The Burger Project occupies a two floor space at the Grand Towers.  The glass allows you to see everything inside.  It has wooden tables and wooden chairs which are a bit similar to picnic tables but its more artistic and clean looking.


The Burger Project adopts a pay as you order system like the usual burger joints.  It has a artsy chalk board where  you can see what toppings are on their designer burgers.


To order, they will give you a checklist so you can create your own BRGR of your dreams.  And, that includes naming it.  I guess this is what makes it fun. Right? 


Upon ordering, we decided to dine on the second level for a bit more privacy and the ambiance is better too.

Food

♥Western Bacon Melt Beef (224 php)

The Western Bacon Melt Beef is a burger with beef patty, bacon, onion ring, shitake and button mushrooms, cheddar cheese and tomatoes drenched in BBQ sauce.  Upon receiving our orders, we were amazed at how generous they were with the toppings.  It was an overload of mushrooms! And, since we loved them we ate this burger with glee.  Their beef patty tastes like pure beef.  I know every burger place says the same thing but the taste won't lie right?  This is one has definitely made it to the top of our list.  This is the real deal right here. =D

♥Tokyo Pop! Beef (174 php)

The Tokyo Pop! Beef is a simple burger with beef patty, mushrooms, onions, fresh tomatoes and oozing with teriyaki and wasabi mayonnaise.   The wasabi mayonnaise is not that spicy perhaps it was more on the mayonnaise side but I didn't mind.  The perfect blend of teriyaki sauce and wasabi mayonnaise is just delightful. Again, there were tons of mushrooms which made this burger even better. 

Sides

♥Buffalo Wings (150 php)

Who says they're just about burgers?  You should try their Buffalo Wings too.  It has a really spicy and tangy sauce that makes it addictively good.  The wings have a tender and juicy meat too. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
The Burger Project is the real deal when it comes to burger joints.  They serve awesome wholesome burgers that's loaded with generous toppings.  I'll definitely come visit them again when craving for burgers.  They've got it all: cozy ambiance, affordability, fun and more!  I'll surely check mushrooms again on my next visit too.   The Pino Group sure does not disappoint.  Now that I'm convinced, I'll try Pino Restaurant and Bar next. =D

♥ Watami Salad (350 php)

The Watami Salad is an extravagant salad with corn kernels, shrimps, seaweeds, egg roe, cherry tomatoes,  chicken teriyaki, greens topped with their special dressing.  This is one of the best salads I have ever tried.  It's very flavorful and refreshing.  The dressing complements every ingredient well.

Appetizer

Crispy Chicken Wings (195 php)

The Crispy Chicken Wings is crispy fried chicken wings with sweet sesame sauce.  I guess this is the modern Japanese twist for fried chicken wings.  Those who are not fond of the spicy buffalo wings will surely love this.  

Sashimi

Assorted Sashimi (5 Kinds) (425 php)

The Assorted Sashimi is a plateful of Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi, Shrimp Sashimi, Scallop Sashimi and wakame.  The Salmon Sashimi is one of the freshest I've ever tried.  The rest was just as good so it's no surprise that everything in this platter was finished in a flash.

Sushi

Deluxe Assorted Sushi (Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp) (395 php)

The Deluxe Assorted Sushi is platter with two pieces of salmon sushi, grilled scallop sushi and shrimp sushi garnished with some roe and green onions.  Unfortunately, the salmon sushi is not as fresh as the  Salmon Sashimi.   But, the shrimp is a bit bigger and I preferred the grilled scallop compared to the raw one.  

Skewers

Assorted Skewers (295 php)

The Assorted Skewers has five sticks: Chicken Thigh Skewer, Chicken Breast Skewer, Beef & Spring Onion Roll Skewer, Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewer and Chicken Wing Skewer.   These are basically the traditional yakitori.  I liked that their sauce's blend is tasty but not too sweet.  Among the options, I enjoyed the Beef & Spring Onion Roll Skewer and Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewer the most.

Teppan

Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki (295 php)

The Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki is Japanese pancake with chuka noodles, lettuces, shrimp and dried bonito flakes served in a hot sizzling plate.  The texture is the key to this dish and they got it perfectly!  

♥ Tonpeiyaki (Pork, Cheese, Cabbage & Egg) (275 php)

Pizza

♥ Bolognese Pizza (315 php)

The Bolognese Pizza is a unique pizza because it has a poached egg on top of it.  Our server cracked the egg and spread its yolk across the pizza before slicing.  I've never had pizza with an egg yolk before.  It was pretty good but you have to eat it fast before it gets too soggy.  

Pizza Topped with Chicken Teriyaki (275 php)

The Pizza Topped with Chicken Teriyaki is a crispy thin crust pizza topped with chicken teriyaki, green onions and white onions.  Since I'm a fan of crispy thin crust pizza, I really enjoyed this.  This is really savory and fun to eat. 

Hot Pot

♥ Beef Sukiyaki (365 php)

The Beef Sukiyaki is a hot pot with beef sukiyaki, tofu, enoki and shitake mushrooms, carrots and greens.  The beef is tender, the broth is flavorful but not too sweet and the other ingredients are fresh.  I highly suggest you order this for sharing.  It's a great dish on the table for everyone to enjoy.

Tokyo Don

Pork Rice with Egg Yolk in Stone Pot (225 php)

The Pork Rice with Egg Yolk in Stone Pot is a stone pot rice bowl with tasty pork slices, raw egg, seaweeds and white onions.  To eat this, mix everything upon serving so the hot stone pot will cook the raw egg further.  

Pork Cutlet with Scrambled Egg in Tokyo Style (295 php)

The Pork Cutlet with Scrambled Egg in Tokyo Style is a rice bowl topped with a generous proportion of pork cutlet or tonkatsu with a beautifully cooked scrambled egg.  The pork cutlet has a nice breading and soft meat.  The scrambled egg that's slightly wet and silky smooth brings this dish to the next level.  

Stone Hotpot

♥ Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot (190 php)

I've tried many versions of the pepper beef rice that's available here in the Philippines and I must say they have met their match.  Considering the price and the quality, Watami's Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot is the winner!

Drinks

♥ Mango Snow Mountain (165 php), Lychee Grapefruit Soda (130 php), Grape Mix Kagome (185 php) and Kiwi Tea with Agar (145 php)

Mango Yakult (120 php) and Milky Green Tea (165 php)

Watami has an extensive beverage menu.  I was able to try the Grape Mix Kagome, Kiwi Tea with Agar, Mango Yakult and Milky Green Tea.  The Grape Mix Kagome is grape mixed with Kagome, a healthy Japanese juice.  The Kiwi Tea with Agar is a tea infused with kiwi and agar jelly.  The Mango Yakult  is fresh mango puree with yakult.  The Milky Green Tea is a green tea milk shake.

Dessert

Chocolate Parfait (195 php)

The Chocolate Parfait has scoops of vanilla and chocolate with some chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chocolate wafer sticks and almonds.  This sweet and cold treat is quite pleasant to the eyes but nothing extraordinary in terms of taste.

♥ Maccha Tiramisu (155 php)

The Maccha Tiramisu is must try for anyone for loves matcha as much as I do.  This Maccha Tiramisu topped with maccha powder is just splendid.  The maccha flavor is bold, clean and unsweetened so you can truly appreciate it at its best.  This is the perfect meal ender!  I'm definitely going to order this every time I visit Watami.


Update (January 10, 2013): We tried Watami at Glorietta 1 so I'll add some more recommendations.  The ♥ Beef and Kimchi Rice in Stone Pot (245 php), ♥ Self-Grilled Short Ribs (295 php) and the ♥ Apple Berry Soda (195 php) is also worth a try!  I hope they could improve their service.  Since it was my aunts birthday, we were around 40 people and there were only one or two servers catering to our needs.  There were some wrong orders and we had to follow up with our orders only to find out that they were not available.  I also found out that most of my relatives including my celebrant aunt had The Bistro Group Premiere Card so she was able to avail a great deal of discount.

Update (December 7, 2013): Service at Watami at Glorietta 1 is now very good even when the place is fully packed!  They have a different server for taking orders and for delivering the dishes.  The  Maccha Tiramisu is also now chilled well unlike my last visit.  Adding a star to the service rating! =D

Other Bistro Group Restaurant Reviews
Bulgogi Brothers
Italianni's Restaurant
Krazy Garlic
Ma Maison (closed)
Modern Shanghai
SikLab Filipino Favorites
Tonkatsu by Terazawa
Village Tavern
Watami 2

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Watami serves great quality Japanese dishes at very reasonable prices.  The proportions are generous and I like that they have solo and group size options.  Since we dined during the soft opening phase, it is quite understandable that service could still be improved.  

KXP Kulinarya Experience has a simple yet clean interior.  It has red and white theme that suites it well.  It has a lot of posters featuring its products that will surely tempt you to try them.

Food

Steaks Hot of the Griddle

The Best Roast Beef in Town (195 php)

The Best Roast Beef in Town is served in a griddle with two slices of roast beef, cheesy potato and buttered vegetables.  Is it really the best?  It was soft and succulent but nothing outstanding in terms of flavor. The price is just right but the serving size is just snack size for us.  

Chicken Strips on Baked Tomato Rice (195 php)

The Chicken Strips on Baked Tomato Rice is baked rice mixed with tomato slices topped with mozzarella  cheese, drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise and crispy breaded chicken strips.  This is quite enjoyable to eat because of the contrast between the zesty mozzarella and the tangy tomato slices.  The chicken strips reminds me of chicken nuggets except that it was crispier.   I find this dish a bit pricey since the food quality is almost at par with the Greenwich Baked Rice Meals which is way cheaper.  

Update (March 10, 2014):  I'm quite surprised that this establishment which has been there for years is now closed.   Well, I will never forget my meal experience here for personal reasons.  It was here that I realized what I had to do and where I wanted to go in life.  They have transferred to Rockwell Business Center. 

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Kulinarya Experience KXP is an alternative to the popular fast food chains.  I find their express dishes in the same league in terms of food quality and serving size.  But, their pricing is a bit higher.  The food is good enough but not impressive.  I would not suggest their solo sizes for hefty eaters like us.  As the foreigner who was dined at the table next to us stated "the serving size is for ladies".

As expected, it was a busy lunch for Yabu.  But, although the waiting list was long, no one complained.  In fact, it's as if the people were already accustomed to this routine.  The staffs were also happy to accommodate the customers' query and did their jobs stress-free. 


We're lucky to be seated inside unlike the last so we were able to appreciate its cozy ambiance and the comics on the wall which showed how special the Oyster Katsu was.  


There is a narrow area where you can see their staffs speedy preparation for drinks.  There are Japanese bottles displayed on the top back part of the bar.  At the side of the wall there are also frames of quotes.  It's not as visible to the diners but it plays its role in making the place more colorful and lively. 

Yabu Condiments

So here's what we missed the last time we visited.  Our server enthusiastically showed us how to do it and we tried it ourselves.  It's quite entertaining to do while waiting for our orders.  


Then, we added two scoops of their special sauce.

Food

Katsu Curry Sets

Rosu Kurobuta Set (615 php)

Rosu Kurobuta Set (615 php)

I'v been wanting to try their Katsu Curry and I've been craving for their Rosu Katsu so I got the best of both worlds and ordered the Rosu Kurobuta Set.  I was delighted with joy upon first bite.  Their Rosu Katsu is simply the best in terms of texture.  It felt like chewing marshmallows yet it was exploding with succulent and tasty pork meat goodness.  The curry is just right in terms of flavor and thickness too.  The amount of spiciness is just right to tickle the taste buds and leave it wanting for more.

New Katsu Items (Available from Dec. 15, 2012)

♥ Menchi with Cheese Katsu

Menchi with Cheese Katsu

The Menchi with Cheese Katsu looks normal upon serving.  But upon grabbing a piece, it was oozing with cheese in between the ground beef and pork.  The crunchy breading, the creamy cheese and the chewy ground meat makes it pleasurable to eat.  The symphony of flavors it brings is even better.  I'm sure this will be a great hit especially to cheese lovers and kids.  

♥ Soft Shell Crab Katsu

To be honest, you'll never catch me eating crabs outside our home.  Its not that I'm allergic to crabs neither do I hate them, they're just to difficult to eat.  I'm so glad that Yabu introduced the Soft Shell Crab Katsu. Now people like me can enjoy them anytime.  An order of the Soft Shell Crab Katsu contains soft shell crabs sliced in half and their sweet ponzu layu sauce.

Soft Shell Crab Katsu

A bite of the Soft Shell Crab Katsu is just so heavenly.  You get to enjoy the crunch and the sweet sensational flavors of the sea at the same time.  Their Soft Shell Crabs Katsu had a lot of egg too.  And, as if the body part of the Soft Shell Crab Katsu, wait till you get to the crab legs.  They are so wonderfully crispy in every bite that you'll find it a bit addictive.  This dish is so good that I can already guarantee that it will be a hit!

Chocolate Lava Cake

The Chocolate Lava Cake is served with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top.  The moist chocolate cake with the perfect blend of bitter-sweetness is a superb meal ender.  

Latitude is the first thing that will catch your attention upon entering Traders Hotel Manila so its pretty hard to miss.  It has an elegant sign too.


Latitude's buffet area is in the middle so its quite accessible regardless of where you are seated.  It has a beautiful circular arrangement enhanced by warn yellow lighting and its striped motif. 


Although the buffet is limited in selection, the items are very organized as they are arranged by sections.  


Our visit was on a Sunday evening and the place was packed with diners.  They have different themes per dining area and this booth type is only one of them.  

Food

Appetizer
Here's every item on the appetizer section.  There's Soy Marinated Tofu, Vegetable Terrine, Red Beet Salad, Pasta and Seafood Salad. 


Thy also have a salad bar section where you can make your own salad.  They have an extensive choice of ingredients.

Their cheese section has four types of cheese: Blue Cheese, Brie, Cheddar and Emmental.  


There is also a pastry section with three types of bread.   I chose multi-grain because its the healthy option.

♥ Lobster Bisque

I love Lobster Bisque.  Their version is so flavorful and creamy.  If only I had more stomach space, I'd drink another bowful.  The other soup choice is the plain Beef Broth.


This is my plate from the Chinese dimsum corner except for the pasta.  I loved the ♥ Fish Fillet with Mango Sauce. 


This is the main course.  All the items were pretty good.   But,  I was disappointed with the mashed potato because it taste like the instant ones.  


We loved this dish because it has a generous amount of button mushroom which we are fond of.

Carving Section

The highlight of the buffet is the Carving Section which offers Roast Beef and Roast Lamb Leg.  The server at the Carving Station is very nice.  We were seated just next to the Carving Station and was provided a top-notch service by this guy right here.

♥Roast Beef

Dessert Station

Dessert Station

For desserts, they had a white chocolate fondue, an assortment of cakes, fruits, bread pudding and halo-halo. 

My Dessert Plate

♥ Ginataang Halo-halo

I noticed that only a few dared to try the Ginataang Halo-halo so I got a cup and tried it out myself.  It was actually a water chest nut dessert similar to the Thai Red Ruby Dessert.  It was lightly sweetened and very refreshing to eat.  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
For its price range, Latitude is a very worthy buffet.  The offerings are not as many as those charging a higher price but they are already fulfilling in terms of taste, variations and quantity.  We all reached our limits that night and we were all happy with the food.  Although not belonging to the finest class of hotels, its quite impressive that Latitude is a good competitor against those which are supposedly beyond its reach.

Tip: They serve a complimentary cup of coffee.