Katre Mediterranean Restaurant - Fine Taste, Fine Dining

A long overdue post on one of my favorite restaurants - Katre Mediterranean Restaurant in Tomas Morato! I've been here thrice and loved it every single time.

The place gives off a clean, crisp, fine dining vibe.

During lunch time however, it has that sort of alfresco feel to it with its beautiful table setting.

On to the good stuff! Our first order: Navarin of Lamb with Couscous (Php395). This dish was divine! At first we thought it was rice, but the waiter informed us couscous was a form of pasta (Yes, pasta!). The Lamb was perfectly tender and flavorful, but when mixed with couscous, this dish became simply amazing! I can tell you it's worth every cent.

Our second order: Roast Chicken served with Pasta with Mushroom in Pesto Cream Sauce. This dish exceeded our expectations as well. I'm a bit picky when it comes to pesto, and this one definitely pampered my taste buds. It was the perfect blend of cream, sauce and chicken!

Needless to say, I would definitely come back to have another taste of this amazing experience.

☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)

Katre Mediterranean Restaurant
103 Dr. Lazcano St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City
(02) 3746650

Ramen Bar Eastwood

Our latest find in the world of Japanese noodles: Ramen Bar in Eastwood Mall! We were headed towards Cookbook Kitchen for a date but stopped in our tracks when we saw this restaurant. It simply looked delicious even from the outside!

The restaurant exuded both warmth and subtle elegance. The displayed ramen-themed artworks were adorable!

More importantly, the wood interior was responsible for giving the authentic Japanese feel to the place.

Looking at the menu, their noodle prices (big bowls) ranged from Php280-Php380, which I felt was a bit pricey. Meanwhile, their rice toppings (big plates) were priced quite reasonably (Php165-Php185) in my opinion.

We ended up getting R.B.S. #1 (Php380) aka Ramen Bar Special - a Soy infused Tonkotsu Ramen topped with tamago, naruto, nori, negi, chasyu and kakuni. Let me just say that this was hands down the most authentic Japanese ramen I have ever tasted! Soup was very flavorful, pork was so tender that it seemed to melt once it touches your mouth, and the rest of the toppings combined created such a burst of flavor that you can't get enough of it. The serving was big and good for two.

For those who are interested to know what the toppings are actually referring to, here you go! Now we know the secret to this amazing dish: the pork bone soup was boiled for 20 hours!

We tried out their Yakiniku Beef Rice Topping (Php165) as well. The dish easily reminded me of Yoshinoya's rice bowls, just a lot more expensive.

Their tea came in a mug (yes, resembling beer) and tasted really good.

It was such an authentic dining experience that I'm sure to come back to try out their other noodle dishes, or maybe even having R.B.S. #1 yet again!

☆☆☆☆ (4/5)

Ramen Bar
G/F Eastwood Mall Quezon City
Between Cookbook Kitchen and O'sonho

Sleek Meets Thai at Thai Pan

Thai Pan has got to be one of the more low-profile restaurants I've been to. The place had that sleek modern vibe with its crisp white tables and neutral tones.

My friend and I arrived quite early and only a couple of tables were occupied. This was definitely a place for quiet dates and meetups.

We had Poo nim Clook Nga Thod [Deep fried crablets with tamarind and seafood sauce] (Php240) for our appetizer. The dish could have used more flavor because the crablets weren't as tasty as I've imagined. I strongly believe good food stands out on its own, with condiments merely enhancing its natural flavor.

I am resolved to search for the best Thai curry out there, so trying out curry every single time is a must! Thai Pan's Kaeng Khiaw Waan [Green chicken curry] (Php320) was good. I'm used to it being more spicy though. The presentation could have been better and made more appetizing as well.

Their Pad Thai (P310) was probably the best Pad Thai I've ever tasted and was beyond doubt the highlight of the night. I have nothing but praises for this dish! The presentation was superb - Noodles wrapped in an intricate egg-yolk net and laid out in such elegant fashion. This was ART!

Tada! As much as we'd like to preserve its magnificence, the waiter had to mix everything. Again, this was probably the best I've tasted. The serving was big and good for 4-5 people.

I also love that they have a selection of condiments to suit your palette.

Its stylish interior and yummy Pad Thai easily made Thai Pan one of the undiscovered gems in the Tomas Morato area.

☆☆☆☆ (4/5)

Thai Pan
120 Scout Dr. Lazcano St., Tomas Morato, Quezon City
(02) 352-4926

Sentosa Singaporean Chinese Restaurant Tomas Morato: Thumbs Up!

It's my birthday! :) After days of thinking where to treat my family, I finally decided on Sentosa in Tomas Morato. This was my second time here and I must say my first and second time didn't disappoint at all.

I love their interior! It's modern, well-lit and perfect for family dinners. Servers were quite friendly as well.

While waiting for our orders, we were given complimentary peanuts that we couldn't get enough of. It's refillable, so you don't have to worry about keeping yourself occupied. The best thing about it is it's free!

On to our orders! We had Roti Canai (Php110) in Curry Sauce. This appetizer somehow reminded me of the one in Banana Leaf but this one's more firm and crunchy. The sauce was perfect with the bread! For the price, it was very reasonable as this was already good for 4-5 people.

For dimsum, we ordered Pork Siomai and Shrimp Dumpling (Php85/4pcs), both of which tasted just okay and you can do without. I suggest trying out their more special dishes when you visit.

I was never a fan of Yang Chow, so I decided to get Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken (Php200). I would say this was the perfect alternative to those who want to try something other than the usual. This was good for about 4-5 people.

We also had Pineapple Fried Rice (Php220) which unfortunately I wasn't able to take a photo of (It's the yellow one at the top part of the menu). Hands down, I would choose Salted Fish over this because the Pineapple Rice was just too sweet for my taste and did not mesh well with the other dishes we ordered.

My favorite dish of the night - Singaporean Hookien Noodles (Php240)! This dish was such a pleasant surprise because it may look like your ordinary noodles but it's not. The mix of prawns, pork and vegetables was delicious! It was so good that I want to learn how to make this myself!

I never really liked Sweet and Sour Pork (Php240) but ordered it because my younger brother loves it. I actually found it just okay.

One of the few vegetables I eat is asparagus, and to my delight, I saw one vegetable dish that had it: Sauteed Asparagus with Scallops in Thai Chili Paste. The asparagus was very crunchy and tasted really good with the scallops and the sauce!

My mom loves fish. The one I ordered was Catfish with Shrimp Paste (Php240). The fish was really good and the use of bagoong as the sauce was really unique. You could also opt to use the normal soy sauce if you find this too peculiar for your taste (but I recommend you try this out!).

Lastly, we ordered their Singaporean Cereal Prawns (Php395/5pcs). I've been in love with Cereal Prawns ever since I tried the ones from No Signboard Seafood Restaurant in Singapore. Sentosa's version is definitely one of the must-orders when you visit them. The dish had a generous serving of cereal that you find yourself cleaning up the plate even after the prawns are gone!

Hurrah for desserts! We tried out their Bandung Rose Milk Tea with Tapioca Pearl (Php90) and Chrysanthemum Iced Tea (Php85). For those who are fans of flower drinks, the Rose Milk Tea is definitely worth a try! The Chrysanthemum Iced Tea, on the other hand, was truly refreshing and relaxing.

And because it was my birthday.. I got FREE dessert! They gave me Gula Melaka (Php85), which was Malay for sago pudding with palm sugar and one of the most popular Malaysian desserts. It was sooooo sweet, too sweet that I ended up giving it to my little brother who was more than happy to finish it.

I'm definitely coming back. Thumbs up for Sentosa! :)

☆☆☆☆ (4/5)

Sentosa Singaporean Chinese Restaurant
Thompson Square, Tomas Morato St., Quezon City