Written by: Gabrielle Borromeo
Photos by: Gabrielle Borromeo
Published in the Daily Tribune (Life Style section) on Saturday, 05 July 2014.
In upscale malls like the Shangri-La Plaza, dining has been elevated to an art. And at the Upper Ground Floor of its new East Wing, a row of gastronomic dining possibilities await those with varied tastes and frivolities. On this floor are fascinating food finds like Epicurious, Wee Nam Kee, Maple, UCC Park Café, BreadTalk, Krispy Kreme, Jamba Juice, Vom Fass, Gelatissimo and Cupcakes by Sonja. Shall we take a tour?
Epicurious
Epicurious, a unique culinary concept from the pioneering Cravings Group, is not just a gourmet place to dine, but also a mini-grocery of rare food finds, fresh produce, cooking ingredients, kitchenware and packed goods. It has a deli with a wide variety of wine, cheese, cold cuts, chilled meat and fresh greens; a bakery that serves freshly baked bread, pastries and desserts; a culinary studio for cooking demos; and a café all under one roof.
Epicurious has a relaxing vibe because of the garden style interiors. One may shop and dine at leisure, have their shopped goods cooked on the spot or take them home if in a rush.
We tried their cold kani, cucumber pizza and pulled pork arugula pizza. The pizzas weren’t the regular circle-shaped kind, but came in the shape of a stretched oval. The crust was crisp with a slight moistness and the toppings were abundant. Beside the pizza was a tray of cheeses, cold cuts and dried fruits to offset the saltiness and whet one’s appetite all the more.
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| The pulled pork arugula pizza of Epicurious |
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| The cold kani, cucumber pizza of Epicurious |
The cold kani, cucumber pizza and pulled pork arugula pizza of Epicurious |
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| The wooden tray of cold cuts from Epicurious |
Epicurious also served their tender slow roast US Angus belly with au jus and mustard, confit of garlic and tomato sardine and red onion chutney that looked mouthwatering and tasted savory. There was also the Lemonata Rack of Lamb served with corn and pimiento polenta cakes, french beans amandine, tomato chutney and mint jelly.
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| The tender slow roast US Angus belly of Epicurious |
For the drink, I was served bottled Moringa Cucumber Lemonada. It was very refreshing as the flavor of the cucumber stood out. It quenched my thirst, but at the same time made me want more of its taste and healthy elements.
My favorite dish was the mushroom in truffle oil ravioli. It was so good I had to keep coming back for more since each bowl only had one ravioli in it. The mushroom sauce really complemented the ravioli perfectly. I could hear other diners who also had a share of this dish rave about it. This dish was the best; I would forget any diet that existed for this? that’s how much I loved it.
Wee Nam Kee
Up next was Wee Nam Kee, a Singapore-based restaurant chain. Linfred Yap, franchise owner, mentioned,“When I worked at a multinational company in Singapore, Wee Nam Kee had chicken rice and cereal prawns that I loved, making it one of my favorite dining destinations. It was so good we decided to franchise it in the Philippines. We opened our first branch at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati and now we have other locations already in Metro Manila, one at Shangri-La Mall, Greenhills Promenade, Serendra, Alabang Town Center, Trinoma and Fairview Ayala Terraces.”
Wee Nam Kee is a traditional Singaporean restaurant that specializes in Hainanese chicken, but in terms of the interiors and furniture, it has a more European touch to it with Asian influences. Linfred continues, “Singapore used to be a British territory, so we wanted a throwback with that certain era in the concept of our restaurant.”
Linfred enthused, “The honey crispy squid is a traditional Singaporean dish. Basically it is baby squid chopped and toasted in a honey sweet sesame sauce. It is an appetizer, but can also be eaten with your main meal.” Orange but almost red in color, the dish looked candied. The squid was sliced in tiny circles and smelled sweet. When I took my first bite, it reminded me of a Visayan tocino fried fish, and I thought it was interesting that Singapore had their own variation. I enjoyed this especially since it went well with the Wee Nam Kee Fried Rice.
“We are also known for our fried rice. Our fried rice is flavored with the essence of the Hainanese chicken and since we add that with fried rice, then it becomes a winning combination. Our chicken rice (with the choice of steamed or roasted) is served with on-the-side sauces of pounded ginger, chili sauce and dark soy sauce.” Linfred explained.
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| The honey crispy squid of Wee Nam Kee |
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| The Wee Nam Kee Fried Rice |
The prawn paste chicken wings, meanwhile, were actually bigger than the usual chicken wings. It was covered in a light breading that was just right, and had a thin golden brown crispy bite.
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| The prawn paste chicken wings of Wee Nam Kee |
Last but not the least was the butterflied tilapia with chili crab sauce which looked artistic as the fish was sauce. It wasn’t hard to devour the fish since the sides were already opened and designed to look as if they had wings, thus the name “butterflied.” The sauce, on the other hand, was sweet and sour with a hint of spiciness, and the subtle taste of the crab sauce was satisfying enough especially without having to sweat over taking the meat out of the crab shell. The fish was juicy. These were all new additions to their menu.
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| The butterflied tilapia of Wee Nam Kee |
Maple
My favorite meal of the day is breakfast even if I am not an early riser because when waffles, cheese and bacon are served, my day begins right. When I first heard about Maple, I was intrigued. It’s a restaurant that servs breakfast all day, or at least that’s how I saw it. Also, I was told that it was run by the same owners of Pancake House, so all the more I did not want to miss out on trying this.
On the table were classy breakfast staples like Prime Rib Tapa, chicken fried steak, The Maple Burger and The Big Maple Breakfast. They all came in huge servings, totally worth it if one wanted to stuff themselves in heavenly breakfast delights.
Everything was sweet and salty, just the way I like most of my food. The Prime Rib Tapa was fulfilling because it was chunky and tasty. The Chicken Fried Steak was breaded and dry as it should be. The Maple Burger was huge and the patty enormous and perfectly creamy as it had cheese melting under the long bacon strips that were sweet and mapled. It came with battered onion rings and French fries.
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| The Prime Rib Tapa of Maple |
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| The Chicken Fried Steak of Maple |
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| The Maple Burger of Maple |
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| The Maple Burger of Maple |
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| The Maple Burger of Maple |
The Big Maple Breakfast, simply put, was glorious. Who doesn’t love waffles or pancakes especially drizzled in high-grade maple syrup? Served together with this dish are French fries, eggs and bacon. Maple breakfasts proved to be everything I wanted and more.
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| The Big Maple Breakfast of Maple was definitely fulfilling. |
Jamba Juice
For a person who does not mind calories when it comes to drinks, Jamba Juice has made it to the list of my top 10 best drinks ever. They have a way of serving really sweet and tasty drinks that quenches and satisfies. I always thought that sweet and tasty drinks were delicious, but in the end made you feel like you needed water to drown the sweetness. Not in Jamba Juice because here, one can drink the whole cup and still feel quenched. Best of all, no sugar is added to keep it natural. Everything is concocted from frozen fresh fruits, fresh juices and fresh yogurt. Jamba Juice sources its fruits only from best sources in the world and to keep it fresh, they freeze it. Recently Jamba Juice has expanded its menu with soft pretzels, hot breakfast wraps, California flat breads and oatmeal.
Vom Fass
Vom Fass in German means “from the cask.” The drinks this time were on the alcoholic side. The two drinks to choose from were encased in tiny, hand-sized bottles that reminded me of the “drink me” bottles in Alice in Wonderland. These drinks were the Whisky Cream liqueur and the Amaretto. They both tasted grand. The Whisky Cream came in a milky caramel color and tasted like a dessert. The creamy, delightful taste could make one forget they were sipping on alcohol so one had best be careful. The Amaretto was more obvious in its alcohol content, but tasted really good, too, but more on the fruity side.
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| The Whisky Cream and the Amaretto of Vom Fass |
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| The Limoncino of Vom Fass |
What makes Vom Fass unique is that in each of its specialty shops, there is an outstanding array of vinegars, liqueurs, oils, wines and spirits from all over the world including the Philippines. They are stored in jars and casks and are sold by weight and packaged in bottles picked by the customers. It can even be customized with words one wants to be written on the bottles.
UCC Park Café | Breadtalk | Krispy Kreme | Gelatissimo | Cupcakes by Sonja
What better way to end a meal than with a coffee, some pastries and a dessert?
At the upper ground floor of Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing lies a range of choices: UCC Park Café, BreadTalk, Krispy Kreme, Gelatissimo and Cupcakes by Sonja.
UCC Park Café is a Japanese coffee shop known for its coffees that are freshly brewed using a siphon coffee maker. Here, one can also order familiar Asian fusion dishes like pasta, sandwiches and main courses to satisfy their appetite.
At the event, UCC made the veggie garden pizza toast, kani mango salad and the chili garlic chicken spaghetti available for the guests to try. Their version of the pizza was in a thick toasted bread topped with sliced tomatoes, green and red peppers, mushrooms, pineapples, corn bits and cheese. The chili garlic chicken spaghetti was spicy, and had toppings of mushrooms, chicken strips and garlic. The kani mango salad for me was simple but a winner, assembled with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, nuts, crab sticks, boiled eggs, mangoes and fish eggs. Eaten together they were refreshing.
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| UCC's veggie garden pizza toast |
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| UCC's kani mango salad |
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| UCC's chili garlic chicken spaghetti |
For bread and pastry lovers, BreadTalk is also a Singaporean brand that focuses on baked gourmet goods. Try their pizza sticks, cheese floss, Rocky Rocky Milk and Beckham n’ Cheese. Since BreadTalk is famous for its pork floss line of bread, their newest cheese floss is worth a try. Just like the other floss, it has delicious cream inside its soft savory sweet bun and topped with pork floss. The taste of cheese is evident in every bite.
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| BreadTalk's pizza sticks, cheese floss, Rocky Rocky Milk and Beckham n’ Cheese |
But, of course, one cannot forget to grab desserts from Krispy Kreme, Gelatissimo and Cupcakes by Sonja. These three establishments represent main desserts like donuts, gelato and cupcakes, respectively.
At Krispy Kreme, one can opt for soft and fluffy cloud-like donuts with flavors of their choice. Krispy Kreme has always been a rave ever since it came to the Philippines and is still irresistible. They also serve coffee, fresh squeezed juices and Baked Creations that have a Filipino twist to it.
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| Krispy Kreme's Baked Creations |
The bright red gelato parlor famously known as Gelatissimo serves authentic gelato that is freshly made from a secret family recipe. They have a spectrum of luscious flavors and every single time I enter this gelato parlor, it takes me at least five to 10 minutes to pick a flavor. Though it takes time to choose, having a lot of options is an upside. Gelatissimo has never failed to impress me with every flavor I choose every time I visit.
Cupcakes by Sonja is one of the top cupcake boutiques in the city and trying for the first time their Red Velvet Vixen, I had no doubt why they were at the top. This cupcake was shining bright red and the first bite I took widened my eyes. It was made with Belgian cocoa topped with cream cheese icing, and being a dessert lover and a sweet tooth at the same time, the sweetness captivated.
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| It was the month of Mother's Day during the event, thus the theme of the cupcakes. |
Cupcakes by Sonja is owned by Sonja Ocampo, who makes sure that whatever is served in her store is the top of the line. She not only pays attention to the looks, which she perfects through tender loving care in the piping of the icing, but also focuses on the moistness of her cakes and most of all the taste.
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| I saw this cake at the event, it was adorable. I think it was called The Clown Cake. |
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| This is the slice of The Clown Cake, inside is a rainbow cake! |
Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing is proving to be one of the metro’s newest dining destinations, being replete with choices.
Great food finds that cater to a gamut of tastes and cravings are located at the upper ground floor of Shangri-La Plaza’s East Wing.
Shangri-La Plaza is located at the corner of Edsa and Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City.
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