Dining Snippets: Hogs and Cattle Steakhouse x Paradise Dynasty x Agico Café
HOGS AND CATTLE STEAKHOUSE
WAGYU ALL YOU CAN (P899)
One of the juiciest deals in town worth trying (and abusing) would be Hogs and Cattle Steakhouse’s Wagyu All You Can promo. This promo’s been available for quite some time now, but I think people have yet to fully maximize this deal. For P899, you get unlimited servings of insanely juicy slices of wagyu, with its own slew of unlimited soup, dinner rolls, rice, buttered vegetables, and mashed potatoes as sides.
I love that the restaurant doesn't require you to have sides for each plate you get, and they also offer half portions! Different sauces are also spread across the table for one’s choosing, but I’m more than satisfied eating the steak on its own. So far, my steak count has been two full portions per visit; and that’s about the maximum my stomach (and heart) could handle! As an added plus, unlimited prawns are served with the wagyu on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the same price! Definitely something I'd go for on a regular basis if my health permits it!
Hogs and Cattle Steakhouse
GF Century City Mall, Kalayaan Avenue, Poblacion, Makati City
Dates of Visit: March 28, 2017 with Jolly Aganon and Lisa Manila; May 5, 2017 with Billy Alcid, Jayvee Fulgencio, and Veron Requejo
PARADISE DYNASTY
CRAB ROE XIAO LONG BAO (P540)
I first fell in love with Paradise Dynasty in Singapore back in 2011. Of course, my first introduction to it would be its elaborate 8-flavor Xiao Long Bao with flavors such as Crab Roe, Black Truffle, Foie Gras, and a prescribed order of eating these. Although its Xiao Long Baos were undoubtedly tasty, there are some which were downright odd. Thus, we decided to just select flavors that we preferred in our first visit to its Manila branch. We opted for the Crab Roe and Original flavors. The Crab Roe really brought on a full bodied crab flavor; but it’s no contest for the Original Xiao Long Bao (P188/P298) as the latter allows you to appreciate the soup base in its pure heavenly form.
LA MIAN WITH SPICY BEEF (P380)
Apart from its Xiao Long Baos, you can also count on the restaurant for delicious noodle dishes. For those who don’t mind a little heat, the La Mian with Spicy Beef is a viable contender to Taiwan’s famed Beef Noodle dishes. The Stir Fried La Mian with Shredded Pork and Black Fungus (P238) was disappointingly bland on its own; however, a tiny scoop of its chili sauce is enough to bring out its flavor.
STIR FRIED BEEF WITH SCALLION (P388)
The Stir Fried Beef with Scallion is a dish that does not shy away from flavor. The best way to describe this dish is that the beef slices were reminiscent of the beef served in beef hofans, salty but with a tinge of sweetness. You’d definitely want to pair this up with some rice such as the Shanghai Fried Rice (P238) or a vegetable dish such as the Stir Fried French Bean with Minced Pork (P238). Both dishes are also tasty enough to stand on their own.
Overall, I was pretty satisfied with my visit in Paradise Dynasty Manila. A surprise bonus was that the prices of the dishes were really competitive to the Philippine market, a far cry compared to its steep prices in its Singapore branch!
Paradise Dynasty
Level 2, S Maison, Conrad Manila, Seaside Boulevard cor Coral Way, Pasay City
Date of Visit: March 26, 2017 with Lily Chua, Jared Chua, Jem Chua, and Steph Marquez
AGICO CAFÉ
TAKOYAKI (P158)
Browsing through Agico Café’s menu, I found it hard to believe that I was in a vegetarian restaurant. Seeing dishes such as ramen, katsudon, burgers on the menu definitely intrigued me.
SPICY KARAAGE RAMEN (P258)
We started with the Takoyaki, which wasn’t such a leap when turned vegan, as these balls usually come stuffed with veggie fillers. The balls were delicious, especially as they came with nice crisp exteriors. My only issue was that the mayonnaise used was on the sweet side.
The Spicy Karaage Ramen came with veggie meat balls which were actually fun to eat. I just found the soup base to be really bland. I loved the spice that came with it; but it felt like I was just drinking spicy water.
BEEF SALPICAO (P246)
The Beef Salpicao was also a disappointment as the sauce tasted too sweet. Although I’m aware that veggie meat is usually on the sweet side; they could have done something to make the dish more savory. Unfortunately, the only thing I truly enjoyed was its Kale Apple drink (P180). For me, it’s better to splurge a bit more by opting for Corner Tree Café when you’re in the mood for something vegetarian.
Agico Café
8 Missouri St., North East Greenhills, San Juan Date of Visit: March 31, 2017 with Lily Chua
