Eat me

GRAM’S DINER

CELINE LOPEZ: The drinks in this high-energy and not mention high-calorie diner are as delicious and as comforting as the food that they serve. Suitable choices would be the chocolate milkshake, which takes you back to more innocent times, while the Splash — which is a mix of lemonade, pomegranate and seltzer — is a perfect choice for summer. The signature buko lychee drink is actually more of a sorbet, something I used to eat in my lolo’s house.

DJ MONTANO: This is absolute comfort food paradise. I love the breakfast platter, which comes with creamy mini pancakes, crispy hash browns, bacon, sausages and homemade-style French fries. It’s the perfect antidote to a night of partying. I love the kilogram serving (meaning super-size in Gram’s terms) of fried beef belly — so juicy and tender. You certainly won’t be leaving this establishment half-full since most items are served in large portions.

IGAN D’BAYAN: I half-expected Steve Buscemi to walk out of the kitchen dressed up like Buddy Holly serving a cheeseburger and a float. That is the appeal of Gram’s Diner at the SM Mall of Asia with its American ’60s diner vibe, neon lights, breakfast samplers and swing slash standards seeping out of the speakers. Complementing the pictures of Brando and Dean on the walls are piped-in tracks by Frank Sinatra and Astrud Gilberto, as well as rehashed classics by Michel Bublé and Rod Stewart. According to owners Ricky and Winie Gomez, they want easy-listening music for their no-frills diner. So what you get are sodas, smoothies, subs, steakes, and Sinatra.

BED SCENE

CELINE: Talk about high-concept drinks! The bar’s two signature drinks not only had controversial names such as Liquid Ecstasy and Wet and Wild, they mix their cocktails with ummm — milk! Although it may seem alien I can imagine some people liking these drinks as an alternative dessert. It’s far too heavy to have for a drinking binge, though.

DJ: This rather interesting concept of having food served to you while you lounge on "beds" is perfect for those who want to just lie back and enjoy out-of-the-ordinary fusion cuisine. Popular hits on the menu include the chicken cordon bleu and the Bed Appetizer Platter, which includes mushroom quesadillas, crispy calamari, asparagus tempura, California maki and bacon-wrapped kani.

IGAN: How appropriate indeed if one heard The Cure’s Lets Go To Bed at Bed Scene, with its beds, aquariums and subdued lighting. Well, the resident DJ plays a lot of chill-out, R&B and acoustic tracks to set the, uh, mood. On Saturdays, a band called Clay creates a more upbeat atmosphere — so no one will be caught napping.

YAKU

CELINE: This delicious Japanese grill serves its food with simple but refreshing drinks. The waiter says that the exciting bottomless iced tea is top of the pops here. But I suggest having some brewed green tea topped with ice and sweetened with a bit of honey or syrup to be a bit more authentic. Adding milk is also good if you’re that kind of person.

DJ: "Yaku" means "grilled" in Japanese and so this restaurant specializes in dishes cooked in this method. Its house specialty of assorted seafood and meat kebabs were very tasty, juicy and cooked just right — not dried out like the ones served at most yakitori houses. The sizzling tofu is very tasty and its distinctive teriyaki sauce, a house secret that is apparently guarded very well by its owners.

IGAN: The owners of Japanese grill Yaku wanted to deviate a little from the norm. Instead of playing tracks featuring Zen koto or ambient flute, the restaurant plays a lot of electronica. How nice it is to bob one’s head while digging your chopsticks into a plate of Japanese barbecue. I wonder if on special nights they play The Vapors’ Turning Japanese, here. Hopefully not the theme tune from The Karate Kid II.

HAI

CELINE: Quite possibly the yummiest summer drink ever, the Kiwi Calamansi Mint Splash ("splash" seems to be a common moniker in Mall of Asia) is the right blend of clean, tarty and sweet. I could not get enough of it. I started adding mint leaves to everything I drank when I got home!

DJ: High marks for Hai for its delicious dishes. I especially enjoyed the lotus fried rice wrapped in lotus leaves and the prawn siomai. The seafood curry is a must for those who love dishes with that extra kick. You’ll also find twists on Asian dishes at Hai like its mixed pomelo salad. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants in this gargantuan mall.

IGAN: When the clock strikes 9 p.m. at Hai, the resident DJ starts spinning house music. He gives in to requests, though. When we were there, Bamboo’s latest CD was wafting from the speakers. To be followed by Claire Marlowe. Afterwards, it’s back to regular programming. Somehow noodles go down so well with oodles of drum loops and samples. I wonder why that is.

PRINCE OF JAIPUR

CELINE: The delicious and almost obscenely divine mango lassi trumped all other lassis I have had ever. It was not sour or odd, like many "con" lassis out there.

DJ: I’ve always been fond of Indian dishes and the ones served at Prince of Jaipur are quite exceptional. The lamb biryani is very fragrant and moist, a quality achieved only when using high grade Basmati rice and the right blend of herb and spices. I also enjoyed the sumptuous butter chicken, perfect for dipping our roti bread.

IGAN: Prince of Jaipur at the SM Mall of Asia is in a different continent altogether. Dig the paintings of maharajahs and Gandhi, framed saris and a huge poster of chakras, a map of the vortices of energy. One of the waiters, Willy Madera, says they play a lot tracks by artist Sharuk Kan. To maintain that Middle-Eastern vibe, belly-dancing DVDs are shown on the bar TV. The curry rocks, by the way. I could just imagine how good smoking the shisha pipe would be while watching Deep Purple’s Bombay Calling DVD.

GRAPPA’S:

CELINE: The biggest hit in the drinks department for their home brewed beer. The classic, a Czech blend, was the favorite and followed closely by the surprisingly light dark beer. Both crisp and with a roasted malted taste they made EVERYONE’s night! The beer can be taken home in bottles fresh in their Bel-Air branch! You can call and get your bottles at Mall of Asia, too!

DJ: This Italian-American Restaurant definitely scores high on presentation alone. I almost didn’t want to touch the Pollo Arosto cause it was done up so prettily. The Salsicia pizza had generous heaping of meat, vegetables and cheese. I adore Pizzas that are full on.

IGAN: I agree with Celine. Three words to sum up my Grappa’s experience: beer, beer and beer. Wait, that is only one word but the Grappa’s beer comes in three variants — classic (original pilsen), dark (with malt and hops) and Weizen (light-boiled). Pivo Praha Czech beer is one of the best I’ve ever tasted. According to restaurant supervisor Louis Lee Bastareche, Grappa’s has the only microbrewery in the country that serves "fresh, premium quality, homemade beer." A customer can quaff his chosen brew while listening to bossa nova, reggae and standards. I think this is what Joe Walsh was singing about in Life’s Been Good.

AZUL

CELINE: The strawberry-pineapple-lychee splash (again) was delicious. A great way to start the rich feast that Azul offers. Try asking your server to put splenda or equal for a low calorie version, or honey for a more organic version.

DJ: It’s great to find more Filipino restaurants that break out of the norm. Azul is one of them. Traditional dishes are served more stylishly and have that unique taste that your old fashioned Manang may not approve of but will likely tickle your more sophisticated taste buds. I recommend the beef nilaga and the garlicky gambas con chorizo.

IGAN: In Azul, the aural experience encompasses everything from Sitti to Sergio Mendes, who according to Kramer in Seinfeld is really big in Brazil. But come 9 p.m. on a Saturday night, out comes the electronica music CDs to make the customers chill out with their callos and chorizos.

ARUBA

CL: The blended cocktails came in generous tumblers that were sure to leave you tumbled. The house cocktail Aruba looked like a pureed smurf, as my friend said, but tasted sweet and the coconut flavor was very distinct. A little too rich for my taste, but again makes a great dessert option for people not driving back home over the age of 21. For a fruity alternative try Cocomo. I asked if they had a drink called Jamaica, unfortunately they did not.

DM: Aruba has one of the tastiest paellas I’ve had lately and this is coming from one paella aficionado. The rice is al dente, the seafood and meat cooked just at the right point (evidence of the ingredients being added to the rice just at the right time of cooking), and the chef did not scrimp of the saffron. Must-tries include the Pastechis (ground pork in filo served in white cream sauce) and the lengua estofada.

ID: Aruba at the SM Mall of Asia plays a lot of smooth jazz tracks from Michael Franks to Mike Francis. According to DJ Billy, things heat up on Saturdays when bands starts plugging their equipment to play ’80s music. Thus, you have acts like The Dawn that pumps up the volume. The night we went there, musicians from a pop band called Powerhouse were doing their sound-check.

TOSCA—O BISTRO

CELINE: In this classy boite they take pride in their white wine and red wine selections. So class up and don’t even think about having a shooter here.

DJ: The Japanese seem to always have a way of doing fantastic twists on other things and I found out at Toscaña that Italian cuisine is one of them. Try the linguni soba with a savory seafood sauce and the refreshing Zesty Insalata. Toscana’s Pizza Frutti Di Mare is given its Japanese flavor with Teriyaki meat toppings.

IGAN: I probably misheard the waiter when he told me the name of the acoustic band playing that night. Was it Head of Donna, or Bread of Karma? Whatever they are collectively called, the musicians breezed through a set filled with love songs and R&B classics. Band names are overrated, anyway. Remember the punk group No Use For a Name?

BLUE ROOM

CELINE: The surprising Sex on the Beach drink is the bestseller in this very neon lit ’80s-inspired bar. It’s tangy and tart and the alcohol was cleverly masked with fruity flavors.

DJ: Although the Blue Room sounds more like some hip bar, this establishment offers a full menu of international fare served all day long aside from its long list of specialty cocktails. It’s great for enjoying dishes such as porterhouse steak and baked seafood pasta in a hip setting. Cheers!

IGAN: One of my favorite bars in our SM Mall of Asia "bar tour" is the Blue Room. How could you miss it when it blares out an Xmal Deutschland song in all its new wave glory, which was preceded by the signature song of Jim Kerr and the Simple Minds? But one of the people who run the Blue Room says they choose the songs depending on the clientele. They are that flexible. Heck, the DJ could play 30 minutes of reggae, 30 minutes of hits from the ’70s, or 30 minutes of new wave anthems. While you, the customer, are "at the bar with your head on the bar" like the obsessive lover in that unforgettable Morrissey song.