Dining Snippets: La Spezia MNL x Yayoi x Apero
LA SPEZIA MNL
POLENTA FRITTA (P380)
One of the things I look forward to when visiting La Spezia MNL would be its fresh new dishes brought about by its seasonal menu. As a lover of fries, I easily warmed up to the Polenta Fritta. Armed with crisp edges, the golden polenta fritters are topped with a zesty dip made of ricotta cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano. I personally won’t mind having this in place of a chips binge. One slight drawback of this dish is that some fritters became a bit soggy after awhile of being served.
STINCO DE AGNELLO (P690)
I’ve always been a fan of its Stinco De Agnello, its fall-off-the-bone amazingly tender lamb shank stewed in a delightfully rich gravy. The restaurant has kept this main dish on its menu for a while; however, they do switch around the sides it comes with. Previous visits served it with a polenta mash, while my sister tried it with some baked potato wedges. This time though, the lamb shank was served with haricot beans. I never really appreciated beans of any kind; so after trying it with one bite, I steered clear of this side throughout the meal.
SPAGHETTI ALLE VONGOLE VERACI (P460)
Fortunately, we ordered the Spaghetti Alle Vongole Veraci, which helped soak up the sauce from the Stinco de Agnello. On its own, it’s already sufficient in flavor thanks to its tasty clams, and a generous topping of some Parmigiano Reggiano.
La Spezia MNL
90 Scout Dr. Lascano St., Laging Handa, Diliman, QC
Date of Visit: April 7, 2018 with Lily Chua and Jem Chua
YAYOI
I’ve always loved the concept of bento boxes and teishoku’s, where you’re served with a little bit of everything that helps give you a contrast of flavors, of textures, and even of temperatures, in a serving size good-for-one. That’s why I love dining in Yayoi. Apart from its high-tech ordering system, it has a really wide selection of teishoku’s that’ll surely have something for all types of diners.
SUKIYAKI TEISHOKU WITH SMALL UDON (P715)
It was difficult narrowing down my choice for this particular lunch; however, I remembered that I thoroughly enjoyed Yayoi’s sukiyaki in my mom’s previous order of the Yayoi Gozen (which flaunts a sampler of four of their signature dishes; perfect for the indecisive diner) so I decided to go for the Sukiyaki Teishoku. I was a bit overwhelmed that the sukiyaki was served with a bowl of rice and another bowl of udon. It was basically carb on carb on carb that I felt guilty just by looking at it.
However, the sukiyaki bowl turned out to be really shallow. It did come with two types of noodles: the classic udon, and two knots of glassy noodles soaked in its flavorful broth. However, both came in just mouthfuls of servings. One slurp of its immensely rich broth made me realize why there was a need to pair it with rice and a bowl of plain udon soup as its flavor was really intense. Topping it with some hot rice or mixing it into the small udon bowl helps balance out the flavor. This was definitely a delight to eat; but make sure you’re armed with an absolutely empty stomach before braving this dish!
Yayoi
3F SM Megamall, Bldg B, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Date of Visit: April 13, 2018 with Lily Chua
APERO
I’ve always been a fan of Apero after having my first bite of its Spinach Cavatelli and a sip of its deliciously refreshing Purple Juice. What makes me love it even more is that there are more than one gem in its menu that draws you to come back to it over and over again.
CRISPY FRENCH BEAN AND ANCHOVY BUTTER (P220)
Another excellent alternative to French fries would be Apero’s Crispy French Bean and Anchovy Butter. Each French bean fritter definitely satisfies on the crunch and on the flavor. It’s smothered (and soaked) in anchovy butter which was delightful but unnecessary as the anchovy can get a bit too overpowering. It made the appetizer a bit messy to eat as well. All in all though, I'd definitely be ordering this for the next time!
ANGUS RIBEYE STEAK AND FRITES (P3200)
The Angus Ribeye Steak and Frites comes at a hefty serving of 21 oz of deliciously juicy and tasty slices of ribeye steak. Each slice comes with a beautifully pepper charred topping that’s simply to-die for! Unfortunately, the frites it came with were plain old looking French fries that easily gets soggy. Fortunately, the ribeye steak was superb enough to look past that! Best to bring a bunch of loved ones to share this killer dish with!
Apero
Corinthian Hills, Temple Drive, White Plains, QC
Date of Visit: April 20, 2018 with Lily Chua and Jem Chua
