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).



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)

*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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 Cocina Juan is one of the pioneers in Maginhawa since its onset of being an eat street in 2008.  


Before Cocina Juan, I don't think I've encountered any establishment serving Central American Cuisine before.  Although it's similar to Mexican and Tex-Mex, it is from a completely separate region (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, and Costa Rica).

With limited spacing and an al fresco area, this is Cocina Juan's interiors.


Love the color matching bottle-turned-vase and plates. =)

Food

Aperitivos (Appetizers) Inspirations

Nachos Supremo Todo (249 php)

The Nachos Supremo Todo is loaded with nacho cheese sauce,salsa, jalapeno, grated cheese, chili con carne,  refried beans and aioli sauce (mayonaise with a hint of garlic).

Dinamita (139 php)

The Dinamita is really explosive!  The cheese is not as much as expected so I was surprised upon first bite at how fiery this is.  This is the spiciest dynamite I've ever encountered.  Good thing it is served with aioli sauce that neutralized the spiciness.


Taco Inspirations

♥ Quesadilla Mixto (Carne) (169 php)

The Quesadilla Mixto (Carne) are filled with cheese and beef.  It's served with salsa cruda.  This is really hearty especially for meat lovers.

Quesadilla Con Tomate (149 php)

If you want something light, go for the Quesadilla Con Tomate.

Tortilla Inspirations

Beef Burrito Grande (199 php)

The Beef Burrito Grande is a hefty burrito filled with grilled beef, grated cheese, tomatoes, aioli sauce and lettuce.

 

♥ Chicken Burrito Grande (199 php)

The Chicken Burrito Grande is an alternative if you prefer grilled chicken.  Both are equally good.

La Parilla "Grilled Meats" Inspirations

♥ Churrasco Fiesta Platter (549 php)

The highlight of our meal is the Churrasco Fiesta Platter which is a gigantic (and literally heavy - couldn't lift the platter!) serving that's good for 4-5 persons.  It has a local garlic sausages, grilled beef, chicken and pork skewers with aioli sauce, sliced onions, zucchini, tomatoes and bell peppers.  Everyone loved the beef slices.  It was the one that was emptied in a flash.  These are best dipped on their chimichurri sauce (Argentinean sauce with finely chopped parsley and garlic in olive oil and lime juice) and chirmoi sauce (Guatamelan sauce with grilled tomatoes, pepper Jalapeno mixed in olive oil).  For staple, it has gallo pinto rice and crispy potato wedges (quite addictive!).  It also comes with a salad with tomatoes, buttered corn, onions and greens.  

I've encountered churrasco which meant grilled in Spanish and Portugese before at Brazil! Brazil!.  I've noticed that the Brazilian churrasco is grilled barbecue with a sweet and savory marinate.  While, the churrasco of Cocina Juan is Nicaraguan-style which is grilled like steak and spiced with parsley, garlic and peppers.

Drinks

Cucumber Lemonade (65 php/glass)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Cocina Juan is a place to appreciate Central American cuisine.  Once you've tried it you'd want to try some more.  I know I do.  The price isn't budget-friendly but definitely worth the experience.   

 It's literally been years since I've revisited Greenhills Town Center and I was quite surprised that a lot of establishments has changed.  But, Grillery Restaurant & Bar has kept their place.

Believe it or not, I'm a downright simple kind of girl.  Well, my guy friends often joke that I'm more of a boy cause I don't mind walking long distances, commuting even in a hot day and I actually prefer down-to-earth cozy bars than the mainstream, noisy and expensive ones.


So yeah, a bar with wooden tables and chairs, yellow soft lights and perhaps acoustic songs playing in the background while I chat with friends works for me.

Food

Appetizers

♥ Sizzling Chicken Sisig (175 php)

 I've tried pork and tuna sisig before but I'd leave all of those for a Sizzling Chicken Sisig!

Chicken 

♥ Chicken Ala Kiev (250 php)

Based on its exteriors, I thought that the Chicken Ala Kiev is their version of a a Cordon Blue.

♥ Chicken Ala Kiev (250 php)

I was surprised when I sliced it into half that it was filled with butter.  It was sinfully good especially with the crunchy coating.  I bet no one can resist this!

Pork

♥ Grillery Liempo (285 php)

I'm not a fan of fatty dishes so I tend to avoid liempo.  But, the Grillery Liempo  is so crunchy, lean and meaty that I didn't want to leave even a bit of it.  This is one of the best liempo I've tried!


Fish

Balinese Fish (200 php)

The Balinese Fish s a very tasty fish dish that will make you want to eat more especially with rice.  The texture is pillow soft too.

Desserts

Oreo Puffs (165 php)

For dessert, we had Oreo Puffs which is popularly known as wicked oreos.  It is deep-friend oreo coated in thick batter, drizzled with chocolate syrup and served ala mode or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Oreo Puffs (165 php)

 As an Oreo fan, of course, I indulged myself!

Drinks 

Iced Tea

Their house blend Iced Tea is also pretty good.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
If you're in the area and looking for a cozy and budget-friendly place to hang out, head on to Grillery Restaurant & Bar. 

My friends often tease me of being a serious and uptight person.  So once in awhile, I give in and let them take me to the fun places.  One night I ended up at Grilla Bar and Grill with good old friends and met a new ones too.  My friends enjoyed their drinks but as usual, I was there for food and company.
I'm really liked the spacious and upscale feel of Grilla Bar and Grill Makati.  They even have an Al Fresco balcony area.

Food

Appetizers

Chicharong Cebu (160 php)

As they say, You Only Live Once (YOLO) so we started with the deliciously crispy Chicharong Cebu.

♥ Pork BBQ and Salted Egg Triangles (185 php)

My friends were drinking so they really enjoy crunchy finger snacks like the Pork BBQ and Salted Egg Triangles while we chatted the night away.  This is an interesting dish to try.

Sisig

Tofu and Sigarilyas Sisig (145 php)

 The Tofu and Sigarilyas Sisig is a healthiest sisig option in htier menu.  It's still as salty as the regular sisig though.


Veggies

Ilocos Dinuydoy (135 php)

The Ilocos Dinuydoy has three primary ingredients: mashed squash, ampalaya and bagnet presented in a deconstructed way. 

Eggplant Torta - Poqui Poqui (145 php)

The Eggplant Torta - Poqui Poquiis the Ilocano way of eggplant torta.  I find their Ilocano dishes too salty.  Ilocano cuisine being our second native cuisine at home, I was surprised by this.  Ilocano dish is known for simplicity and bringing out the natural flavors.  Ilocanos like my mom are very frugal and appreciative of the lightest flavors. 


Entree

Family Feast

♥ Grill-A-Palayok (695 php)

The Grill-A-Palayok is a fun dish to try with a group!  You can choose your favorite type of meat and you can choose from 3 types of dips: Pork-lemongrass broth, Grilled Eggplant and Nilasing na Mangga.  I liked the latter the most.


Beef

Beef Kansi (345 php)

I took one sip of the Beef Kansi and found it too peppery and salty to be enjoyed as a soup.


Chicken

Sinampalukang  Inihaw na Manok (225 php)

The Sinampalukang  Inihaw na Manok has a nice smokey flavor alogn with the strong tangy taste.  I liked the smokey and tender inihaw na manok bits in it.

Inadobong Tilapia sa Gata at Sili (225 php)

The Inadobong Tilapia sa Gata at Sili is among the dishes I liked as well.  It was fun to eat and has a fun twist of flavors.

♥ Halo Halo Spring Rolls (135 php)

Last but definitely not the least is the Halo Halo Spring Rolls.  I liked this the most!


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
My friends enjoyed our dining experience at Grilla Bar and Grill.  I recommend it for those who enjoy strong taste and pair their food with lots of rice and drinks to tone down the flavors and probably guilt. 

Last November 23, my two blockmates Eric and C and I, had a mini reunion.  We ate at Yoshinoya then watched the Trinoma Merry Musical Lights Show.  Well, at least I watched it while the boys were enjoying their beer.  We were supposed to eat at Hanamaruken Ramen but it hasn't opened yet.  And, it was entirely my fault so the two being close friends and all were teaming up and teasing me.  

As I've mentioned in my previous post, Eric is the nicest guy I've ever met.  He suddenly stopped teasing and said I'm the pitiful one being excited and all.  I kind of expected him to be as caring as he always was.  I really don't know how the two are such good friends because C is usually quiet and snobbish.  Although he was my seatmate on our first major subject, I was able to graduate without ever talking to him.  So I was a bit surprised and intrigued when C offered to treat us to uplift our spirits.  I let the boys lead me to where they wanted eat or DRINK and we ended up Gerry's Grill.  I haven't been there so I thought it was a good idea too.

Food
I let them order and we ended up with two variants of Sisig and some beers.

Pork

♥ Sizzling Sisig (196 php)

Although I'm not really a fan of sisig and have only eaten this popular delicacy for less than ten times in my lifetime, I find Gerry's Sizzling Sisig to be pretty good.  As good as it is, I couldn't eat much as I was still digesting our previous meal.  The boys enjoyed this with loads of rice as it was a bit salty.

C was nice enough to share some rice with me (after refusing and insisting I order my own) so I can enjoy the viands they ordered.     

Sizzling Tuna Sisig (195 php)

The Sizzling Tuna Sisig is more salty and zesty compared to its pork counterpart.  Clearly, this seemed like a healthier option but the pork had a more wholesome flavor.


Well, thanks boys for tagging me along and for the treat!  It was a long and fun night.  It was great to catch up with Eric as he shared his educational and social (courtship and relationship) learnings.  Haha!  Eric got C to share some too.  And, we got to laugh at their past mistakes and stuff haha.   As expected, times with consistent and realiable bff Eric is always fun fun fun!    As for C, thanks to this reunion and alcohol, I think we're now friends or frenemies at the very least hehe.  It's really difficult to tell with his hot and cold persona.  I'm looking forward to another reunion after a decade =D  Hopefully, we'll all be happy and successful by then.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Gerry's Grill is a nice place to chill and bond over beer.  The food and DRINKS are affordable.