Stella and the Rocket Room

Stella is one of the more popular restaurants at Bonifacio High Street Central. Reservations are not welcome and it's almost impossible to secure a table during peak hours.

We, however, preferred to dine next door at Rocket Room to experience the best of both worlds: food from Stella and drinks plus music from the Rocket Room. The two restaurants are owned by the Raintree group so cross-ordering is allowed.

Bar at Rocket Room

Lamb Cochifrito (295php)

The only hot dish we ordered from the Rocket Room menu, this fried lamb is perfect bar chow. A bit too oily though.

Quinoa Tabbouleh (195php)

A unique grainy alternative at Stella that I didn't care for.

The Stella Salad (295php)

Vegetables with bacon. Not exactly healthy but it's at least tasty.

Wood Fired Garlic Mushroom Cream Fettuccine (425php)

Creamy with light truffle flavors. 

Roasted Seafood Piza (350php)

Thick and burnt dough. Dry to boot. My least favorite of our orders.

Stella's Porchetta (395php)

Soft and succulent pork with crispy skin. The rosemary sauce worked in enhancing the flavors of the meat. 

A little before 10 p.m., the lights dimmed at Rocket Room and we took it as our cue to order cakes and drinks:

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

I love anything with a salty and sweet combination and this was no exception.

Red Velvet Cake

A decent version of a very popular cake.

Rocket Fuel (195php)

An intriguing drink with a hint of spice.

A Girl with Violet Eyes (195php)

Mojito with mixed berries and lots of mint.

I commend the Raintree Group for coming up with another hit concept but I have to say that among the Raintree restaurants (M Cafe, Chelsea, Mr. Jones, and Momo), Stella and Rocket Room are at the bottom of my list. 

Stella and Rocket Room are located at G/F Bonifacio High Street Central, East Superblock, 7th Ave cor 29th St Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. For more information click here.

Legendary Lolo Dad's

When I was young, my idea of fine dining was based on stories my cousin told me about Lolo Dad's.  

He said that every time he wanted to impress a girl, he would bring her to Lolo Dad's even if it would cost him an arm and a leg because the revered Manila restaurant was in a class by itself, offering exquisite food, excellent service, and the perfect ambiance.

Open Kitchen

Since then, I've always wondered what it was like to have dinner at Lolo Dad's and it sadly took a million  years for me to know the answer.   

Complimentary Bread

and Butter

The bread was not even warm.

Double Espresso of Tomato and Mushroom Soup

We were given complimentary shots of  two of the most famous soups of Lolo Dad's. Both were flavorful and interesting, but I loved the tomato more.

Gratinated White Onion Soup (340php)

Not the best version I've tried. It was salty and didn't have the sweetness I was looking for.

Oyster with Foie Gras (145php)

The foie certainly made this a winning appetizer but I wished for a fresher oyster.

Raspberry Sorbet

Before the entree, this was served to cleanse the palate.

Halibut with Sauteed Prawns (990php)

The fish and shrimps were perfectly cooked and seasoned well. I also enjoyed the truffle flavored pasta and potato cake that accompanied the proteins. 

My very thoughtful friends surprised me with this chiffon cake since it was my birthday. This Lolo Dad's chiffon cake was fluffy with the right amount of sweetness. Delicious!

Here are the dishes my friends ordered: 

Degustation Plate 1 (2,800php)

Degustation Plate 2 

Degustation Dessert 1

Degustation Dessert 2

Pork Belly Cooked in Sage Fat, Apple Tart, Herb Jus (965php)

Grilled Halibut and Baby Lobster (1,190php)

Herb de Provence Crusted Rack of Lamb (1,340php)

Steamed Chilean Sea Bass (1,380php)

Roasted Beef Tenderloin (1,390php)

Sadly, we were all underwhelmed by the food at Lolo Dad's. The servers also lacked the finesse that one expects from a fine dining restaurant. 

I hate to say it but Lolo Dad's is past its prime.  

Lolo Dad's is located at 899 President Quirino Avenue, cor. Leon Guinto Street, Malate, Manila. For more information, call 2522294 or click here.

Japan Day Thirteen: Last Night in Tokyo

For breakfast, we had breads from Dominique Saibron which we bought the night before.

We had to take a quick breakfast because it was already our last whole day in Tokyo and we still had a lot of ground to cover.

First agenda of the day was to go to Tsukiji Market. Even from the underground train station, we could already smell the fishy aroma of the market.

Tsukiji Market is one of the largest wholesale fish and seafood markets in the world handling 400 types of seafood and over 2,000 tons of marine products daily. 

The market can get busy especially during the early morning hours but it was not a problem for us sleepyheads, as we reached Tsukiji at past 9 in the morning. We didn't bother waking up early because the tuna auction which happens at 5:20am daily was closed to tourists during our time in Tokyo.

Good thing many fresh seafood were still available when we arrived:

Having fully explored the wet area, we proceeded to the rows of sushi and sashimi joints situated near the market. Restaurant below is one of the most popular establishments in Tsukiji but we couldn't afford to wait 3 hours just to get a table.

We settled for this place which had a manageable 30 minute line.

To date this is the most compact joint I've been to. It couldn't be helped to bump into the other patrons in order for me to reach my seat.

Creamy Sesame Sauce

This was the first time Murtle and I had sashimi for brunch and it truly was a memorable meal. We had the freshest sashimi of our lives with everything turning out to be super sweet and oh-so soft. I can't help but daydream about the food we had at Tsukiji for it was perfect!

Murtle's Set

Tuna and Salmon Rice Bowl

My Set

Shrimp, Crab Meat, Scallops, Roe, Octopus, Tuna, etc.

From the wonderful sashimi brunch at Tsukiji, we headed to Akihibara. Akihibara is the center of the diehard anime and manga culture in Tokyo. As I'm not an anime fan, I strolled around just to get a vibe of the district.

Maid cafes are also popular in Akihabara with a lot of girls in cosplay gear promoting the establishments on the street.

We then went to the Imperial Palace 

and the Imperial Gardens.

We didn't stay for long though as it was drizzling.

Ginza is near the Imperial Palace but we couldn't figure out how to reach the shopping area by foot so we just took a cab. Ginza is the most famous upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment complex in Tokyo feauring rows and rows of department stores, shops, and restaurants.

After doing little damage at Ginza, we realized how tired we were and decided to return to our hotel room to rest. It also dawned on us that we haven't had anything to eat since our sashimi brunch so we stopped for snacks at Shinjuku.

Mister Doughnut

Gindaco Takoyaki

Feeling refreshed after the hotel room visit, it was time for our last dinner in Tokyo. We chose to spend it at La Table de Joel Robuchon in Yebisu.

We had to take the lift and

walk into the beautiful lobby...

to reach La Table de Joel Robuchon, a 2 Michelin star restaurant.

Murtle and I both ordered from the set menu. The set we chose included amuse, appetizer, main course, dessert, plus coffee or tea accompanied by a selection of sweets.

Complimentary Bread

Amuse-bouche

Le Haricot Vert:  Green Bean Salad Served with Duck Liver Shavings and Parmesan Cheese

Le Foie Gras de Canaro:  Seared Duck Liver with Cabbage and Smoked Bacon Cappuccino

La Selle D' Agneau:  Roasted Lamb Saddled with Eggplant Compote, Cumin, and Candied Lemon

Le Canard Challandais: Roasted Challans Duck Served with Braised Endive and an Orange Reduction

Le Chocolat:  Bitter Chocolate Tart with Pistachio Ice Cream

L'Ivoire: White Chocolate Ball Filled with a Herb Sherbet and Chartreuse Lime

Tea

Sugar Cubes

Sweets

Robuchon was perfect in the sense that the calm and leisurely pace of dinner allowed us to slow down, relax, and just enjoy the last remaining moments we had in Tokyo. I have to admit though that I wasn't completely blown away with the food I had. 

In a city where there are more Michelin stars than Paris, I could only look back with regret. Oh well, at least Yebisu was pretty at night.