Wine & Dine at Bungalow 9

Sunday evening after a few hours at b blunt saw me having dinner with a friend at Bandra's hottest new hangout Bungalow 9. Located at St. John Baptist Road (for the challenged, go straight at Reclamation Barista), the restaurant has indoor & outdoor seating, a bar and a private dining area for groups of 25 and more. Its a multi cuisine restaurant serving everything from sushi to thai to italian to continental food and has a pretty romantic ambience. A bit of a mediterareanean vibe with white walls, candles etc.

I ordered a wood grilled pizza with goatcheese, mushroom, peppers, jalapenos & sundried tomatoes. Quite nice but discovered I was full after I ate half of it. A bit of waiting at the bar but we were seated in just under ten minutes.

The last time I came here just for drinks so this was the first time I sampled the food. Hope to try some of the pastas next time.

Viva La Mexicana at Sanchoz

Sunday morning I was lazing with my morning papers when one of my friends sprung a surprise. We all decided to get together for a leisurely lunch. As I got to pick the place, I chose Sanchoz which I had been to a couple of times and loved. Great Mexican food, interesting music and  a fab buzzing ambience. Interestingly I have been here only at lunch time all 3 times. Am sure it would be a good choice for dinner too

In Mumbai today, I would rank Sanchoz and Chili's as the best Mexican restaurants with TGIF as a close third.

I ordered my all time fave Mexican dish Cottage Cheese Fajitas. Like the D.I.Y nature of the dish as you need to take your tortillas, add the condiments (salsa, gaucomole, fresh tomatoes) & then add the cottage cheese & roll it up before you eat it. My friends ordered a house salad, an enchillada  & a cottage cheese fajita.

We had to wait almost an hour for a table for 5 as we started pretty late. They take reservations only until 12.30. You can wait at the bar and nibble nachoz / have a drink....

Of Lady Margaret & absent cooks

Summer is here and its time for all good cooks to fly away. My long time (7 years) cook Lady Margaret has taken off for a few weeks to Kolkata to see her son. I am in the meantime left to my own devices so its time to cook again. Went to Patels this evening and stocked up but was a bit too late to snag mushrooms etc. Will try again tmrw or check out Godrej Nature's Basket.

Tomorrow planning to make some delicious Pulidorai for lunch. Will blog about the recipe soon and try out a Arabietta Pasta for the evening.

Stay tuned for the recipes tmrw. If you are in the vicinity, you can try it out for yourself

I am a CPK fan, are you?

Having been to the CPK Outlets at Chicago & Mumbai, I thought I would give the Makati outlet a try for lunch. CPK is California Pizza Kitchen for the unitiated... I spent the morning traipsing around Interamuros including the ramps of Fort Santiago and had worked up quite an appetite with all the walking. Surprising for  Manila, there were at least 4 vegetarian pizza options. I ordered a wild mushroom thin crust pizza with a topping of goat cheese & a grape crush to drink.

The grape crush was nice but not much to drink as there was so much ice. The pizza took about 20 minutes but was absolutely delicious. I ate the entire 13 inch pizza and relished every bite. Again, surprising for Manila, they serve you oregano and chilli flakes plus cheese powder. Must visit again restaurant on my list.

 

A little bit of India at Bollywood.....

Today's dinner was at this trendy Indian cafe - Bollywood - in the heart of Makati in Metro Manila. Hindi Music videos playing on TV, Movie Posters on the wall, interesting ethnic art, beaded curtains make up the decor. Filipino staff greet you every few steps with a cheerful namaste. As its a Friday evening, they have rocking dance music and an equal mix of Indians & Filipino teens occupy the tables. We sit in the outdoor seating area where they also have the Hookahs. Pleasant breeze, nice music and company and we get started on ordering.

One of my colleagues swears by this place so it came highly reccomended. We ordered Masala Papad & Aloo Chat to start with. The Masala Papad was tasty but a bit too oily. The Aloo Chat was a let down as the potatoes werent well cooked.

The main course was a spicy version of Malai Kofta (delicious) and Garlic Naan for me and a Mutton Biryani & Raita for my colleagues. The main course rocked for all of us. Generous portions too. Quick service right down to the finger bowls. There was pan as we exited as well. Truly a slice of India.

Check out the decor in the photos. Must visit if you are in Manila.

Take a ride in my Jeepney.......

Well its actually not a real Jeepney (the matador type van which the locals commute by in Manila), but a restaurant themed to celebrate Jeepneys at the Intercontinental Makati in Metro Manila. The Jeepney is the coffee shop hangout for this hotel but very quiet (both at 4 pm and then at 9 pm). The food isnt much to blog about but I loved the Jeepney front on the wall....  Worth a dekko if you are passing this way.

Spin me around at Spinelli.....

I am currently on a business trip to the Philippines and transited it via one of the best airports - Singapore's Changi airport. Post landing at 7.30 am local time, we decided to get breakfast before the next flight to Manila. Breakfast was an apple muffin (low fat) and a Spinellini Twist -Strawberry Black Tea Crush at Spinelli, San Francisco. This is located on Level 3 in Terminal 2.

Pretty delicious and I regretted ordering the Spinellini Twist in the smaller size. The Blacktea gives it a unique flavour. Hope to catch another flavour in my next transit.

 

Have you tried Spinelli? What's your take?