Bangus: Other than seafood

The pinoy fiesta vibe from the banderitas plus pinoy food plus a discount voucher online equals a hearty and sulit Sunday lunch. From it's name, Bangus, you can already tell that milkfish will be the center of their menu. But wait, they also offer krispy pata, spring chicken, tapa, and other Filipino food featuring red meat.


Our order is composed of Kare-kareng bangus, Spring Chicken, and Fried Crispy Tadyang ng Baka.

The serving size of the kare kare is good. There are several bangus slices along with vegetables. But the nutty taste of kare kare was missing. I usually don't add bagoong but I had to add flavor. It's a good thing though for those who want to be able to adjust the saltiness of their food.

We usually order the spring chicken when we eat at Bangus. The taste is the same as always - somehow with a hint of sweetness and an unconfirmed spice.

The beef ribs (tadyang ng baka) was toasted on the outside and tender inside.


For the discounted price, everything was worth it. We already ate here several times with an online discount voucher and there's a reason for coming back.

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Ippudo: Ramen in White and Red

Ippudo finally arrived at MOA on the 30th of August. We missed the free ramen on their opening day...so we dined on their second day instead. My companion and I planned to share a single ramen bowl. We were provided sharing bowls. But to our surprise, we were treated to a free serving of pork bun each!


Shiromaru Motoaji Special (Php 490)

The basic shiromaru is priced at Php 385 which comes with pork loin, bean sprouts, kikurage, and spring onions. By choosing the special, you get additional salted soft-boiled egg, pork loin, and seaweed. All of that tops off the noodles and the original pork tonkotsu broth.

For our thin noodles, we chose the hard version thinking that the hot soup base would further cook it and we'd get a medium version when the broth cooled down.

To further enhance your ramen experience, you can add freshly ground black pepper, freshly ground sesame seed, or fresh garlic. I added a bit of each to my broth and it indeed change the taste, it was even better. Just don't overdo it so much since the pepper and garlic can overpower the broth if you put too much. Their broth as it is, isn't my favorite among the ramen joints in the MOA area. But the plus side is you can adjust it to your taste with the pepper, sesame, and garlic.



Pork Bun (Free treat for their recent opening! originally at Php 125 each)

We were already feeling a bit full but we decided to eat this bun with a glistening piece of pork meat. Although it was no longer hot, the sauces mixed well together and with very bite, you get a piece of flavor, meat, and bun. But the amount of fat and meat doesn't seem consistent, my friend's piece was about 40% fat, mine was maybe 15%. Well, even the fat is tasty so it's not really a bad thing.

You actually get a feel of busy Japanese markets with the crew shouting Japanese phrases for every order made, special ramen served, guest arrival, or guest departure. My companions didn't like that part, it kinda came across as noisy to them. To me I think it's part of the experience. As for the price, the basic Shiromaru is almost at the range as Uma Uma Ramen (which already has includes a soft-boiled egg), while the cost of the special is close to Ramen Nagi. I wasn't able to look through their whole menu since my goal was to check out their ramen. Maybe I'll be coming back to explore what they offer beyond what they are most known for.


P.S: Shiromaru can be translated as "white circle" and Akamaru as "red circle" - the red and white bowls where the ramen is served in.




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Chibo Okonomiyaki: From Osaka to Manila

Pancakes? Omelettes? Okonomiyaki! Saturday evening, of course there was a waiting list. The place was also quite small and the turnover of customers was quite slow. We waited in line for around thirty minutes. Well, considering that Chibo Okonomiyaki just opened and it was peak hours, 30 minutes in the waiting list was not that bad.

Each table is equipped with a teppan to keep the food warm. The dish wasn't cooked on our table though. It was already done and topped with okonomiyaki sauce when it was placed on our teppan.


Chibo Okonomiyaki (Php 380)

Naming a dish after the restaurant means that this is one of their best offerings. The signature dish filled with scallops, shrimp, beef, and pork was served with a mini performance like every okonomiyaki in this place.

For the finishing touches, the server zigzags the mayonnaise, sprinkles the nori, and finishes it of with bonito flakes. Note: The way the the mayonnaise is put on the okonomiyaki in swift movements is oddly satisfying (see video in our Instagram account: @thegastronomersdiary). The shrimp head made the dish look like a little turtle.

Nori and bonito flakes are already on your table. You can add these as you like. I suggest you add some to enhance the flavor to your liking. Extra mayonnaise is also available upon request.

The mugi cha (barley tea) is also worth noting, a variation of complimentary tea that we love compared to other restaurants. It has a somewhat roasted taste. Others might say it has a coffee taste.


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On another visit, my friend and I shared the following dishes:
Yakisoba (Php 190)

This was served first as a prelude to the main okonomiyaki dishes.


Mixed Okonomiyaki (Php 280)

To have a bit of different kinds of meat, we got the Mixed Okonomiyaki filled with pork, squid, and shrimp.


Dotonburi Okonomiyaki (Php 230)

Choosing between ordering this and the Negi Yaki, we picked this one since it had beef. We were quite puzzled at the jelly-like pieces we found in the okonomiyaki. Looking again at the menu, we first thought that it was pork fat. But it didn't taste like pork fat. It turns out to be konnyaku, indeed a jelly like in texture, little to no flavor, and very minimal calories but still filling. You may also order it separately.

An order of a 6-inch okonomiyaki is good for sharing. We ordered a bit too much for two and ended up taking home about half of each okonomiyaki

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The Japanese chefs were also around the dining area. One even refilled our glasses of mugi cha. Considering the location, as part of the retail area of a hotel, the prices range from average to high. In general, this is a good restaurant for special occasions or for when you feel like having a treat but not for an everyday lunch place for the working-class Filipino who are managing a budget (like me. I just want to treat myself, perhaps every weekend? haha!).

But hey, if you want to try the okonomiyaki they have in Japan, go give this place a visit. On our next visit, we would try the other items in the menu specifically the Cheese yaki which also has noodles in it. They also have wagyu beef, yakisoba and modern okonomiyaki - okonomiyaki with noodles inside, and other light Japanese dishes. I didn't see any ramen on the menu. But if you are looking for ramen, then you might want to try Uma uma which is right next door. Guess what, we are trying that next! Stay tuned as we try each new food spot in S'Maison, Conrad Hotel!


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Llao llao: Newest Froyo in Town

The newest frozen yogurt place is in town! Llao llao (yao yao) frozen yogurt has opened its first store at Mall of Asia. I was lucky to be one of their first customers for the day and got coupons for a free medium size yogurt, one for each of the coming three months!

I think they only have one flavour of yogurt but there are a whole lot of options for toppings. Syrup, crunchies, and fruits are available.

My order was simple – a small sized tub with Lotus caramelized biscuit as toppings (Php 99). Small size wasn’t so small at all! Unlike other yogurt servings which were hollow in the middle, this one was very siksik! It kept me full for around 3 hours.

I bet their medium and large size is good for sharing. They also have shakes, smoothies, and other froyo variations.

Although satisfied with my order, I kinda wish I ordered the Sanum (Php 199) to try 3 fruits, 2 crunchies, and 1 syrup together with my froyo. No to mention the layers created by the mix look good on photos. Maybe I’ll try on my next visit.

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P.S. Follow @thegastronomersdiary on Instagram for the latest updates and sneak peaks of food adventures! Will be posting the first food pics here and some Instagram exclusive content!

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Auntie Anne's: Red Velvet Almond

It has been a while since I ordered from Auntie Anne's. And when I did order, I tried Red Almond pretzel nuggets.

We waited for a little while for our pretzel nuggets (fresh!). The pretzel itself was indeed red from the red velvet dough, but not too sweet. The almond crumble was the "almond" part. You can easily finish a regular serving in one sitting since it is a little addicting. I just wish there was more almond crumble on all of the nugget pieces.

P.S. There was a pretzel shaped light above us as we ate.




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