Eastwood Avenue, a once quiet strip inside Eastwood City, is currently teeming with activity. It's not the kind you would find in large crowds on the busy sidewalks of Eastwood City Walk 1 & 2 - a popular spot for nightlife dining in Eastwood. Rather, unique new restaurants began opening left and right along the strip just last year and now it's crawling with foodies looking try out all the new restaurants in the area.
Eastwood's new dining strip does have a bit of variety and there's a spot for you whether you're craving for something organic, American, Asian or Spanish-Filipino. It's also an easy strip to have a fun little food crawl because you have a number of cuisines to choose from and seeing how close the restaurants are from one another. Don't even get me started on the view, it's a beautiful stretch for romantic evening walks especially if you're looking to impress.
The map above might be have already given away the new restaurants that seem to have given life to this hot new dining strip, but now let's talk about food. So, what's new at Eastwood Avenue?
For Foodies Who Love To Eat Clean
Gourmet Farms Express is a farm-to-table food concept from the Gourmet Farms Estate, a 12 hectare farm located at Silang, Cavite. The restaurant serves fresh, healthy dishes that are easy to just grab and go with a menu mainly consisting of salads, wraps and pasta - relying on fresh, organic produce straight from the farm to whip up delicious dishes while keeping prices affordable.
The restaurant opens from 11am to 11pm daily which makes it perfect for a quick, healthy meal,
With a variety of tasty dishes to choose from, I'm a big fan of the Smoked Salmon Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Php 185) because it has the most bang-for-your-buck. I can also see myself enjoying an order Taco Avocado Salad (Php 185) for lunch whenever I'm looking for something more fresh and vibrant but with a nice, spicy kick. The great thing about Gourmet Farms Express is that they can quickly whip up healthy dishes, which is perfect for someone has a very busy schedule, especially if you're planning to eat 'better' this year.
Now that's how you redefine fastfood, by serving fresh, healthy dishes that are quick to make and easy to enjoy.
For a more in-depth review, check out Gourmet Farms Express: A Fresh, Healthy Alternative to Fastfood.
For American Comfort Food and Beer
Applebee's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining franchise serving American comfort food with a menu largely consisting of ribs, tacos, burgers, and tenders. It has a more laid-back pub feel to it which makes it an excellent place for celebrating life's wins - whether big or small - with a nice, hearty meal and a mug of beer.
The restaurant is open from 11am to 12mn (1am on Fridays and Saturdays) also making Applebee's a nice spot to just relax with a big mug of beer after a long day in school or work.
You can't go wrong with Applebee's world-famous Pork Ribs (Half - Php 650, Full Php 950) if you want to really treat yourself because the restaurant is crazy about making sure these ribs are perfect when it reaches every customer's plate. Not once did I dine at Applebee's without enjoying a slab of their pork ribs coupled with an order of the Wonton Taco (Php 225). Of course, I had a few other people to share it with because eating is just a lot more fun when it's with family and friends.
If you're hoping for a more something not too expensive, I highly recommend the Fiesta Lime Chicken (Php 395) which has bangs of zesty flavor topped with cheesy goodness!
For a more in-depth review, check out Applebee's Grill & Bar: There's Always A Reason To Celebrate.
Craving for Asian?
Ippudo is the latest addition to the myriad of new restaurants opening along the stretch of Eastwood Avenue, opening just last month on December 12, 2016. The popular ramen restaurant traces its roots back to 1985 in Japan's ramen capital of Hakata by Ramen King Shigemi Kawahara and has since taken the food world by storm. I hear that their New York stores (with the first store opening 2008) still has 60-minute long lines up until this very day! Their obsessed with perfection, so you can't go wrong with anything you order from their ramen menu.
The restaurant is open from 11am to 10pm daily to cater to your ramen cravings. A fair warning though, this place is always packed so you better be prepared to wait in line. Your patience will be rewarded though because that bowl of hot, rich ramen is certainly worth the wait!
The Akamaru Special (Php 495) is a modern-style ramen consisting of Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth with special blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, topped with ajikikurage, salted soft-boiled egg, and seaweed. If you're looking for Ippudo's classic, Hakata-style ramen then grab a hot bowl of their signature Shiromaru Motoaji Special (Php 495) instead.
You can also enjoy your ramen with a delicious serving of Seafood Okonomiyaki (Php 295) or Hakata Style Gyoza (Php 210) for a Japanese feast. Ippudo is one of those restaurant where you leave with a stomach so full and yet you still find yourself still longing for more.
For a more in-depth review, check out Ippudo Philippines: World-Renowned Hakata Style Ramen Now Serving at Eastwood Avenue.
Annam is the Philippine franchise by the popular Singapore NamNam Noodle Bar, founded in 2012 by Chef Nam - a Vietnamese chef who has worked in many award winning restaurants and hotels around the world. The restaurant repackaged old-world Vietnamese street food but placing a modern twist in their food. It's ranked as the #1 pho in Metro Manila by Spot.ph, particularly Annam's Pho Australian Beef Steak Slices!
The restaurant is open from 10am to 3am every day to cater to pho-loving Eastwood patrons. They're open until the wee hours of the morning presumably to cater to those working in the BPO sector, and those of you who just love a good midnight snack.
You can have a taste of Metro Manila's best pho by ordering the Australian Beef Steak Slices Pho (Php 320) but if you want more beef then you can opt for the Beef Combination Pho (Php 380) shown above instead as it comes with beef slices, beef ball, beef tendon. The Noodle Minced Pork (Php 360) also makes for a nice spicy snack which tastes like a premium version of our favorite Chilimansi!
I also really liked their Lemongrass-Ginger Iced Tea (Php 120) and either Hot or Iced Vietnamese Coffee (Php 120), which are just great drinks to have after a heavy meal.
For a more in-depth review, check out Annam Noodle Bar: Authentic Vietnamese Specialties and Manila's Best Pho.
For Filipinos Who Brunch...
Cafe Enye is currently one of the most popular breakfast spots in Eastwood Avenue with its extensive selection of Spanish-Filipino dishes. It also has a very cozy, homey interior that your brunch-loving titas would definitely love. Reviews have been mixed and it's unfortunate that this is one Eastwood Avenue restaurant that I haven't tried yet so I won't be able to give my opinion on the food. Please refer to the Zomato reviews of my fellow foodies instead.
I included Cafe Enye here so that you won't miss out on it in case you would like to have an Eastwood Avenue Food Trip (Now that's a great idea!). Please let me know on the comments below what you think of Cafe Enye if you ever get the chance to visit, I would love to hear your thoughts on the restaurant!
Eastwood Avenue has a little bit of every cuisine to cater to multiple Filipino palates. In just one short strip, you can already craft your very own food crawl with a few friends! Here's a food crawl idea for you:
- First stop is to have either breakfast or brunch at Cafe Enye, ordering their specials (House-Cured Wagyu Beef Tapa or Lechon Carbonara)
- Early ramen lunch at Ippudo just across the street at around 11am to beat the lunch crowd and avoid the long line. Make sure you share only a few bowls of ramen with friends and maybe the seafood okonomiyaki!
- Dessert and Coffee at Annam Noodle Bar just beside Ippudo as you lie back and digest all everything you ate so far.
- A nice, healthy afternoon snack of wraps or salads at Gourmet Farms Express.
- Finally, finish the day with a hearty meal of ribs and beer at Applebee's.
If you plan it out properly, you get to try multiple dishes from five restaurants in one day by sharing the dishes with friends. That sounds like a pretty good plan. Take note of your favorite dishes and drop by the next time to have an order of your favorites just for you!
We will be releasing more detailed reviews of each restaurant in the coming days, so stay tuned!
More blogs you'd like:
Don't miss out! You can follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Chef Jay's Kitchen by email to get updates on new articles. To check out my restaurant reviews, follow me on Zomato.
Cheers,
Cheers,
Chef Jay
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer.
No comments:
Post a Comment