Introduction:

We are off for an errand near the Salcedo area on a weekday morning and we are able to finish it before noon. Since we rarely get to pass by around this area, we decided to try out any interesting food places here for lunch. Wildflour immediately popped out of my mind since I've been hearing a lot about it lately.

Nakita naman namin ito agad, not far from Toby's Estate na napuntahan na din namin before.

latte art

Food:

• Roast Organic Chicken
• Grilled Octopus Salad
• California Burger
• Complimentary Baguette
• Latte

The roast organic chicken serving is big for one person. It's half chicken and the chicken piece is hefty. It is roasted just right with the juice coming out of the golden brown skin, pooling on the bed of creamy mashed potato. There are also slices of bacon, its saltiness a good complement to the sweetish coq au vin sauce (wine sauce). It's one of their more pricey items though at P620.

roast chicken

The salad has a good play of tastes on it. Pampatamis niya yung mango, pampa-asim niya yung citrus juice, pampa-alat niya yung grilled octopus with its smokey taste, and basil at cilantro ang nagbibigay ng minty kick. Toss it well before consuming to mix those flavors together. Gusto namin na hindi overpowering yung sauce nito and that you can still enjoy your salad greens as it is.

octopus salad

The burger patty is huge and we like how it is served (pierced with a bread knife on a chopping board). Testosterone level is overloading. It has cheddar cheese and caramelized onions, and served with fries. Overall, there is no wow factor to it but that's not to say it doesn't taste good. There's just nothing in it that sets it apart from the current lineup of upscale burgers around Makati. Maybe aside from its brioche bun which is soft on the inside but crusty on the outside. Also, we asked for a well done patty but still got a medium one. 

action-packed burger

The latte has a simple latte art on it, a sunrise, pero nagustuhan namin ang timpla nito. Not too bitter at creamy. Thumbs up. The baguette is awesome with butter at habang mainit pa. Malambot sa loob kahit matigas sa labas. Makakarami pa sana kami nito kaso hindi na kami binalikan after requesting for our first refill. Eh nabusog na agad kami sa burger at chicken, so hayae na.

baguette

Price:

Average price of the main food items are around P400 to P500 each. It's pricey and did not quite justify the overall experience.

That's not to say the food is not good but we really have to dig deep into our pockets to get a good set of meal. Pwede mag-tipid by sharing an order pero hindi naman kami mabubusog. 

It's for the upscale crowd, in short.

menu

Comments:

Their staff is very attentive to the needs of the customers. From setting up the table once we sat down up to refilling our glass of water, automatic na. There's an attempt at engaging on a small conversation and they are generally cheerful. Napansin lang namin na sa sobrang attentive nila, there is a point na medyo obtrusive na yung pagbabantay nila sa kelangan namin. Ayaw pa naman namin ng pinapanood kaming kumain.

The place is cosy. Parang old English brick bakery ang datingan nung interiors. Sobrang bagay sa isang relaxing na tambay. Panay expats from the neighboring offices ang karamihan ng customers.

dining area

Andaming options sa menu, be it for breakfast, lunch, or meryenda. But we can see that their breakfast food items and the breads are what shines best among those. There's a huge number of different breads/cakes/pastries to choose from on their open counter.

The place can get crowded but we arrived for an early lunch (mga 11AM) kaya wala pang masyadong tao. On peak hours, it's still better to get a reservation.

ingredients

Summary:
Subukan para ma-experience lang. But for the price, as much as we want it, it can't be a regular gig.

Ratings:
4 out of 7



[obi.Jun.2]

What: Reese's Baptism

When: June 7, 2015 (Sunday)

Where: (church) Presentation of the Child Jesus Church, BF Paranaque / (lunch) Vikings Executive Buffet, SM City BF Paranaque

welcome to the Christian world!

Backstory

We did the preparations for our baby's baptism about 6-7 weeks before the actual date, which is June 7 (a Sunday). We picked this day to coincide with the visit of O's sister and her family from Sydney. It is also a day before Reese turned three months.

One of the first challenges we encountered in organizing it is our local parish's Sunday baptism schedule which only happens at 12NN. The two restaurants we are looking to reserve for the lunch celebration (Vikings and Max's) can only hold their respective private rooms for until around 2PM. Kung 30-40 minutes ang binyag, mamumuti ang mata ng guests namin before they can have lunch AND we will only have several minutes above one hour to finish the event! Nu'yun??

at Vikings - SM BF

For Max's we can pay extra to extend the time but the amount is not justifiable. That, and the relative advantage of Vikings's discount and convenience of having a variety of food and drinks to choose from made us consider the latter. 

To solve the problem, we just opted for those who don't need to be in the church to head straight to Vikings by 11PM (store opening) and start dining. After the baptism, some of our family members, the ninongs, and the ninangs arrived to a bunch of happy guests in Vikings by around 12:30PM so I guess our solution worked.

Presentation of the Child Jesus Church - Phase 3, BF Paranaque
The baptismal rite is quite organized with church hands helping out in orienting us and the godparents about the flow of the event. There is only one other infant lined up for christening so hindi masyadong crowded yung lugar (it's an alcove beside the church's altar).

Kaso mainit yung room. Yung kaisa-isang electric fan ay nakatutok pa kay Father. LOL. As expected, iyakan ang mga babies sa init (pati mga ninong at ninang din tingin ko). We were able to appease Reese kahit papano to still understand what's happening on the proceedings. I can imagine it can really get unruly kung more than three na ang mga binibinyagan in addition to all the godparents and relatives crammed on that space.

taking a bath

May misa right after the Sunday baptismal schedule kaya hindi masyado makapag photo-ops ng matino. Ilang pictures lang and we need to be off. Yun ang hassle.

Vikings - SM City BF Paranaque
Disappointing yung branch na ito ng Vikings dahil ambagal nila mag refill ng pagkain at drinks. Paalis-alis pa yung staff sa carving station at naramdaman namin na sobrang limited ng options sa dishes. Hindi namin ito naranasan sa ibang branches ng Vikings (2 others, in all).

Service is good though, and na-address nila agad yung issue namin with the tarp na mailipat sa mas tamang spot near the exits para maging photo wall kahit papano. Hindi nga lang namin napatakbo yung photo montage ni baby dahil may compatibility problem yung projector nila sa laptop namin.

the Espiritus

the Aures

the Parcons

Still, hindi na kami uulit sa branch na ito. We'll still head to the tried and tested branch near MOA for our future buffet needs. Nag-expect kasi kami na magkakakatulad lang lahat ng branches.

Ninongs - Ninangs

For posterity and so Reese would know who to bug in the future (haha!), here be the names of his godparents.

ninang lysa dyosa?

• JC (O's maternal cousin)
• Jason (O's maternal cousin)
• Aina (O's paternal cousin)
• Bon (O's sister)
• Kaye (K's sister)
• Royce (K's paternal cousin)
• Bubung (our friend from SST)
• Jake (O's friend from Shak)
• Gelo (O's friend from Shak)
• Philip (O's friend from SJRM)
• Jensen (K's friend from Eastwind)
• Owel (K's friend from Eastwind)
• April (K's friend from Mapua)
• Kate (K's friend from St. Paul)
• CL (K's friend from St. Paul)

the godparents

Guests
Salamat sa lahat ng nakapunta, both in the church and the lunch at Vikings! One of the reasons why we preferred that private setup is for us to easily catch up with everyone. Yun na din ang paraan namin para makasama ulit ang mga kapamilya at kaibigan, since we've been "absent" for the past 3 months habang nakatutok sa pag-aalaga kay baby.

We're blessed to have assembled you all in one place!

• O and K's relatives
• O and K's college friends
• O's friends from the SJRM
• O's friends from the Shak
• Our family friends
• Our past and current office mates from EW, HP, SST, and CG

the shak detachment of reese's guests

Acknowledgments

Special thanks goes to the following:

• The guests. Again, thanks!
• Jan and Jara, for taking care of the guest list. 
• The good staff of PCJ and Vikings, for the accommodation.
• The godparents, for saying "YES" on this journey with us and our baby.
• Our parents and family, for the all-out support.
• The Man Upstairs, Lord God, for welcoming our daughter to His flock.

thank you, from baby meow

Pasakalye:

Ito ay bagong food place sa Glorietta na nadadaanan namin araw-araw pauwi and it's not until we actually went to eat there before we realized na fast food resto pala sila. As the name suggests, chicken wings ang specialty nila and so one time Misis K had a craving for one, we decided to finally try it out.

wingstop

Chicha:

• Wings Meal (Chicken Wings in Mild Buffalo flavor with Chipotle Rice)
• Tenders Meal (Chicken Tenders with Texas-style Fries and Honey Mustard Dip)
• Coleslaw

"four" piece wings

We of course tried their chicken wings. One of the selling point of the place is that their chicken wings comes in nine interesting flavors and we could have opted for the more adventurous-sounding flavor (say, Mango Habanero) but since this is our first time, we picked the classic Buffalo flavor (they have a hot variant). It's 4 piece wings as advertised but like almost all local establishments that specialized on chicken wings, it's really 2 piece wings cut on the "elbow" to make four. LOL. 'klaseng raket yan.

The mild Buffalo flavor is as promised. The spiciness is there but it does not punch outright. The chicken is juicy and meatier than usual. Its skin has the right crunch to it. The chipotle rice is very flavorful and has a smokey taste to it. Patok na patok sa amin. 

tenders and coleslaw (with wings for size comparison)

The chicken tenders are like nuggets or fingers of boneless chicken meat. Serving is meh at only two pieces the size of my pointy finger. Its meat is soft and the amount of breading is just right (not too thick) to give it crunch on the bite. Kahit hindi isawsaw sa honey mustard, may lasa ito by itself (dahil sa breading?). We opted for the Texas-style fries as sides. Maalat dahil madaming asin. 

The coleslaw is so so. Walang noteworthy about it pero nagawa naman niya ang trabaho niya ng mabuti. Ang magtanggal ng umay. Pero mahal para sa presyo (P45).

counter

Kaching:

Yung chicken wing meal ay P235 (same goes for the "five piece wings"). Konting dagdag na lang, may 1 pound of chicken wings ka na sa Buffalo's Wings N' Things and even cheaper for a dozen wings on Wingman. So medyo may kamahalan ang presyuhan dito.

The other combo meals are at P175 while sandwiches are at P135.

flavor experts

Chechebureche:

Madaming space na pwede pang magamit pero hindi ginamit, meaning maluwag ang lugar.

Halos isa lang ang staff na nasa dining area nung pumunta kami. Kinelangan ko pang pumunta sa counter para doon mag request na mag refill na ng tubig dahil wala nang tubig sa water station. Walang kubyertos at table napkins sa lamesa namin, dahil bagong bus ito nung dumating kami. Baka nakalimutan lagyan ulit. Madali naman kumuha sa kabilang lamesa so okay lang.

i belong

Ang angas nung mga wall art. Digs! Gusto ko din yung orange webbed structure sa isang side ng dining area na ginamit na dibisyon ng mga lamesa. Uma-art attack!

Medyo mabilis naman dumating ang order at medyo mainit naisilbi ang mga pagkain.

Buod:

Kelangan pa namin ng kahit isa pang balik para masubukan ang ibang pagkain. Pero generally mahal yung mga pagkain for the amount of servings.

art attack

Ratings:
4 out of 7



[obi.Jun.22]

Backstory:

Wala si Mami kaya walang magluluto ng masarap na pesang isda. Sinubukan namin magluto ng sariling version, sabay dasal na sana hindi sablay.

Gumana naman kahit papano.

pesang isda

* * * * *

ingredients

Ingredients:

• isdang maya-maya, about 3 medium-sized na hiwa (sa parteng papuntang buntot)
• pechay, tatlong tali
• hugas bigas, ayon sa dami ng gustong sabaw (yung pinaghugasan ng sinaing)
• sibuyas, 1 medium sized (chopped)
• bawang, 2 cloves (minced)
• luya, 1 thumb (pounded and sliced into strips)
• patis, mga apat na kutsara
• mantika
• asin
• paminta (buo)

Directions:

asinan ang isda

bago prituhin

1. Masahehin ang 'karne' ng isda gamit ang asin.

2. I-prito ang isda hanggang sa maging medyo brown ang kulay nito. Kung gusto ng mas malutong na texture, pwede i-prito hanggang sa maging dark brown. Set aside.

3. Sa ibang kaserola, gisahin ang bawang, sibuyas, at luya.

gisahin at 'lutuin' ang patis

4. Kapag medyo golden brown na ang mga ginasang components, ilagay ang patis at haluin. Hayaang 'maluto' ang patis o hanggang sa maghalo-halo dito ang lasa ng ginisa.

5. Isalin ang hugas-bigas. Intayin hanggang kumulo.

pakuluin ang hugas-bigas

6. Ilagay ang piniritong maya maya. Simmer for about 10 more minutes o hanggang sa sumama lang ang lasa nung isda sa sabaw.

7. Lagyan ng asin at paminta para sa karagdagang lasa. Sa puntong ito, maaari nang tikman ang sabaw at timplahin ayon sa pagkukulang. Dagdagan ng patis kung kulang ang alat.

ihulog ang isda

 8. Ilagay ang pechay at pakuluan pa ng tatlong minuto. Then, tapos na!


 
Hopefully Helpful Tips:

* Maaaring gumamit ng ibang isda tulad ng dalag or lapu-lapu pero maya maya (or red snapper) ang nagustuhan namin dahil malasa ito at hindi agad agad nagbubuhaghag kapag napasobrahan ng luto. May kamahalan nga lang, umaabot sa P300+ ang isang kilo.

maya maya

* If all else fail at wala pa din talagang lasa ang sabaw, you can opt for seasoning granules na. Pero as much as possible hindi ito advisable. Just search for harmful effects of MSG online and you'll know.

* Pwede din gumamit ng ibang gulay tulad ng bok choy. Maaari ding hiwaan ng sayote o berdeng papaya. In the case of the latter, you may need to put these by Step Number 6 dahil mas matagal lutuin ang mga ito.

pang finale ang pechay

Enjoy!

Intro:

I enjoyed my chorizo sandwich the first time I dined here with officemates and I can't believe that it's just right beside one of our favorite coffee place (Yardstick), separated by a mere wooden panel. 

Astig. Nauuso yung mga ganitong speakeasy-ish places ngayon (not only for bars but the trend seems to have moved in to restaurants too) but we can't really imagine why keep them hidden. We guess for one that there is an appeal to foodies discovering "secret" places like this. Kaya kahit word-of-mouth lang ang marketing ng mga ganitong establishments, eventually people will come.

hindi baligtad ang menu... peksman

 
On the Table:

• Chorizo Sandwich
• Parmesan Fries with Truffled Ketchup
• Lamb Rendang
• Torched Salmon Donburi

The chorizo sandwich looks very delectable! It has chorizo and onion jam, cream cheese, sunny side-up egg, and some greens tucked inside a black bun (squid-ink). It is served with parmesan fries. The sweet meaty taste of the jam when mixed with egg and cream cheese creates a curious party of flavors in the palate. We have no words to describe it but generally it's really good. It can be messy to eat though with all those generously served ingredients dripping on each bite as the soft bun can't keep it all in place. 

torched salmon donburi

Fries is served with grated Parmesan cheese and ketchup with black truffle. Nothing special here but we can imagine it's a good finger food with coffee from Yardstick.

The lamb rendang is shredded lamb meat cooked rendang-style and served with slow-cooked egg and sweet soy, mint, and cilantro sauce. It comes with a generous serving of black rice. Although it's rendang, the dish is not outright spicy. The hotness slowly builds up after several spoonfuls. We frankly can't taste the lamb in it (it should have a game-y taste) but we don't mind really because the tender meat blends well with the rendang spices and minty sauce. One serving can be shared for two. Sobrang dami.

beef rendang

The donburi (rice bowl meal) has salmon slices (about four to five hefty chunks) cooked medium and topped with fish roe (eggs) and chopped greens. It is served with black rice that has roast corn and shitake in it. Although not written on the menu, we can taste a sweet teriyaki sauce slathered on the rice. Sadly, sobrang nakakaumay yung dish dahil dun. For sharing, it's just about right dahil mauubos yung ulam bago pa maumay but for someone who plans to finish this alone, we can imagine it will be difficult at the last few bites hanggang sa i-take out na lang. Atchara please, LOL. The salmon is very tender. Natutunaw sa bibig at sobrang juicy. The salmon skin should provide the salty taste to counter the sweet sauce but we it's absent.

Kaching:

With meals starting at P350 to P400, it's not going to be a cheap experience. Dining for two can easily go up to P1,300.

Personally, we think it's sort of justified by the quality and quantity of food plus the interesting vibe of the place.

small bites

Comments:

The menu items are limited. We wish there's more meat dishes since the lamb rendang tastes good. 

The crew is very attentive and cheerful.

industrial

The place is supposed to be on a "secret" location. There's no huge signs and it's located on a nondescript building, with an equally nondescript entrance. However, word of mouth brings a lot of people here, especially during weekday lunch and the place's bad acoustics can be irritating (imagine a boisterous "Kris Aquino" customer in a close confine). That's not to complement their cool urban-industrial ambiance which is best enjoyed if the noise can be toned down.

entrance

The open kitchen is entertaining. We're always fond of watching chefs at work. Misis K in particular is a fan of cooking shows.

In Short:
We'll just drop by if there's money to burn and we'll probably be back soon because we want to try out the rendang and crab buns.

we'll be back

Rating:
5.5 out of 7




[obi.May.25]