Shabu-Shabu is the Japanese version of Chinese hot pot which originated more than a thousand years ago. Shabu-Shabu literally translates to “swish swishing” as fresh raw meats, crustaceans, or fish combined with vegetable are cooked in a light broth based upon your preferences. Thousand Cranes specializes in this style of cooking and provides a comfortable dining experience within their contemporary zen interiors and built in recessed electric burners.

It is not difficult to locate this quaint little restaurant in Greenbelt 3, Makati. After breezing through their simple yet extensive menu, we ordered the Australian lamb and fish fillet sets to share.

Fish Fillet Set – PHP 380.00+ ($US 9.00)

They were both accompanied with a platter of mixed vegetables, fish balls, lobster balls, squid cakes and their special house sauce of fresh garlic, chili and peanut sauce as well as a bowl of light soy and a egg.

Assorted Vegetables

To start, the server would fill the individual hotpots built into the tables with their house chicken broth. Half of the garlic and peanut sauce was added to the pot and the remainder into the bowl of light soy sauce. The large egg was then cracked open and separated, with the egg white added to the soup mixture while the yolk into the light soy mixture. The fun part of shabu-shabu would then be the diner’s hands on experience of adding the remaining ingredients such as the fish balls and vegetables to the simmering pot of broth with the lamb and fish last as this cooks the fastest to make it a worthwhile individual experience.

Shabu-Shabu Cooking

After a brief five minutes of stewing all the fresh ingredients together until it reached a boil, we turned the electric burner to a minimum level. We started with tasting the richness of the soup and it was delicious! The combination of the garlic peanut sauce, chili’s and assorted ingredients including the various fish and lobster balls provided a savory and delightful soup broth.

The lamb was extremely soft, tender and flavorful while the white fish did not have much flavor on its own but went well with the dipping sauce. Their lobster balls and noodles are worth mentioning with a nice texture to it.

This is already our third visit and we would definitely come back as the food has been consistently fresh. Good for small groups not greater than four as there are no large joined tables. Did you know that back in the day the Mongolians used to cook these meat stews with their helmet?

What is your favorite kind of Shabu-Shabu?

Thousand Cranes
2nd Floor Greenbelt 3
Ayala Center, Makati
Tel: 729-8640

On our next post we take a break at one of our favorite hotels in Manila, Sofitel Philippine Plaza located at the CCP Complex, along Manila Bay. This is the first in a three part special. Please click here.

Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana
HOURPHILIPPINES.COM
FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE
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A food trip to Tagaytay is no trip at all without a visit to one of the greatest restaurants in the Philippines – Antonio’s! It was Aksana’s first time to visit this fine dining restaurant serenely situated deep within the rolling hills of Tagaytay.

Just follow the Antonio’s road markers from the main road and after 2 kilometers and a few turns, you will arrive at a large black gate on your left.

Antonio’s has grown over the past ten years from a seating capacity of forty people to one hundred forty. Aside from consistently fantastic food, understated classic elegance that is so atmospheric you feel like you have been brought back in time to an Argentinian hacienda during the golden age of the 1920’s. Just basking in the chic black and white interiors took Aksana’s breath away.  Owner and Chef Tony Boy Escalante must wake up every morning in a good mood as his establishment also serves as the primary home for his family.

Our favorite outdoor table by the pond, watching carp is just so relaxing.

To start off I had the bananarama smoothie with freshly blended strawberries, banana, apple juice, and strawberry yoghurt. Have no doubt, it tasted even better than it sounded.

Bananarama Smoothie - PHP 220.00++ ($US 5.00)

Aside from the anti-oxidants and countless vitamins and minerals it cleansed the palette for the entrees to come. On the other hand Aksana loves brewed coffee so it was gratifying that the coffee was unexpectedly refillable.

Garden Crepes – PHP 220.00++ ($US 5.00)

The texture of the wrap of the garden crepe was light and gentle yet surprisingly crispy. What really shines is the freshness of their ingredients – the filling of white button mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion and cheddar was a savory combination. Definitely worth ordering again.

Corned Beef & Eggs - PHP 435.00++ ($US 10.00)

Who has not eaten corned beef in the Philippines? This corned beef however is not canned but made fresh by submerging the brisket in a special brine over a few days then boiling it. The meat was so tender and flavorful and served with horseradish and mustard. If you are a fan of corned beef for breakfast, make sure to try this version without preservatives. The scrambled egg was a treat in itself, it was so fluffy and delicate and must have been whisked to perfection.

Panna Cotta - PHP 210.00++ ($US 5.00)

For dessert we tried the panna cotta, a classic Italian desert that originated from Piemonte in northern Italy. Simply made from heavy cream, milk, sugar and gelatin it was not that sweet but the poppy seeds and rich flavors of vanilla and caramel made it shine.

We left at around 11:00 AM back to the Summit Ridge Hotel to check out at 12:00PM and head back to Manila for the drive home.

The Breakfast at Antonio’s menu has so many dishes to consider and drool over! Did you know that Antonio’s has been the highest ranked Philippine restaurant in the Miele Guide for the past few years? Please find below their full size menu.

P.S. It may soon be a good occasion to take a trip to Antonio’s as their new Breakfast venue will be setup on the same property by end of June 2010.

Frida

Breakfast at Antonio’s

Brgy. Neogan, Tagaytay City

Tuesday to Sunday 7AM – 4PM

Tel: +(63)-46-682-0218

Mobile: +(63)-918-899-2866

On our next post we would like invite you for launch of Kalinka Home Coked Delicacies From Russia With Love at the Legazpi Sunday Market on June 6, 2010. Please click here.

Related Tagaytay Posts:

Tagaytay Itinerary (2 Days | 1 Night) Romance in the Sky
Tagaytay Day 1 – Ryuma Ramen | Summit Ridge Hotel (Part 1 of 4)
Tagaytay Day 1 – Summit Ridge Hotel |Taaleña | (Part 2 of 4)
Tagaytay Day 1 – Buon Giorno | Fling Yoghurt (Part 3 of 4)
Tagaytay Day 2 – Breakfast at Antonio’s (Part 4 of 4)
Ryuma Restaurant Saturday Lunch Specials
Chateau Hestia Wine and Deli Shop
Amoroma Ristorante Italiano, Tagaytay
Bulalo at Josephine Restaurant, Tagaytay
Antonio’s Breakfast Revisited
Green ATS Bulalohan and Restaurant, Tagaytay
Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana

HOURPHILIPPINES.COM

FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE

All content is the sole property of HourPhilippines.com, any reproduction in whole or in part shall be subject to prosecution.

Orchard Road located in SM Mega Mall recently opened in February 2010 and is aptly named after the main shopping and entertainment district in Singapore. The concept was developed by the same financiers of California Pizza Kitchen and provides a better food experience than Makansutra located at Manila Ocean Park. Orchard Road serves classic Singaporean fare influenced by the indigenous Chinese, Malay and Indian communities that live there but literally only provides a very small slice of the cake.

Chef Tony Wong displays his skills on the heavy duty woks and nitrous charged burners. The open kitchen setup is an essential aspect to this restaurant as it provided a sensory experience for the food by watching various spices and sauces infused into the ingredients by the high heat of the wok. Did you know that some stir-fried dishes take less than two minutes to prepare and cook?

Orchard Road has a simple yet extensive menu including noodles, soup, curry, dimsum, stir-fried rice toppings, and tongue tickling desserts. As an appetizer, we had the Poh Pia.

Poh Pia (Fresh Spring Roll) – PHP 45.00+ ($US 1.00)

Looks were quite deceiving as this was not as flavorful as we expected it to be, thus we would not order this again.

Black Pepper Beef Rice – PHP 165.00+ ($US 4.00)

This dish was flavorful and rich but the serving size was quite small as the amount of beef could hardly satisfy an adult.

Hainanese Chicken Rice – PHP 155.00+ ($US 3.85)

Normally a benchmark dish for a Chinese restaurant, we were shocked to see how small the chicken was especially when you compare this to the same dish served at the Manila Polo Club. Taste however was authentic served with a choice of heated oil with grated ginger sauce or hoi-sin. The Hainanese Chicken Rice is way better at Wee Nam Kee.

Char Kway Teow (Stir-Fried Rice Cake Strips) - PHP 150.00+ ($US 3.50)

These famous noodles traditionally served in hawker stalls was probably the best dish that we tried. Take note though they are reputed to be quite unhealthy due to the high saturated fat content.

Sago Gula Melaka – PHP 65.00+ and Kopi Kosong – PHP 40.00+ ($US 1.00)

The Sago Gula Melaka was absolutely delicious and is known to be quintessential Malaysian Dessert, in other words please do not leave Orchard Road without trying this!!! Aksana also had the Kopi Kosong (dark coffee) to complement the sweetness.

How did you like Orchard Road? What were your favorite dishes or no so favorite? We suggest focusing on their noodle dishes as the pepper beef and Hainanese chicken were just so disappointing.

Orchard Road
2nd Level
SM Mega Mall
Pasig City

In our next post, we visit Amici, a casual Italian Restaurant known for their pizza, pasta and gelatos. Please click here.

Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana
HOURPHILIPPINES.COM
FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE
All content is the sole property of HourPhilippines.com, any reproduction in whole or in part shall be subject to prosecution.