The Ristras Rampage

A delusional descendant of Speedy Gonzalez, it has become my lifetime quest to honor my inanimate forefather by finding decent Mexican cuisine in Manila. While there seem to be a handful, they've been quite the letdown, serving crusty tortilla wraps, scrimping on salsa and forgetting that pico de gallo and guacamole are actually part of the Spanish vocabulary.

It is no wonder that whenever I suggest Mexican food when dining out, people just stare at me as if I've gone loco. But no, it's just that: Tengo mucho hambre! (I'm very hungry!)

This hunger was ultimately solved by this little joint along J. Abad Santos St., near P. Guevara: Ristras. At first glance, people may find it quite tedious to read the exhausting menu, but once you get the hang of it, the order process can be strangely interesting. I have learned the difference between a fajita and burrito (it's the beans, hombre) and realized that these two can be ordered naked. If dining with la familia grande, giant nachos and burritos are likewise in the menu listing for all those hungry hermanos y hermanas.

Best of all, each item is wrapped-created on the spot, which gives way to customized creations and less of OMG-what's-this-in-my-burrito? situations.

[caption id="attachment_1196" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Nine Layer Dip and Nachos"][/caption]

Nine Layer Dip and Nachos P255

While I've lost count of the nine items that comprise the dip - let's see, cheese, jalapeno, beans, guacamole, okay I give up - it was Cloud Nine nevertheless. All nine flavors come in harmony and create that Mexican masterpiece to complement the chips. Nothing overwhelmingly stood out to steal the show and it was nacho heaven sitting on this cloud nine dip.

[caption id="attachment_1193" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Chicken Quesadilla"][/caption]

Chicken Quesadilla P320

This grande serving is meant to be shared (by a family even) but this was mine to enjoy and finish to the very last salsa bit. And I did. The chicken looked like tofu cubes in the creation process but once tasted, burst with savory seasoning that my taste buds will forever crave. The chicken, cheese, pico de gallo and onions melted together into this wonderful que-sa-di-ya. The tortilla wrap was chewy and "fresh", and so were the guacamole and salsa. Eaten together, messed up and splashed all over the paper plate, this was perhaps the closest that I could ever have to a Mexican fiesta. (Unless of course I do get to go to Mexico. Ole!) It was rather on the expensive side, but this trip to Mexican food heaven merited a couple of satisfied burps and for that, I shall return.

[caption id="attachment_1194" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Steak Burrito"][/caption]

Steak Burrito P340

Not mine, but it was fun to watch the meat-eater endeavor to finish this carbo frenzy of a wrap. As if the choice between cilantro rice and chorizo rice was difficult enough, but to down this giant creation, it needed more than just a Coke and a Hail Mary. Flavorful as it is colorful, I believe Mr. Burrito will go for the que-sa-di-ya the next time around - but of course sharing is another option.

Ristras served us a rather glorious food fiesta, to make up for the faux Mexican joints that have been flooding Manila and their nasty fares that rely on Quickmelt cheese, butter and canned tomato sauce. At least at Ristras, everything was natural, fresh, authentic and well, mucho gusta! Gracias!

Classic Confections

There's a generic ring to the name Classic Confections, which is why the Greenbelt 5 shop is oftentimes ignored, missed or simply forgotten, especially in a sea of fascinating branding like John and Yoko, Fely J's, Krazy Garlik and even Pepper Steak.

"I want cake," says my dessert hungry friend.

"There's one in Greenbelt 5, a cake place." I answer in glee.

"Really? Like that travel restaurant?"" she asks in uncertainty.

"No. It's a cake place that starts with C, if that helps. Let's just find it!"

Classic Confections is smacked in between the exciting culinary delights that Greenbelt 5 has to offer, and in its immaculately white interiors and child-safe door, it can be rather uninviting to the hungry folk. However, pressed with time and fearing the Starbucks line, it was Classic Confections or gelato.

If planning on a cake-cookie spree, then you've come to the right place. Each mini rounded slice is priced at least P200, except for Meline's Chocolate Cake at P175. Each slice is perfectly presented and screams with sweet surprise. Torn between Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake, I went for the former simply because I could not pass up that rich of a chocolate icing.

Meline's Chocolate Cake

Exemplifying the Chocolate cake cliché, I admit guilt to surrendering to this hoi polloi creation instead of pursuing the stranger kinds such as the Cheesecake Obsession or mousse. The big mound of chocolate was too tempting to give up, and once sliced it was a decision never to regret. Moist and rich but satisfying sweet, the cake was fantastic. If left alone, I could (and would) finish a slice in one sitting, licking my spoon in glee with no hint of regret or calorie counting.

Lemon Torte

While I refused to taste this lemony fellow for fear of getting creamed up right before bedtime (plus, it has cashews), I could see that those who sampled this delicacy were in pure ecstasy. Normally people intersperse gossip with chewing but the Lemon Torte was near extinction even before the real story swapping began. Amazing. But yes, too sweet as drinks were downed rather in haste as well. Now that's one Happy Lemon.

Andale, Baja Mexican Cantina

In preparation for my much awaited escapade at Baja Mexican Cantina (Greenbelt 3), not only did I brush up on my rusty Spanish, I also summoned my faux Latin roots (having once believed we were related to Speedy Gonzalez) and managed to perfect pronouncing quesadilla with the ethnic twang, "It's que-sa-di-ya, entiendes?"

Just this night, I was the Perezosa Negra Gata (Lazy Black Cat in Spanish) who was and still, mucha hambre!

The excitement died down, even before I could bring out my bolero, as the place became a Baja Siesta Fest.

Service was rather slow, as if exemplifying the siesta time. This lazy pace at 7 in the evening though made me consider blaming the time zone difference but then realized that perhaps their "Tia Maria" cook was still tossing the dough for the burritos. If I could only scream, "Andale, andale!" like my ancestor Speedy, then maybe things would've gone better. But since this is Manila, I wouldn't want spit on my salsa.

The food came in long and irregular gaps, which in turn gave my companions their gossip break, and as for me, space out time.

Frozen Iced Tea

Cheese Quesadilla

Cheese Quesadilla

Slap in the right amount of cheese in between flour tortillas, grill and voila! Nothing could go wrong with this Mexican appetizer. Baja's sauce on the side provided the much-needed flavor and spice. However we found the wrapper a tad too thick, thus engulfing most of the cheese. There's a reason it's called Cheese Quesadilla and not Quesadilla con Queso.

Nachos Supremo

Nachos Supremo

With gigantic balls of whipped cream, salsa and cheese, this one's the appetizer champ. The toppings are finely placed and additional orders of salsa, cheese or guacamole are available at less than P50 per topping. The only fare that has been met with appreciative nods and lip-smacking praise, I believe should I return to Baja, it will be solely for this nacho fiesta.

California Burrito

California Burrito

A beef-filled entree, I watched as slivers of French Fries erupted from the sliced Americanized burrito. The ground beef was everywhere, too tedious for me to pick, and so I left this fare to the meat-eaters. They ate in the Mexican fashion, slow-paced but not engaged in the meal. It seems that the Hamburger-cum-Burrito was not welcomed by their discriminating taste, or perhaps the hybrid attempt simply did not satisfy either genre.

Fish Fillet Vera Cruz

Fish Fillet Vera Cruz

This fish went from "fresh catch" to "gone in 60 seconds". The fish was fresh and if it helps, so white, I just couldn't stop shoving pieces in my mouth. The batter was also mildly Mexican, not overwhelming or irritatingly greasy. Whoever  Vera Cruz is, well here's our message to you: Muchas Gracias, Senora! Unless it's Tio?

Wet Burrito (with Chicken)

Wet Burrito (with Chicken)

The rice was placed on the side (as requested) and inside, it was 90% beans and 10% chicken (and chicken skin). The chicken was literally bathed in purple, and for a minute I thought I was eating dinuguan and ube (both of which I do NOT eat) in one mighty wrap, devoid of vegetables. If I could rename it, it would be the Fat-Wrap Bean Burrito. In grade school science class, we learned about the 3 Gs of Nutrition: Go (carbs), Grow (protein) and Glow (vegetables). Simply put, this burrito's so wet, it's lost all its glow.

With other more enticing and conveniently located Mexican joints in Manila, it's "Adios!" to Baja Mexican Cantina in the meantime. Should you decide to have a fish taco-nacho buffet in the future though, count me in!

Revel Bars at Cheesecake Melliza

When buying at Cheesecake Melliza for the first time, the obvious choice would be the bestseller - cheesecake of course - but no, I decided to deviate from the expected and go for the revel bars. At P100 for 4 bars, it's quite a steal!

There were actually other brownie-like bars that experimented on dark and white chocolate, cookies and cheesecake bars that screamed "Buy us!" but this forlorn cat needed grainy comforting, and so the revel bars went from display to "Sold!"

The bars did not scrimp on the grain and sugar aspect. A hefty serving of oats, I gladly welcomed, but the highly sweetened chocolate was not appreciated by my palate (and stomach). Chocolate on its own is splendid but sweetening it up further reduced the cocoa goodness and turned it into a brown sugar hyper bar.

Perhaps those with high tolerance for sugar would find revelry in these bars, but as for me, "Pass!"

Who stole the cookies at Sonja's Cupcakes?

There's a reason why Red ought to be the color of the season because Sonja's Red Velvet cupcakes make the perfect holiday present (hint, hint), dessert, breakfast and fridge staple. However, it's not just the cupcakes the compel me to walk in the rain or scorching heat whenever we pass by Serendra, it's the cookies and bars.

Start paying attention to the cookie jars at Sonja's and you might find yourself the new cookie thief. The Blondie Bar is far from being dumb and rather outsmarts every other pastry in the planet with its peculiarly addictive coconut-Valrhona fusion. The Black and White cookie presents a chocolate feast in all shades, making Valrhona my next favorite baker's ingredient. When the time comes that I cannot decide between the two, I've decided to just buy both. Ha!

Just last weekend, someone must have left the cookie jar open at Sonja's because when we came over, there were no cookies! While Red Velvet was the obvious alternative, it was a tough decision between Bunny Huggers Carrot Cake and Valrhona Milk Choco-Hazelnut Tart. The latter won, by a mile.

The Valrhona Milk Choco-Hazelnut Tart won me over with its mile-long name and of course, Valrhona. From the chocolate crust, fudgy top and flan-like center, the super chocolate award goes to this one. The hazelnut was mildly infused in the flan (my guess) but the overall chocolate flavor was not overwhelming, just right. Forget Red Velvet and those other cupcakes with colorful icing, I'm stocking up on tart!

Now if Sonja's decides to display the Valrhona Milk Choco-Hazelnut Tart, Blondie Bar and Black and White Cookie side-by-side, indecision will certainly drive me insane. This one mind-boggling choice than can only be solved by a three-sided coin, but better if I could find a companion who would just buy me everything! :)

Aum Sweet Aum at New Bombay

Because I hate waiting in lines when I'm hungry, I've found the quick fix for this: Indian food (New Bombay, Glorietta). Filipinos have a knack for displaying patience especially when queueing for buffets and oily food joints, thus leaving exotic restaurants bare and welcoming to the impatient wanderer such as myself! Aside from 2 other guests, New Bombay was ours to enjoy with ample space to stretch our legs and even request for warm water. Thank Shiva!

Of course space isn't the only draw for New Bombay. While the restaurant raised prices (and reduced serving size) since my last visit, the menu is filled with amazing Indian delicacies and entrees fit for vegetarians and those I'm-trying-not-to-eat-meat-this-Christmas-season dieters. Don't expect waitresses to force their beef specialties or Chef's-pork-dish-of-the-day on you - nope, just healthy eating at its curriest.

[caption id="attachment_1133" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Palak Paneer"][/caption]

Palak Paneer (P225)

Our staple order may not be the prettiest sight, but the homemade cottage cheese in spicy spinach sauce was so good and comforting, it warranted seconds. The spicy creamy spinach sauce was really flavorsome, and if I could just cook this at home, I sure am eating this everyday. Oh wait, did I just say cook? Oh well, at least New Bombay has branches at The Columns and Podium. That should address the cooking deficiency.

[caption id="attachment_1132" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Chicken Tikka Masala"][/caption]

Chicken Tikka Masala (P225)

Chicken in tomato-masala sauce makes the best partner to palak paneer, not to mention that they unintentionally scream Merry Christmas on our table. Together though, they do make this unbeatable spicy duo when spread on naan. Better than just plain curry or tandoori, the chicken tikka masala is bathed in this amazing red sauce that makes other saucy dishes blush in bland shame.

[caption id="attachment_1136" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Cottage Cheese Pakora"][/caption]

Cottage Cheese Pakora (P165)

These cottage cheese cubes fried in this yellow batter are filling and tasty, but a bit of a letdown for their price. It was a redundant order as well, having selected the palak paneer as a main dish. For those who like fried cheese though, this should make the cut. Next time though, I might consider the samosas or vegetable cutlets.

[caption id="attachment_1134" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="(L) Naan, (R) Masala Kulcha"][/caption]

Garlic Naan (P75) and Masala Kulcha (P145)

Perfectly baked naan can either make or break the meal. Good thing New Bombay is already an expert at this and managed to serve them chewy and right. The Masala Kulcha is like the high-end cousin of the naan, more grand and stuffed with mashed potatoes and onions. For almost twice the price of the naan though, I'd rather go for economy, since all that masala flavor dissipated once the palak paneer's spinach sauce splashed all over the kulcha.

[caption id="attachment_1135" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Lunch is served!"][/caption]

With my plate containing a hodge podge of colors and spice levels, it was impossible not to enjoy this commotion. A mega masala meal can really knock off all that holiday stress and bring us closer to a mundane sense of nirvana - which ultimately disappeared once we faced the Makati traffic.

Doesn't matter, at least even for a few minutes, we got a sense of "Aum" even away from home.

Namaste!

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