We started off with a salad. We had the Cavaillon Melon and Prosciutto Salad with Mesclun and Raspberry Vinaigrette which was a nice alternative to the usual salad. It’s actually just good for one, but we managed to share it between the four of us. Each of the ingredients used in the salad played a crucial role in the over-all taste of the dish and balanced each other out nicely.

I had the Chorizo Aglio olio Spaghetti as my main course. One would expect it to be spicy and a bit tangy because of the chorizo, but thankfully, its flavor wasn’t too overpowering. I was quite pleased with it.

Kleyr had the Pan-fried Red Snapper with Crispy Breadcrumbs, Whipped Potato and Tomato Fondue. It had a nice crunch to it, and was cooked perfectly with the fish still moist in the inside. The tomato fondue was also a nice complement to the fish.

My dad ordered the Braised Lamb Shank with Haricot Vert, Parmesan Polenta and Au Jus. It was vey tender, full of flavor, and a nice change from the usual grilled lamb.

My mom got the Pan-roasted Salmon Fillet with Brocolli, Anchovy-rosemary Sauce and Chateau Potato. Salmon is always a good choice for seafood, and that’s also the case here.

For dessert, we had their Crème Brulee. Unlike in other establishments where the crème brulee is simply a jazzed up version of the local leche flan, Merkato’s version is actually pretty close to the real deal. It’s creamy the way crème brulee is supposed to be. It’s a bit too sweet though, but this is where the accompanying fruits come in. It helps balance out the sweetness of the crème brulee.

Over-all, we had a very memorable dining experience at Merkato. The service is top-notch, and the food was remarkable as well. It may be a bit pricey though for those working on a limited budget, but not too expensive for an establishment of its kind. If you’re planning to go out on a date or celebrate a special occasion in an intimate location with good food, we suggest you check Merkato if your in the Timog area of Quezon City.
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The Good:
Excellent service, flavorful dishes

The Bad:
A bit hard to find, somewhat pricey

Merkato Cuisine
55 Sct. Santiago cor. Sct. Rallos St.
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 416-9159

Anyway, back to Zao. Their Eastwood branch is actually quite a small place as our party of 18 almost filled up their entire indoor dining space, but believe me, the food is good enough a reason to try out your luck and find a table here at Zao on a busy, jam-packed weekend night at Eastwood City.

The first orders that came out were the salads: the Pomelo Salad and the Tenderloin Salad. I’m no expert in Vietnamese cuisine so I can’t really tell if the Pomelo Salad was authentic or not, but it’s pretty good in my opinion. A different take from the usual salad we see in most restaurants, but if you really want something different and good at the same time, the Tenderloin Salad is a definite must try.

We also had Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls and Sugarcane Shrimps as our appetizers. No qualms here either. Both were equally good in their own right. For those who’ll try out the Sugarcane Shrimp, here’s a tip: don’t just discard the sugarcane once you’re done eating the shrimp off of it. The flavors get infused on the sugarcane so it’s delicious to suck on after wards.

For our main course, we had the Zao Barbeque Platter and Satay Platter so that we can get sampling of all their barbeque and satay offerings. Both platters are actually more or less similar when it comes to flavor, so if you’re on a limited budget, ordering one or the other will do.

It didn’t come with rice so we order the Zao Fried Rice to accompany our meat fest. It isn’t as flavorful as what we were expecting (including the salted egg), but it served as a nice complement to the succulent meat dishes we already had.

Our parents ordered the Pan Seared Catfish, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to try it out so I can’t really say how good it really is. However, based on the other dishes I’ve already tasted, it’s probably as good as the rest their offerings.

To cap things off, we had the Espresso Gateu de Crepe which is a nice counter-balance to the strong, pungent flavors of our main course. It’s not too sweet and it literally melts in your mouth. We also tried out the Vietnamese Halo-halo. It’s a definite treat for the senses, but I still prefer the Filipino halo-halo.

Over-all, our Zao dining experience was a memorable one, and we’re definitely looking forward to eating there again when given the chance. They’ve still got a lot on their menu that we’ve yet to try out. Needless to say, there’s a lot more to Zao than what I’ve already posted. Their other branch, by the way, is located in Serendra at the Fort, Taguig City.

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The Good:
Great flavors, a wide variety of dishes, great service

The Bad:
A bit pricey for the serving size, indoor dining space could be too small if you’re a large group

Zao Vietnamese Bistro
Eastwood City Cyberpark, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan, Libis
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 913-3625

However, they do have an on-going P535 All-You-Can-Eat promo which the others don’t currently offer that might interest Japanese foodies out there.

Unlike other buffets where sharing is discouraged, the opposite is encouraged in Red Kimono. Each individual, however, is required to order a rice dish or a kettle of Kamameshi rice for every two persons. This is the big silver lining here as rice, as every buffet veteran knows, is the enemy when it comes to eat-all-you-can meals.

The other limitation is that you can only order from a pre-selected menu, but the selections available are pretty diverse which give you a wide range of options from soups to sushi plates and even desserts.

Pacing yourself when trying out Red Kimono’s buffet is highly recommended so you can try out all their offerings.

The quality, as I’ve said earlier, is decent. It’s not exceptionally good tasting, but good enough to set itself apart from the regular run-off-the-mill fast-food Japanese eateries out in the Metro.

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The Good:
Relatively affordable price for a Japanese buffet, sharing is allowed

The Bad:
Required to order rice dish, no sashimi selection

What you see above is their take on the Filipino classic tapsilog. The meat is very tender and tasty while the garlic rice is cooked just right, not too oily and not too dry either. Safe to say, with its serving size, a single order is just right for a guy with a healthy appetite (or maybe extra rice wouldn’t hurt either).

The Adobo Platter, which I ordered, was definitely a treat. It was plated wonderfully, and tasted just as good as it looked. The choice to use adobo flakeshelped achieve the creative plating and adds a unique twist to the dish as well. It also makes you enjoy adobo in another form, minus the greasy and sometimes overwhelming taste of vinegar and soy sauce. I can imagine this dish to be a best-seller among Pinoys. It soame with two eggs cooked to your preferences.

We also had nachos as an appetizer. It was quite different from the common plate of nachos as this one is look thinner, and in turn is crispier to the bite. The toppings that came along with it was a great compliment to the light salty flavor of the nachos itself. The cheese, chili and other condimentsadds huge layers of flavor to this delectible appetizer.

My mom ordered an omelete platter that came with potato wedgesas a side dish. The omelete itself didn’t pack in as much flavor as the other dishes, but as omelete go, it was pretty well done. It was still moist and soft in the inside with the mushroom filling providing the taste. The potato wedges, on the other hand, were pretty good. It has a little crunch on the outside and has a lot of flavor. It wasn’t too oily which is aslo good to note for those who are health conscious.

To cleanse our palate, we ordered mango juice and dalandan juice both of which were freshly made. How did I know it was fresh? For starters, its more thick than the instant juices and, of course, you can’t discount the taste. It was a great way to cleanse our taste buds from all the oil that has accumulate over eating several dishes.

Over all, Heaven n’ Eggs is a pretty decent place to go to if you love breakfast items. However, since it is a specialty restaurant, their dishes are quite limited to those that fall under their chosen theme. Price-wise, it may seem expensive, but serving sizes are big enough for sharing and sort of justifies the cost.

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The Good:
Healthy servings, very tasty

The Bad:
The menu is a bit limited for my taste

Hama, as compared to Aria and Cafe del Sol, has a more roomy dining area. It doesn’t follow a traditional Japanese interior, but you do get the feel of Japan when you spot their sushi display at the end of the room. The waiters and staff are very accomodating and well versed in the menu which is a great help since some of the items don’t indicate what the dishes are made of.

Service is fast and they even provide free appetizers for you to munch on while you wait. Prices are reasonable as Japanese restaurants go. The sushi and sashimi are quite affordable, and though the cooked dishes are a bit on the steep end in terms of price, they do come in large servings so you can share them with your companions.

We ordered a California Maki Roll and some Salmon Sashimi to start with. Both were neatly prepared and served in little amount of time. It was really good and refreshing.

For our main course, I ordered a Miso Ramen which, safe to say, in its size is actually good for 2-3 persons. It came in a large bowl with plenty of soup and noodles. The ony thing I didn’t like about it was the lack of miso flavor despite it being a miso ramen.

There are a lot of other dishes to choose from ranging from tempura to rice toppings all prepared in the Japanese manner, but personally, nothing beats the taste of sushi and sashimi. If ever I were to solely base my judgement on Hama on these two traditional Japanese dishes, I would give them an A+.

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The Good:
Fast service and roomy dining area

The Bad:
Some dishes might not taste the way you expect them to

Hama
Boat Station 2, D’ Mall Boracay Island, Malay
Boracay, Aklan
Philippines
(036)288-5978

Their dining and lounge area isn’t that big, but in the mornings, they do use the tables and chairs of their adjacent and co-owned restaurant, Aria. However, if you’re lucky enough, you do get a front-row seat with direct access to the view of the beach (and the passing public).

If you’re the type who wakes up early even when you’re on vacation and would want to sample something else aside from the complimentary breakfast of your resort, you should definitely try out this cafe. They have a bunch of sandwiches, drinks and other dishes that might seem light at first, but is tasty and filling enough to last you until lunch.

We chose to eat their primarily because we wanted something different from the usually fried Filipino or American meal. We ordered two sandwiches or otherwise known as paninis. I got the prosciutto with eggplant and cheese, while my girlfriend ordered the one with mozarello and pesto. The ingredients and size might not compare to those gigantic sandwiches and burgers Americans like to make, but mind you, this is much more flavorful minus the grease. We ate there  at around 9:00 am on our first day in Boracay. It was so filling that we ended up eating a late lunch.

Similar to Aria, the prices are a bit on the high side, but the quality, choice and freshness of ingredients somewhat justifies it. This is probably not for everyone, but then again, you probably won’t find anything quite like Cafe del Sol in Metro Manila as well. Try it out for yourself when you get to visit the island of Boracay to know what I’m talking about.

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The Good:
Simple yet filling dishes in a laid-back setting

The Bad:
Limited dining area, and a bit expensive

The menu is composed of Italian dishes with names that are likewise in the same vernacular. Unfortunately, my Italian is only as good as my Spanish which is safe to say very poor, so I can’t remember the exact names of what we ordered. The taste, on the other hand, is as fresh in my memory as the day we went there. There’s a lot to choose from and it’s a welcome change from the usually pasta dishes such spaghetti or carbonara. The dining area is comfy enough so that you can take your time in deciding what to order and enjoying every bite of the meal you’ve chosen.

We ordered a pasta and a pizza dish which is pretty common in a place like this. The pasta had bacon in it, which surprisingly, wasn’t at all salty. It was actually sweet and very flavourful. The amount of sauce was just right to dress the pasta without drowning it. There other delectable pasta choices availablebut being the bacon-lover that I am, this was a no-brainer for us; and suffice to say, I didn’t regret it one bit. It may seem a bit small, but it actually was just right for two people or maybe just one, provided you have a hearty appetite.

Meanwhile, the pizza was a parade of flavors and toppings as the one we ordered featured four different pizzas all in one. There was a seafood variation, four-cheese combo, prosciutto, and I can’t seem to remember the last one.  We ordered this one so that we can sample the variety of pizzas they have without blowing a hole in our wallet or feeling overly stuffed in the end. The toppings and flavors were fairly simple and you can taste each and every ingredient they put on it. It just goes to show that you don’t have to overload your pizza with toppings to make it taste good. The crust was also just right in thickness and was crunchy till the very end. Not at all oily, but so tasty and delicious.

They had the usual condiments such as salt and pepper at your disposal, and a choice of pepper flakes or chili oil for those who love the heat. A bit of a warning for the too adventurous, the chili oil is definietly hot so use in moderation.

Our two orders doesn’t give justice to the other available dishes they have, but it’s enough for us to want to come back again. I’ve been to other Italian restaurant before, but none so far as good as Aria. Their dishes aren’t overly complex. Simple yet pungent in flavor. It may cost more than the next door grillery, but it is money well spent. This is the closest thing you can get to authentic Italian cooking on the island of Boracay.

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The Good:
Great food served in a comfortable dining area

The Bad:
Might be a bit pricey for those on a limited budget

Aria Italian Restaurant
D’ Mall, Station 2, Boracay Island
Boracay, Aklan
Philippines
(036) 288-5573

In my recent visit to Boracay, I sampled the dishes of three of the more established restaurants, namely Aria, Cafe del Sol, and Hama Japanese Cuisine. It seems like these three eateries are all owned by one corporation or group as Cafe del Sol makes use of the premises of Aria during their busy breakfast hours, while we were also able to snag some discount cards from Aria to be used in Hama. I maybe be wrong, but one thing’s certain after my gastronomic journey, they all serve quite delectable dishes albeit their difference in choice of theme cuisine.

I know there are a lot of other food destinations on the island as tourism encourages robust business growth, but as my limited budget dictates where I can eat and how long I can stay in Boracay, I was only able to come up with these three.

Check back in a couple of days for my review of these three restaurants.