Kain, Bianca's!

Bianca's Cafe and Vinotek is one of the gems that is surreptitiously hidden in the enclave that is Yakal St. in Makati. One of those quiet and charming little places with unassuming facades but takes you to a whole other world because their food is that good. Seriously.

For appetizers, we shared a St. Galler veal Bratwurst served with french fries and onion sauce. Now this is how a bratwurst should taste like, one bite of it and I'm whipped off to Köln circa 2003 where I chomp my teeth onto one of the finest bratwursts I've ever had. And this was right off a street vendor, friends. Bianca's made me relieve that glorious moment. Bratwurst with that superb onion sauce was so good, so tasty, so delicious you wanted the taste to stay forever in your mouth. Ok, maybe not forever but for a long time indeed. I believe I repeatedly said "Sh*t ang sarap nito" or "Ungh, this is so good" with every bite I took.

Ruccola Salad Carissa


Old Fashioned Caesar Salad


Cream of Tomato Soup


Cream of Barley Soup

I really didn't know what to expect when we ordered the Barley Soup over the Roman-style Rice Balls Suppli ala Romana. When I think about Barley, images of fairy tales or fermenting beer come to mind, so we were pleasantly surprised when our soup turned out to be quite a delectable brew. The tender barley grains rest on the bottom of the bowl while they happily absorb the creamy and savory liquid that they're bathed in.

Bianca's has Menu du Jours with a darling price. Shell out Php 520 and you've got yourself an appetizer and an entree, and they're all delicious. Well worth your money. Generous servings too as Carlo and I shared one set and couldn't even finish the entire thing. So with the soup as an appetizer, our chosen entree was the succulent Slow Roasted Hanging Beef served with a Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta and some green beans. The beef, ah, the beef... divine. Juicy, tender and rare in the middle, this is enough to keep my mouth watering for days.

Vercascana


Blue Marlin Steak, Sauteed Young Vegetables and Buttered Rice



Mango Crepe

Do make sure to ask about the desserts as these aren't written down on the menu.

This is how meals ought to end, with a killer dessert that is surely to die for. All hail to Bianca's Chocolate Mousse! All hail! Seriously, I don't think I've ever had this good a chocolate mousse, one that melts, no, disintegrates in your tongue into to tiny morsels of luxurious, chocolate goodness. Life is indeed good.

Bianca's Cafe and Vinotek
7431-B Yakal Street
San Antonio Village
Makati City
+632 815 1359

Kain, Guava!

Kain!

"Mmmmm... Interesting..."

Our meal starts off with their Prichon (a house specialty). The cholesterol-loaded deep fried suckling pig served with three small wraps and six various dips / sauces -- sour cream and chives, black bean sauce, peanut sauce, chili garlic and garlic sour cream. Nothing really spectacular there, and I thought I was being cheated because there were only 3 miniscule wraps to satisfy two adult people, but on the second thought, this is just for starters.

The Pandan Wrapped Ubod in Watercress Salad is delectable and indeed interesting. The pandan-hinted wrap played extremely well with the fresh yummy ubod and the complimenting sweet glaze of a Wansuey sauce plus watercress leaves was a delight to my tastebuds. Something different, something new. Delicious. This pleasant veggie dish was great accompaniment to the Baby Back Ribs and Chicken Thighs in GUAVA (!!!) glaze.

I would've gladly given up the baby back ribs portion for some more of the chicken thighs as meat wasn't all that well. I like my ribs tender... as in almost-falling-off-the-bone tender. This cut wasn't at all near that for we actually had to saw the meat off from the bones with a knife. In contrast, the chicken was cooked very well -- deliciously juicy and very tasty. And of course, the Guava glaze was the perfect touch to the saltiness of both the meats. Yum!

Aaaand to wrap things up --- The Cassava Cake with Gruyere Cheese on which we both had set eyes on even before ordering the main course. But gee, cassava cake indeed with what, 4 tiny strips of the gruyere? There was hardly enough to call "hints" of the cheese. Nevertheless, the cassava cake was MASARAP --- soft and nice which almost melted in the mouth.

Overall, the resto still needs a bit of improvement. The service staff is nice and accommodating but it takes forever for a customer to get noticed. Price-wise, good I guess but still quite steep for some of their dishes considering the serving size. Snaps though for the ingenious use of the fruit in different dishes -- from beverages to appetizers to main course.

Kain, Rice Table!

Kain!

Located along the first level of the south wing of Mall of Asia (facing the bay), this resto can be tempting to try as the interiors spell tastefully done. Despite the clean and white facade plus a rather good selection of furnishings, do not let your eyes be deceived. Presentation has its purposes.

The emptiness of the place should've given away the fact that their food sucked. Yes, the photos might look alluring and delicious but it all stops there. Schnapps to The Rice Table though for presentation efforts and for the concept of the Rice Table Set where a pair (or plus one) can easily sample 12 different dishes in super small servings at a fair price.

We really wouldn't have minded the miniscule servings in each plate since altogether they can make your belly burst, but the food isn't really anything more special than your typical cafeteria meals. Yeah the food is palatable but nowhere near cuisine, Asian or whatever. So it's totally not all its sparked up to be.

For starters though, the complimentary prawn crackers were a delight. Served with a hot chili dip Southeast Asian-style, these fritters were enjoyable to munch on. But aside from that, everything else was Bah with a capital B.

The Rice Table starts you off with 2 of the 12 meals, a brothy and gingery soup concoction that isn't really anything to rave about, save for that amusing slice of corn that one can easily nibble on.

As you slurp your soup down, the waiters bring in the medley of dishes that's supposed to impress the hungry diner. But ah, the expectant palate awaits, only to be disappointed.

On this side of the table holds the chicken satay, pork in some sauce, and a tofu omelet. I'd hardly even call that chicken satay -- skewered chicken popcorn plated with a lousy excuse for a satay sauce, nothing more than what tastes like poor watered-down peanut butter. There are about 5-6 small pieces of pork in that other plate, but the meat is only about 30% of one piece, with pig fat composing the rest of the 70%. The sauce, well, it's forgettable. The tofu omelet could've passed as yummy and tasty if it wasn't swimming in the glorious cooking oil it was fried in.

This foursome here includes a cucumber salad, an eggplant dish, beef curry and vegetable curry. A cucumber salad isn't really hard to do, it's a simple mixture of vinegar, a bit of water and some sugar to sweeten it. So I really can't understand why their dish failed, it was as bland as bland can be and the cucumber slices were wilted and mushy to the touch. The eggplant dish can be labeled as tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary. I was annoyed by the curry dishes! I looooove curry, I love how it can be a melting pot of flavors and spices, I love the colors, the scent, the taste, I love curry! So in that regard, Rice Table's curry dishes are not curry. We were robbed of the powerful intensity of flavors that a curry dish can bring. These were weak and watery. We were more annoyed because the "beef curry" seemed to be just the same curry base as that of the vegetables', only they put in two chunks of dry flavorless beef, which weren't even coated with the sauce. They just stood there all dry and bored. Annoying!

Finally, this side here holds a plateful of cold and chewy dilis which we were expecting to be at least crispy, some Pandan Chicken that we thought could've saved the meal because of one small juicy piece, and the Vietnamese spring rolls which weren't anything more than a layers of fried wrapper with hardly any filling in it. The Nasi Goreng was not Nasi Goreng as I've come to know it. The Rice Table's version of this flavorful rice dish is just soy-sauced long-grain rice. Booooring!

So yes, that's quite a mouthful of what I have to rant about. Their saving grace? The gracious and attentive service staff... and maybe their interiors as well.

World Light Expo! Part 3

LightTrip!

Look up! Towers and lanterns.

World Light Expo 2007 promises to wow your eyes with a fantastic spectacle of multi-colored lights showcased through structures of all shapes and sizes. Find yourself in a vicarious trip around the world,

as you enter through Tiananmen Square

and pass through temples and Chinese towers.

You can choose your favorite lantern,




circle around,




and then make a wish.




Go to a neighboring South East Asian country,




and then check out Japan.

*details and information on the expo can be found here

World Light Expo! Part 2

LightTrip!

The World Light Expo artist made sure that the minutest of details were well taken care of. Not an inch was spared from the fine craftsmanship.

This carp moves!

Pisces



This turkey is made from little glass bottles holding colored liquid inside.





Phoenix frolicking with a Peony



Sarimanok







Another very detailed work of art. This 100-meter dragon is made of plates, tea cups and bowls. The light glazes the white and blue ceramic to give the masterpiece its elemental glow.

*details and information on the expo can be found here

World Light Expo! Part 1

LightTrip!

Pack your shades, bring your map, pocket a flashlight, we're in the Philippines and it's time to hunt for the world's light expo!

Grandiose walkways



Make sure you have your camera on bulb setting.

Even the food court is fully lit up!





The second set of neon arches.







The fountain acts as a mist screen for a theatrical water show.



Global trekking, anyone? Lets hop on over to......


Paris's Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame


No need to take the ferry to the UK as the London Bridge is just a couple of steps away


Hard Rock Cafe can't be more than hours away.


New York for Christmas at Rockefeller Center

The World Light Expo is hard to miss. Just head down (or up depends where you are coming from) Diosdado Macapagal Avenue and you're bound to be greeted with a magical display of lights around the corner. Its towards the intersection of Roxas Blvd. and Airport Rd. around the corner right across Uniwide Coastal Mall. Cough up Php300 (200 for kids) and be ready to enter a world of bioluminescent jelly beans.

Note: In the admission guide flyer it states: "-- adult - over 4 feet Php 300" (we are in Asia, there are adults below 4-feet, just take a look at the President.)

Expect more attractions when the park formally opens (we got first dibs, haha) on the 23rd of February. The too-cold-for-our-own-good negative-18 degrees Centigrade Ice World (!!!) holds ambient-lit ice sculptures big and small. Another thing to hold your breath for is the showcasing of one of the World's mysteries --- the Chinese Terracotta Army --- specially kept and protected in a huge tent. But, prepare to pay an additional fee to get in.

Careful as your jaw drops as the Chinese-certified Circus performs wild stunts on the center stage. Catch them Korean B-Boys over at the Dance Plaza as they give you a dose break dancing and eastern style serving. Any light expo in the world wouldn't be complete without a fireworks display so be sure to catch this part of the program. One corner of the park holds a huge and wide fountain where there is an hourly water show. So head on over to that side and be amazed as the mist screen comes alive with dancing fountains and lights.