Dining Snippets: Aburi x Saigon Corner PH x Little Flour Café
ABURI
I’ve always been a fan of Aburi’s Chirashi and Salmon Aburi; but since I visited the restaurant on a chilly day, I craved for something warmer. My initial choice would be to try out their Tempura Udon; however, as it was unavailable during that time, I decided to try their Sukiyaki instead.
SUKIYAKI (P395)
I have a soft spot for Sukiyaki as my mom makes a really good version of it; but because of that reason, I tend to be quite critical of the sukiyakis served in Japanese restaurants. Fortunately, Aburi’s just had the perfect sweetness to its broth. Apart from that, it’s also generously filled with the good stuff, tender sukiyaki beef strips, melt in your mouth tofu, fresh and crunchy vegetables and huge mushrooms. Aburi has always been part of my lunch rotation ever since I started working in Ortigas; although, in my visits that followed after this Sukiyaki run, their service has started getting lousier. After eating meals with a broken exhaust, a busted air-conditioning, or a 45- minute lunch service wait time; their good food does not merit further patience anymore. I just wish that it’s other branches don’t suffer the same fate.
Aburi
Citadines Millennium, #11 Ortigas Ave, Ortigas, Pasig City
Date of Visit: August 30, 2018
SAIGON CORNER PH
Whenever I’m itching for a steaming hot bowl of pho, go-to restaurant chains such as Pho Hoa and Ba Noi are more than enough to nurse such craving. Their tasty and beefy broths, as well as the defunct-Annam Noodle Bar have become my benchmark when it comes to sizing up this beloved pho dish.
PHO BO (P265 – split into two)
However, this standard was completely rendered obsolete after a bite of Saigon Corner’s Pho Bo. Saigon Corner PH is a hole-in-the-wall tucked in Sgt. Esguerra. One blink and you’d easily miss this quaint restaurant. Its modest wooden interiors allows you to focus on the essentials, its authentic Vietnamese food and the warm and attentive service of its staff.
GOI CUON (P135)
Its Pho Bo serves up one of the cleanest beef broths I’ve ever tasted. The taste of beef is undeniably there; but you can be certain that no shortcuts were taken in making their broth flavorful. In contrast to the lemon wedges and basil leaves that accompany the beansprouts as soup toppings, Saigon Corner PH interestingly opts for mint leaves and these tiny lime wedges for citrus; which definitely help give a new taste to this classic dish. Watch out for the finger chilies that they serve as each tiny piece does not hold back on the heat.
HOT COFFEE (P78)
We decided to pair our pho with some fresh spring rolls. These rolls aren’t much of a departure from the ones commonly served in other restaurants save for its peanut sauce which gets a bit too addicting to eat. It’s saltier than what we’re accustomed to but it works wonders when drizzled on these rolls. The only mediocre dish we had was the Salted Egg Prawns (Tom Chien Trung Muoi) (P315). The prawns (which didn’t look that fresh) were sautéed in a dull savory sauce which possessed just a faint hint of salted egg. The best part of this dish would be the crunch given off by the fried prawns; but it’s best to stick with the restaurant’s pho dishes instead. End the meal with a delicious cup of their coffee!
Saigon Corner PH
40 Sgt. Esguerra Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
Date of Visit: September 29, 2018 with Lily Chua
LITTLE FLOUR CAFÉ
Little Flour Café is essentially like Wildflour with a menu with items friendlier to one’s wallet, and items that a tad bit more familiar to the local palate as it enlists a couple of Filipino favorites to star on its menu.
SISIG RICE BOWL (P420)
One of these would be the Sisig Rice Bowl; which was a hearty serving of garlic rice, crispy fried pork, fried egg, onions and a lot of green chili. Unfortunately, there was nothing noteworthy about this dish other than the fact that it costs a hefty sum of P420. It was good, tasty, and tremendously filling (I wasn’t able to finish my bowl); but it definitely didn’t live up to be worth its price. Best to still venture to Manam to get one’s sisig fill or stick to Wildflour cult-favorites instead. If you insist on trying out Little Flour’s Filipino items, the Bicol Express is a better bet.
Little Flour Café
GF The Stratosphere, 136 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City
Date of Visit: September 2, 2018 with Jolly Aganon and Lisa Manila
