Tag: best restaurants in quezon city

Highway Ribbery Grille: Haven of Criminally Delicious Comfort Food

After a long and exhausting day at work, most people combat stress by stuffing their mouths full of delicious and filling food. We are guilty as charged! My sister and I are big stress eaters, and it’s  a crime we’re more than happy to repeatedly commit at restaurants that serve straightforward comfort food like Highway Ribbery Grille in Quezon City—the latest brainchild of Chef Niño Runas, who is the same chef behind El Cangrejo in Tomas Morato.

Highway Ribbery Grille Restaurant in Quezon City

 

Highway Ribbery Grille

Highway Ribbery Grille first opened its doors May of 2015 and has become one of the newest and hippest hangout place to hit La Loma, Quezon City. Its industrial-themed interior design, together with the wooden tables and chairs, delivered a rustic yet modern appeal. The restaurant is not air-conditioned, but don’t worry; they have enough cooling fans to keep the area at a tolerable and comfortable temperature. They also have more tables on the second floor, including a rentable function room that can accommodate up to 35 people.

Highway Ribbery Grille Restaurant Dining Area in Quezon City

For our refreshments, my Nanay and I ordered two glasses of their House Blend Iced Tea (PHP 125), which arrived ice-cold and had this super refreshing citrusy flavor. Mhel, on the other hand, asked for a bottle of the Belgian craft beer, Brew Kettle (PHP 55), that turned out to be incredibly light and tasty. Highway Ribbery Grille has a limited line-up of alcoholic beverages, since they want the restaurant to become more of a dining joint than an inuman spot. Aside from Brew Kettle, the other beer they offer is San Miguel Light for PHP 50 a bottle.

Beverages at Highway Ribbery Grille Restaurant Quezon City

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Nadai Fujisoba: No Ramen Here, Just Soba and Udon

Last month, I took my Nanay out to see a movie. We still had an hour to waste before the screening, so we decided to have dinner first. We headed down to the ground floor of SM North EDSA The Block because I remembered a number of restaurants are scheduled to open in February. When we got there, we saw two new Japanese restaurants standing adjacent to each other. It was a tough choice to make, but we ended up choosing Nadai Fujisoba since my Nanay wanted to eat some ramen (or so we thought).

Nadai Fujisoba Japanese Restaurant SM North EDSA The Block

When we were handed the menu, I asked the server what their bestselling flavor of ramen is. She was quick to inform us that they don’t serve ramen and that they only use udon and soba for their noodles. At that point, I still had no idea what she was talking about. It turns out, udon is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, while soba is thin and made using buckwheat. Well, I was extremely glad I learned something new about Japanese cuisine that day.

Nadai Fujisoba is a popular restaurant chain in Japan, which was established in 1966. The Philippines is only the second country they have entered after Taiwan. Now they have five branches in Metro Manila: Bonifacio High Street, Lucky Chinatown Mall, SM Aura Premier, SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA The Block.

Dining Area of Nadai Fujisoba Japanese Restaurant SM North EDSA The Block

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Experience Japan’s Sakura Season at Tokyo Bubble Tea

For hundreds of years, the Japanese people have been observing their “Hanami” tradition, where they enjoy picnics under the blooming cherry blossom trees during Japan’s spring season. Travelers all over the world are packing their bags to join in on the celebration. But like the most of us, we don’t have the free time and—let’s admit—the financial capacity to splurge on a trip just to witness Japan’s iconic Sakura Season. But don’t fret; Tokyo Bubble Tea has finally brought the Sakura Season right to the Philippines with their newest offerings—the Sakura Bento Trays and Sakura JCC Milk Teas.

Facade of Tokyo Bubble Tea in SM North EDSA The Block Quezon City

 

Tokyo Bubble Tea at SM North EDSA The Block

I dragged my good friend, Rose Ann, with me since she’s more familiar with the Japanese culture. She’s an online English tutor and it’s her amazing job to talk with Japanese people all day. We visited the Tokyo Bubble Tea at SM North EDSA The Block in Quezon City for it’s the branch nearest to us.

Interior of Tokyo Bubble Tea SM North EDSA The Block Quezon City

Upon entering their store, we were greeted by their very accommodating staff. One was even game enough to strike a pose for a picture. This branch has limited seating capacity. I remember my family deciding to have dinner here one time, but we had to wait 15 minutes to get seated because the place was jam-packed with customers. I was also quite surprised with their cake display, since the last time we were here, they only had a handful of cakes to choose from. Now they’re selling more than 10 varieties of cakes, and they all look so sweet and delicious!

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Sooo Pinoy Food Tour First Stop at Adarna Food & Culture

There is a tight list of countries with dishes bearing “international cuisine” status, with the French and the Italian battling for top position. And sadly, our very own Filipino cuisine falls short in terms of popularity to even qualify for a place in the top 10. But the Sooo Pinoy food campaign is determined to change just that.

Sooo Pinoy - Promoting Filipino Cuisine - CertifiedFoodies.com

Pioneered by Unilever Food Solutions in 2010, the Sooo Pinoy: Promoting Filipino Cuisine Ang sarap maging Pinoy - CertifiedFoodies.comcampaign advocates to finally put the Philippines in the cuisine map by increasing buzz and appreciation of our local dishes.

Last year, with an online voting contest, they led the search for the best Pinoy Dish with the “Sinigang na Hipon” emerging triumphant. And for 2011, the Sooo Pinoy campaign is now geared towards naming the best food establishments serving the best Pinoy dishes nationwide.

To get the word out about their new project, Unilever Food Solutions organized the Sooo Pinoy Food Tour, inviting 15 bloggers to a one-of-a-kind food trip aboard a WiFi-enabled bus around various food places in Metro Manila. Thankfully, I was part of the lucky bunch who got to participate in the event.

Everyone met up on June 11, 2011 at Adarna Food & Culture along Kalayaan Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City, the first stop in our food tour where we also had quite an unforgettable lunch prepared by executive chef and owner Giney Villar.

Our first stop is Adarna Food and Culture along Kalayaan Avenue - CertifiedFoodies.com

For a chef her age, it’s very awe-inspiring that Chef Giney has taken a brave move of ignoring what the market dictates to earn easy money, like going for Italian or American food. Rather, she chose to start a restaurant business with aims of preserving and promoting the gustatory excellence of Filipino cuisine.

Chef Giney Villar of Adarna Food and Culture restaurant - CertifiedFoodies.com

Lunch began with one of Adarna’s best-selling dishes, the Seafood Special (P485, pictured below), a mix of shrimps, scallops, and squids with several veggies all cooked in a tomato-based stew. I don’t usually get allergies when eating seafood. This time I did, possibly ‘cause of the scallops, but I think this delicious dish was worth a day of scratching. 😀

Adarna Food and Culture's Seafood Special, one of their best-selling dishes - CertifiedFoodies.com

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