Dining Snippets: Pagliacci x Florabel x Backyard Kitchen + Brew x Gyu-Kaku
PAGLIACCI
TAVOLARA (P370)
This underrated restaurant tucked in the top floor of The Podium serves honest-to-goodness comfort Italian food. Give in to temptation and opt for the Tavolara pasta, al dente spaghetti gloriously bathed in a delectable crab fat sauce which is served with shrimps. I expected the sauce to be overwhelming; but the sauce was restrained and well-balanced.
AL PROSCIUTTO (P380)
Pair it with their classic Al Prosciutto. Theirs is a dressed down version, featuring only mozzarella cheese, basil and tomato as its base. It was simple, delicious; and paired well with the saucy pasta dish. If you’re looking for the spiced up version of a prosciutto pizza, drop by Uptown Bonifacio’s Peperoni Pizzeria. Their version comes with arugula leaves, and is completely covered with prosciutto from the crust to the core.
Pagliacci
5F The Podium, 18 ADB Avenue, Wack Wack, Mandaluyong City
Date of Visit: April 8, 2016 with Cam Cariño
FLORABEL
After vacating its spot in The Podium, Florabel has moved to a brighter (and more noticeable) spot in Estancia Mall. Just a warning, Florabel’s menu features mouth-watering close-up shots of its dishes that look too good to be true. Because of this, choosing something from its menu will definitely take a while.
ROAST BEEF WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS (P575)
Just because I felt the need to satiate my craving for fries, I opted for an open-face sandwich. Its sandwiches carry a price-tag similar to that of sandwiches served by Mr. Delicious and Dean and Deluca, so expect to pay quite a lot for your deli fix. The Roast Beef with Caramelized Onions came with a generous serving of juicy and tender beef strips; topped with arugula and alfafa sprouts which brought crunch and freshness in each bite. The sandwich was delicious; but I can’t say the same for the fries. They were half-soggy, and lacked in seasoning; and simply took the fun out of eating this sinful treat.
Florabel
GF Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons
Meralco Ave cor Shaw Boulevard, Kapitolyo, Pasig
Date of Visit: March 14, 2016 with Ina Chua, Elaine Co, Jessica Lee, and Hazel Yap
BACKYARD KITCHEN + BREW
Looking for an after-dinner place to hang in Circuit Makati can get quite tricky as the mall has yet to be fully operational. If Onboard (a boardgame café) gets a bit too loud and crowded for the lola-mode millenials (like me!), the Backyard Kichen + Brew provides a more laidback atmosphere. Apart from its interesting selection of drinks, it also serves up some dessert choices.
HOMEMADE RICOTTA ICE CREAM (P185)
I opted for the Homemade Ricotta Ice Cream, which seemed to have a winning combination of ricotta ice cream, frozen grapes, cornflakes, and walnuts; all drizzled in a delectable balsamic reduction. Sadly, the ricotta ice cream paled in flavor (Shangrila Fort’s High Street Café does the flavor more justice!) and came with a frozen texture that ruined the elegance of the dessert.
Backyard Kitchen + Brew
LGF Space LC 125 and 126, Circuit Lane, Ayala Mall Circuit
AP Reyes Avenue, Makati City
Date of Visit: February 26, 2016 with Lisa Manila and Jolly Aganon
GYU-KAKU
There are times that choosing what to order becomes a stressful chore (especially if the people you’re dining with have are ravenously hungry); so thank the heavens for set meals such as Gyu-Kaku’s Fuku Set; which curates a full meal from appetizer to dessert that could feed 3-8pax (sets range from P3,595 to P6,295).
ASSORTED NAMURU (P295)
The Assorted Kimchee that it came with was quite disappointing; their version of this pickled Korean favorite lacked in spice and flavor. We ended up ordering their Assorted Namuru which came with beansprouts, spinach, and (slightly more decent) kimchi just to have a better kickoff to our Korean meal (nope, they didn’t serve complimentary banchan). The set also comes with your choice of salad (Horenso, Wakame, Caesar, and Sanchu). Opt for the Horenso and fall in love with the simple, but delicious combination of spinach, garlic bits, and creamy sesame dressing!
The grilled selection included cubes of Wagyu Tenderloin, Wagyu Karubi, Harami, and Buta Karubi. The pieces were tender, and well-marinated (my favorite was the Buta Karubi); however, the wagyu cubes have nothing on those served in Urameshi-ya’s (which gives you more bang for your buck)! Apart from these, the set also comes with Gindara Miso (which took ages to cook, so we just asked the kitchen’s assistance to cook it for us); and a lovely assortment of enoki, shitake, and fresh mushrooms! Lastly, a stone-pot Ishiyaki Mentaiko (fried rice with seafood) provides weight to the meal. Overall, I believe that the set was decent and perfect for indecisive diners as it gives you a taste of their various dishes. However, the dining experience may have been better if we had more patience in curating our own meal.
Gyu-Kaku
Midlevel 2/3 Shangri-la Plaza Mall East Wing, Mandaluyong City
Date of Visit: March 27, 2016 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua, and Jem Chua
