Bistro Ravioli: My new favorite Italian place

Every time I go for Italian food, I know that I'm going to be full. Even if I decide to order the smallest portion available, I'll always end up feeling that someone needs to roll me out of the restaurant after every meal.

My lunch at Bistro Ravioli was no exception. I had a bite or two of each dish that was ordered, and since there were about eight or so items ordered, that was already a lot. I have a habit of scarfing down what I like and not waiting for what comes next. I'm so glad I paced myself that day.

Bistro Ravioli first started as a booth at the Robinson's Galleria food court. Princess Pilarta, managing director of Bistro Ravioli, related how the mall management was skeptical about the venture, after all, Bistro Ravioli seemed a different from the other food stalls, and Filipinos weren't too familiar with ravioli. However, these fears proved to be unfounded, and Bistro Ravioli grew to expand to two full-service restaurants in SM Mall of Asia and Robinson's Place Manila, where we had our delicious meal.

Now, what you must know with Bistro Ravioli is that their breads and pastas are freshly made. A batch of pasta will be made for the lunch crowd, and then again for the dinner crowd. Pizza dough is also made within the restaurant premises, the process of which guests can see through a big glass window by the entrance of the restaurant.

We started our meal off with two antipasti dishes: Grilled Foccacia with Spinach Dip (P125) and Pizza Frita with Boursin Dip (P145). I'm a big cheese lover, so both dips are winners for me. I even had some saved and ate it with the garlic bread that came with the pasta dishes. The breads were delicious, the foccacia with just the right blend of herbs that complemented the spinach dip (oh the cheese!) and the pizza frita set off the smooth mix of the creamy boursin dip (did I mention cheese?).




Pizza Frita with Boursin Dip (P145)


Grilled Foccacia with Spinach Dip (P125)


More pictures to make you hungry after the jump.

The Ayala Triangle Gardens Experience

I always thought that there's not enough places in the city you can go to that is not a mall or inside a building. It's refreshing, however, to see efforts by developers to make more places people can go to for some rest and recreation.

Ayala Triangle Gardens is one such place in the middle of the busy city. Located just behind the Makati Stock Exchange, it's a lovely spot with a wide open space where kids can run around and benches under sprawling trees that you can sit on. I remember this space as a closed off area that's rather dark at night and scary to pass by. Now, it's a really nice place for people to go to.

Late 2010, Restaurants at Ayala Triangle Gardens opened. Visitors to the park, as well as those who are working in nearby offices now have a wider range of restaurants to pick from for their lunch or dinner. Many of the restaurants are small and can accommodate only a few people inside. Diners are encouraged to enjoy their meal al fresco, and it definitely is an experience.


Enjoying meals outdoors.





I was able to try three different restaurants in the Ayala Triangle Gardens: Amici, Bon Chon Chicken and Golden Spoon. Of the three, Bon Chon is the only one I haven't tried before. It's a South Korean based fried chicken restaurant. The difference of Bon Chon's chicken is that it's twice fried, making it more crunchy and less greasy. The chicken was very tasty and comes in either garlic or super hot.






Hot & spicy on the left, garlic soy on the right. Both are delicious!

Amici is well known as the Italian restaurant that had its roots in Don Bosco, Makati. The new owners continued the tradition after acquiring the chain, keeping in line with the restaurant's original vision with a homey, cafeteria-like atmosphere. The Ayala Triangle branch is the first of the Amici chain that features a sit-down dining area, as opposed to self-service in the other branches. The kitchen is open and diners can clearly see the big stone oven or pugon that the restaurant uses to cook the pizza.











Diners can also partake of Amici's delicious dessert line, Caramia. Pick from any one of their creamy gelato, or have a slice of delicious gelato cakes.









If gelato isn't your thing, no worries. The more health conscious eater can opt to have dessert at Golden Spoon. Choose from their flavored yogurts, then pick your favorite topping. You can also have it without them, and it tastes just as good.



The Ayala Triangle Gardens is a great place for the professionals working in the area to grab a bite to eat and have a relaxing break from the rigors of the work day. Weekends, it's a wonderful place for the family to go to and have fun. Stop by and indulge!

Joseph & Jaemark's Family Grill

I'm quite ashamed to say that I've never eaten at Joseph & Jaemark's Family Grill. For a restaurant that has a very long history, and for someone like me who loves to eat, that's quite unusual. So when I had the chance to try their food last December 2, I didn't hesitate.



Joseph & Jaemark's has been around for 17 years, starting out as a small hole-in-the-wall place in Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay. Over the years its moved locations around the metro, and it's current home is at Sgt. Esguerra St. in Quezon City. Moving around hasn't stopped its patrons from coming in and ordering their favorites.

While this new location is open for business, Joseph & Jaemark's hasn't had a formal and grand opening just yet. It's easily accessible from Timog, and has a friendly, homey atmosphere that's perfect for family get-togethers. As the night wears on, the place is transformed into a hangout where the crowd can enjoy good music, good food and maybe a beer or two at the al fresco space behind the dining area. Function rooms are also in the process of being built.




Dinner started off with a plate of Catfish Salad. Catfish, or hito, is commonly cooked on a grill and hardly even associated with salad. This dish, however, was a very pleasant surprise. Bits of catfish friend to a crunchy mass and placed atop a mix of burong mangga made for a very delicious appetizer. The tastes clash in a pleasant way and leaves you wanting more.


Catfish Salad, P200

Most stuffed vegetables are filled with pork or beef. Joseph & Jaemark's uses tinapa as their stuffing, and it bursts with a wonderful smokey flavor when you bite it.


Stuffed Pechay, P160

If there's one thing I noticed with many grilled foods, is that it tends to become dry the more it's cooked. This is especially true for fish. Joseph & Jaemarks's Grilled Tuna Belly is not. When it's served, it actually looks like a slab of grilled beef or pork and it has a sweet coating that is similar to the ones used in those meats. However, you will immediately notice that it is not beef or pork. It's really good.


Grilled Tuna Belly, P270 (small)

Most coco prawn recipes have the prawns cooked in coco sauce. This Coco Prawns are not only cooked that way, but it also includes bits of coconut meat. It adds flavor and texture to an already rich dish. It's also served in a carved out coconut.


Coco Prawns, P450

I grew up eating genuine Bicol Express, so I wasn't really expecting much with this. It's not as spicy as the ones my grandmother used to cook, which is a good thing for me, personally. It has a slightly sweet taste that balances it all out. It goes great with the meat dishes in the menu as it's got a lot of vegetables, although it feels really more like pakbet rather than Bicol Express for me.


Bicol Express

Somehow, this dish would've paled in comparison to the previous dishes, as it was meat and it wasn't that big. But for it's very unassuming look, the barbecued pork spare ribs is a winner in my book. The meat is very tender and easily breaks with just a gentle pressure from your silverware. It's sauce is sweet and penetrates deep into the meat. The thin layer of fat is delicious when eaten with some of the meat. Highly recommended.


BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

This was certainly the star of the night. Most grill places offer crispy pata as their main dish, but Joseph & Jaemark's has Crispy Buntot, and it tastes just as good, if not better. You can eat to your heart's content and won't worry about the cholesterol and fat. There's two sauces, butter sauce and spicy toyo. Both complement the crispy buntot very well, but you can also eat it without the sauces.


Crispy Buntot, P315 (medium), P415 (large)

Here's something that isn't on the menu just yet, so we felt pretty lucky to have tried this new recipe. It's chicken balls, but it's quite unlike the regular ones you'd eat, thanks to an ingredient one might not probably even think of adding to ground meat: ginger.


Chicken balls

This dessert is not on the menu either, but the lychee gulaman is delicious and a refreshing end to a very heavy and yummy dinner.


Everything I ate was a winner. If I had space in my stomach I'd go for another round of serving, but sadly, I didn't. Still, it was a very delicious dinner. My favorites were the Crispy Buntot, Grilled Tuna and BBQ Pork Spareribs.

Joseph & Jaemark's Family Grill
#5 Sgt. Esguerra, Diliman, Quezon City
410-TUNA (8862)

WQ#18: Weird Culinary Delights

This is a sequel to the WQ #17 Ugh. about whether to continue eating or to abandon eating lasagna with pig’s brain in it.

So the WQ#18 is related to this and here it goes:

What were the worst or weird food (for you) that you have ever eaten? What were your reactions?

I never got to answer last week's question, though my answer is I'd probably eat one last bite then say, "I'm full." I probably won't eat pig's brain willingly, but since I already did, let's just chalk it up to experience.

Worst or weird food that I've eaten? Hmm. Geez, that's a bit tough for some reason. I haven't really eaten anything that made me throw up. I've eaten snails, frogs, snakes and even (and I am very sorry to say this), a turtle. They don't taste bad, but then I guess it was how they were cooked.

I don't willingly eat liver, but I do eat pig and chicken intestines (isaw for the win!). I don't eat barbequed pig's blood, but occassionally, I will eat dinuguann, especially if there's nothing else to eat. Oh, the first time I ate chicken legs and pigs feet was odd, and between the two, I'd go for the chicken.

Balut? Well, I like the soup, and the yellow part, but when it comes to the chick, you can have it. Cheers!