clawdaddy

We planned to visit Bonifacio High Street in Taguig for a change from a trip to the mall.  It’s good that such concept was made, one can enjoy the outdoors while feasting your eyes with the items of all the boutiques were offering, that were present in line with some of the restaurants.  One of the restaurant in Bonifacio High Street is Clawdaddy.

They used a solid wood tables and chairs which represented a picnic style of dining.  Just like what their slogan says “Great American Picnic”.  They can also accommodate diner who would prefer to dine outside their restaurant where some of the diners have pets in tow

The interior of the restaurant was comfortable.  We were immediately escorted by their courteous receptionist to our designated seats and was handed a menu.   While waiting for our ordered food we were given a complimentary buttered corn on the cob to munch.  They have a great customer service.

For appetizer, we had Classic Caesar Salad.  This was one of our favorites for they never scrimp with the garlic dressing.  They drizzled it very generously which makes the salad tastier and tastier every bite.   You’ll never go wrong at the price of P338.00

What’s a Clawdaddy experienced without ordering what they were famous at crab!  We had Crab Maritess, it was said to have a combination of white wine, olive oil and garlic.  And the outcome of such combination was sure to be a winner!  It was truly succulent every bite and guaranteed fresh and I can say it was huge.  We got a male crab with a weight of 1.1kg.  Price for this dish varies per weight, serving choices: Per 100g (600g-700g)(P105.00), Per 100g (800g-1kg)(P120.00), Per 100g (1.1kg and above)(P135.00)

What’s an American Picnic without a Smoked Baby Back Ribs?  We ordered half slab with two side dishes both with their famous dirty rice at the price of P398.00, if  full slab you’ll get it at P698.00.   The meat was very tender, and  juicy in every bite.  Dirty rice was said to be best seller but I can’t tasted just like a plain rice.

And having a kid in tow, we ordered Fried Chicken Tenders.  It was very well presented in a car, made of cardboard, served with french fries and honey mayo sauce.   Chicken Tenders was not the typical for breading used was like that of corn flakes and it was tasty which makes it more appetizing.   At the price of P215.00 it will surely be a hit for your kids!

For our beverage, we ordered Lemon Iced Tea gladly it was bottomless.  Their mixture was thin, lacked the real taste of iced tea.

Their Lemonade was refreshing!  Now this beverage, you can say they don’t scrimp with their ingredient and is also refillable.

Overall, I give Clawdaddy 4/5 rating for the food, 4/5 for the ambiance and 5/5 for the service.

Branches:

1.  Shangri-la Plaza 6th Level Shangri-La plaza Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd.  Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 636-5679.

2.  Bonifacio High Street, The Fort Taguig City.  Tel. No. 856-4785.

NOTE:   If you dine at Clawdaddy, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

secret recipe

secret recipe exterior

A serene, quiet and peace atmosphere that’s what we were looking for when we chanced upon Secret Recipe at Robinson’s Place Manila branch.  They have  comfortable stool type couch which you can sit individally, and some of their dining tables can be rotated.  Cool for hip type diners but disaster for those who brought their kids along.  With just one button your round dining table will rotate downwards and if you keep on turn it around it will go upward.  Their dining area were exceptionally clean and their servers were courteous and polite.  But noticed they only have 2 servers that’s why if their resto has a lot of diners service is slow.

black pepper chicken

Black pepper chicken, price at P230.00.  True to its name, chicken full of black pepper that’s why it’s a bit spicy due to black pepper used .  But one should taste this dish for the chicken was really juicy, and taste of the sauce was a combination of sweet, salty and spicy.  It was a different kind of recipe to my taste pallette and truly intensifies my craving for chicken.  Served with side salad and your choice of steamed rice or garlic rice.  A rating of 5/5 for this dish.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu, i have tasted different approach of recipes for this dish but Secret Recipe’s version is a sure winner for me!  Crunchy outside and really juicy within, with a right amount of cheese that intensifies the juiciness of the chicken.  Served with side salad and french fries.  You may pair this up with steamed rice as how i devoured this dish.   At the  price at P230.00.  A rating of 4/5.

iced mocha espresso

Iced Mocha Espresso, truly refreshing!  They’ve got a right blend of coffee, malt/chocolate, sugar and cream and with a sprinkles of chocolate on top.  It was not that sweet, it’s as if you’re drinking a cold version of coffee with whipped cream on top.  Price at P125.00.   A rating of 5/5.

Overall I gave Secret Recipe a rating of 4/5 for the ambiance, food serving, presentation, taste and quality.

Secret Recipe branches:

1.  4/F Midtown Wing Robinsons, Ermita Manila. Tel. No. 567-2042

2.  G/Level 32nd St. cor. 5th Ave., Fort Bonifacio Taguig City.  Tel. No. 856-2953

3.  5/F Shangri-La Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 637-0367

4.  2/F SM Megamall Expansion Wing, EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No.  706-5246

NOTE:   If you dine at Secret Recipe, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

french baker

french baker

french baker exterior

French Baker at Landmark Supermarket in Trinoma Mall.  Who wouldn’t be attracted with the ambiance this branch has to offer,  cozy ambiance, comfortable couch seats, and with dim-orange lighting.  Imagining the notion of dining there with my family makes me smile.  Good thing hubby is in the mood to dine at French Baker then, and so the experienced began.  We were seated on a very comfortable couch, and then waited for the server to came to get our order.  After choosing the only available dish they has to offer then, we chose the fourth dish before the server told us that that is the only available for rice meal for that night.  We were disappointed, it was only 6pm on a Monday night and they don’t have any choices to offer.

soup on a bread bowl

Soup on a bread bowl (soup of the day: chicken and corn) served in hollowed-out crusty bread.   This is the comfort food i can say for that night.  The taste of the soup is just right not salty nor bland and the bread used is really freshly baked, it was soft and moist.  At the price of P105.00.  A rating of 4/5.

cheezee mac

Cheezee Mac is a cheesy macaroni tossed in Mornay sauce, served with your choice of grilled foccacia or garlic bread.   I find their serving very small for the price of P158.00, but it was good.  The macaroni and cheese blends with the ham topping.  But find the garlic bread not freshly baked for it was hard for me to chew, and it was too oily for my taste.  A rating of 3/5 for this dish.

beef burgundy in casserole

bread and sidedish of buttered corn and carrots

The French Baker’s version of boeuf bourgignon, a robust beef stew cooked in red wine sauce.  In my opinion,  What’s a beef stew without rice?  We originally ordered this dish with rice, but after paying our orders we were informed that they don’t have any available rice to served, and since we have paid for this dish  already we don’t have any choice but to accept the alternative they offer, to serve it with roll/bread instead.  It was hard for me to enjoy this dish without rice, for the sauce of the beef stew is quite salty if with roll/bread.  You can instantly distinguished the taste of the wine used in this dish for it’s kinda sour to my taste.  The beef used was juicy and soft.  At the price at P230.00.  A rating of 2/5 for this dish.

Iced mocca, intended with ice as the name implies.  Unfortunately for us, there’s no ice available.  Having ice mocca without ice was no fun! It was too sweet and it’s as if you’re drinking an instant malt drink that you can easily prepare at home.  At the price of P47.00.  A rating of 2/5 for this drink.

coffee

Brewed coffee, it was not hot when served, milk given as a creamer was truly creamy at the price of P62.00.   A rating of 1/5 for this drink.

Based on my experienced at this particular branch, after our dining experience my Overall rating for French Baker, Landmark Trinoma Mall branch is 2/5.   Some of their branches may be worth a visit, surely not all of them has the same situation.

French Baker branches:

1.  g/f  South Supermarket, Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa.  Tel. No. 771-2255

2.  g/f  SM Bacoor, Aguinaldo cor. Tirona Hi-way, Bacoor, Cavite. Tel. No. 046-417-1314

3.  ug/f  SM City Dasmarinas, Governor’s Drive, Pala-Pala, Dasmarinas, Cavite.  Tel. No. 046-423-3051

4.  SM Supermarket, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.  Tel. No. 032-231-9050

5.  ug/f  The SM City Cebu, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.  Tel. No. 032-232-1637

6.  ug/f  SM Southmall, Zapote Road, Las Pinas City.  Tel. No. 806-9217

7.  Landmark Foodcenter, Makati City.  Tel. No.812-3751

8.  Cash and Carry Supermarket, South Super Highway, Makati City.  Tel. No. 844-7032

9.  2/f  The Landmark Bridgeway, Makati City.  Tel. No. 813-4905

10.  g/f Bldg. B SM Megamall, J. Vargas St. Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 633-5084

11.  3/f  SM Megamall, J. Vargas St. Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 632-0735

12.  MS-108 Major Shops Bldg. EDSA Central, Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 632-0228

13.  ug/f  SM City Concepcion cor. San Marcelino, Manila.  Tel. No. 528-1624

14.  Robinson Otis - Robinsons Supermarket Otis P.M. Guazon Street, Paco, Manila.  Tel. No.559-07-31

15.  2/F SM Marikina Marcos Hi-way Calumpang Marikina.  Tel. No. 477-1815

16.  g/f  SM Mall of Asia, SMOA102-105 SM MALL OF ASIA, SM Central Business Park Bay City, Pasay City.  Tel. No. 5560162

17.  138 UGF SM City Clark, M Roxas St. Clark Special Economic Zone Angeles City, Pampanga.  Tel. No.(045) 499-0096

18.  ug/f  SM City Pampanga, San Fernando, Pampanga.  Tel. No.045-963-7698

19.  g/f  SM Super Center Sucat, BO. San Dionisio, Dr. A Santos Ave., Paranaque City.  Tel. No. 825-6947

20.  ug/f  SM City Bicutan, Dona Soledad Ave. cor. West Service Rd., Bicutan, Paranaque City.  Tel. No.776-0313

21.  Pioneer Center Supermarket, 8006 Pioneer St., cor. United St., Pasig City.  Tel. No. 687-2684

22.  Trinoma, The French Baker G/f Landmark Supermarket Trinoma Edsa cor. North Ave Quezon City

23.  Robinsons Supermarket, Galleria EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City

24.  AX 132-133 The SM City Annex, North Edsa, Quezon City.  Tel. No. 441-1406

25.  The SM City Main Mall North Edsa, Quezon City.  Tel. No. 920-3144

26.  g/f  SM City Fairview, Regalado cor. Quirino Highway, Quezon City.  Tel. No.935-0728

27.  ug/f  Cherry Foodarama Bldg. Congressional Ave., Quezon City.  Tel. No. 926-3832

28.  French Baker SM Taytay, Manila East Road Brgy Dolores Taytay Rizal

29.  g/f  Sta. Lucia East Grandmall, Phase 3 Marcos Hi-way, Cainta, Rizal.  Tel. No.681-5134

30.  Greenhills Shopping Center Unimart Greenhills, San Juan.  Tel. No. 721-1729

NOTE:   If you dine at French Baker, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

piadina italiana

The exterior of the restaurant is simple but clean.  We were convinced by the dine-in promotion posted outside their resto, guided by their staff we were comfortably seated at the couch and was handed a menu.  Their staff were friendly and  knowledgeable of what dish do they offer and serve.  We were amazed with their set menu at an affordable price.

Grilled Mozzarella set, a combo meal with toasted mozzarella cheese on bread, butter, garlic and a pasta carbonara.  I was shocked as how small their serving were and was disappointed that their mozzarella set was almost just like a french toast.  But then we were too hungry to complain so we dig in, and to our surprise it was not bad after all.  Pasta was cooked al dente, though a little bland for a typical carbonara but the bread is really crunchy and gooey  because of the mozzarella.  Maybe if they served more of the pasta carbonara, as we have expected, a serving of this combo meal set is enough for one.  A rating of 3/5 for this dish.

menu rimini mare - pasta scampi

Menu rimini mare with pasta scampi seafood version of pasta.  Pasta cooked al dente, and the red sauce used were really an italian style with shrimps.  Perfect who seeks vegetable pasta, for they used italian sauce not that sweet nor sour perfect blend.  Served  with pita bread on the side price at 225.00.  A rating of  4/5.

Zuppa del giorno

Zuppa del giorno, soup of the day then was Cream of celery soup.   The soup was served hot and it was really creamy with a hint of celery taste topped with croutons, price at P70.00.  A rating of 4/5.

pasta carbonara

Pasta Carbonara with bacon and light cream sauce, quite bland for a typical carbonara.  There’s not much cream and milk to the sauce, tasted more of the pasta itself, for the price of 170.  A rating of 3/5.

Overall, my Piadina Italiana experienced was 3/5.

Piadina Italiana branches:

1.  2/Level. Midtown Wing, Pedro Gil St. Ermita Manila.  Tel. No.  525-6527

2.  2/Level., EDSA cor. Ortigas Ave. Quezon City.  Tel. No. 637-5809

3.  Megastip, Bldg. A, Julia Vargas Ave. Mandaluyong City.  Tel No. 687-7345

4.  4th Floor Food Park, 6766 The Enterprise Center, Paseo de Roxas cor. Ayala Ave. Makati City.  Tel. No.  752-5019

5.  G/Level., Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center Makati City.  Tel. No. 752-5019

NOTE:   If you dine at Piadina Italiana, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

cafe breton

cafe breton

Craving for crepes?  Cafe Breton is the place.  May it be as your main meal or as your dessert you can count on them.  The ambience is so serene for us that’s why we were in awe upon entering the resto.  Staff immediately escorted us into our seats, where candle lights on each tables, with a mini vase and a fresh flower.  Staffs here were very friendly, neat and quick to everyone’s needs as i have noticed.

crepe with veal sausage, mushroom and bechamel sauce

For our main course, we had Crepe with veal sausage, mushroom and bechamel sauce price at P177.50.  This dish is a winner for me, since i love white sauce, bechamel sauce is the substitute for that, i chose veal sausage for it is a lighter version of all sausages for me so i could still accommodate dessert.  Veal sausage is lighter in taste, than any other sausage that I know of.  Not that tasty that could eat up your taste palette and would devour the tastes of all the ingredients present in your crepe.  Mushroom and bechamel sauce are good together with veal sausage.  I give this dish a rating of 4/5.

crepe with ham, mushroom, and bechamel sauce

Then another main course, Crepe with ham, mushroom and bechamel sauce price at P152.50.  Noticed that one would opt to order a lighter main dish rather than being bloated and leaving Cafe Breton without tasting their sweet crepes?  For you’ll miss a lot then.  Another lighter main course to choose from wherein safer for you to have some space for sweet crepes.  I give this dish a rating of 4/5.

galette americain

Galette americain consists of beef patty, sunny side-up egg, tomato provencal, mushrooms and mushroom sauce at P221.50.  Instead of Crepe, I ordered galette to taste their wheat version.  I find it alright but I like crepe more.  The tomato provencal evens out the taste of the meat and eggs present in this dish, most especially having a mushroom sauce, another creamy version of sauce that they offers.  I give this dish a rating of 3/5.

crepe with strawberries and cream

For Dessert, Crepe with strawberries and cream, strawberries preserve in syrup with cream, ice cream topped with whipped cream at P217.25.  I have a sweet tooth that night, but then was surprised that strawberries preserved were way too sweet for me,  most especially if you put chocolate syrup on top.  Too sweet for me.  a rating of 3/5.

adam and eve

Another round of dessert, Adam & Eve, stewed apples with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream at P195.00.  Sweet and sour taste of apples are perfect together with cinnamon powder… delicious!   Love their vanilla ice cream, also with a hint of cinnamon on top.  a rating of 5/5.

mango crepe

A create-your-own Mango Crepe without the chocolate syrup and without the cream.  Suited for those who crave a simple dessert crepe but afraid of too sweet.  This dessert is only a combination of crepe, sliced fresh mangoes, coffee ice cream on top and a dash of confectioner’s sugar price at P125.00.   A rating of 5/5 from me.

banana split

Banana Split, split banana with a scoop of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla ice cream, with walnuts, whipped cream, cherries and with a combination of chocolate and strawberry syrup.  A dessert suited for those who has sweet tooth I can say.   Price at P170.00.  A rating of 4/5.

cafe liegeois

Cafe Liegois, pronounced as leej-wah, a cold espresso with coffee ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce price at P120.00 if decaf P130.00.  This seems to be just like a cold coffee with coffee ice cream.  And it’s not that sweet to my taste.  A true winner for those who craves for a dessert.  A rating of 5/5 from me.

Cafe Breton branches:

1.   Tomas Morato -  Tomas Morato cor. Sct. De Guia Quezon City.  Tel. No. 374-6334

2.  Westgate - Space C-806 Central Precint, Westgate Center, Filinvest Alabang Muntinlupa City.  Tel. No. 771-1214

3.  Trinoma Mall - Trinoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Avenue Quezon City.  Tel. No. 916-9186

4.  Greenbelt 3 - 1/F Greenbelt 3, Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi St., Ayala Center Makati City.  Tel. No. 757-4125

5.  The Podium - G/F The Podium, 18 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 687-5971

6.  Mall of Asia - 1/F SM Mall of Asia, Entertainment Mall, SM Central Business Park, Bay City Pasay City.  Tel. No. 556-0279

7.  Robinson’s Place Manila - Midtown Wing, Pedro Gil cor. Adriatico St., Malate Manila.  Tel. No. 567-0704

NOTE:   If you dine at Cafe Breton, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

cibo

cibo Trinoma Mall

Another great place for pasta and dessert is Cibo. Recently we visited cibo at Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. They manage to improve the interior this time, they placed couch on the side and they have a satellite resto inside the mall proper as well. However the food you order at the satellite resto will be delivered from the main resto. The inside of the resto is very well lighted, cozy, and the temperature is just perfect, fit for a wonderful date. Sitted on a comfortable couch, I can’t wait to grab a menu to place my order.

spinaci zola

For appetizer, we ordered Spinaci zola:  spinach, gorgonzola in foccacia bread. Price: P218.00 Wow, the spinach dip is very very good! It taste a little sour, a bit like sourcream. And the foccacia bread is freshly prepared, crunchy outside and soft in the inside. My 2 year old son loves it. I give this dish a 5/5.

linguine alla ghiotta

For the main course, we ordered Linguine alla ghiotta, it has mushrooms, slab of bacon in cream sauce. Price for single serve P298.00, for sharing P520.00. This dish is the counterpart of carbonara for other restaurants that offer pasta.  However, the cream for alla ghiotta is a bit lighter than the typical carbonara. Just a suggestion, if you like a thicker sauce, you might want to ask for some extra fresh parmesan cheese. This dish is served with a piece of foccacia bread. Another 5/5 for this dish.

farfalle alla veneziana

Another pasta dish  is the Farfalle alla veneziana. Its a bowtie pasta with sauteed seafood in cream sauce with parsley. Price if single serve P258.00, for sharing P455.00.  This dish is a bit similar to alla ghiotta, however seafood is the main ingredient. Just a suggestion, request to use fettucine or linguine for the pasta instead of the bowtie because the  bowtie pasta does not absorb the cream sauce which make it dry to the taste. I give this dish 3/5.

rigatoni all alfonso

Rigatoni all alfonso has shrimps, chives, stewed tomatoes, cream and chili peppers.  P325 for single serve and P573 for sharing.  It is creamy and the pasta is really al dente!  You can’t wait to taste it’s every bite.  At first, I thought that the combination of stewed tomatoes and cream will make it taste like baked ziti, but then it’s all a different story.  I give this 5/5.

penne al telefono

I have read a lot of recommendations of this menu, that’s why I really can’t leave Cibo without tasting the most recommended dish.  Penne Al Telefono cooked with stewed tomatoes, mozzarella, white cheese, basil and cream P315 for single serve and P550 for sharing.  This is truly a winner among all others in my opinion.  I have never tasted a pasta with a simple recipe without even seafood nor meat but truly tasted pasta cooked by chefs!  I can taste every ingredients of this dish and I can say there’s  no scrimping here!  I give this 5/5.

praga

Praga, their version of pizza with mozzarella, smoked cooked ham and mushrooms at the price of  P353.00.  I don’t like this that much, I find the dough hard for me to chew it.  Wasn’t able to taste the topping used, the dough seems overpowering the taste of the toppings.  I give this 3/5.

R

torta di ricotta

For dessert, we had  Torta di ricotta, salsa di caramello. Its a cheesecake with caramelized glaze Price is P168.00. You can taste the richness of the cheesecake. The cake is very soft, and crunchy outside.  This is different from any other cheesecake shop,  for this crumbles instead of sticks to the utensils used.  I give this dish a 4/5.

cafe mocca freddo

And of course, whats a good meal without an ice cold drink. I ordered a  Caffe mocca freddo it’s an iced chocolate drink Price at P98.00, if decaf P108.00. It tastes a lot like Mocha Frappucino of a very well known coffee shop, minus the sweetness. Yeah believe it or not, it’s an iced chocolate drink but is not too sweet. I will surely order this again if I get a chance to visit cibo next time around. Two thumbs up! 5/5

te freddo with mint syrup

My wife had a Te freddo with mint syrup Price  at P80.00.  This is a mint iced tea. I got a chance to taste this and wow! it is like the aftermath of eating a mint candy, or should I say just finished brushing my teeth. You should try this as well. 5/5 for the taste and presentation.

uvanera

Uvanera, red grape fruit shake price at P110.00.  Never tasted grape fruit shake this good!  Not that sweet and so refreshing.  Fruit shake is highly recommended in this restaurant for they never scrimp on the ingredients used.  I  give this 5/5.

pompelmo

Pompelmo, pomelo shake price at P110.00.  I was expecting this to tastes like grapefruit when it comes to bitterness and sourness but then it surprised me to know it was not that bitter!  There’s a hint of sourness alright but sweetness dominates the tastes so why worry to sip and sip? It is pomelo fruit shake and yet i’m confused why it’s tasted like not pomelo.  Confusing right? Might as well give it a try when you visit this resto.  I give this 5/5.

avocado shake

Finally I ordered a glass of Avocado shake for my son. He wont stop drinking it so I was curious how it tastes like. I tried some of it, and it’s a rich fruit shake, not like the fruit shake offered by other restaurants which is full of ice and sugar, this one is rich in avocado, just not recommended for those with cholesterol problems. another 5/5.

Overall, I give Cibo a 4/5 for the ambiance, food and serving size. The price is a bit pricey, but in my opinion it compensates the quality of the food they offer.

Cibo Branches :

1.  2/F Corte delas Palmas ATC, Alabang-Zapote Rd. Muntinlupa City.  Tel. No. 842-7285

2.  Greenhills Shopping Center Promenade, Missouri St., Ortigas Ave. San Juan. Tel. No. 727-3359

3.  2nd Floor Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St., Legaspi Village Makati City.  Tel. No. 758-2426

4.  Trinoma, EDSA cor. North Ave. Quezon City.  Tel. No. 916-7165

5.  Glorietta 4, Ayala Ave. cor. Pasay Rd., Ayala Center Makati City.  Tel. No. 892-3963

6.  Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Cubao Quezon City.  Tel. No. 913-2426

7.  Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center Hidalgo cor. Estrella St. Makati City.  Tel. No. 898-0366

8.  EDSA Shangri-la Mall, EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City.  Tel. No. 631-7753

NOTE:   If you dine at Cibo, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.