The Mecha Uma Experience: The Delicious Mess

Foodie or not, Mecha Uma is a must try dining experience located in the heart of Fort   Bonifacio. Its culinary inspiration is drawn from the Japanese with emphasis on fusing a variety of ingredients found locally in order to create a dish that will surely make the foodie spirit in each one of us crave for more. Its name is derived from the Japanese expression, unreasonably delicious and a good mess. 

While a single entree may look small, I highly suggest that you order at least five different viands from the menu which is good for three people to share.The main ingredients are seafood base which is protein enriched which easily makes you feel full and satiated.

Miso Pan, Sea Urchin and Eggplant

You will get to taste your favorite uni "sea urchin" on top of fresh hot crispy toasted bread. The bread may seem burnt but it is just the crispiness talking. It is a good first main course  as it can act as both an appetizer and a hunger buster.

Tuna Coconut, Foie Gras Mousse, Pineapple and Pink Peppercorn

Wait, are we already on dessert? When the menu says: "tuna with coconut foie gras mousse, pineapple and pink peppercorn", would you expect a paper thin biscuit with an equally thin filling served in front of you? When the server explained, that the biscuit is coconut and the insides are FOIE GRAS mousse, that was when it finally clicked that guys, we are still eating dinner. As if the appearance is not enough of a surprise, the foie gras is tuna based and not duck based. Being not a fan of foie gras, this dish really garnered my respect for the chef given its deceitful description and charismatic surprises.

Tuna Coconut, Foie Gras Mousse, Pineapple and Pink Peppercorn

Black Chips? Interesting. However, compared to the first two dishes, it looks too simple.

                                  

Composed of shrimp, kaffir lime and cardamom butter, I do not recommend eating it without the black chips. The lime can be quite overpowering if you do not pair it up with a little sinful equally tasty all-time favorite snack called the chips. It would take all your willpower not to do so given that we mortals are not just wired to satisfy our bodily hunger but also our curiosity for something different. And this one really does the trick.

Shrimps in Kaffir Lime, Cardamom Butter

There you have it. So this dish is not made to be paired with your rice, but on top of your blackened chips. So here is how it looks like:

Shrimp in Kaffir Lime together with the Blackened Chips

So, another analysis is on the way. I am okay with most of the ingredients, favorite some of it but the main reservation was the goat. I am into cheeses but I am not particularly fond of meats. But since I am not a picky eater, I eat almost everything so needless to say I tried this and it is very savory given its creamy nature which added flavor to the oyster and corn. Gosh, cream is one of my weaknesses. 

Kaki, Oyster, Corn, Snap Peas, Goat Cheese

It is as good as any Japanese fried rice could get. Each grain of this soft rice is evenly coated and heavily infused with natural flavors for better tasting as salmon alone is not enough to provide a satisfying flavor.

Gyu Chahan (left) and Salmon Chahan (right)

The Gyu or Beef Chahan is tastier than its salmon counterpart despite having lesser ingredients infused within it since it is way fattier. Speaking of fat, the gyu is evenly soft across the entire bowl. No one is safe from the sinful treat that this bowl of gyu chahan has to offer.

Gyu Karubi, Gobu Puree, Radish, Mushroom

The Gyu Karubi or your beef short ribs is the most sinful amongst all the gyu we have ordered that night. Talk about eating light at night is out of the question when this is served in front of you. 

Remember when you have to eat a barbecue and you only get one chance to satisfy your palette with an entire morsel of fat. Well, what makes this sinful is the fact that it saves you from guessing which parts are composed of the entire fatty goodness as all of them is pure fat.

Black Cod, Cauliflower, Apple, Cabbage

Finally, we come to my favorite dish which is fish. As with all favorites, I have a specific type that I am partial to. You know the ones wherein your utensil just cuts through the meat and you end up with a concave piece. Just the thought of it, is already making me salivate. The black cod served did not fail in this aspect and I made sure that I finished the three servings that we got.

Sake Kasu Ice Cream

Are you fan of alcoholic drinks? If yes, then this is the perfect dessert for you. It is also perfect for alcohol wannabes like me. I used to dream that I could be as cool as a wine connoisseur someday but unfortunately, my body does not really jive well with alcohol so      I usually am very fond of sweets with wine infused on them such as chocolates and cakes.  I never recalled trying out ice cream with alcohol but who am I to say no to an all time favorite dessert.

As a food fanatic who eats basically every cuisine out there,I must commend the concept for its originality in ensuring that each dish is Japanese inspired at its very core. It has stuck well with its vision. Oh and do you know that Chef Bruce Ricketts changes the menu often so that you would always feel curious and be compelled to return. It is truly a foodie destination for all. 

Pastry Run 8: Ally’s All Day Breakfast

Welcome to the 8^th episode of Pasty Run. All Day Breakfast is something we are all guilty of. There are just days that we crave to eat breakfast food even during lunch, dinner or even as a midnight snack. We went here because my friend was craving for some salty meat and rice while I was craving for pancakes.

I was actually looking at the Smores one but since they labeled the Toffee Banana Pancake as the specialty, we decided to go for that one.

Visual: A wild wild blooming flower that is quite similar to a Rafflesia. Don’t cross it for it is extremely wild.

Taste: Wild and difficult on the stomach. By just eating the bananas and ice cream, I can already feel my stomach getting full. The pancake is really thick and each layer is like 2 pancakes merged into one. It really satisfied my hunger and craving as the pancake is piping hot with smoke even arising from it as you eat it layer by layer, with the insides not stale and not dry despite the thickness. I manage to finish two but I really have no room for the third one so I had it take out. Initially, I am not too keen on ordering pancakes at restaurants as I believe that all of them tastes the same with the slight variation and I would rather make my own at home. But, my friend insisted that this place really serves good pancakes at very reasonable price.

My friend ordered the corned beef and I applaud that the eggs were made really well. My definition of good fried eggs is when the yolk in the middle retains its fluidity with the whites cooked to crispiness and not burned. The corned beef is good but a little oily but come on, real breakfast meals are supposed to be heavy and slightly sinful. No wonder they should be eaten in the mornings.

Lovely All Day at Ally’s All Day Breakfast! Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. A show of hands please to those who are into Breakfast meals.

Pastry Run 7.5: Scarsdale Donuts

Oreos? Cheesecake? Anyone? Why not have it all together in Scarsdale’s Oreo Cheesecake Donut.

Taste is as expected from a donut with good filling but lacking in cheesecake. The only time you will get to taste the cheesecake is when you reach the white swirl located on top of the donut. The donut lacks the qualities of a freshly made one which is soft, easy to tear breading.

Thoughts? Feel free to share them in the comment box below. 

Sweet Run 4: Slushhh

A new fun drink has just arrived in town! The name is so telling.
                                 

If you are a fan of Slurpee from 7-11, then this will definitely excite you! It offers not just one, two, three but eight flavors in total making your drink a fun and colorful one.

You can even opt to buy their tumbler but I suggest you to choose a lighter color for you to really see the synthesis of the different colors. If you decided to purchase a tumbler, bring it to your next visit and have it refilled and save up to P5.

Slushhh your way in and Slushhh your way out. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

Sweet Run 3: Bing’s Fong Café Part 2

Welcome to Sweet Run 3 which is the continuation of the Sweet Run 2’s featured Bingsu selections. For the benefit of those who have not seen SweetRun 2, bingsu is a Korean style dessert made of shaved ice and sweet toppings ranging from fruits, red beans, and mocha (rice cake) balls. Hence, bingsu is one of those desserts that is very flexible as you can literally add anything sweet under the sun and it would still taste good.

The selection does not stop with the classic milk red bean and the bean powder which is quite unique in itself but also extends to chocolates and fruits. Like I said, anything sweet under the sun;)

Bingsu Number 1: Chocolate Bingsu/ Snowflakes

Visual: Similar to the first two, this one is also based on soft served vanilla flavored ice topped mainly with white flakes, cookie bits and chocolate chips. 

Taste: I was not really expecting much given that I am not fond of chocolate drinks or any chocolate desserts with liquid base, given that most of them do not mix well with the syrup, cream or whatever it is they decide to incorporate. However, this one really surprised me. Turn out to be good and for some reason the shaved ice blended well with the cookie bits. Usually, combining chocolate and ice do not produce the best results given that the ice cancels out the taste of the cookie bits plus leaving it all soggy but for this one, the cookie bits was able to enhance the taste of the shaved ice.

It got me curious and I think it is the almonds that did the trick. Remember the white flakes, those are apparently, crushed almonds, not white chocolate as I initially thought. The natural sweet and unique taste of the almond neutralized the ice’s power of diminishing the taste of the chocolate as almonds do not get soggy when placed in a liquid mixture. In short, there are like two forces of sweetness surrounding the ice --- one from the almond and the other from the chocolate. Talk about sugar overload ^_^

Bingsu Number 2: Mango Bingsu / Snowflakes

Visual: Attractively Bright amidst the white expanse and you can really see the smoothness of the ice. I almost want to lie down and sway my arms and legs up and down.

Taste: As expected, classic mango bingsu. Nothing really special but still at the very least, they should have gotten the mangoes right. I kind of dislike the fact that most establishments would rely on the sweetness of the dessert to make up for the sourness of the mangoes. I mean we are in a tropical country that is well-known for its mango production.

While the taste is already perfect. It has all the qualities that one can expect from a bingsu. Bing's Fong should find a way to differentiate itself not just with other bingsu cafes but also with other oriental desserts with the same concept. It could do better when it comes to ambiance and service. There is lack of individual tables with most of them having to share with someone else. The café sells grocery products and snacks that do not match its ambiance. Service is good at times but inconsistent. You would encounter really pleasant servers and some on the snappy side.

Store when viewed from outside. Magical isn't it?

Bing! Drop Everything, it's time for Bingsu. Comments? Suggestions? Don't hesitate to share them in the comment box below.

Mary Grace’s Experience @ SM City Manila

Yes, it is like my 4^th time writing about this café and who can blame me. I am simply a die hard fan who believes that we should share our joyful discoveries for others to try and enjoy them as well. However, unlike before, this entry will not merely be centered around cakes but the food experience in general that this wonderful café has to offer.

Ambiance: Cozy and Homely. While I have already eaten their cakes numerous times in the past, this is actually just my second or third time dining at this café. I would really want to go back as the place reminds me of a secret garden in the middle of bustling city as I take a break from the stresses and distractions from life and take a moment to reflect.

Food: At a glance, the menu seems to offer ordinary selections that you frequently see on the usual restaurants but wait until you taste it.

Seafood Pasta

I was craving for some olives so I went for this one. Yes I was expecting it to taste good for no one could go wrong with seafood pastas especially since seafood are very juicy and flavorful. What I was not expecting was to be surprised at how appetizing it would look when it was served in front of me. I knew at a glance that I would be eating a quality, healthy and flavorful lunch. 

Even the pasta is juicy! It is soft and almost almost melts in your mouth. Can pasta be this juicy? Yes, Mary Grace does it!  As for the seafood, the shrimp is big and juicy, the squid rings are easy to chew, and the clams are nothing but flavorful. The pesto is just an added bonus to the taste. While most seafood pastas would rely on the pesto half of the time for the flavor, I honestly believe that this one does not need pesto for it to be this tasty. It has the right ingredients and went the extra mile to really squeeze out the potential of each ingredient to make it the perfect embodiment of a seafood pasta.

                                             

I just cannot get over the experience that the next time I dine it at this café, I ordered the same. However, it took me quite some time choosing because I was torn between my principle of always try something new and the taste of my previous experience.

While I was under pressure reviewing their menu one by one, I read that a certain pasta uses Fusilli for its noodles and I suddenly had an idea. Good thing, the chef agreed to my request so here comes the seafood pasta that uses the Fusilli type instead of the classic one. Thank you Chef!

Seafood Fusilli Pasta

 We also ordered other flavors of their pastas, all with the same high quality flavorful ingredients accompanied by that melting ohh so juicy pasta. Ohh before I forget, the bread is of superb quality. It is not simply toasted with garlic butter on it. It is wheat bread which is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Dory and Saffron Pasta

Classic Carbonara

It was quite funny when for the first time, I was not able to determine what this pasta is due to the really good quality of the ingredients. While most carbonaras would just rely on the white sauce and bacon, making it look extremely creamy and unhealthy, this one has again, successfully, mind boggled me. For one, it is not white and drenched in that unhealthy sauce, second, the bacon is plenty when usually you only find one or two in the usual carbonara, three, the mushrooms are visible and four, it has TOMATOES. At first, I thought it was a mushroom truffle pasta but it looks lighter and ham and bacons do not usually enter the picture when one is making a mushroom pasta.

Thanks to Mary Grace’s, the art of making and tasting pastas have entered a whole new level.

Dessert Time: Cakes! As an avid lover of cakes, God only knows how extremely difficult it was for me to choose which cakes to try as I would have tried them all if only my body does not get fat and my wallet is bottomless. Sad to say with the limited choices, I have to make a really tough one and stick to three choices.

Mango Benne

Sansrival

Chocolate Mousse

The mango benne was the least of my choices at first but my colleague was really into it so we ordered that one. The sansrival was recommended and the chocolate mousse was to satisfy my chocolate craving that time.

Hands down, all are good and I cannot say which among the three is my favorite. Please don’t ask me to rank it for it would be torture. The mango benne does not have a single sour mango on it and the cream is of high quality and does not have an aftertaste which probably means that Mary Grace makes her own cream. From experience, creams with an aftertaste are the instant ones that are packaged and bought from groceries.

I adore the creativeness of the sansrival. The cashews really stood out, reminding us that ohh yeah, sansrivals are partially made of nuts. Ordinary sansrivals are just topped with cream with the nuts not visibly seen or hidden somewhere in the layers.

The chocolate mousse is not too sweet and not too heavy as your spoon easily slices through the layers. As per my encounter with most chocolate mousse, while most of them are good, is that they are quite thick, heavy and really sweet. This one, you can eat it even after eating a plateful of pasta;)

Have a Mary-ful Day and a Graceful Life! Feel free to share your thoughts and comments. If you have been to Mary Grace, please do share your experience as well. 

Also, feel free to visit the following links which focuses on Mary Grace's specialty cakes and pastries, making this place a heavenly treat for cake lovers like you and me. 

Cake Run 5: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Black Velvet”, the White Twin

Cake Run 6: Mary Grace Café “Unboxing Chocolate Truffle”, the Black Twin

Pastry Run 1: Mary Grace Cafe: Ensaymadas and Cheese Rolls