Tsinoy Foodies

Lemuria.

The name whirls me away to a romantic chateau surrounded by lush evergreen in Horseshoe Village, Quezon City. There are many important occasions celebrated in this space—anniversaries and birthdays just to name a few—owing to the restaurant’s private and intimate dining experience. News of a second branch in BGC immediately piqued my curiosity; how would Lemuria translate the exclusivity and intimacy of its restaurant in its new metropolitan neighborhood?

The new branch, surrounded by concrete and glass panels, is worlds away from the original outlet and yet still manages to exude the charm and warmth of the original. The proprietress, Mrs. Marina Schroeder, likens the new branch to a country home and fills the space with her personal touches to achieve that same feeling you get from the Quezon City branch—a place you go to for something special (by the way, the restaurant strictly enforces a dress code for any patron: men must come in collared shirts, and strictly no one is allowed in wearing slippers!)

For this meal, we were presented with a tantalizing menu of Lemuria classics.

Food

As an appetizer to the entire dining experience, we were given their home-made breads which are freshly prepared in-store using hand-churned butter. Among their selection are French Baguette, Walnut Loaf made with walnut, honey and molasses, and Foccaccia with sundried tomato. These are complimentary and served along any meal purchased :)

Foie Gras Trio (1,150 php)

First, we were served Pan-Seared Foie Gras, just one of the three ways Lemuria prepares Foie Gras offered in their Foie Gras Trio. Lemuria prides itself in using only ethically fattened ducks and pairs this with a sweet and sour Balsamic Reduction and a refreshing watermelon to cut through the buttery fat. Absolute melt in your mouth goodness.

Braised Lamb & Apricot Galette |(365 php)

Next came a sample of their Braised Lamb & Apricot Galette. Soft and tender lamb tinged with just a hint of sweetness coming from the apricot and shallots made for a clean and light end to the appetizer and a great way to begin the next half of the spread—the main course.

Seabass (1,260 php)

After a quick round of red wine, out came the Seabass atop a bed of mushroom risotto. The Seabass was absolutely fresh with meat so tender and just the right balance of flavors. The risotto accompanying provided a needed creaminess though with a mushroom flavor just a bit too light for my preference.

Duck Leg Confit w/ Cassoulet (1,310 php)

Following seafood was fowl and we were served a sample of their Duck Leg Confit w/ Cassoulet. We were told that the duck had been brined for 2-3 days prior to preparation and that the cassoulet that accompanied the duck took years to perfect--perfection defined as getting the beans to achieve a texture in between mushy and al dente.

Beef Bourguignon (940 php)

Finishing up the main course was a serving of their Beef Bourguignon. As with all flavorful meats, this was braised and marinated for 2-3 days; Lemuria braises theirs in red wine reduction and slow cooks it for a full 8 hours. The effort is very evident with a beef that is absolutely melt in your mouth and flavorful, further complemented by the sweetness that comes with a side of shallots. This was my favorite dish for the evening.

Lemuria Cheesecake (294 php)

A sweet ending to a perfect meal, the meal ended with a dessert bearing the restaurant’s own name, the Lemuria Cheesecake. Arguably very popular, this is not just like any other cheesecake. Lemuria uses a combination of Carabao’s Milk, Goat’s Cheese, and Dulce de Leche to achieve a distinct and original cheesecake flavor that is full, creamy with a harmonious blend of dairy. Topped with their homemade strawberry compote and this dessert was just the perfect way to end the night.

About Contributing Author: Hilary Hao
Hilary is a foodie, photographer and aspiring food blogger. She and the main author of Tsinoy Foodies were classmates on a short food photography workshop three years ago.
Follow her on instagram @nihaohihao or on zomato: Hilary Hao

Lemuria
Business Address	The Plaza, Arya Residences, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City
Business Hours	Lunch: 11am-2:30pm Dinner: 6pm-10pm
Payment Options	Cash
Service Charge	10%
Budget/Person	1,000-1,500
Free WiFi	Yes
Contact	(02) 404-8704 \| (02) 541-1723
Other	Email: bgc@lemuria.com.ph; Website: www.lemuria.com.ph; Instagram: @lemuriabgc

Fukudaya Arya Plaza Map Like This Post? Subscribe here Follow @tsinoyfoodies

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One of the older establishments in Arya Plaza, but certainly not forgotten, is Fukudaya. Since its doors opened last August 2016, Fukudaya has continued to delight diners with Modern-Traditional Japanese dishes. Under the helm of Chief Sushi Chef Koji Oki, Fukudaya has built-up a quiet reputation for serving high-quality seafood on this side of BGC.

Modern and Traditional, two distinct words describing two opposite states. How could something be both Modern and Traditional? For this occasion, Chef Oki-san stepped outside the kitchen and shared how his team is able to deliver Fukudaya’s promise of a Modern-Traditional Japanese dining experience. By Traditional, Fukudaya stays true to the taste of well-loved Japanese dishes by using fresh Japanese ingredients such as but not limited to dashi, sake, dried, bonito, shiitake, and salmon. Modernity is expressed by the use of modern precision cooking methods, in particular, sous-vide cooking. This ensures that meats are cooked just right to maintain tenderness previously unachieved by traditional cooking methods.

Keeping true to the tradition of the simplicity of the Japanese, for our visit, Chef Oki-san and his team prepared a humble 3-dish sampler of Fukudaya’s bestsellers.

Food

salmon carpaccio with sliced reddish pickles

Salmon Carpaccio with Sliced Radish Pickles (380 php)

To start, we were treated to Salmon Carpaccio w/ Sliced Radish —my personal favorite, followed with a plate of Shrimp Tempura Roll Sushi, affectionately called Ebiten Roll by the staff, and finally closed with Australian Wagyu Steak cooked in Garlic Sauce with Assorted Grilled Vegetables.

Shrimp Tempura Sushi "Ebiten" Roll (480 php)

Australian Wagyu Steak in Garlic Sauce with Assorted Grilled Vegetables (200g) (1,550 php)

It is impossible for me to write about these three dishes individually--as I believe these should be discussed altogether. Ask any Japanese cuisine aficionado and consistently, you’ll hear praise for the freshness of the ingredients—the true star of Japanese cuisine—oft accompanied by simple flavors. The Fukudaya dining experience is no different. The focus of each dish served was the freshness of the salmon or the shrimp, or tenderness of the beef accompanied with only a tinge of flavor, bordering bland, to accompany and highlight the freshness of these ingredients. Yes, the taste would not be too exciting on the tongue but I would want nothing other than focusing on the ingredients from a Japanese restaurant.

Fukudaya also offers special private tasting menus by request and provides catering services for private events.

Fukudaya
Business Address	Unit 7, The Plaza, Arya Residences, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City
Business Hours	Lunch: 11am-3pm Dinner: 6pm-11pm
Payment Options	Cash
Service Charge	10%
Budget/Person	600-800
Free WiFi	Yes
Contact	(0927) 264-0171 \| (0998) 805-6859 / (02) 800-3563
Other	Email: fukudayamanila@gmail.com; Facebook: Fukudaya Philippines; Instagram: @fukudaya.ph

Fukudaya Arya Plaza Map Like This Post? Subscribe here Follow @tsinoyfoodies

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Quickly growing to be Manila's premier dining destination is Arthaland’s Arya Plaza. To experience the great food in this new fantastic dining hotspot, Arya Plaza invited a few media personalities and bloggers to enjoy some of the bestsellers from their carefully curated restaurateurs. The first restaurant on our itinerary was Savage.

Arya Plaza is described by many, myself included, as Manila’s secret al fresco dining hotspot. The LEED- and BERDE- certified residential complex enjoys an exclusive privilege of having the highest ground elevation in BGC. Residents and guests are assured a constant flow of cool breeze also thanks to the canopy made with ETFE (the same insulation material used in both Singapore’s Clark Quay and Beijing’s Water Cube).

Since its doors opened in April 2018, I have been looking forward to dining at Chef Boutwood’s newest restaurant. Savage boasts of its defiant approach to modern grilling by eschewing modern technologies and know-how and instead relying on “pre-industrial” open-fire grilling cooking techniques and raw chef instinct making each dining occasion a bespoke experience.

Food

Appetizers
Our meal began with two appetizers, a signature dish from Savage’s menu, the crowd favorite, Devilled eggs, smoked oil, & ash and a new item from the kitchen, Smoked Crab, potato, and flying fish roe.

Devilled Eggs, Smoked Oil & Ash (260 php)

There is no doubt on the Devilled Eggs, Smoked Oil & Ash’s fame; every bite of the devilled eggs left me speechless. The yolks had a rich and smooth texture (reminiscent of mayonnaise) accompanied by a delightful crunch and ash, a mysterious powdery mix made from charred soy and leeks, which helped round out the flavor with a pleasant smoky taste.

*New on the menu* Smoked Crab, Potato, and Flying Fish Roe

The Smoked Crab, Potato, and Flying Fish Roe had more muted flavors but nonetheless still very delectable as each tender piece of crabmeat was accompanied by a crunch coming from an ingredient which I unfortunately am not able to identify.

Main Course
Following these strong starters were two dishes for the main course, the Barramundi, Arugula, Preserved Lemon & Olive (another crowd favorite) and the new Pork belly, Cola, and Pineapple.

Barramundi, Arugula, Preserved Lemon & Olive (1,200 php)

Both equally delicious; the Barramundi with its tender flesh cooked in light and clean flavors of lemon, arugula, and olive...

Pork Belly, Cola, and Pineapple

and the Pork Belly with its adequately fat and lean meat marinated in the perfect harmony of sweet and sour flavors. With my weakness for complex flavors, my personal favorite between the two is no doubt the Pork Belly.

Kladdkaka (190 php)

Ending our meal was a plate of Kladdkaka, a Swedish chocolate mud cake served with a side of vanilla cream. The cake is made with rich, dark chocolate—a definite treat for any chocolate lover! However, I personally felt that the rich chocolate taste overpowered and subdued any subtle vanilla flavor that the accompanying cream should have provided.

Lemonade (220 php)

Savage
Business Address	The Plaza at Arya Residences, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila
Business Hours	Lunch: 11am-3pm Dinner: 6pm-10pm
Payment Options	Cash
Service Charge	10%
Budget/Person	800-2,000
Free WiFi	No
Contact	(0915) 333-9546

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After our cozy brunch at Lorenzo's Way, we got back up to our feet and headed over to Cafe Havana.

At that juncture, I did not know anything about Cafe Havana except for two things: (1) it serve Cuban fusion dishes (2) the name reminds me of the Latin Pop song "Havana" by Camila Cabello.

While on our way there, I got to catch up with fellow foodies, met new ones and more importantly, it reminded me why I love food in the first place...

Food brings people together.

Work
In my field of work, I would always be on one of the two adversarial sides. With my workmates, we all have our own cublicles and own tasks. But once there's food everyone would gather in the pantry and the room will be filled with warmth and laughter.

Family
Ever since we were young, we were taught to cooperate with each other so we can enjoy a meal together. My mom is the best marketer. My youngest sister does the ingredient preparation such as cleaning, cutting and peeling. My older brother and second younger sister does the cooking. My first younger sister does the dish washing and I do the drying. Apart from daily meals, there are also special meals during occasions shared with all our relatives.

Food Styled by John Bunag

#LJCxZomatoFoodCrawl A flatlay with many different dishes combined together is akin to a foodie event like a food crawl is also like it. In this food crawl, the LJC group, zomato and fellow foodies gathered together. The foodie community is the friendliest community. Even when we just met, everyone will get along and talk with other over food or about food. Everyone will lend a hand and respect one another's skills. Usually, in events like this, I am just a bystander awed and inspired by everyone. This food styling is done by the great John Bunag. I couldn't do the flatlay as well as they do though so I just shot this as I see it.

Food
Now that you know the meaning of food for me, ready to dig in Cafe Havana's Cuban Fusion dishes? Cafe Havana is not just for a chill out place at night. It's a great place for lunch outs too!

Fun Fact
Because it's my first time to try Cuban cuisine, I couldn't resist digging into some facts. Interesting enough although Cuba is 15,625 km away from the Philippines, they share a lot of things in common.

Did you know that:

Both of them were colonized by Spaniards for a long period. Cuba became part of the Spanish Colony in 1492 until 1898 when the United States took over as the victor of the Spanish–American War. On the other hand, the Philippines became part of the Spanish Colony in 1521 until June 12, 1898 when the United States took over as the victor of the Spanish–American War.
Both of them have a tropical climate.
Both of them have a cuisine influenced by Spanish and Chinese dishes.

But when it comes to food establishments, Cuba has a defining feature of having government run restaurants (reputed to have slow service and bland meals) as opposed to private-owned ones called "Paladares". In Cuba most businesses are run by the government and it is only recently that their privatization laws has started to loosen up.

Sopas

Sopa de Frijoles Negros (175 php)

I don't know what black beauty means but this reminded me about a discussion with my work mates a few days back when we were talking about the new female staff. One of my colleagues said, "I like her beauty. She is not very beautiful but she looks more beautiful the more you get to see her.". This Sopa de Frijoles Negros made of black beans has that appeal to the taste buds. At first sip, it will give you an impression but you aren't sure if you like it. Then, as you sip more... it grows on you and fall in love with it more and more.

Platos Principales

carribean style salmon with mango mambo salsa

♥ Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Mambo Salsa (635 php)

Because of this dish, I just googled and found out that Cuba is located at the northern Caribbean. The next thing I I noticed about the Caribbean Style Salmon with Mango Mambo Salsa is its price! Yet, although this is one of the most expensive salmon dish I've had, I could tell that there was a lot of craft in the process. They say Philippine mangoes are the best. It is truly shown by th mango and grain mustard sauce. The squid ink rice is similar to a Paella Negra which is normally priced at a premium.

♥ Spare Ribs Habanera (605 php)

I really liked the Spare Ribs Habanera with guava sauce. I liked it because I don't get to have guava sauce that often.

Caribbean Shrimp Curry (450 php)

Among all dishes, I find curry to be most intriguing.

First, you'd think it's named curry because of the curry leaves as essential ingredients but it is actually a blend of spices.

Second, it dates back to 2600 BCE. The concept of curry power was a British concept which helped it spread around the globe. Now, it even comes in paste form.

Third, because it is a mix of spices as a general rule. There's a lot of diversity and creativity into play. It is made difficult due to culture, tradition, religious practice and preferences. Aside from being composed of different kinds of spices, the spices can vary by being whole or ground; cooked or raw, fresh or dried, and when it is added. Moreover, cooking it can be different due to the base like water, broth, cream, milk, coconut milk or yogurt.

This is the first time for me to try a Carribean curry with the Caribbean Shrimp Curry. From the color, yellow curry reminded me of Chinese curry and Thai curry. I'm not an expert to tell what's infused in it. All I know is that it is really good with coconut curry.

Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano (465 php)

The Chuletas de Pollo con Arroz Mejicano looks really appetising with its vibrant color. I can't say the same for the flavor. For our local taste buds, it would be considered bland. But, I appreciate its simple taste as it is.

Pizza Cubana

♥ Doble Cara (545 php)

Ordering the Doble Cara means you get to choose two kinds of pizza. I don't really know why someone would pass that chance so I dare say it is the best option. We got the Jamon Serrano and Quatro Quezo. The pizza is oven cooked so I like the texture and flavor. Everyone fell in love with the Quatro Quezo!

Postres

♥ Guyaba Pie (165 php)

I thought the Guyaba Pie is filled with Guyabano so I got excited because it is my favorite. Turns out in Cuba and Spain, they call guava Guayaba. My bit of disappointment faded as soon as I tried this. I didn't know a guava could be an excellent pie option. No wonder that in Cuba, they are fond of guava desserts.

Pudin de Pan Habanero (160 php)

The Pudin de Pan Habanero is a Cuban-styled bread pudding. This is really good!

So that concludes our second stop for our Cafe Havana #LJCxZomatoFoodCrawl. It was satisfying for my tummy and my epicuriosity.

Cafe Havana Menu

Cafe Havana Greenbelt 3
Business Address	Level 1, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City, Metro Manila
Business Hours	11am-4am
Payment Options	Cash
Service Charge	10%
Budget/Person	600-1,500
Free WiFi	No
Contact	(02) 246-9069 ext:794
Other