Everything Truffle at Umami Burger

I love burgers and heard a lot of good things about Umami Burger so it was a must try when I was in San Francisco.

Umami Burger offers freshly ground, premium beef patties that are infused with secret ingredients that have umami (a flavor that falls outside salty, sweet, bitter, and sour) properties. Umami induces salivation and a sensation of furriness on the tongue, stimulating the throat, the roof, and the back of the mouth.  

Umami Burger has full bar service and wait staff, concepts not common for most burger joints.

Umami's Bar Menu

I had a hard time narrowing down my choice as I wanted to try a lot of things on the menu!!! In the end, my meal consisted of The Royale Burger with a side of truffle fries and root beer.

Abita Root Beer

Bottled root beer is the best!

Truffle Em' Thin Fries

Fries are topped with truffle cheese and truffle salt.  Sad that they scrimped on truffle.

The Royale 

Beef patty topped with braised short rib, roasted garlic aioli, and truffle cheese.

Just look at that beautiful chunk of meat! The patties at Umami Burger are always cooked medium rare just the way I like it! Flavors were spot on and the melt-in-your-mouth ribs tied the Royale Burger beautifully. 

Umami Burger has multiple branches in California, Florida, and New York. For more information, click here.

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.

An Opus Celebration

We had dinner at Opus to celebrate Zho's last few days as a single lady.

Much has been said about the luxe dining and cutting edge cuisine offered by Opus, but would anyone kill me if I say that the only thing I loved about Opus was their version of truffle butter?

Truffle Butter

with crisp

The plates were pretty to look at but the flavors underwhelmed:

Complimentary Amuse

Pumpkin Sage Soup (280php)

with bacon and parmesan ice cream

Confit Chicken Leg (520php)

with green pea puree, potato fondant

plus Foie Gras Custard

Roast Lamb Short Loin (820php)

confit lab shoulder, zucchini puree, eggplant relish, pumpkin gnocchi

Crispy Skin Duck Leg Confit (780php)

with soft parmesan polenta, wild mushrooms

Crispy Skin Salmon Fillet (620php)

with corn puree, leek, smoked corn, crab fricassee, basil foam

Matise (280php)

Dark chocolate fondant, salty caramel ice cream, foam

Opus Magnum Mojito

From this experience, I say it's best to head straight to the lounge next time!

Opus Restaurant and Lounge is located at 2/F, Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila Pasay City. For more information, call 804-0733 or click here.

Carbs Overload at Cantinetta

Update: Cantinetta at the Podium has closed for business.

Another trip to the salon, another Podium restaurant to try.

Cantinetta caught our fancy this time.

Cantinetta is an Italian restaurant with the menu offering soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, risottos, and grilled specialties. Needless to say, we had a carbo overload during our visit. 

Complimentary Bread



With Spreads

Ordinary made extraordinary by Cantinetta’s delicious liver pate.

Bruschette Miste Bread with Three Kinds of Toppings (380php)

1. Beef = Hohum 2. Seafood = Good because of the strong garlic flavors 3. Vegetables = My favorite! Perfect combination of spinach and mushroom. Would not order this next time though because the complimentary bread basket is more than enough.

Tartufo Pasta Truffle Cream Sauce with Parma Ham (550php)

I like Mamou’s truffle pasta better. This is creamy but lacking real truffle flavor.

Margherita Pizza  Fresh Basil and Tomatoes Pizza(380php)  

Nothing special. Dry with not much sauce and cheese. The thin crust is at least crispy. Waste of carbs.

Bistecca Alla Cantinetta Tuscan Style Rib Eye Steak (1,900php)

with Truffle and Pepper Gravy

This is how I like my meat done. Perfectly cooked, flavorful, and with a generous amount of fat. So good that a purist like me didn’t need the gravy. I want more!

Word of Caution: There’s an annoying server at the Podium branch who "critiqued" the food we ordered. He gave unsolicited order suggestions and still pushed when we said we were perfectly happy with our choices. This got me all riled up and somehow ruined the dining experience. I hope I don't see him next time. 

Cantinetta is located at the G/F The Podium ADB Avenue Ortigas Center. Mandaluyong City. Cantinetta also has branches at Rockwell and Pasong Tamo.

Dinner for Two at Bistecca

Not so long ago, Curls requested for a steak dinner while I wanted truffle fries.

There's no other place to go but Bistecca!

What We Shared

Complimentary Bread

hohum

Truffle Fries (220php)

Sadly, this is overrated. Lusso’s truffle fries are better. Some fries are even soggy.

Mushroom Napoleon (450php)

Beef + wild mushrooms + cream with hint of coconut = Interesting concoction that works

NY Strip Steak (1800php)

A little burnt for my liking but this is still good. Tender and tastes like the real deal. Strong beef flavors.

While the experience was pleasurable, I wouldn't recommed having dinner for two at Bistecca. Bistecca's specialty is its big steak which is best enjoyed in the company of a large group.

Bistecca is located at 122 Joya, Rockwell, Makati City. Call them at 403-5231 or visit http://bistecca122.com/ for more information.

Triple Birthday Celebration at Mamou

Let's return to regular programming with a bash!

Not too long ago, TJ, Bogs, and Zho celebrated their birthdays at Mamou.

Loved the company! Loved the ambiance! And most importantly, I loved the free food!

Complimentary Bread



Corn Pudding

Lamb Rice

Lorenzo's Truffle Cream

Mario Bottarga Al Olio

Beer Battered Fish With Malt Vinegar

Roast Pork and Chicken

Lamb Chops

USDA Steak with Bone

USDA Steak without Bone

Complimentary Birthday Cupcake

Thanks for the treat hotshots!

Mamou is located at Unit 1C-15 G/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Call 8563569 for more information.