VC Cafe: Makati's go-to place for food, 90's anime, and entrepreneurship

VC Cafe is one of Makati's newest hubs for coffee, relaxation, and great food. The place has very ambient interiors and is a great place to unwind in. The interiors are well lit and pleasing to the eye. 

Furthermore, the staff are friendly and courteous. My visit to the place was part of their opening ceremonies last month. Under the auspices of PR Director Ms. Bambi Flores, I was able to get an experience of the place.

VC stands for venture capital. The founders chose the name because it expressed their sentiment to make the place accessible for venture capitalists and budding entrepreneurs. 

The place has a huge dining hall which is convertible to conference rooms.

Some of the loot bags for the lucky guests.

I had their customary iced tea. It was the right blend of sweet.

The launch was well-attended by guests. 

Some of their delicacies included roast beef and tofu with pork. I enjoyed the roast beef due to its meaty, savory flavor.

They even had a slab of Cebu lechon.

The carbonara was delightful. It had a mildly sweet taste.

They even had braised chicken for the crowd.

Some of the guests delighting in the meal.

VC Cafe's executives posing for a photo op.

VC Cafe is also home to a lot of anime memorabila. Here we have the main characters of One Piece.

They also have a poster of Slam Dunk.

And Voltes V as well.

Their Mocha Brownies were truly delightfully sweet.

We even had a live band to boot.

I tried the blueberry shake from their drinks selection. It had a fruity blueberry flavor.

They even had a stand with action figures.

Here we have a Gundam.

Plus they have a fine selection of wines.

And pastries.

VC Cafe is located at Don Chua Lamko Building, 100 H.V. Dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. Go there to enjoy their premium ambience and food.

Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen: Vietnamese Specialties in the Heart of BGC.

Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen is one of BGC's best kept secrets when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. Its ambience, charm, and food never failed to excite me due to my long-standing love for the culture.

Upon arriving, I was treated to these specialties:

The Guoi Cuon was their starter serving of fresh spring rolls. It had big pieces of shrimp slices, pork, lettuce, and vermicelli. I didn't prefer it that well; but I appreciated the effort in making it.

Bawai' House Salad at Php 345 was their delectable mix of cocount sprouts, pork, shrimp and special vinaigrette. It was an excellent starter for a meal.

A fine selection of their dishes.

The Tom Rang Me at Php 590 is composed of large tiger prawns fried with Tamarind sauce, herbs and sesame seeds. I must say that it was easy to eat due to the way it was cut.

Pho Bo. At Php 360, this dish is the quintessential Vietnamese pho. It has the all too familiar rice noodles, tender and thin beef strips, leeks, and the steaming hot broth that serves as the seasoning. The taste perfectly mimics the traditional preparation.

The Ban Da Lon at Php 80 was composed of pandan cake, mung bean, coconut paste, and sesame seeds. It tasted like our local kakanin.

Their Mint Cucumber shake was a tangy mix of mint and cucumber. It wasn't too sweet and it had a herby flavor.

The Bawai Garden Salad was notable for its arugula. It also had the typical mangoes and lettuce in the mix. This was a more conservative version of their salad. 

Com Suon Cha at Php 435 was deep fried pork belly. It was truly delectable for its soft, fall-off-the-bones texture. I enjoyed every bite!

Lastly, the Goi Ga was their version of chicken salad. It had cabbage, carrots, herbs, and steamed chicken. I liked it for its restrained yet full flavor.

One of their wall murals.

Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen is located at Ground Floor, Uptown Parade, 9th Avenue Corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Do visit it if you're into Vietnamese specialties.

Tolits Restobar and KTV: Marikina's go to place for lutong bahay specialties

This week, I was invited by China of ZomatoPH to try out the food in Tolits: a restobar located in Nangka, Marikina. The ambiance was quite chic, with the look and feel of a modern restaurant. The indoors were well-lit and spacious too. I must say that the place itself was clean and easy on the eyes.

The delicacies were quite affordable and palatable as well. A number of their dishes showcased the unique and delectable Marikeno cuisine. We then tried some of their specialties including:

Tolits Chef Special Salad at Php 180. This was a mix of fresh garden vegetables including lettuce, carrots, cucumber and the obligatory bacon bits. The vegetables were crunchy and delicious; plus the bacon bits gave it more flavor.

Everlasting at Php 310. This Marikina specialty is their own version of meatloaf. The meat was soft and mushy; and it was easily digestible. It was quite tasty, though. 

The place even had a dartboard for those who loved to play darts while drinking.

The interiors were very spacious.

They even had a separate space for the bar.

Pork Sinigang sa Pakwan at Php 320 was another local specialty. It was the usual sinigang save for the watermelons which were cooked to a bright yellow color. It wasn't that sour, though. But, the meat was tasty, and the melons tasted like papaya. 

What a quotation.

Bulalo Steak at Php 300 was their own interpretation of the Batangas specialty. The meat itself was quite chewy and fatty. The gravy, which was made with fat, was thick and tasty.

Beef Sinigagng sa Bayabas at Php 300. I must admit the beef here was very tender. The soup was also delicious; plus the vegetables added another tasty touch.

The interiors had art deco lights.

Binagoongang Platter at Php 220. The main attraction here was the really spicy rice. It was a good accompaniment to the meet due to the sharp, distinct taste of chili and bagoong.

Crispy Kare Kare at Php 350 tasted more like crispy pata. Eating the pork alone satisfied me. The meat plus fat were very crispy. While the servings were small, I still commend the excellent style of cooking employed.

Turon ala Mode at Php 150 was their excellent iteration of dessert. It was composed of a huge chunk of vanilla ice cream on chocolate covered turon with its own choco filling. I must admit that this is the dish I enjoyed the most in the resto.

Tolits Restobar serves lutong bahay Filipino specialties that are quite simple yet filling. It is located in Citi Centre Building, J. P. Rizal Street, Marikina, Nangka, Marikina City.

Planet Grapes at Shangri La the Fort: an exquisite winebar for intimate gatherings

Planet Grapes is one of Shangri La's best kept secrets. This dimly-lit wine bar has an extensive sampler of the world's best wines in the comfort of their own cellar. 

However, the place shouldn't only be known for wine. It has its own delectable selection of comfort food and other intercontinental dishes which effectively complement the wine. 

Our Zomato Foodie Meetup here was in essence a wine tasting event coupled with a sampler of their flagship dishes.

Their wines were served by the bottle or through their state-of-the-art dispensers. A customer can order a glass which can be full, half-full, or in sips. Their most ordered wines are usually stationed here.

We first had a sampler of the Riesling. It was a variant of white wine with a stony, mineral-like flavor. This is usually drunk to rinse the palate before eating.

We were served with a helping of their classy street food dishes. This one is the BBSM or Baboy, Bagoong, Singkamas, at Mangga. It cost Php 290. The Pork was sauteed with Bagoong (dried shrimp sauce), tomatoes, chili, and garlic. A pungent and tasty flavor emanated from it due to the presence of the Bagoong. It paired well with the unripe mangoes and its sour flavor.

Our foray into sour and spicy territory was cut short by another offering from their street food menu. This was the Cheese Fondue with Puto Calasiao. It was the classic puto dish save for its unconventional sauce: a mix of expensive cheeses melted into a fondue. This rich, sweet dish truly balanced out the spicy flavors we had earlier. The Php 545 price tag was quite steep though.

The Squid Balls and Curry (Php 245) was composed of the classic Pinoy style squid balls albeit with curry sauce. This was quite tangy due to the peppery taste of the curry.

The Sotong Goreng Php 230, was a plate full of glazed, fried squid. The glaze was composed of honey and soy sauce. It had leafy toppings such as lemongrass and kafir lime leaves. The dish was quite sweet with a peculiar leafy flavor due to the mix of leaves.

As a form of intermission, we had another variant of white wine. This one had a lighter taste compared to the Riesling,

Some of their sides included garlic rice and mashed potato. The latter was thick and rich with flavor. It definitely was an excellent complement to the meat dishes.

The Grilled Porkchop Php 390, was the first in the main course meals to come. It was a helping of grilled pork grilled then garnished with vegetables. It was made medium well. This one was a perfect accompaniment to the red wines. Its rich, smoky flavor balanced out the fine bitterness of the drink.

The Spaghetini with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (Php 365) was one of their two pasta selections. It was a helping of spaghetti topped with Cheese sauce. The sauce itself was composed of multiple variants of cheeses. Every bite was truly cheesy and creamy as I preferred.

The Roast Chicken Dinner (Php 575), was the largest chicken dish in their main courses. The chicken was oven baked in a special marinade. The process usually takes overnight. One can truly see the meticulous preparation done for this dish because of the tenderness of the meat and the flavorful marinade.

The BBQ Spareribs (Php 690) was comprised of fall-off-the-bone pork ribs baked in a sweet barbecue sauce. I must say that I enjoyed this the most. The meat can easily be separated from the bone without any hassle. Plus, the meat itself was tender.

For dessert, we had the Sapin-Sapin in Salted Egg Sauce (Php 215). This dish is one of the more unique iterations of salted egg as a dessert. I enjoyed the salted egg sauce here for its unique taste.

The Turon Trilogy, at Php 165, was a slab of Turon on Langka sauce. It had an overload of sweetness. The Langka sauce had this creamy texture. The Turon was freshly baked and was aromatic too.

For an exciting foray, visit Planet Grapes. It is located in Ground Level, High Street Park, Shangri-La at the Fort, 30th Street Corner 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.