single). German Sausage and Cheese Platter The platter has 3 kinds of sausages and 3 kinds of cheeses, the variety depends on the availability. I should have requested a Double, but then we wouldn't be able to finish it as the dishes arrived quickly. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I had the chance to visit Primero Casa Filipino again, but this time for lunch. In contrast to the quiet evening when I last visited, the place was full of guests celebrating special occasions and spending time together with their families.  The buffet spread includes a lot of Filipino favorites, some of them my personal favorites: Salads & Appetizers The salad section has a small create-your-own salad section along with pre-made salads like Nicoise Salad and Macaroni Salad .  Delicious appetizers include Egg and Crab Stick Foo Young , Fried Molo Dumplings , and the very spicy Sisig Shooters . 

My dear friend Dexter and I had an impromptu lunch at Spatzle Euro Market Cafe , a far cry from our Japanese lunches. Spatzle, named after a German soft pasta, serves European comfort food.  Each table has this cute container with utensils and hand sanitizer. I find this really impressive because the washrooms are a few steps away.  While waiting for our dishes, we had their Haus Made Specialty Drinks: I had the Cucumber Lemon Soda (Php 135) while my friend had the Peach Breezer (Php 105). Cucumber Lemon Soda Peach Breezer I liked how simple and refreshing my drink is. My friend found his drink too acidic for his taste.

One of the stops during our last Binondo food trip was Dong Bei Dumplings . I have heard/read about this place from friends so I was eager to try it.  Aside from the sign outside the restaurant, nothing inside the place will give a hint that it's a restaurant. The place is quite small, with a makeshift kitchen covered by a divider and a few tables. There was no menu, just a cartolina with a handwritten menu as a guide. The best feature of this resto is the worktable where they do their dumplings. The place was so popular that we unintentionally saw our workmates, who were also roaming Binondo that day, there.

I spent Sunday last week with my fellow bloggers and guests at Kanlungan ni Maria in Antipolo City to celebrate the 1st anniversary of PBO.  PBO or Pinoy Bloggers Outreach is a group of bloggers working together to help out organizations in need.  It was my first time to attend a PBO event, and to describe the experience was beyond words.  Kanlungan ni Maria is the home of 22 elders: 17 lolas and 5 lolos. The volunteers were paired up and assigned to one lolo/lola. We were tasked to talk to them, listen to their stories, feed them, and share the gifts the PBO brought for them. 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  A new breakfast place has just moved in!  B&P is the newest brand of the Cravings Group and promises quality breakfast dishes and beyond. B&P, by the way, means Bea and Pia, from the names of the granddaughters of Ms. Annie Guerrero, the founder of Cravings.  I was invited last weekend during the soft opening of B&P to try out their dishes.  Homey is an understatement in describing this place. It looks like a dream kitchen, with interesting yet simple designs. The kitchen has huge windows where you can watch the chefs while they create your food.  Here are the dishes that we were able to try: For Breakfast Specialties , we were served Creole Style Eggs (Php 290) and Salmon Hash and Eggs (Php 290). Creole Style Eggs Salmon Hash and Eggs

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  I had a catch-up lunch with a good friend and fellow foodie, Jeng, a few weeks ago at this newly-opened restaurant in Bonifacio High Street, Olive Tree Kitchen and Bar .  OTKB is owned by Chefs Rob and Sunshine Pengson, who also owns The Goose Station and Hungry Hound.  It was a packed Saturday for the resto. While waiting for our table, we settled at the bar, which displays an impressive array of alcoholic drinks.  For drinks, I ordered Sugarfree Iced Tea (Php 120, refillable) while Jeng had an Amaretto Sour (Php 250). And yes, this was his lunch drink.