Pizza Bonanza: Papa John's Pizza!

A and I arrived for our third Eat's a Date event by OpenRice PH. We were lucky because the event haven't started yet when we arrived. 

Food:

            Herb Parmesan Bread Sticks w/ Pizza Sauce (Php 220)

One serving gives you 6 piecces of parmesan bread sticks and a pizza dip. This bread sticks were fresh dough with a quite cheesy herb parmesan mix. The pizza dip was unique and but the taste was quite plain for me. The bread lacked some parmesan taste and it was kinda tough to eat (given that I had braces). But overall, the dip did a good job on overcoming the taste. So I give this dish a 6 for taste and another 6 for presentation (1 being highest).

           Mediterranean Seafood Lenguini (Php 220)

This is one good seafood lenguini. Though I'm not really into tasting pasta dishes but I'd say this lenguini dish will do. It had a creamy sauce and the pasta itself was cooked just right. I must say that the seafood blended well with the tomato sauce. Therefore, I give this one an 8 for taste and 8 for presentation. 

            Oriental Spice Chicken Wings (Php 249)

Oh, forgive me if Ill be biased on this one. I really like chicken more than any meat on this world. And I enjoyed what they served us. Other than that, the chicken was juicy as if it was marinated for a long time. Its tender and a little spicy. I also like the fries on the side. They call it "wedges" but still I prefer to call it, fries. Anyway, the fries/wedges were a cooked to a fine crisp. You can hear a crack on each bite. I give this dish 7 for the taste and 6 for the presentation.

            Hawaiian Delight Chicken (Php 249)

Sadly, I haven't got to try this one. But I'm sure I'd like it too if I had a bite. 

            

            Sausage Mushroom Rosa (Php 220)

This dish was good. I consider it as a mediocre dish. I can't say anything that made me remember this that well. For a pasta, it had the right taste, texture, and flavor. For the price I can say its quite reasonable. So I give this dish 6 for taste and 8 for presentation.

            Bacon and Meatballs (Php 175)

This is one of their new dishes and I recommend that everyone should try this one once it gets its place on the menu. I wouldn't call it Bacon and Meatballs, instead I'd call it "The best baked rice in Tomas Morato." The dish was very creamy and full of flavor. If I think of it, it's pepper rice with a butter and cheese mix. Besides that, it had some meat, tomatoes and mushrooms that really elevated the taste. I give this dish a whopping 9 for taste and 8 for presentation.

            Spicy Meatball Calzone (Php 175)

 This is one spicy dish. I myself couldn't last long on this dish without drinking water. Although the spicyness of this dish stings, the bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. This dish deserves a 7 for the taste (even though it stings!) and a 6 for presentation.

            Spicy Chicken Tropicalle Pizza (Php 595 - Large)

As you can see, it's topped with oh so much cheese. The cheese is 100% mozarella. Besides that, you'll be surprised when you taste this one. It’s like a spicy Hawaiian pizza with grilled chicken. And after three bites, you'll get to experience the spicy side of the dish. I give this dish an 8 for both taste and presentation.

                     

            Super Papa’s Pizza (Php 610 - Large)

I can only remember two things about this dish, its creamy and meaty. It had too many flavors on it but it was fine. It had anchovies, pepperoni, cheese, pizza sauce and a lot of beef—what every person in this planet wants in a pizza. I give this pizza an 8 on both taste and presentation.

            Pizza Garlic Dip

Every pizza (I think) you order in Papa John's comes with its own garlic dip. Isn't that great? What I liked about this dip is how unique it is. Garlic dip? Where on earth can you find a pizza place that serves this? For the taste, I have to let the readers know it for themselves. I'm sure they won't mind and it's all worth the effort once they try it. :)

            Pepperonsili

                       

If I'm correct, this also comes with the Pizza Garlic Dip I just mentioned. It's miniature sili bites with the seeds scraped out. The sili bites are dipped in saturated vinegar. And honestly, it isn't that too spicy. If the waiter doesn't serve this when you order a Papa John's pizza, demand for it. It's a must have! 

            Apple Pie (Php 149)

Who loves Apple Pies? You're gonna love this more than any apple pie you've ever tasted! This was my favorite dessert of that night. I like the crust and how tasty it was. The apple slices had a cinnamon breading which really hit the spot. Besides that, it had a rich, creamy vanilla ice cream on top which gave the dish full flavor. This pie deserves a 9 for taste and 8 for presentation.

Carrot Cake (Php 149)

At first, I thought it was chocolate cake. Looks can really be deceiving. The chocolate syrup on the side looked really neat. This carrot cake was moist but it tasted good. The icing was sweet so that it goes well with the carrot cake. I give this dessert an 8 for taste and 9 for presentation. 

 Ambiance:

The place was very spacious and it was quite cozy. Although at that time, it was very cold at our spot because the AC was right in front of us. Anyway, this is a good place to dine and hang out with friends. Papa John's Pizza - Tomas Morato is near the rotonda, making it a good place to meet up with friends.  It's also near some well-known bars so friends and relatives can go for a drink after having some delicious Papa John's Pizza. The place is very romantic especially at night. Couples can enjoy an overlooking view of Tomas Morato's scenic street lights.

Service:

I forgot to mention that this was the largest PJP branch. I don't now if this was the first one here in the Philippines though. Anyway, the service was good and they have live acoustic bands every Thursday Friday, and Saturday. Unfortunately, they have poor wifi service here. 

           

            

      

Feel the Aroma of Aracama!

Once again, A and I were invited to come and join OpenRice PH's Eat's A Date event. This time it was sited in Aracama in Fort Bonifacio. Along with our OpenRice buddies , Mickey and Zeti, we took off to this exclusive restaurant.  

 

A & E <3

Ambiance: The restaurant had a very classy ambiance. It was indeed high-class but for me, Filipino cuisine is not that fit for this kind of dining ambiance. The place was very elegant, inside and out. It had a high ceiling on the first floor and a very spacious area on the second floor. 

The restaurant was in touch with nature, really. The wallpapers were designed with leaves and the whole place had plants and ferns all over. The interiors are made of wood and each table had little pots with miniature plants on them. Ventilation was really good and you could sell the aroma of nature.

The place had three bars which was very amusing. There's one on the first floor and two on the second floor. It had a complete set of some of the finest wines and spirits. 

The balcony view was relaxing though. Overlooking some buildings and some grassland areas, this place is a good venue for family meetings and gatherings. 

Now let us take a look at some of their food.

Malunggay Mozzarella Dip 

For Php 195.00 you can give yourself this creamy, somehow cheesy Spinach & vitamin fortified brulee with crostinis for scooping. This dish was not bitter as you expect it to be. It was creamy though but for me I didn't taste anything special about this dish.

Fish Balls 

Now this is one dish you normally see on the streets. Aracama took it home and transformed it to one extra-ordinary dish. For Php 175.00 you get this home-made street food treat along with three dips. The fishball was soft, yummy and surprisingly, it doesn't have the stench taste of fish. It had a neutral taste and it is most encouraged you dip it in the sauces.

[1] Sweet and sour - Are you kidding me? It isn't sweet nor sour. Really.

[2] Salted vinegar - I didn't like it that much cause it taste like ordinary vinegar.

[3] Sweet soy sauce - Best dip I say. It possess that bizarre, tingling feeling most people seek in sweet sauces.

 

Manok sa Tanglad 

This is a lemongrass chicken BBQ with sweet-sour garlic dip & cucumber-cilantro ensalado. And for a reasonable price of Php 380.00 you can get this sumptuous BBq chicken. Basically, it's roasted chicken with some atsara and condiments on the side. This dish is very juicy and you can really taste lemon grass with each bite. The cucumber sauce on the other hand, goes very nicely with the dry atsara on the side. I prefer chicken more than any kind of meat in this world so this review can be a little bit biased. :)

Miso Sea Bass 

This is the chef's signature dish of Yore, grilled fillet of white miso marinated sea bass. And for the very low price of only Php 990.00, you can get this delicate dish into your tummy. The fish was very soft and it isn't too sweet nor too salty. No wonder this dish costs a lot. Every bite is was golden (literally) and you can really savor the freshness of the fish. 

 Binagoongang Baboy 

It's pork belly simmered in tomatoes, shrimp paste with green mango relish. It's not your native Filipino Binagoongang Baboy for this one has less bagoong. I noted how tender the pork was and it wasn't too greasy. The dish is planted on some kangkong leaves which added more flavor to the dish. Overall, this dish tasted really good. You can get it for a price of Php 375.00

Kalo Kalo

Negrense style fried rice in garlic achuete oil. Our Filipino dining experience at Aracama wouldn't be complete without rice! And of course, this style of fried rice really hit the spot! For Php 110.00, you this wonderful native garlic fried rice.

Dulce Gatas + Bunuelos

Oh this is the sweet caramelized gooey dulce de leche with warm fried pastries. And for Php 230.00 you get a can of Dulce Gatas along with some delicious pastries. They say the condensada was caramelized for 2 hours, making the mixture very sweet and creamy. It stands alone well without the pastries.

I recommend you do this when you order this dessert! It tastes like yema cream puffs! :)

Service: Nothing beats Filipino hospitality and Aracama does well in preserving this Filipino trait. The waiters were very accomodating and friendly. Everywhere you go, a smiling waiter awaits your order/inquiry. Also, they were all knowledgeable on the food that they serve and are ready to answer anything you ask about the food. Too bad I couldn't tweet about the place when we were there. Unfortunately, they had poor wifi service.