Toast Box: Care for kopi or teh?

Don’t expect to find your usual espresso in this traditional Singaporean coffee shop. Instead, be ready to get your cup of coffee, or rather, kopi (which is Malay for coffee) mixed with condensed milk. If it is mixed with evaporated milk, then it is called kopi-c, or if you prefer your coffee without milk, then simply ask for kopi-o. A subtle hint of chocolate (from the beans which are roasted in a unique process called “torefacto,” whereby sugar is added during roasting) blends smoothly with the robust flavor of the fresh brew. You can enjoy your kopi with the all-day breakfast fare at Toast Box featuring kaya (a kind of jam made of coconut extract, fresh eggs, honey, and pandan flavor) spread on thick toasts, served with two soft-boiled eggs which you break in a small dipping bowl and season with a blend of dark soy sauce and black pepper. A bestseller is the pork floss thick toast, which has two thick slices of toast drizzled with condensed milk and topped generously with dried pork flakes. You may choose iced teh (tea) instead of kopi to go with your breakfast set.           

Toast Box at TriNoma, the first in the Philippines, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on weekends, serving not only breakfast but also lunch and dinner. You must try their laksa, a creamy coconut milk-based and spicy noodle soup popular in Singapore, made with flat rice noodles and topped with shelled prawns, dried shrimps (hibe), thin slices of fish cake, tofu, bean sprouts, and shredded basil leaves. Mee Siam, made with bihon noodles, looks like palabok but has a sweetish, spicy, and subtle tangy taste. Small dried shrimps (hibe), bean sprouts (togue), and fried tofu (tau pok) add texture to this noodle dish. And for a more substantial main course, there is the nasi lemak, a Singaporean staple. Fried crispy chicken with a hint of turmeric is served with steamed coconut-pandan rice, topped with a fried egg, and a siding of cucumbers, peanuts, anchovies, and sambal.           

With its open design, pine-colored walls, and bright lighting, this self-service coffee shop provides an inviting place to hang out and bond with family and friends. 

Toast Box is located at the main lobby level of TriNoma, near the Mindanao Ave. entrance.

Going Continental, Filipino, and Japanese at Conti’s

Even while Conti’s offers a wide selection of Continental, Filipino, as well as Japanese dishes, the food served at this popular restaurant and pastry shop retains the appealing quality of a homecooked meal. Conti’s Pastry Shop and Restaurant is popular both for their dine-in as well as their take-home menu. Their signature baked salmon, the singular dish that started it all, can be enjoyed a la carte, served with buttered vegetables and rich golden paella rice. The baked prawns  are served with crab salad and Japanese fried rice, while the tender beef salpicao comes with garlic rice and buttered vegetables. Callos (ox tripe, knuckles and chorizo bilbao in garlic tomato sauce), pastel de lengua (chunks of ox tongue, carrots, and potatoes with mushroom sauce topped and baked withflaky crust), roast beef, rib-eye steak, tanguingue steak — these are just a few of their many all-time favorites.

Conti’s follows many traditions of the typical Filipino dinner table such as serving a variety of dishes which are good for sharing, as well as serving certain dishes in combination, such as kare kare (ox tail, beef chunks, and tripe stewed in creamy peanut sauce) which goes well with rellenong bangus, and the sinigang salmon head sa miso with fried lumpiang ubod combo.           

Conti’s has also earned a reputation as a dessert mecca, with their fabulous cakes and pies, such as the ever-popular chicken pie, made with special butter for a flaky crust and rich, moist filling; cheese puff with a special cheese mix wrapped in the same flaky but sweet crust; the creamy frozen Turtle Pie; the towering frozen Mango Bravo cake, which is actually a torte with special chocolate mousse filling, sweet mangoes and cream; and the famous Choco Overload cake, which requires no further description. From the counter, you can pick up some goodies from Quezon province such as the mazapan de mani, which taste like yema balls embedded with finely ground nuts, and pastillas de pili, thin, sweet sticks with the distinct taste of pili nuts in every bite. These make great pasalubong treats for foreign guests as well as balikbayans.           

Conti’s is located at the main lobby drop-off and mall entrance at the Mindanao Ave. side of TriNoma.           

Pho Hoa: From seafood pho to pomelo shrimp salad

If you are craving for a large bowl of piping hot noodle soup, then Pho Hoa, which is famous for their Vietnamese noodle soups, is the place for you. You can have your choice of pho or noodle soup with beef briskets, meatballs, chicken, assorted vegetables, or the seafood pho, which is your healthy choice. With every pho order, you always get a plateful of fresh basil leaves and crisp bean sprouts, which add an aromatic, minty flavor as well as crunchiness to the firm (never soggy) noodles in your soup. Portions of imported meat are allowed to simmer to make a tasty and rich broth, and your soup is prepared just immediately right after you make your order. You also have a selection of condiments on your table which include hoisin (a sweet bean paste) as well as chili peppers, which you can add to your soup to suit your taste, whether mild, spicy, or extra hot. Another healthy choice on the menu is the light and refreshing pomelo shrimp salad with vinaigrette dressing. Healthy appetizers are the fresh spring rolls, vegetarian or with shrimps and pork, served with a dipping peanut sauce. You can also have the fried rice paper roll stuffed with pork and vermicelli or the fried rice paper roll with lettuce wrap.

Pho Hoa also serves a la carte as well as rice plates such as  braised tofu with crab meat, fried squid with chili and green onion, caramelized sea bass, Vietnamese fish with yellow beans, King Pao chicken with peanuts and red chili, and marinated prawns with grilled pork on rice.

Pho Hoa is located at Level 1 of TriNoma, in the outdoor restaurant area.         

The day’s freshest catch at Marina

Every day, fresh oysters (talaba) are flown in from Iloilo and delivered to Marina, the Ilonggo chain of restaurants which has opened its sixth branch in Metro Manila at the TriNoma Mall. With the freshness of the oysters, you can almost taste the saltiness from the sea. They have an ongoing promo which offers a bucket of oysters, steamed or baked, together with a bucket of beer for only P199 starting from 2 p.m. onwards every day.

In front, inside the store, is a display box packed with ice where diners can choose from the fresh crabs (alimasag), squid, blue marlin, and tanigue, to be cooked for their meal. You can also get a live crab (alimango), if you prefer.The Marina seafood soup is their own version of bouillabaisse, the popular Mediterranean fish soup or stew, which is made of several kinds of fish and shellfish cooked with tomatoes, onions, and leeks, and seasoned with saffron, garlic, and herbs. Evaporated milk is added to the Marina version for a richer and creamier soup.  Other familiar Ilonggo soups on the menu are Kansi or nilagang baka, and sinigang na isda sa batuan. The house specialties include bulgan (sea bass), binakol na manok sa kawayan, KBL (kadios, baboy, langka), and special La Paz batchoy. Pinangat is the Ilonggo version of laing, while among the ensaladas, the crunchy, green lato salad remains a favorite. The red walls and red lamps with modern round shades, hanging from the ceiling, give the Marina outlet at TriNoma a warm, welcoming feeling. “Ma Kaon Ta” is the warm greeting in this Ilonggo specialty restaurant. “Let’s eat!”

Marina is located on Level 1 of the mall, in the outdoor restaurant area.

Somethin’ beefy and hot at Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak

At Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak, the patented hot plates are an integral part of the unique hot concept from Japan, which keeps the food sizzling hot for 20 long minutes, so you can enjoy a satisfying meal up to the last bite. All the tables in the dining area are equipped with individual exhausts to help prevent the smell of the food from clinging to your clothes. The Beef Pepper Rice is one of the store’s bestsellers. At the center of the round sizzling plate, steamed rice with tiny bits of chopped leek and sweet corn kernels, roasted pepper, with garlic butter and teriyaki sauce is surrounded by thinly sliced beef, which is served half-cooked. The diner participates in the cooking process by flipping the meat to quickly finish the cooking on both sides. He then breaks the small mound of rice and mixes in the freshly cooked meat. He can add some more of the sweet teriyaki sauce, made from chicken oil and marinade drippings, or the saltier sizzling steak sauce made with frozen onions, apples, pineapples, and other secret ingredients, which had been mixed together in a blender, (both are available in bottle dispensers on the table) or a combination of the two sauces, to suit individual taste.  Other Pepper Rice choices are the Seafood, Pork, or Chicken Pepper Rice.

The Salad Hamburg is made of a hamburger patty which is 100% pure beef, topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise with teriyaki sauce. This Japanese steak house uses Australian beef which is locally supplied and bought in bulk so that the savings can be passed on to the customer. Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak also offers kiddie meals as well as a dessert selection of cheesecakes which is supplied exclusively by a private supplier.

Sizzlin’ Pepper Steak is located at Level 1 of TriNoma.

Congo Grill: Hail the ‘sisig king’!

Congo Grill is the reigning “Sisig King” since it won in all the three major categories at the annual sisig cook-off which was held last year in Pampanga. Diners have a choice of pork sisig, which is the bestseller, tuna sisig, chicken sisig, and sisig Kapampangan, which is a spicy version of the pork sisig.

All-time favorites on the menu include grilled pusit, grilled tuna belly, and grilled blue marlin. Congo Grill also offers a menu for kids and kids-at-heart which includes Tex Mex nachos, chicken lollipops, monster burger and Chimpanzetti, which is what spaghetti is called when served in a safari setting.The waiters also sport safari outfits, consistent with the jungle theme. Congo Grill caters mostly to families, particularly on weekends, so that Saturdays specifically have been designated as a non-smoking day in the restaurant in anticipation of Sunday.

The Congo Grill in TriNoma comfortably seats 120 persons at a given time. It also features a “show” kitchen, which diners can view through the wide windows and watch the smooth flow of activity as well as the high quality of food preparation, sanitation, and cleanliness which is proudly displayed. 

Congo Grill is located at the lobby level of TriNoma.  

Chicken Bacolod raises the level of street food

While there is now quite a number of restaurants offering chicken inasal (Ilonggo chicken barbeque) in their menu, Chicken Bacolod’s claim to fame is that it happens to be the original, started in the 1970s by an enterprising family in Bacolod. Among the inasal chicken parts, the pa-a (thigh) and the pecho (breast) easily rate as the bestsellers.

Other inasal chicken parts are the pakpak (wings), atay (liver), isol (tail) and baticolon (gizzard).

Chicken inasal is best enjoyed with a special sawsawan (dipping sauce) called sinamak, a flavorful mix of aged palm vinegar with ginger, onions, garlic, and lots of sili.

Chicken Bacolod also offers budget meals which include either garlic or java rice and atchara together with different choices of inasal or sisig. There’s also Chicken Bacolod’s sizzling beef sisig, different from the more common pork sisig of other eating places. And then there’s the traditional Ilongo fare which includes the molo soup, batchoy, and kansi.             

The air-conditioned outlet of Chicken Bacolod in TriNoma, which is well lighted and airy, raises the level of comfort and enjoyment of the traditional chicken inasal, which has long held a reputation as a popular pulutan and street food.  

Chicken Bacolod is located at the lobby level of TriNoma.