Dining Snippets: Providore x Yabu x Famous Kitchen
PROVIDORE
Hailing from the Raintree Group of restaurants, Providore stands tall as a concept which patronizes local purveyors. Similar to its other sister concepts, it serves a hodgepodge of international dishes which aim to comfort. Providore’s beautiful and bright restaurant will instantly appeal to titas and titas-at-heart, especially as it comes with a shopping corner which showcases interesting local finds.
ZUCCHINI PECORINO FRIES (P195)
Kick off your meal with the incredibly interesting Zucchini Pecorino Fries. Regular potato fries seem boring now that we know that fries could be done this way! Dip them in the buttermilk ranch dip, and you’re absolutely solved!
BACON CLAM CHOWDER (P295)
Aruga Café’sProvidore’s Bacon Clam ChowderWhen it comes to clam chowders, it’s quite hard to compete with comes with bacon, definitely helps it vie for second place! Although I couldn’t taste any bacon bits, the bacon flavor was unmistakably there! Thick and creamy, this hearty bowl is a perfect way to warm up during a rainy day. (formerly Cucina Victoria). However, the fact that
STEEL PLATE COOKED GARLIC BUTTER SALPICAO (P395)
The Steel Plate Cooked Garlic Butter Salpicao may have been sloppily plated, but it was easily my favorite dish of the meal! The magic is in how the melted butter works wonders with the delicious marinade and tangy sauce of the salpicao. I would have loved the onions to be sautéed a bit more; but other than that, this dish was perfect! No point in pretending to survive eating this without rice. One bite into this dish, and you’d order a cup immediately (as the dish doesn’t come with rice).
Providore
GF SM Aura, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Date of Visit: March 18, 2017 with Lily Chua
YABU
There are two things I love about Yabu. Foremost would be its consistency. Despite years of being in operation, and its massive expansion, its level of food quality is maintained. As a testament to this would be how most of its branches are still packed with hungry and happy diners!
BUTA KAKUNI DON (P345)
Second thing I love about it would be that it never stops adding to its menu. Ever since it added its Salmon Don to the menu, I haven’t had a bite of its famed katsudon and pork tonkatsu sets! Guess it would take a longer while before I’d crave for these as I found a new obsession to rival the Salmon Don, the Buta Kakuni Don. The rice comes with deliciously charred pork belly. Toss these in with the mayonnaise, the runny eggs, and the garnish, and you’ve got a hearty and immensely filling donburi. Sadly, this guilty pleasure isn’t a healthier alternative for the deep-fried menu mainstays as the restaurant definitely doesn’t hold back on fat. Don’t forget to pair it up with Yabu’s Layu Sauce (which insanely works with EVERYTHING on the menu)! Add P150 if you wish to make it into a set with unlimited refills of the works!
Yabu
GF Robinsons Place Manila, Adriatico St., Ermita, Manila
Date of Visit: February 21, 2017 with Dahlia Mulingtapang, Norman Gatdula, and Marj Villacorte
FAMOUS KITCHEN
PEKING DUCK RICE (P200)
Famous Kitchen’s no frills restaurant seeks to satisfy one’s roasted cravings. Famous Kitchen offers two serving sizes for most of its roasted specialties: an a la carte over rice option, and a good-for-sharing platter. The Peking Duck Rice is a bargain as you’re served with a generous row of sweet duck meat! Its skin may not be as crisp as the ones served in fine dining restaurants; however, its juicy tender meat will easily win one over.
FAMOUS PLATTER RICE (P220)
The Famous Platter indulges you by giving you a little bit of most of their main offerings. You have a row of Char Siu slices, another row of either Soy or White Chicken slices, roasted Pork Belly slices, and quarters of Century Egg on top of a huge serving of rice. Although marketed as a meal for one, this can fill up more than one tummy! Despite the affordable price tag, the roasted meats tasted decent, delicious even! Don’t expect to get prime cuts though as most really are fatty pieces. Its ginger sauce and its well-seasoned pork belly deserve special mention!
Famous Kitchen
Scout Tobias St., Tomas Morato, Diliman, QC
Date of Visit: February 18, 2017
