Cyrstal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao is Here in Manila!

I love anything and everything that reminds me of Hong Kong so imagine my delight when I saw that Crystal Jade is finally here. We did not waste any time and dined there on the opening week (actually, this blog is way overdue...sorry about that). It was quite the wait though, an hour and a half to be exact. However, we didn't mind since it's located in Greenhills and we kept ourselves occupied by window shopping. Since Crystal Jade has been opened for several months now, the hype has died down and waiting is no longer an issue.

Steamed Soupy Pork Dumpling :Xiao Long Bao": PHP158.00 - This is one of their signature dishes. It's very juicy, succulent and full of flavorful meat inside. It's no wonder they named their restaurant after this.

The New Mien-San Noodle House

I pass by this restaurant almost every weekend but it wasn't until recently that we finally decided to give it a try. It was after they opened their newly renovated resto that it captured our attention. After dining here, I wish we discovered it sooner. The food is good and the prices are very reasonable.

Steamed Pork/Kutchay Dumpling: PHP68.00

California Berry Now @ Greenhills

California Berry:
Madison Square, Ortigas Avenue.,
cor. Madison St. North Greenhills
San Juan

I know that the frozen yogurt craze has been going on for a while but it was only last weekend that I finally had the chance to try it at California Berry located in Madison Square, Greenhills. I think it's a nice change to the usual sweet kinds of desserts, especially since it actually makes dessert healthy for a change (of course it also depends on the toppings), and the wide selection of toppings can really jazz it up.





My kids' version - with chocolate-coated candy and marshmallows



My version - with almond flakes, granola bits, and cereal...I love the extra crunch!


My hubby's version - chocolate bits, mangoes, and peaches

Bizu: An Authentic Parisian Patisserie

Bizu Patisserie & Bistro, located in Promenade Mall in Greenhills, has always been one of my favorite places to eat. I love the French country feel of the place. The service is great. The complimentary bread with 3 different spreads - yum! And their menu is light and fresh. When you order one of their entree's, you have the choice to pay an additional Php75.00 for the soup and salad of the day. And their salad's are superb! Greens are always fresh and crisp and the dressing is light with a hint of sweetness.

And best of all, Bizu caters to all - a great place to dine, a great place to unwind and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, or a great place to indulge and enjoy their famous desserts. This place is especially great for the "health conscious." They even sell wheatgrass and if you want to taste it right then and there, they also serve the Wheatgrass shot.



For those who juice at home, you can buy fresh wheatgrass here.



Wheatgrass Shot for Php75.00 - Does wonders for your body.

On this particular day, my girlfriends and I chose to go to Bizu to enjoy a cup of coffee/tea and dessert. We ordered their oh-s0-delectable macaron, which they have become very famous for. It's crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside, light, sweet, buttery, and utterly divine!



Macarons (Php35.00) -So many flavors to choose from: Raspberry, Rose, Blueberry, Hazelnut, Caramel, Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon, Mango, Pistachio, Orange and Mint This one's the coffee flavor.



Coffee Macaron - One of my personal favorites.



Aside from the macarons, Bizu also offers a wide assortment of desserts - from the sinfully sweet to the sugar free.

You can find BIZU at the following places:

Bizu's Website


PATISSERIE AND BISTRO:

Greenbelt 2
G/L Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. Nos.: 757-BIZU • 757-4749

Greenhills
The Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center
Tel. No.: 724-2498 • 726-2496

PATISSERIE AND CAFÉ

Glorietta 4
3/L Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. Nos.: 757-2086

Alabang Towncenter
G/L Corte Delas Palmas, Alabang Towncenter, Muntinlupa City
Tel. No.: 809-BIZU • 772-1917 • 772-1918

Lunch Date @ Arya

Once a month, I meet up with some of my dear friends for lunch. We usually meet up in the Greenhills area for everyone's convenience. Since we've confined ourselves to this area, we have tried most of the 'talked-about' restaurants and it finally came to the point, "Where next?" One of us suggested Arya, located in Promenade Mall, near Greenhills Shopping Center. Some of us were skeptical at first but after today, all those doubts and concerns have been completely wiped out.



The frontage of Arya



Arya has been awarded as one of the Philippines' Best Restaurants 2007 by Tatler



I LOVE the interior of the restaurant. I felt like I was transported to Iran. Actually, I never had any first hand encounter with the Persian culture but the paintings, tables, seats, choice of music playing in the background, and the structure and the design of the walls all contributed to the very Persian ambiance.


Arya offers honest to goodness authentic Persian food, Middle Eastern cuisine, and Mediterranean dishes. The chef uses a mixture of different kinds of flavors and spices to create these wonderful dishes.



Salad Couscous (Php125.00)



We started off our meal with Roti Chenni (Php215.00) - whole wheat unleavened flat bread, pan-fried and served with curry sauce.



Royal Joojeh ( Php345.00) - Chicken breast kabab marinated with yogurt and spices and served with rice or pita bread. Take note of the 2 grilled tomatoes served with this dish. After it was served in front of us, the waiter took the 2 pieces of tomato and mashed it with their complimentary garlic and spicy sauce.



Mix the chicken and the mashed tomatoes together and you get pure bliss! The sauce was just too good. There was a little hint of spiciness and garlic and the flavors just blended really well together. I can't wait to come back for more!!!



Beef Makhsus (Php355.00) - Their beef kabab was juicy and soft and like the previous dish, the waiter took the tomatoes and mashed them up to create the very special and yummy sauce.



Mahi-Mahi Kabab (Php 360.00) - Two of my friends ordered this dish and they wouldn't stop raving about it. I'll order this next time and yup, you guessed it, the waiter took the tomatoes for this dish as well to mash it up and make the sauce. The mashed tomato sauce really adds an extra "Oomph!" to the kabab dishes. Give me some pita bread and the mashed tomato sauce, and I'll be one happy camper.



Keema (Php235.00) - Minced meat flavored with spices, perfect with pita bread.



Chicken Curry (Php350.00)



Basmati Rice - This came with the chicken curry.



Turkish Coffee (Php140.00) - I love the presentation for the Turkish coffee! And the aroma and taste of the coffee were really good! A nice way to end the meal.

Out of all the Middle Eastern restaurants I have tried in Manila, Arya, by far, is the best for me. Everything was very authentic and the ingredients were all fresh. Service was great and I love the ambiance!!!

Chili's...My Fave Hang-out

Okay...so Chili's is not exactly something that is genuinely Pinoy since they have chains all over the world but I just have to write about it cuz it's my absolute, most favorite place to chill and hang out with friends next to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Service is good, the food is great, and I love their margarita's!



The El Presidente Margarita...one of the their bestsellers



Crispy Chicken Salad (solo serving)...my usual order =)

Take note: They have unlimited nachos with salsa for around P200.00-P300.00 which really comes in handy when going out on barkada gimmicks.

The Best Dim Sum only @ Gloria Maris

Our family absolutely loves Chinese food and waking up this lazy Sunday morning and having dim sum in Gloria Maris is always the best way to start the day for us. As you can see in the picture above, a lot of people had the same thing in mind. In fact, we even had to wait for our table and considering that it was only 10am, it just goes to show how popular Gloria Maris is. This restaurant is always packed, especially during weekends, and I strongly urge you to go early if you decide to dine here whether it be the fine dining area, the dim sum area, or the shabu-shabu area. Because if you do not go early, expect to wait for around an hour or so for your table. You can, however, reserve for your table if you decide to eat in the fine dining area. If it's the shabu-shabu area or the dim sum section, you can go early and put your name in the list.

I absolutely love dim sum. In fact, I crave for it and eat dim sum at least every 2 weeks. So it should come to no surprise that I have tried almost all the restaurants here in Manila that serve dim sum and Gloria Maris (take note, it MUST be the main branch in Greenhills), is, by far, the ABSOLUTE BEST. So good, in fact, that it actually comes close to the dim sum in Hong Kong. Their dim sum is always made of fresh ingredients and when you bite into the dim sum, you can see whole pieces of prawn and pork, depending on what you order. Their branches in Alabang and Greenbelt and even Shang mall don't serve the same kind of quality. As for the other restaurants such as Maxims, Ling Nam, David's Tea House, Hap Chan, Won Ton, Zong, and the like, do not even come close. Other restaurants worth mentioning are Tin Hau in Mandarin and Choi (located in Annapolis).

This morning, we ordered the following:



The family favorite - Hakaw PHP125.00 (The serving size comes with 4 pcs but my daughter devoured one of the pieces before I could take a pic)



Fried Radish Cake PHP100.00 (comes with 3 pcs)



Shrimp Wanton Noodle Soup - PHP150.000



Nori Pork Siomai - PHP100.00



Taro Puff - PHP108.00 (another of my favorites)



Rice Roll with Shrimp - PHP150.00 This dish always reminds me of Hong Kong and only a number of Chinese restaurants offer rice roll in their menu.



Shark's Fin Siomai - PHP120.00



Chicken Feet - PHP108.00 I, personally, do not eat this dish. I just can't fathom the idea of eating it but for those who are more adventurous with food, my husband claims that it's really good.

So if you want to indulge yourself and eat dim sum, try the main branch of Gloria Maris in Greenhills Shopping Center, Ortigas Ave, San Juan.

For reservations: (02) 721-3504, (02) 722-5508 to 10, (02) 722-5760