Cerchio

Vicky was busy out of town on a scheduled planning conference in Batangas, so Monique and I took time off for some father and daughter bonding.  We decided to have an early dinner at Cerchio restaurant, which is located along Scout Limbaga St., very near the corner of Tomas Morato St.  We were the first to arrive and the first customers for the night (or early evening, as daylight was still evident).  I understand that Cerchio means "circle" in Italian, which is why you can find lots of circles adorning the interiors of the place.  However, as I entered, my mental focus was not on the circles, but on the black and white color scheme, which was evident on the first and on the second floors.

The restaurant is run by the same people that operate the Romulo Cafe, and the food is a fusion of Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.  The second floor has lounging chairs and a function room for private parties.

We had Vietnamese spring rolls, which were served on ceramic spoons--okay, but not exciting.  The tenderloin steak was tasty, but wasn't served scorching hot, straight off the pan (or the grill), which is the way steak should be presented on the table.  Monique liked the squid ink pasta though, and we both showed off our ink-stained teeth to each other.  We spent some P500 per head, without drinks.

The "in" joke for the night was that being the only black & white dish, the squid ink pasta was redeeming dish that we had for the night.  If you notice below, the restaurant's logo is much like the round ceiling lighting fixture at the stairway.  A bit of a let-down for me, considering my previous experience dining at the Romulo Cafe with Erika & family was a pleasant one.

Mr. Rockefeller

Vicky, Monique and I decided to try lunch at Mr. Rockefeller in Greenbelt 3.  I liked the big menu board that welcomes you; it make the dining decision much easier if you know up front what the specialty cuisine the restaurant serves, and the approximate price range of dishes.  When we entered, our eyes had to adjust to the dim light, and the subdued interiors made my body "power down" as if a switch had been turned.

We decided to go for a quick appetizer--nachos and Oysters Rockefeller (another favorite)!  Monique ordered the clam chowder, which to me was good but not outstanding.  The oysters however, were plump and tasty, mixed with just enough cheese and spinach.

We shared our main dishes--shrimp risotto, lamb BBQ and grandma steak, all of which came in hot, were delicious and were presented with enough flair.

Our bill came to around P750 per person, and I figured that the only one I would not order again would be the nachos (I found this on the expensive end, priced at almost P300).  The other thing I noticed was that while it wasn't hot, the air-conditioner wasn't really cold either; well maybe just be a temporary inconvenience I would say.

Mario's

Mario's started off as a dining place along Session Road in Baguio City.  I can still remember eating there in the late seventies and early eighties; oftentimes it was hard to get a table, and we would sometimes end up eating in Star Cafe instead.  The group had two restaurants along Tomas Morato in Quezon City--Mario's  which opened sometime after martial law and the Tamarind Grill, which opened in the early eighties, but only had a 10 year life span.  After the big 1990 earthquake, the group moved the Baguio restaurant to its present location along the Upper Session Road.  Daddy Alex enjoyed the food at Mario's and when he was alive, the place was a favorite for Sunday lunch with Vicky's family.

Sunday was a lazy morning for a meeting with my sisters, and we decided to have a grand brekky at Mario's.  Anita had pancake, an omelette and sausages, while Erika has daing na bangus (milkfish marinated in vinegar) and longganiza (Vigan-style chorizo).  Michaela, being the health advocate that she is, went for smoked salmon, while I couldn't resist the baboy damo (wild boar), meat of which is very difficult to find.  All in all, we spent something like P400 per person.  I understand that the Sunday buffet lunch comes to around P900 per head, and as I looked around the buffet table, I saw my favorites--ceasar's salad, a whole lechon, tenderloin steak, paella, and oysters!

The interiors are pleasing, homey and the quiet atmosphere is perfect for both family gatherings and business meetings.  The staff provides fast but unobtrusive service, and I am happy to note that the quality of the food and the physical plant has been maintained through the years.  We will surely be back!

Queens at Bollywood

Strolling around Greenbelt, we found ourselves hungry for lunch, and I quickly suggested dining at Queens at Bollywood, which had been our target for some time now.  I have the memory of the lamb biryani of Ebeneezer firmly imprinted on my taste buds, and I was longing to have another round of the good stuff.  Monique and Vicky quickly agreed, and Andi followed suit.

We basically asked the staff for their specialty dishes and took their suggestions.  We had papadum, roti chanai and samosa for starters.  We started off with mutton biryani and wound up ordering a chicken biryani too!  I just love the scent of these rice dishes, and the long-grained basmati rice looks so appetizing.  For our main viands, the chicken tandoori was tasty, the mutton stew and ground peas were also a treat.  I found the aromatic spices used in these dishes quite interesting and while I tried to decipher what spices were used, I had to admit that I wasn't familiar enough to recreate the taste at home.

Our only comment was that it seemed these dishes were overflowing with red sauces, although each had a different color and a different taste, both the quantity and hue of the sauces were a common theme throughout.  We finished our lunch with their own version of pistachio and mango ice cream, which was a creamy ice drop version that was infused with real mangoes and pistachio.

As we walked in the restaurant, our eyes took a little time to adjust.  The place is a bit dimly lit to create that cozy ambiance.  The restaurant also has a stage, and I would guess some performers would give some Hindi music to create an authentic atmosphere (I wonder if they have dancers like in the movies?).  The restaurant has an outdoor lounge, and this was very helpful for Vicky, as smoking was allowed in that area.

If you want to have a full dining experience, I would say that you have to prepare for something like P800 per head.  I think it would be better to come in a group of around 6-8 persons so that the food can be shared from a wider variety of dishes.

Krazy Garlic

This recent restaurant concept of the Bistro group is based on garlic as the common denominator of the prepared cuisine.  Krazy Garlic has been around for more than a year now, and we recently tried their Greenbelt branch with some of Vicky's friends.  Menu was interesting--an international collection of food with garlic--Krazy Garlic salad, Spanish style gambas, orange-garlic chicken wings, Baba Ghanoush, Vietnamese spring rolls, Zuppa di Mari, Szechuan chicken, Mongolian beef, and some grilled and pan-fried dishes.  The 40 cloves chicken was a good treat, and we were also happy with the Korean style garlic sesame beef.  Pizza and pasta dishes were also a welcome addition to our table, and it was a different experience from structured regional dining--our table spread was a motley of cuisines, mostly complementing, sometimes clashing with, each other.

Be prepared, however, to spend something like P800 per head if you want to enjoy the various cooking styles.  It's best when you visit with a big group so that food goes around to share.  If you are there as a couple, your bill would come out to much less than that but you can only taste one or two dishes.

Dencia's

Our Sunday was a lazy day, we decided to drop by the malls (Gaisano, SM and Abreeza) just to have a look-see.  By 12:30 pm, we were already tired and because we had a little difficulty looking for Dencia's Restaurant (we must have missed a turn somewhere), we arrived with hungry tummies.  Since the restaurant is known for their lugaw (rice porridge), we ordered the more popular ones--goto (tripe) and arroz caldo (chicken).  I was concentrating so much on the eating that I totally forgot to take pictures!  We also had some noodles, tokwa't baboy (tofu and pork in soy sauce & vinegar) and fresh lumpia (vegetable roll).

The restaurant has been in Davao since the 1960s, and has been known to have a good combination of Chinese-Filipino dishes.  We were quite happy with our light meal--average spend was only P250 per head.

Jack's Ridge

It was a busy day for us, as our next stop was up the hillside to visit Jack's Ridge.  This sprawling complex has a magnificent view of Davao City, and as we stood admiring the view, we could feel the wind blowing fresh into our faces.

You can see the waters of Davao Gulf, and the neighboring Garden Island of Samal from the view deck.  The Filipino grill restaurant serves beer and converts to a bar after 10pm.

The complex also has some family facilities; the pool is open to the public.  On the upper left side of the photo below, you can see the reconstructed Japanese Zero that slammed into the mountain during the war.  Davao had a large number of overseas Japanese field workers in the 1930s, and some of them turned out to be spies and advance troops for the Philippine invasion.

You can see the small cave hideout at the bottom of the picture, as the story goes, this cave was reportedly used by the Japanese troops to hide precious cargo!

After our brief tour, we spent some time to chit-chat at Karlo's Coffee House, where some of us tried the Durian-flavored coffee (a little bit above P100 a cup).  To those uninitiated, Davao is home to the Durian, which is a fruit that smells like hell but tastes like heaven!