Fratini's at SM Jazz

Fratini's serves Italian cuisine and is conveniently located at the ground floor of SM Jazz, just beside the entrance. The place has chic interiors and a very homey vibe. I, along with some other bloggers, got the chance to try some of their sumptuous dishes. As if that wasn't enough, we were also taught how to make our very own pizzas (highlight of my day lol)! Read about my review after the break.

L'Entrecote

Ryan and I rarely get to have a nice, fancy dinner because we've been so busy the past few weeks. Most of the time, we just grab a quick dinner (Subway is our fave!) then head home. When both us didn't have plans one weekday night, we decided to eat at a place we haven't tried before. We chose to have dinner at the French restaurant, L'Entrecote at Burgos Circle. That place always catches our attention whenever we pass by it. It's always packed with people, which only means that the food is pretty good.

We ordered their signature dish, the L'Entrecote Menu, which includes mixed greens tossed in their house dressing with walnuts, US Choice Sirloin steak topped with herb butter sauce, and unlimited fries. On top of that, if you want a glass of house wine and some valrhona cake for dessert, you can order their Geneva menu.

I always want my steak medium well and the steak here was cooked just the way I wanted. The taste was pretty okay but not impressive. The fries though were amazing. They didn't look as if they were pre-made, like the ones you see in fast-food chains. I think they prepare them fresh in their kitchens -- they slice the potatoes and fry them upon order. I suggest you ask for some mayo (they serve a different kind of mayo, not like the regular ones you see in the grocery) to go with the fries, the combination's much better as compared to ketchup. Or maybe that's just me.

Click the button below to read about the rest of my dining experience.

Isabelo Garden

I was looking for a nice restaurant to try and this place was recommended to me. It is located in Marikina, a good one and a half hour drive from home, and is owned by Portia Baluyut, an ad-agency-owner-turned-professional-chef. She turned her ancestral home into a rustic-style garden restaurant filled with various mementos and antiques. This restaurant strictly does not accept walk-in guests, you have to book your reservation online and order the dishes in advance on their website. Portia then sends an e-mail saying that your reservation is confirmed. After which, you have the option to pay a P1000 deposit or pay the amount in full either through credit card or bank deposit.

I arrived at this place having high expectations because of positive reviews. As for the food, I ordered dishes that received lots of praises online. Click the button below to see the dishes I ordered and what I thought of them! :)

Savoy Bistro

Ryan celebrated his graduation at Savoy Bistro located at Kalayaan Ave., Makati City. The place is filled with various furnitures and paintings that are for sale. It can only accommodate several people so the ambience is kind of intimate. Everything was just so beautiful and I admit that it made me pretty excited.

Appetizers and the pasta were served first. And I must say, I was impressed. But my satisfaction ended there. We were almost full just by eating the appetizers because the soup and the salad took too long to be served. And worse, we waited for almost an hour before the main course came. It was getting late, all of us weren't in the mood to eat anymore and we were actually deciding among ourselves whether to cancel all our unserved orders or not. Since we wouldn't want to waste this opportunity to try out their main course, we decided to push through with our orders. The main course dishes were good but we would have appreciated them more if they were served on time.

We ordered a few desserts for us to share. We had two orders of their Mango Jubilee and one was given within a few minutes. We waited some more for the second one but it was taking too long. We asked one of the staff to check out the dish and it was discovered that the one who took our orders forgot to forward it to the kitchen. Considering that we were the only group left in the restaurant, their service was pretty bad.

In general the food was good, so is the place. But the whole dining experience would have been so much better if they improved their customer service.

Despite all these, everyone had a great time. We were able to do a lot of catching up. The feeling to be able to talk about anything and everything was just so wonderful. :)

Van Gogh is Bipolar

Last month, in celebration of my birthday, I asked my boyfriend to go with me to a restaurant we haven't tried before. I wanted it to be something new and out of the ordinary. Later on, we decided to eat at Van Gogh is Bipolar in Quezon City. We didn't know what to expect but positive reviews about this place are all over the internet.

We were greeted by Jetro, the owner and chef of the restaurant. And as you may have guessed, he has bipolar disorder. However, he sees it as more of a blessing than a curse. Because of this condition, he started creating dishes using ingredients that help improve one's mood. Initially created for himself, he started serving these dishes to others and that's how Van Gogh is Bipolar was born. What's even more interesting is that the menu changes once in a while so expect that you'll be eating a different dish on your next visit! If you want to know more about what kind of food is being served, visit the Facebook page of van Gogh is Bipolar here.

Click the button below to know more about our dining experience!