Toyo Eatery

I was excited when my brother Dino made reservations at Toyo Eatery as it is the only restaurant in the Philippines that made it among Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019. With all that hype, my expectations were high. There were 12 of us; 3 kids and 9 of us opted for the Tasting Menu. The owner Chef Jordy Navarra was out of town so we were left in the very capable hands of Chef Durell. Our servers Joey & Coco did a good job in letting us know what to expect and further explained with enthusiasm what constituted the various dishes.

They started us with several amuse bouche. The first one was a Tomato Meringue with Ginataang Lanka (jackfruit with coconut milk), dried fish and pickled radish. I know this may not sound good to some but believe me, it was delicious. The next one was Nilopak; sweet potato kasava (which I normally do not care for), sea urchin, nata de coco, cashew butter and a slice of dalandan. This was just as delicious as the previous one. The third amuse bouche was a Rellenong Pusit (squid) with sticky rice with rice wine and coconut vinegar inside.

The next category was Kilaw, better known as ceviche. The presentation of this variety of ceviche was impressive. There was mackerel in a small bowl with coconut vinegar dressing, yellow striped bass with chili paste and ginger, seaweed, some wild fruit. Again, it was just very good. Tinola Soup was next. This was unlike any other tinola, it had chicken balls and sayote, also known as pear squash. The first layer of the soup had ginger flan topped with malunggay. Upon presentation, our server Joey poured chicken broth with patis (fish sauce). The soup was wonderful.  It was then time for palate cleansing so we had Pineapple Sorbet with grapefruit and ginger syrup garnished with the flower, cadena de amor (chain of love).

Buro, which means pickled usually refers to pickled mango. The dish was fish scales that looked a bit intimidating. It had fermented pajo (looks like a little mango but it is not a mango), sayote, kamote, sea grapes, salted egg, and grilled eggplant underneath. Everything came together beautifully with the calamansi (Philippine lime) and patis dressing.

Banana Ketchup was the choice for the Tortang Talong (eggplant). This had 2 layers; crispy fried eggplant and eggplant puree, scrambled eggs, crab meat topped with fried leeks. The main star of the show was the Silog. Barbecue Pork with 3 different cuts; leg, shoulder and belly.The sauce of the lovely barbecue was coconut vinegar. Just as I asked myself how can anything be better than what I previously had, along came another succulent dish. A couple of people opted for the Bangus instead of the pork. That looked just as good.

Finally, it was time for dessert. We had Sampinit ice cream, the Philippine raspberry. The dessert had toasted rice pudding, topped with banana crumbs and candied hibiscus. The next dessert was Mango with coconut cream, candied cashew, and edible flower. The last dessert was Casava Cake that was grilled so it was crispy outside. The cake was delectable. It was served with Ube with pastillas made from pasteurized milk topped with Latik (residue of coconut milk). We all finished our share. Last but not least was a Dulce de Leche Caramel with patis and dillies (dried fish). Sweet and salty and it was a nice way to end this feast.

I had to meet Chef Durell to give him our seal of approval. This restaurant exceeded our expectations. Thank you Chef Durell, Joey, and Coco for making our experience unforgettable. (Chef is in the middle)

Burnt Ends

My brother Dino and his wife Grace made reservations to this restaurant 3 months before we arrived in Singapore. I have heard of Burt Ends and have seen it featured on one the culinary shows. I was looking forward to dining in this Michelin star restaurant. The restaurant is a modern Australian-style barbecue and specializes in meat including grade A Wagyu beef. We ate at the main bar which faces the open kitchen and can watch the action. There are a few chairs that face the wall. It was exciting to watch Chef David Pynt and everyone else prepare the dishes.

We started with a refreshing drink with ginger, soda, and a few more ingredients. The Sourdough bread they served was so delicious. It was a bit burnt with a crunchy crust and chewy inside. I would have bought a loaf if I could only take it home. Since we were Dino and Grace's guests, we entrusted them to do the ordering for us. We started with the Leek with hazelnut and brown butter. I don't care for nuts but this dish was so good. Our next dish was the Burnt Ends' Sanger which was pulled pork shoulder, cole slaw, chipotle aioli on a brioche bun. That sandwich was bursting with wonderful flavors. We all loved it.

Next was the Onglet, Burnt Onion and Bone Marrow which is a hanger steak. That just melted in your mouth with the beautiful bone marrow sauce! The A5 Miyazaki Striploin was the wagyu. That had some delicious fat which made the meat tastier. When I thought we were done, another dish came out, Chicken and Peri Peri which is chicken in a spicy sauce. That chicken was so tender and juicy. I normally don't eat chicken skin unless it is crispy. I made an exception this time because the skin was insanely flavorful.

There were only two desserts to choose from. A Berry Tart which to me looked like any other berry tart so we all chose the Marshmallow which was orange and cinnamon. They gave us a slice of the berry tart to try. Boy was I mistaken...you really cannot judge a book by its cover. That was the best berry tart I have had and I have had a lot of them. The marshmallow was just heaven. Just imagine burnt marshmallow flavored with wonderful orange and cinnamon.

I couldn't get over how delicious the meal was and the sad part is that I would have to come to Singapore to experience this again. I spoke with Chef Pynt to ask him if he had any plans of opening a restaurant in Los Angeles. At the moment, he does not but you'll never know. I will continue to keep my hopes up. It was nice meeting Chef Pynt and being able to converse with him.

Thank you Chef Pynt for an unforgettable experience. Lyon, our server and the assistant manager was very helpful.  Thank you, Dino and Grace, for introducing us to Burnt Ends.

Atlas Bar

This is one of the worlds top best bars in the world. As soon as we walked in, our mouths dropped at the site of the very impressive art deco architecture. It is located at Parkview Square in Singapore. Their specialties are Gin and Champagne. There are more than 300 champagnes and 1,300 gins available from the towering gilded bar.

My brother Dino and his wife Grace have lived in Singapore for over 10 years and they decided to take us there last night to welcome us to Singapore. Gary had the Artist's Special which is a blended scotch malt whiskey, oloroso sherry, lemon, and plum liqueur. Grace had the Atlas Gin and Tonic; elevated London dry gin, Atlas Burma tonic, and fresh citrus. I had the Sloe & Tonic, sloe gin, old world tonic, fresh lime, and mint. Dino wanted to be adventurous so he had the 20th Century which was Australian gin, fortified wine, chocolate, and citrus. The chocolate was a piece of white chocolate. They were all wonderful cocktails. They also ordered some Belgian Pomme Frites with the most delicious dip, horseradish bacon mayonnaise.

I could have eaten a bowl of those frites by myself but we all had to restrain ourselves since we were on our way to dinner. Atlas Bar should not be missed when visiting Singapore as it is truly beautiful.

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza

This is one of the best pizza's I have ever had only because it is not available anywhere else outside the Philippines as far as I know. We had Pizza Margherita, which had tomato sauce, Parmesan, basil and the star of the show, Kesong Puti which is white cheese similar to cottage cheese but made from carabao milk, salt, white vinegar. It is salty. There is nothing like it!

We also had the Salami Pizza with salami picante, garlic, Parmesan, basil and more kesong puti. My sister in law, Grace introduced me to Spicy Honey which you drizzle on the pizza. All I can say is, WOW! Again, nothing like it!

This pizza place also sold a variety of donuts which looked good but we were too full to try them. Gino's Brick Oven Pizza is located at the Shangri-la Mall.

Cafe Rizal

Cafe Rizal is located in the Rizal Park Hotel, the historic Army and Navy Club which was founded and organized in December of 1898. The first president was Col. Smith of California. Notable persons who became its presidents were Adm. George Dewy, Gen. Arthur MacArthur and his son Douglas MacArthur and Leonard Wood. The Army & Navy Club was originally designed for rest and recreation area exclusively for military personnel and civilians, and later Filipinos. My parents were members in the early 70's they went for dining and swimming. My brother went to meet and socialize with his friends. I could only imagine what it had been like way back when. It has since then been remodeled and had turned into a boutique hotel.

My mom and brother looked forward to dining there to visit their old playground and to see what's become of it. The facade was impressive and I could imagine what it would have been like in way back then. We dined at Cafe Rizal. We had the choice of having a buffet lunch or a la carte. We chose not to have a buffet because we already had a breakfast buffet at the Shangri-la Hotel. My mom ordered a beer, Gary had a ripe mango shake and I had the green mango shake.

The Pancit Canton (noodles) sounded good to my mom, Gary ordered the Short Ribs and I opted for the Prawns Thermidor. The noodles came out first and mom enjoyed it. Both Gary and I watched as she continued to enjoy while we waited for our food. After at least 5 minutes, Gary's dish arrived. At this time I called our server and asked if they were still trying to catch the prawns. He said he would check and put a "rush" on it. When Gary was done with his dish I thought of just canceling when I spotted someone that could have been the manager. I informed him that my entree has not arrived and that my brother had just finished his lunch. He apologized and agreed that all dishes should have been out at the same time. In the meantime, a waiter came with rolls and butter and a small bowl of soup for me. As soon as I finished the soup, my long awaited prawns finally landed on the table. They were delicious but somehow the wait and frustration took away from my eating pleasure.

At the end of my meal, the manager came and told us we could order coffee on the house and told us that the Chef has prepared a very good dessert for us. It was indeed very good; Crepes with ube ice cream and one scoop of vanilla which was perfect for me since I do not like ube. Both my mom and Gary enjoyed it. While we were there, we witnessed a group of people who recognized a senator who was just re-elected. They had selfies taken with the senator. I supposed I would have done this if it were Richard Gere but definitely not for any senator!

Before we left we went up to see the new pool which was now located on the fourth floor. It had some fantastic views. The Rizal Park Hotel is located at South Road Dr. in Ermita, Manila.