Restos in the Metro

Over the last few months, I got to try a few restaurants for the first time and revisit a few other ones. Let's start with Hoshino, which has been in my radar for two reasons. First, an ad came up in my social media that was marketing the many different pasta options from restaurants in Opus Mall and one of them was a pasta dish from Hoshino that looked interesting. Second, one my most recent trip to Opus Mall, I saw that Hoshino served souffle pancakes. As such, when I was organizing a reunion lunch recently, I suggested Hoshino and we all agreed to meet up here. I am not particularly sure if the pasta dish that popped up in my feed was the Sukiyaki Spaghetti but when I saw this dish on the menu, as a fan of sukiyaki, I had to have it. Thankfully, it turned out to be really good. 

Sukiyaki Spaghetti from Hoshino

I did say that one of the reasons I wanted to eat at Hoshino was that they had souffle pancakes so I guess it was natural to assume that I would order this dessert. However, I saw that they had actual souffles, a rarity in Philippine restos (or at least those that I get to visit). So in the end, I ordered a souffle. This was really good too! I need to visit Hoshino again to try more of their dishes.

Vanilla Souffle with Chocolate Sauce from Hoshino

I also got to try Las Flores for the first time recently. Las Flores has been around for a while but I never got around to trying it. That is, until I met up with a friend for dinner in Podium. We ordered the Para Dos Combos which includes a Grande Paella Negra,

Paella Negra from Las Flores

Grilled scallops, 

Grilled Scallops from Las Flores

and Croquetas de Chorizo.

Croquetas de Chorizo from Las Flores

The food was superb and what made our dinner even better was the fact that it is part of the Bistro group and I have a BFF card so we got 20% off. Cool!

I also recently had dinner at Bird Boss in Podium. I was doing some errands and while I was on the 5th floor, I saw this restaurant and looked at the menu. I immediately got drawn to this burger called Mother Clucker, which has their signature chicken with mac n' cheese, bacon bits, and cheese sauce served in a brioche bun. That, for me, is an awesome combo. As if that wasn't enough carbs and cheese, I just had to have their Cheese N' Bacon Fries. Whew! Not the healthiest but quite satisfying haha.

Mother Clucker Burger and Cheese N' Bacon Fries from Bird Boss

I think the last time I went to Dampa was maybe about 15 years ago. So when some of my friends said that they wanted to have dinner at Huey Ying Restaurant in Dampa, I very readily agreed to join them. One of my friends said he had tried that place and for him, it's the best one on Dampa. We picked fish, prawns, and squid from the market outside and brought them to Huey Ying, giving our service staff instructions on how we wanted the food prepared. All our dishes were absolutely delicious and I'm happy I got to visit Dampa again.

Seafood feast at Huey Ying in Dampa

If it took me about 15 years to revisit Dampa, it's taken me even longer to enjoy a meal at Rodic's again. As a UP alumnus, Rodic's was part of my collegiate life and while I did get to enjoy their tapsilog a few times after I graduated, I haven't had it in ages. At least until a month ago. When I found myself looking for a place where I could have brunch while driving along Katipunan, I saw Rodic's and thought it would be the perfect place to fill my hungry stomach. Their tapsilog is unique because the tapa is served as flakes rather than as chunks of meat, making it easier to eat while not losing out on flavor. I'm glad I got to enjoy it again after all this time.

Tapsilog from Rodic's

I last ate as Supersam earlier this year but in all my previous visits, I always only had their croissants and coffee. When I found myself at Greenhills Mall again, I decided to have dinner here and try something else. I wanted to try their corned beef roesti but it wasn't available so I instead ordered their Bagnet Laing. As a laing lover and a bagnet lover, I have to give this dish two thumbs up. The bagnet was very crunchy and flavorful and the laing was delectable. What a perfect combination!

Bagnet Laing from Supersam

I wanted to have dessert so despite having a full dinner already, I also ordered their Super Turon with Ice Cream. Nothing too fancy about this dish, but the turon was yummy, the ice cream complemented the turon well, and I loved the presentation. 

Super Turon with Ice Cream from Supersam

I will throw in this special mention, even if I actually ate here last Christmas. I was in Glorietta one day, doing my Christmas gift scoping to look for possible presents. I was getting hungry when I passed by Tenya. I had never eaten at Tenya before but I saw a sign that was marketing their special menu: A Sparkling Christmas Snowflake Teishoku.

Special meal at Tenya

The dish included Pacific white shrimp tempura, enoki mushroom, kani, and green beans tempura, pan-seared ribeye steak, potato salad, miso soup, and rice. All for P475. It was such great value for money so I went right in and ordered it. I love beef, tempura, enoki mushrooms, and miso soup and to get all that in one meal was perfect.

A Sparkling Christmas Snowflake Teishoku at Tenya

The fact that a portion of the proceeds of all sales of this dish would be donated to the KalyEskwela Program of Childhope Philippines Foundation just made me enjoy my Sparkling Christmas Snowflake Teishoku at Tenya even more.