Flashback Friday: PUBLICUS

Healthy and delicious food is sometimes contradictory.  So many places promote wellness and health and actually don't know how to make whole foods taste good.  Publicus in downtown Las Vegas is one of those places that gets healthy and delicious right.  Their daily changing specials and whatever they have on the counter (it could be a quinoa and roasted vegetable salad or an open faced toasted sourdough with cherry tomatoes cheese) is always fresh and flavorful.  It has become a regular weekend place for us in Vegas that when we do go, the manager already knows what the kids want to eat.  I've had a delicious spicy black rice and poached egg bowl with pickled ginger, a simple sourdough and avocado toast and filling brunch plates on the weekends.

Coffee is fantastic (none of those cappuccinos being served in gigantic cups that then makes the ratio of espresso and milk all wrong).  Plus, Publicus is a really nice place to hang out and get a bite or a coffee during the day, be surrounded by mostly locals and feel so far away from the lights, bling and tourists of the Strip.  When you're done, head over to the newish Downtown Container Park - a complex of restaurants and shops made of colorfully painted shipping containers with a large playground deck in the middle for the kids to run around in.

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Publicus

1126 Fremont Street, Las Vegas Nevada 89101

Tel: +1 702 331 5500

Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Flashback Friday: WILDFLOUR CAFE + BAKERY

On the rare occasions that I fly back home for a visit, I make sure to go to restaurants I haven't been.  It's so easy to go back to my favorites again and again but it's also fun to eat  at the new restaurants that have opened up in Manila recently.

Wildflour actually isn't new, they opened their first cafe and bakery in Bonifacio Global City in 2012.  It's new to me though since I had heard so much about it but had never been.    I finally got my chance when my cool designer friend TC took me there for lunch.  I was so pleasantly surprised and impressed that I went there twice more in the short week that I was home.

What's great about Wildflour is that aside from their massive selection of fresh-baked breads, pastries and cakes, they also have a full all-day dining menu serving breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, salads, pastas and a few main courses. (The menu might be different in each outlet, I have only bent the one in Legaspi Village) For lunch, I've had the moules frites and a chocolate tart.  The next time I went for breakfast and had the bagel and lox with a pot of filter coffee and another time, I stopped by for merienda (snack) of a sticky bun and a  latte.  I always think a place has made it when it becomes my go-to restaurant and Wildflour is just that - a cafe and bakery that is perfect for any time of the day.  You'll know what I mean when you go.

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Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati
Phone:+63 2 808 7072
Hours: Monday to Saturday 7AM–10PM

Frabelle Business Center 111 Rada St, Legaspi Village, Makati
Phone:+63 2 833 9799
Hours: Monday to Saturday 7AM–10PM, Sunday 8AM–4PM

Ortigas The Podium, 12 ADB Avenue Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City
Phone:+63 2 571 8588
Hours: Daily 7AM–10PM

Ground floor, Net Lima building, 26th St, Taguig (Bonifacio Global City)
Phone:+63 2 856 7600
Hours: Monday to Saturday 7AM–10PM, Sunday 8AM-4PM

THE POPULUS COFFEE & FOOD CO.

The Populus Coffee & Food Co (the name's a mouthful) opened around six months ago in a shophouse along Neil road.   The long narrow space has been carefully redesigned using a lot of wood, from the ceiling and wall tiles to the counter, complemented by modern metal accents like the industrial lighting and iron shelving.  The tables look like textured grey fabric, a nice design touch that makes it seem as if there's a table cloth.  Their tableware (plates, bowls, cups, sugar containers) have also been carefully chosen with a minimalistic touch making the space a beautifully-designed spot to hang out and have a coffee.

As soon as you step inside the Populus, you know what they specialize in from the wonderful aroma of roasted coffee beans which come from 2 Degrees North Coffee Co.  Several types of coffee are available - from the usual espresso, cappuccino, latte with both full cream, low fat or soy milk and flavoring, plus bottles of single origin cold drip and a white brew using their three in-house blends: Monolith (comforting & reassuring), Caldera (uplifting & refreshing) and the Duxton Vice (cheeky & adventurous).  Filter coffee is also served with six types to choose from.  For those not so much into coffee, they serve a rich Valrhona chocolate, iced or hot, and a selection of smoothies, fresh juices and botanical soft drinks from Fentiman's.

For a small cafe, the menu is quite large.  I prefer the weekday menu which has a selection of breakfast specials along with healthy grain bowls and donburi plus a few pastas and sandwiches.  There are three ice cream sundaes and a buttermilk waffle for dessert.  The weekend menu has more egg dishes and less of the main courses and since they're usually packed from early morning, some dishes are sold out by early evening.

On my first mid-morning visit, I had their fluffy scrambled eggs with a perfect piccolo latte and a large fresh orange juice.  For lunch recently, I had the teriyaki salmon donburi, a petite portion of teriyaki-glazed salmon served on seasoned Japanese rice, furikake, nanban vegetables and an onsen egg. On another weekend evening, my husband & I shared their avocado superfood green platter (kale, broccoli, avocado and spinach with feta and cottage cheese) and the Portobello mushroom grain bowl with furikake baby corn, red cabbage & apple slaw, roasted zucchini, roasted butternut squash, sautéed cherry tomatoes, L&P mixed mushrooms.   It's a good place for healthy eaters since there's quite a few dishes that are just vegetables and/or grains.  I'm looking forward to my next meal at the Populus since there's still a lot on the menu I haven't tried plus a few several coffee concoctions I'd like to sample.

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The Populus Coffee & Food Co.

146 Neil Road, Singapore
Telephone: +65 6635 8420
email: hello@thepopuluscafe.com

Mon & Wed 09:00 - 19:00
Thu & Fri     09:00 - 22:30
Sat                 09:30 - 22:30
Sun                09:30 - 19:00

PS CAFE PETIT AT MARTIN ROAD

No surprise that we, along with everyone else, have been to PS Cafe countless times.  It's the standard go-to for most locals and expats especially for weekend brunch.  Everyone has their preferred PS Cafe, families love the garden setting at the PS Cafe at Harding Road while others swear by the adults-only PS Cafe at Ann Siang Hill Park, Orchard regulars always end up either at PS Cafe at Paragon  or at PS Cafe at Palais Renaissance (which used to be my favorite). 

The newest version is the PS Cafe Petit which opened first in Tiong Bahru - a smaller self-service spot that has pizzas, sandwiches and takeaway and limited seating and it's this concept that they expanded on for  PS Cafe Petit at Martin road - our new favorite because it's got an all-day dining menu that serves brunch all day, everyday plus a large lunch and dinner menu which includes pizzas and Asian specialties taken from the adjacent Chopsuey Cafe.  There's also a deli counter with breads, cakes, salads and sandwiches to-go plus a large selection of wines.  Like the other PS Cafes, this one is bright and beautiful with the usual modern interiors and ginormous flower arrangements.

On a recent Saturday morning, we stopped by for breakfast while our daughter was at a party at Amped trampoline park just around the corner.   We enjoyed the quiet time with our coffees and delicious breakfast.  I had the egg and bacon bunwich - a fried egg and crisp bacon on a soft bun while A had the poached eggs on sourdough with sautéed spinach and a roasted tomato.  We also shared the homemade toasted muesli  with homemade honey toasted muesli with nuts and seeds over greek yoghurt and berry compote.  We've also been and early for pizza dinner with the kids as well as several lunches.  Service is always courteous and efficient especially when the manager is around (something that seems to be lacking in the other outlets) and more importantly, the food is always good. 

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PS Cafe Petit at Martin Road

38 Martin Road, 239072

Reservations and takeaway: +65 8188 6191

Open daily: Brunch  9:30 to 4, Lunch and Dinner 11 to midnight, Last food order 10:30 pm

ROADHOUSE

When we ask our six-year old where she'd like to go for Sunday lunch, she usually chooses Roadhouse for their super deal kids menu ($14) which is a main course, a drink and a fun dessert.  We don't mind because the burgers at the Roadhouse are pretty good and they have lots of other items on the menu in case you're not in the mood for meat.  The Josper-grilled burgers are juicy, corn-dogs are delicious, fries and onion rings are crispy, iced teas come in large mugs, milkshakes are thick and creamy and the service is friendly.  Don't be surprised to walk in to a full restaurant on weekends with lots of families having a burger while sharing the large communal table in the center of the restaurant.

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Roadhouse

13 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249674

Telephone: +65 6476 2922

Email: info@roadhouse.com.sg

Mondays to Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Weekends and public holidays 9:30 to 11 p.m., Brunch served till 5 p.m.

Free corkage Monday to Thursday, Small fee on Friday and weekends

MOSCOW RESTAURANTS

To finish off my long-delayed posts on Moscow is a list of a few restaurants I went to that I really enjoyed. Most are located either in the center or just off the garden ring road.  Here they are in no particular order:

Moloko Cafe

Ulitsa Bolshaya Dimitrovka 7/5

Moscow

Telephone: +7495 692 0309

*Open 24 hours daily

Moloko Cafe used to be a state milk store hence the name (moloko means milk in Russian).  Interiors are modern - great velvet chairs line each side of the room with a large bar in the middle.  There's a good crowd of expats and locals and not everyone is dressed to the nines.  We came for lunch on a Sunday and the place was half-full with mostly young Russian couples and their kids.  We shared a starter of smoked mackerel on baby potatoes followed by the sea bass in red curry for me and the beef stroganoff with mashed potatoes for A.  Food was fine and service was friendly, the only downside was the dessert which seemed store-bought.  As it's open 24 hours, I'm sure that there is a pre-club crowd that hangs out for cocktails and a post-clubbing crowd who come for breakfast before heading back home at dawn.

Vogue Cafe

Kuznetsky Most 79

Moscow

Telephone: +7495 623 1701

*Open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. till late, Weekends from noon to midnight

Another concept from the Novikov group, Vogue Cafe is a modern, bright space with a black and white interior with some color brought in with the large framed model shots on the walls and shelves of Vogue magazines.  Food is modern European Russian-style which means Italian or Mediterranean with some sushi and sashimi thrown in.  The combination works though as the place is crowded on most days with fashion-conscious Muscovites enjoying the Euro-inspired menu.  Its' location alongside trendy department store Tsum also helps.  We had a decent mixed salad, a penne arrabbiata and a pappardelle with cepes.

Il Forno

Ulitsa Neglinnaya 8/10

Moscow

Telephone: +8495 621 90 80

*Open weekdays from 8:00 till midnight and weekends from 11:00 a.m. till midnight

Other branches on Ulitsa Ostrozhenka 3/14 and Kutuzovsky Avenue 2/1

We stumbled into Il Forno on a cold windy evening on our first night in Moscow since it was on the same street as our hotel not expecting anything special and we were pleasantly surprised with the pizza and the service.  We had a salad to share and some pizzas on one evening and pasta on another night.  The menu has classic Italian pastas, risottos and pizzas and a few meat and fish main courses.  It's a casual restaurant with a proper brick-oven which makes the pizzas perfect.

Brownie Cafe

Maly Kozinsky Pereulok, 10

Moscow

Telephone: +7916 336 26 33

*Open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

In hip and happening Patriarch's Pond, Brownie Cafe is a tiny. welcoming place owned by the Friends Forever group, which has a dozen hip cafes specializing in cakes and coffee.  This newest addition which opened in February of this year,  has a retro vibe with it's multi-colored chairs, communal wood tables and large display case filled with all sorts of cakes and sweets.  We shared two - a chocolate raspberry cake and a strawberry shortcake with excellent coffee.  I dare you to enter and not have a slice of cake.

WILLIAM'S / UILLIAMS

Moscow's restaurant scene is still growing and the other group responsible for this is Ginza Project.  Hot on the heels of the Novikov restaurant group, Ginza project currently manages forty restaurants including the franchise for Paul. 

Williams (or as the Russians call it - Uilliams) is located in  Patriarshiy Prudy (Patriarch's Pond), which was made famous in Mikhail Bulgakov's cult novel The Master and Margarita and has since become Moscow's hip and happening neighborhood.  Just off the garden ring road, the small streets surrounding the pond are now home to cool cafes, funky boutiques and high-end restaurants which also means that it is now achingly cool live here and many of Moscow's bright young things do.

The place is small and rustic - wooden floors and simple metal-edged tables in the front where the in crowd sits and a smaller back area where a few tables are placed.  The restaurant's piece de resistance is the open kitchen showcasing a large red rotisserie where all the action takes place.  The menu is modern European (some Italian, some French) with a some bruschetta, salads, soups, risotto, pasta, plus meat either from the grill or the rotisserie along with some side dishes and a few daily specials.  They have a separate breakfast menu and unusual for Moscow - a good selection of vegetarian dishes.

A late lunch one day with the girls was a bruschetta of crab, avocado and sprouts and a plate of grilled vegetables followed by a delicious pasta special - spaghetti with a fresh tomato sauce.  Fresh warm bread is served in a brown paper bag along with a complimentary plate of beet hummus.  On our last day in Moscow  A and I went back for Sunday brunch after a morning of sightseeing where we had a creamy roasted eggplant, tomato and mozzarella bruschetta and shared a rigatoni with veal ragu and a pappardelle with wild mushrooms and cream.  If I lived in Moscow, this is where I would go for a simple dinner on a weekday or brunch on the weekend just as much for the food as for the people-watching.

William's / Uilliams

Malaya Bronnaya 20A

Moscow

Telephone: +7495 650 64 62

*Open daily from 10:30 a.m. till late

CAFE PUSHKIN

Cafe Pushkin is housed in a newly-built mansion just off Pushkin square whichhas successfully recreates a Russian aristocrat's home from the 1800's from the wood panelling to the heavy furniture, the chandeliers and the candlelit tables, the plaster and moldings on the ceilings and even the waiters dressed in period outfits making it feel like we were having dinner during the time of Anna Karenina.

Opened in 1999, the restaurant is spread out on three floors with the cafe-like Drugstore hall on the ground floor serving more casual fare and the restaurant on the upper floors called the Library hall with a more extensive and pricier menu.

Our good friends Farina and Satesh invited us to dinner there since they really wanted me to experience Cafe Pushkin and see what Moscow became right after I left in 1997.    They went all out to welcome A and I and we did a classic Russian dinner starting out with Russky Standard vodka with beluga caviar and blinis.  The first bite of the salty black pearls popping in my mouth with the warm pillowy blinis and cold smetana (sour cream) brought me back to the Russia I fell in love with and the ice-cold shot of vodka that followed reminded me of when I was young and adventurous.  As a start to a Moscow meal, nothing beats that.

We shared a few hot appetizers - julienne, the classic white mushrooms baked in sour cream made more luxurious with the addition of chanterelles followed by piroshki, traditional meat pies.  Four our main courses - Farina and I shared large plate of pelmenis - meat and mushroom filled dumplings served with a bit of broth, sour cream and vinegar, Satesh had the roast chicken and A had the kotlety pozharski - a breaded veal cutlet stuffed with mushrooms served with fried potatoes which we enjoyed with a bottle of Carmenere.  Dinner was delicious and it was definitely the best Russian food we had in Moscow and the company of Farina and Satesh helped made the evening memorable.  Even the weather cooperated to give us a full Russian experience as the streets were covered in fresh white snow when we left the restaurant.

Cafe Pushkin

Tverskoy Bulvar 26A

Moscow

Telephone: +7495 739 0033

*Open 24 hours daily

WATERCRESS CAFE

I'm playing catch up as I've abandoned my blog for months now since we moved to Singapore and have just had several hours straight to sit down at my desk to blog.  Although we went back to Bali in January of this year for a long weekend (haven't been since we left in March 2012), I am only posting this recent find now.  Watercress Cafe is a charming cafe on Batu Belig street, an up and coming area right by Seminyak in neighboring Kerobokan which is on the twisty rice field flanked road towards the surfing beaches of Canggu.

A brick-walled light-filled interior serving breakfast all-day with a lots of other yummy, healthy dishes especially for vegetarians or those looking for gluten-free items.  I was so impressed with Watercress that I went twice while we were in Bali - once for breakfast and another time for a late lunch (recently, they have also started serving dinner).  Their bread is from Bali's French bakery Monsieur Spoon and coffee specialist Revolver Espresso.  Drinks are made up of fresh fruit smoothies, lassis and juices and a selection of iced teas.  The menu is simple but with so many good things, it's hard to make up one's mind with what to order.  Some menu items can also be ordered in half-size portions which is convenient and unusual for Bali.

For breakfast, I had the Two Crispy Sweet Corn Fritters - two poached eggs over corn fritters and a chunky avocado and tomato salsa.  I ordered it as part of the breakfast set which comes with a bowl of fresh tropical fruit topped with crushed peanuts and grated coconut and a creamy cappuccino.

At lunchtime, there are loads of salads, a few burgers (Mahi-Mahi, crispy Tempeh or chicken sate) and several open sandwiches served either on sourdough or gluten-free bread. I had the Bruschetta topped with vine-ripened tomatoes, Feta and arugula followed by a Roasted Pumpkin Salad -  a large bowl of caramelized pumpkin, watercress, arugula with a basil pesto dressing.  Watercress Malam (the dinner menu) is more substantial with small plates as starters, salads and grilled items with assorted side dishes.

It's been a long time since I've loved a restaurant from start to finish.  Watercress Cafe is going straight on my favorites list. If you're going to Bali, you should add it to yours too.

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Watercress Cafe

Jalan Batu Belig 21A

Kerobokan, Bali

tel: +62 361 780 8030

THE KNOLLS SUNDAY BRUNCH

One of the first weekend brunches we tried in Singapore was at The Knolls in the Capella hotel.  Located right beside the terraced pools of the hotel, The Knolls is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner and brunch on Sundays.  

Brunch is a gastronomic affair with a large seafood buffet (fresh oysters, king prawns and scallops), mini-seafood and meat appetizers, an assortment of fresh bread and salads with fresh burrata on the buffet.  The Mediterranean-inspired hot dishes change every Sunday and include - freshly pizzas with shaved truffles, roasted suckling pig, seafood paella, grilled sausages and lamb or beef skewers, assorted grilled vegetables and a roast meat.  There is also an amazing three-tier cheese cart served by a cheese expert who guides you through the day's choices.  Desserts are plentiful as well with pastries, cakes and an ice cream cart all served in individual portions which gives one the chance to try several sweets instead of just one.  There is a free flow of mineral water and soft drinks included in the price and an option to have free flow of champagne and wines or just wines is also possible.  It's a great way to get away and spend a long, leisurely lunch by the pool with a view of the sea and with live music in the background.  Sundays in Sentosa at the Capella brunch is like a mini-holiday from the hustle and bustle of Orchard road.

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The Knolls
Capella Singapore
1 The Knolls, Sentosa
098297 Singapore
Telephone: +65 6591 5046
*Open daily for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. 
*Brunch on Sundays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
(Brunch includes soft drinks, mineral water, coffee and tea) 
$168++ per Adult with free flow Champagne and wines
$148++ per adult with free flow of wines
$128++ per adult for food only
$78++ per child (7-12 years old)
$48++ per child (4-6 years old)

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN

Our last trip in 2013 before our move to Singapore was to Buenos Aires to visit family.  It was the tail end of winter in the Southern hemisphere and although the sun was shining on most days, it was still chilly so we lucked out on a nearby cafe which was two blocks away from where we were staying.  Le Pain Quotidien has been a favorite for years.  I remember spending so much time there in the late 90's when my stepsister was living in New York.  The Madison avenue branch was our local cafe and we whiled away hours with our bowls of cafe au lait reliving our Paris days.  Since then, Le Pain Quotidien has become a global brand recreating their bleached wood interiors with the standard communal table and their selection of amazing bread all over the world. 

We were pleasantly surprised with the Buenos Aires outpost - same bleached wood interiors, a large oval communal table, the usual open-faced tartines (sandwiches), the big bowls (not cups) of milky coffee, the daily blackboard menu and the same friendly service.  We had breakfast there almost every day and since it was located in the mostly residential neighborhood of Palermo chico, it was superb for people watching and hanging out.  As they say, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

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Le Pain Quotidien

Jerónimo Salguero 3075
Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina
+54 11 2073-1866

*Open all-day daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

*Other branches in Palermo Viejo and Belgrano

FOUNDING FARMERS

On our second day in Washington DC, we did a short tour with my friend Lyra who drove us around the Capitol and showed us the monuments on the Mall.  We started out at Arlington then to the Lincoln Memorial before heading off to brunch right by the IMF.

Brunch was at the packed Founding Farmers where despite our reservation,  we had to queue just to let the hostess know that we were already in the restaurant.  Luckily, it went quickly and were seated about 15 minutes after we arrived.  They took us to a table upstairs where there was more room for large groups.  After studying their extensive breakfast and brunch menu, we all decided to have their breakfast items.  The kids had pancakes and waffles while the adults all had eggs.  I had the traditional eggs Benedict with ham, Lyra had the crab Benedict and A had the Drag Through the Garden pan scramble which was scrambled egg whites with seasonal vegetables, spinach and white cheddar cheese.  We all had our egg dishes with crispy leek hash browns and shared a cast-iron skillet of warm corn bread with flavored whipped butter.  We had several French presses of their single origin custom blend from Intelligentsia coffee  as well as fresh juices which gave us the much needed energy boost for the second part of the tour.

After lunch, we headed off to Georgetown where we parked by the river and walked off our hearty brunch while admiring the quaint streets and beautiful homes in the area.  We also did some window shopping and ended our walking tour with an ice cream cone at Georgetown institution - Thomas Sweet.  It was a great first day in DC filled with sights, sounds and food.

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Founding Farmers

1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

(IMF HQ2), Washington DC 20006
Phone: 202 822 TRUE (8783)

Fax 202 822 0949

*Open for breakfast Monday to Friday from 7 to 11 and Brunch on weekends and holidays from 9 to 2, Lunch and dinner daily.

Thomas Sweet

3214 P Street NW

Georgetown

Washington, DC, 20007
Phone: 202 337 0616

*Open daily from 10 a.m. till late

PIG AND KHAO

Sometime in May, my 11-year old and I spent a long weekend in New York, just the two of us on a rare mother and son trip.  The last time he was there was when he was four years old so I promised him some touristy things like a visit to the the Top of the Rock where we enjoyed the amazing new york city view and a walk through Wall street and Battery Park plus a bonus ferry ride to Staten island so he could see the Statue of Liberty.  Of course part of the plan was to walk around the city and eat at interesting new places.  One of these was Pig and Khao which my good friend Claudine along with her son David took us to - it was a mother and son weekend after all.

Owned by a half Filipina-half American former Top Chef, Leah Cohen, the place is a bustling narrow room on the lower east side with a charming terrace out back. The kitchen is not much larger than the one on a food truck with about three chefs slicing, dicing and frying what is a combination of Thai and Philippine dishes culled from the chef's time traveling around southeast Asia.  The menu is not extensive (three snacks, nine small plates, three large plates) and is mostly pork-centric (hence the pig logo) but there are also a few daily specials and there are so many interesting dishes that we wanted to order most of them, and then some.

In the end, we stuck mostly to the Philippine side and ordered the delicious quail adobo, her take on the classic Philippine dish of chicken and pork cooked in garlic and pepper infused soy sauce and vinegar.  We also had the incredible sizzling sisig - typical bar food in the Philippines and quite difficult to master as it's a rich, hot, spicy, crispy mix of chopped up pork jowls and head mixed in with a fried egg - definitely not low-cholesterol but oh so good!  To keep to the pork theme, we also had another Philippine classic - crispy pata, deep fried pig trotters served with pickled green mango and two dipping sauces.  From the specials, we also had the Thai fried soft-shell crab in green curry sauce and a side dish of the stir-fried kailan (Chinese greens).  Of course I couldn't resist to have my dinner with young coconut juice.  We managed to polish it all off and still had space to share a large halo-halo - another classic Philippine dessert of shave ice, leche flan (milk custard), pinipig (toasted crispy rice) and purple ube (yam) ice cream - a fantastic end to a fantastic meal.  Who would have thought that Filipino food could look and taste this good and be so reasonably priced (around $30 per person) in New York?  (Check out their 2-star review from the NY Times) I didn't and I'm already counting the days to my next meal there.
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Pig and Khao
68 Clinton St.
Lower East Side
New York, NY 10002
Telephone: +1 212 920 4485
*Open for dinner daily, Brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations recommended.

APARTMENT 1B

 

Apartment 1B became my favorite breakfast place while I was back in Manila.  It was a short walk away from my mom's place and served a proper breakfast, good coffee and fresh orange juice.  I must have breakfasted there five times in the short week I was visiting.  I had heard about the original Apartment 1B in Salcedo village but never got the chance to try it and luckily, they had just opened a branch in One Rockwell.  The restaurant is a bright modern space furnished with wood tables and a charming collection of mismatched chairs.  Service is friendly yet efficient.  They even have a buzzer on every table to call the waitstaff with 2 buttons - call and bill - which worked quite well. 

Breakfast is served all day (from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and the menu has all the classics - Eggs Benedict, with ham or spinach, buttermilk pancakes, French toast, bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, assorted egg dishes, oatmeal and even a croque madame. (What they don't have is Filipino breakfasts which is a treat since every other breakfast joint already serves that).  They have Vittoria coffee from Australia, freshly-squeezed fruit juices and lots of breakfast sides.  Their lunch and dinner menu look good too but I didn't get to try it this time.  If only I lived in Manila, I would be at Apartment 1B every weekend for brunch not just for the good food and great service, but because this is exactly the kind of place that I look for every time we move and rarely find.

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Apartment 1B
Ground Floor, One Rockwell East
Rockwell Center, Makati

HONEY SALT

It's taken a while for me to post one of my best meals in Las Vegas over Christmas.  Honey Salt  opened in late 2012 and is owned by an impressive bunch of people who have worked in the Vegas food industry for many years.  It's location in bourgeois Summerlin is perfect - lots of parking, a sunny outdoor seating and a large airy indoor space that totally fits with the local residents casual chic style.

We went for lunch on a Thursday (booked via Open Table) and walked into a full restaurant filled mostly with Vegas locals including food aficionado John Curtas of Eating Las Vegas and Luis who owns nearby coffee hot spot Sambalatte in Boca Park.  We were seated immediately and given menus.  Before we ordered, I looked around and admired the touches that only real professionals knew how to create - the brown paper place mats stamped with the Honey Salt logo, the kitchen towel extra large linen napkin, salt and pepper grinders and a basket of crispy lavash with a spicy dip that was served as soon as we sat down.  The lunch menus have quite a selection: some starters, half a dozen salads, a few family favorites, several sandwiches and pizzas. We all chose something different from the menu so we could all taste each other's food.  One sister had the Tuscan Cannelini bean soup ($7) - a large bowl of chunky soup filled with beans, tomatoes and kale and served with a cheesy Parmesan baguette.  Another sister had the Backyard Favorite Burger ($13) with tomato jam, a butter pickle and french fries.  I went for a starter the calamari and shisito New England Fry-Up ($14) which they now do with clams as well, which was hot and crispy and served with a tangy lemon aioli.  J, the only child in the group, opted for the biggest main course - the 12oz. Cedar River Farm NY Strip ($31) (which is no longer on the lunch menu but only on the dinner one), which was a perfectly seared pepper crusted hunk of meat which came with yogurt creamed spinach, crispy hot fries and a perfectly tart Bearnaise, which he polished off on his own.  Service was seamless and it was a joy to see the waitstaff and managers all working together as a team and walking the floor often to check that all was well with all the tables.

We were pretty full already but as the food was so good, we couldn't resist sharing two desserts (all $9): the triple layer cake - a humongous wedge of alternating layers of caramel swirled vanilla, chocolate fudge and a chocolate ganache in between topped with a vanilla butter cream frosting and the warm bread pudding with bourbon toffee sauce and and the signature honey & salt whipped cream.  I had two bites of each then proceeded to down my excellent espresso.  It was a superb lunch in an off-strip restaurant that knew what it was doing.  Honey Salt is the way to go for Vegas.  Finally, there are restaurants off-strip offering good food, great service and creating a local vibe. Honey Salt also serves brunch  on weekends, an extended menu for dinner, an afternoon menu and even a kid's menu.  Didn't I tell you they knew what they were doing?
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Honey Salt
Rampart Commons
1031 S. Rampart Blvd.
Las Vegas NV 89145
Telephone: +1 702 445 6100
*Bookings via Open Table
*Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Brunch menu on weekends.

EAT.

Downtown Las Vegas is experiencing a renaissance with the investments of Zappos.com founder Tony Hsieh who has started to buy up property all over downtown and turn it into a hip area of Las Vegas.  One of those he helped out was the restaurant eat. and ex-casino-chef Natalie Young.

Located on the corner of Carson and 7th in a nondescript building, eat opened in late 2012 and is now a bustling restaurant serving breakfast and lunch every day and closing in the early afternoon.  The place is simply decorated with red Navy chairs, a polished concrete floor, a communal counter table and colorful pieces of wood taken from food crates to make a low wall near the entry way.

We went for Sunday brunch on the last weekend of 2012 and walked into a packed restaurant with a live jazz band and singer helping make eat. extra cozy.  The breakfast menu is printed on one sheet of paper and changes over to the lunch menu at 11:00 a.m.  We started out with mugs of freshly-brewed coffee then ordered four different breakfasts - eggs benedict for me, steel cut oats for R, shrimp and grits for J and the chicken fried steak for C.  My eggs Benedict came on whole wheat bread with ham and crispy breakfast potatoes, the shrimp and grits was a large bowl of eggs, bacon and shrimp over grits, the chicken fried steak was a large piece of battered steak covered in gravy with fried eggs and the steel cut oats was served with cinnamon, roasted apples and sugared pecans.  Portions were hefty and the food was comfort on a plate.  eat is what Las Vegas has been missing and might be what will soon end up to be a hipster area in a town dominated by the bright lights of the Strip.  With the development of downtown and the opening of several other small cafes, bars and restaurants in the are, this will soon make Las Vegas a real city with a proper hipster neighborhood for the locals.

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eat.
707 Carson St. (at 7th avenue)
Las Vegas NV 89101
Telephone: +1 702 534 1515
email: info@eatdowntownlv.com
twitter: @eatDTLV
*Open Mondays to Fridays from 7 to 3 and Weekends from 8 to 2.  Serves breakfast and lunch daily.

THE BEST OF 2012

It's taken a few weeks to get this blog post together but it's finally here - my annual best of 2012.  The first two were unique and fantastic in every way.  The next three are the best of Puerto Rico followed by the three best in Las Vegas and finally, the two best casual eats, one from a food truck here in Dorado and another from a beach shack in Anguilla.  All in all, 10 of my most memorable meals of the year.  Enjoy and I look forward to more new restaurant discoveries in 2013!

BEST OF THE BEST

Pubbelly (Miami)

A mid-year find on a long weekend mini-break to Miami.  Pubbelly is a gastronomic casual restaurant created by three partners - two Puerto Ricans and one Spanish, which has taken Miami by storm.  After this first foray, they have created four other successful casual eateries - Pubbelly Sushi for modern sushi, Barceloneta for Spanish tapas, Macchialina, an Italian salumeria and trattoria and about a week ago, PB Steak.  These boys have got their concepts down and manage to create a casual atmosphere loved by locals and still serve amazing food.  The menu at Pubbelly is mostly Asian-inspired but there were a few Spanish-influenced tapas as well.  Here's what we had in July.

ABC Kitchen (New York)

Another memorable summer meal was at ABC Kitchen located in the fantastic ABC Carpet & Home. Just over a year old and promoting local and organic ingredients, this was pared down comfort food that was all about the ingredients - assorted lukewarm roasted beets tossed in yoghurt, slices of heirloom tomato with just a sprinkling of salt on crusty bread, just-picked tiny radishes with cold sweet butter and bread - everything was delicious!  The service was friendly, the place casual and the menu so enticing that I can't wait to go back. 

BEST IN PUERTO RICO

Santaella

This was our first dinner out in San Juan, right after we moved to Puerto Rico in March and has remained a favorite since.  Santaella manages to serve a modern take on Puerto Rican cuisine in an unfussy location near the Plaza del Mercado.  Food is good, service is friendly and the place is always packed with locals - what more can one ask for?

Blonda

A recent addition to the Condado scene, Blonda is another casual restaurant that knows what it's doing - simple food in great location with probably, the best brunch in San Juan.  There's valet parking, bookings taken on Open Table and good food in a light-filled space.

Compostela

For classic Spanish fare, there is no place better than Compostela - the interiors are modern but nothing special, come here for the food and the excellent selection of wines.  Every meal we've had here has been exceptional - the menu authentic, the ingredients fresh, the presentation simple, the service efficient and the experience always delicious.   

BEST IN LAS VEGAS

Sambalatte

The best coffee in Las Vegas.  Ever since they opened in 2011, they have been the only place in Las Vegas for proper coffee in all forms and shapes, from espresso to flat white, from cappuccino to mocha, from pour over brewed coffee to Aero Pres,  from granita to affogato - they have proper coffee making and presentation figured out.  I never skip my Sambalatte morning cappuccino when I'm in Vegas and always stop by to say hello to the friendly owner, Luis.

Kabuto

Located in the same nondescript mall as other cult Japanese restaurants, Raku and Monta, Kabuto is a tiny restaurant with just three tables and an adequate sushi counter where the edomae sushi (Tokyo style super fresh sushi) is presented nightly using only the freshest fish and seafood and served slowly, one by one to be enjoyed.  This is the way sushi and sashimi should always be - no tricks, no mayonnaise, no fancy rolls - just fresh fish, perfectly seasoned vinegar rice, crisp seaweed, a tiny dot of wasabi and a dash of premium soy sauce.

Honey Salt

In the same area as Sambalatte, Honey Salt is so new that I haven't even blogged about my lunch there yet (post coming soon) but, believe me, this is the restaurant future for Las Vegas - trained chefs and experienced food and beverage operators band together to create their own restaurant concept.  Honey Salt is homey and the farm to table food is very good, but best of all, the minute one walks in, one can sense that the people behind the scenes know what they're doing from the logos, table settings, decor, menus and seamless service that there really is no longer a need to dine well just in a fancy Vegas hotel. Here's to a burgeoning trendy off-strip restaurant scene in Las Vegas!

BEST STREET/BEACH FOOD

Blanchards Beach Shack
If ever I open another restaurant, this is what I want it to be - simple food, a great outdoor setting and casual atmosphere.  Blanchards on the beautiful Mead's Bay beach in Anguilla is probably the best beach shack restaurant concept I've ever eaten in and for someone who's lived on several islands, that's the highest compliment ever.  Food is simple, containers are recycled, service is quick, prices and reasonable.  Blanchards Beach Shack gives fast food a great reputation.

NanoBox
Last but not least, is this Dorado food truck run by two brothers passionate about food and serving their modern version of Puerto Rican street food.  It's a great way to taste what the island has to offer and although their menu is limited, what they serve is pretty good so it's worth it to stop by for a snack on the weekend when this shiny white brand new food truck is parked just behind the Walgreen's in Dorado.
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Listed by location, in alphabetical order:

Anguilla - Blanchards Beach Shack

Las Vegas -
Honey Salt
Kabuto
Sambalatte

Miami - Pubbelly

New York - ABC Kitchen

Puerto Rico -
Blonda
Compostela
NanoBox
Santaella