Food Festival Spotlight: Flavors of Macau

The three metro cities of the country hold a food festival from the last week of this month till the second week of April. The featured cuisine is that of Macau.

Flavors of Macau is delectably Portuguese, Chinese, and more!

Food Festival  Schedules:

Metro Manila February 23 – March 21, 2009

Cebu March 1 – 15, 2009

Davao March 11 – April 12, 2009

Dine in any of the participating restaurants below and get a chance to win a travel package for two to Macau.

Cafe Bola, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Cafe Bola, Coliseum Circle, Araneta Center, Quezon City

Chateau 1771, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City

Le Souffle, Amorsolo Square, Rockwell Center, Makati City
Le Souffle, Citibank Square, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City
Le Souffle, The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Pepato, Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City

Sala Bistro, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City

Portico 1771, Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Restaurant 9501, 14/F ELJ Center, Eugenio Lopez Drive, Quezon City

Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Cebu Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills, Apas, Cebu City
Marco Polo Plaza Davao, CM Recto St., Davao City

Airline Partner: Air Macau

Media Partners: Food, foodie, LifeStyle Network, Crossover 105.1

For more information, contact Macau Government Tourist Office – Philippines
Tel: (632) 812-2959; 813-0947
Fax: (632) 892-5232
Email: mgtophil@info.com.ph

Related stories:
‘Flavors of Macau’ food fest to start Feb. 23
The Philippines experience “Flavors of Macau”

Photo credit

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sunday Edition, March 1, 2009

Pepper Lunch Opens at Shangri-la Plaza Mall

The first time I was made aware of this Japanese Resto, Pepper Lunch was in Powerplant Mall, Rockwell.

We were doing grocery at Rustan’s Supermart there when Wizheart and I saw long lines going to the Resto.

Now this popular DIY (do-it-yourself) Japanese franchise resto opens its second branch at the Garden Court (the mall’s posh food court) Shangri-la Plaza Mall.

Pepper Lunch popular fare includes beef pepper rice, Shimofuri pepper steak, chicken teriyaki, “shake shake” salads, molten milk chocolate cake. Its secret to the yummy meals is its patented electromagnetic hot plate  created by its owner-Japanese chef and inventor Kunio Ichinose. Kunio owns over 200 Pepper Lunch restos in Japan. The hot plate is heated up to 260 degrees celsius in one minute and stays hot for about 20 minutes. On this plate, the customers’ food preference (may compose of choice cuts of imported beef, chicken, pork, salmon, ang unagi, with vegetables and rice, and seasoned accordingly) are placed and cooked.

Check out the resto!

Cafe 88 Degrees

My colleagues and I went to Ortigas Center yesterday for a meeting. The meeting at 11am went on till 2:00pm, and so by the time the meeting ended we were already hungry and spent.

As we stepped into a blinding afternoon sunlight, we didn’t have much energy to look for a place to eat really, and had to settle for the nearest cafe we found: Cafe 88 Degrees.

To our surprise we found a cozy place with yummy-looking food!

Each of us ordered a combo meal: spicy squid rings, spicy pork, and chicken. Each meal came with rice and a brownie cube, and a choice of Milk Tea, Green Tea or (my bad, forgot the other one). I ordered a strawberry shake instead of the teas.

Since I was too hungry to hear the waitress’s description of the combo meal, and I wanted some hot soup to come with my meal, I also ordered a dumpling noodle soup. When our meals were served, whoa, they came with a free soup. I ended up having my dumpling noodle soup wrapped for to-go.

Their food was really yummy! The spicy squid was just perfect–crispy and just-right spicy. I wanted to dip it to vinegar, but the bit-sweet sauce that came with it somehow evened out the spiciness. The strawberry shake was good, not too sweet yet a bit tangy. My colleagues had the milk (with black sago) and green teas, and they loved it too. They said, it was a biggie serving considering that it came sort of free. The price is not bad at all: each combo meal was Php110.

The dumpling noodle soup that I brought to the office was also good, said Tom, the willing and eager recipient.

Now, I wish I had a camera with us to take some photos. But I’m definitely going back there and sample all their dishes!

The place is easy to find: Cafe 88 Degrees, G/F Centerpoint Building, Julia Vargas Avenue cor. Garnet Road, Ortigas Center.

Check it out!