Manila's Signature Dishes 2010: Barcino Wine Resto Bar

The last stop we made that first day was at Barcino in Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati, where we were scheduled to try out the Paella Valenciana Set by Chef Jaume Viñallonga. We almost didn't get to try the set because no one knew that we were supposed to visit that day, but everything was fixed after some calls. Yay! We were there for a mission, and we proceeded with the task. :)



Barcino is located along the stretch of restaurants at the ground floor of Greenbelt 2. It’s easily spotted because of its well-lit façade and inside, and is well known for its quality wines, spirits and alcohol.



We were there to try out the Paella Valenciana Set for the Manila’s Signature Dishes of Unilever Foodsolutions. First we were served the Ensalada Catalan, a salad dish – greens, tomatoes, onion, Spanish sausage or chorizo, egg, with a balsamic dressing. It’s unpretentious, straight to the point and refreshing.



The star of the night was the Paella Valenciana. Luckily, the paella was really good. The rice was boiled with shrimp. Manila clams, mussels and squid, with a saffron mix, according to Chef Castillo, and simmered down to perfection. The tastes were infused well into the dish, and created a wonderful meal. Two thumbs up for this.



Capping off the set was Crema Catalana. It’s a Spanish dessert, a Catalan version of the popular French Crème Brulee. I think it’s too sweet for my taste, but people with sweet tooth would definitely love this dessert. A glass of Casillero del Diablo wine would be really good with the set.



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Unilever Foodsolutions (UFS), being the preferred foodservice business partners among restaurateurs, felt the need to acknowledge notable restaurants who are developing Manila as a culinary city. They have partnerered with select restaurants within the metropolis in coming up with signature dishes. UFS has synergized with these restaurants, both through dish development and promotion campaign for these signature dishes, in achieving one common goal: coming up with a different culinary experiences that provide value for money and culinary memories for diners.

If you're a restaurateur (or an aspiring one) and in need of help in coming with your signature dish, call (632) 588-8855 or email at foodsolutions.philippines@unilever.com.

Manila's Signature Dishes 2010: Fish Out of Water

About two weeks ago, my best friend and I received an e-mail informing of a mission for us to complete in the next few weeks, probably leading to mid-December. The mission: Try-out Manila’s Signature Dishes 2010, prepared by Unilever Food Solutions, and our say on the different dishes served to us.

It’s no easy task, mind you. But for the love of good food and good wine, we accepted the challenge; the only thing that worries me is the uncertainty of whether or not my clothes would still fit me once our mission is complete.



To start our 5-week long gastronomic adventure, we visited Fish Out of Water at Greenbelt 5, Makati. It was hard to find at first, knowing that the whole 3rd floor mainly features furniture and home accessories. Hidden from the sights of passers-by and mall-goers, the first thing that struck us was the huge lit circular sign that was shouting the word “FISH.” The place was a good mix of simplicity, elegance, and creativity. We met the friendly and very accommodating manager Jude, and were given a “sitting tour” of Fish Out of Water.

The Food: Thang Nang Crab Set



The set presented to us included a plate of greens called Cebuano Danggit Salad, a fusion of fresh salad greens, fried to the crisp danggit in honey mustard dressing. I’d say starting the food adventures with the right set, with the right salad was probably a positive indicator of good things to come. The ingredients used were all fresh and the vegetables had a light, sweet taste found only in good produce. Also, the taste produced when chewing on a mouthful of veggies, tomato, and danggit is simply indescribable—in a positive way, of course.



The main dish was the Thang Nang Crab, the origin of the set’s name. The idea behind the dish comes from a variety of influences but it is mostly a Thai crab dish. The presentation of the dish is just as interesting as the taste: a huge crab of at least 1 Kg sitting on top of a mountain of pasta. The flavour of the garlic really seeped into the crabmeat, giving diners the option of eating the crab and the spaghetti separately. One thing I learned from this dish is that one can never take spaghetti so lightly; I found myself stuffing my mouth every five seconds! It was difficult to steal a twirl of spaghetti though since my best friend also had quite the appetite for this dish’s awesome pasta.



To complement the set, manager Jude gave us a glass each of their fine tasting Chardonnay. Having eaten salad, seafood and pasta, it was only fitting to cleanse our palates with good chilled white wine. “It is the perfect way to end the meal,” my friend said what with us being too full from eating all those food. To our surprise, Jude had a final treat for us.

As any other meal should be closed with a sweet dessert, we were served their famous Barako Cheesecake, a light and semi-sweet, semi-strong tasting treat with real kapeng barako sprinkles.



We recommend this dish to our friends who enjoy eating well-balanced meal sets, with extra emphasis on garlic and cream. The experience was simply superb!

What more is that given the quality of service and the undeniable hospitality of the manager and the staff, we’ll surely be back to try more of their Asian inspired renditions of Filipino dishes.

Another glass of Chardonnay please!


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Unilever Foodsolutions (UFS), being the preferred foodservice business partners among restaurateurs, felt the need to acknowledge notable restaurants who are developing Manila as a culinary city. They have partnerered with select restaurants within the metropolis in coming up with signature dishes. UFS has synergized with these restaurants, both through dish development and promotion campaign for these signature dishes, in achieving one common goal: coming up with a different culinary experiences that provide value for money and culinary memories for diners.

If you're a restaurateur (or an aspiring one) and in need of help in coming with your signature dish, call (632) 588-8855 or email at foodsolutions.philippines@unilever.com.

Blog post courtesy of Yuri of Lost Tsinelas

Tower Lounge and Steak Bar at One Tagaytay Place Hotel

Tower Lounge and Steak Bar is one of the two dining options (aside from Azalea the lobby restaurant and bar) located at the 3rd floor of the One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites in Barrio Sungay, Tagaytay City. We were treated to a scrumptious meal, which you can see below. Tower Lounge and Steak Bar is really known for its very delicious and tasty steaks, and signature drinks. They have a live band you can sing along to every Friday. The restaurant opens from 6pm to 1am daily. (Check out the menu here, and the bar list here)
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For starters, we were served a spicy Onion Soup. It was spicy, a little bit more than what's normally served, but I like it that way. I can taste the onions and some croutons with the soup, which is good, because I like to taste and feel my food. Then came the Salad, Tagaytay greens with some cucumber, tomatoes, cheese and croutons. The thousand island dressing was not for me. It would have been better with some sweet-spicy Asian dressing or Caesar, but everything else was fresh and perfect.


One of their bestsellers, is the rolled pizza. It's made of thin crust pie with the veggies and the mozzarella cheese rolled to a perfect bite. Don't forget to add their original sweet and spicy sauce which will make it taste even better. The star of the night was the steak, of course! I ordered a medium rib-eye steak, which exploded with satisfying flavor and taste, even without all those sauces (as some Steakhouses usually do, to infuse more flavor to their steaks, and make them more tasty). It's a must try when you visit the place! :)


Tower Lounge is in fact, also a bar, therefore it serves drinks. As a customary welcome drink, they serve you with a Bacardi infused concoction that will surely warm you up. You can also opt to try their "5 Tower of Power", one of the Tower Lounge signature drinks (photo below).


Another bestseller in their drinks selection is the "Green Minded," selling at Php 380 per pitcher. It's one of the alternative drinks I would recommend if you are not into the hard drinks. It is good for unwinding with a group of friends.


They also have delicious desserts. We were given an option if we wanted the Tiramisu or fried ice cream in tempura batter. I love how rich the Tiramisu was, and the fried Tempura Ice Cream won me over. :)


Tower Lounge and Steak Bar is an idyllic place to chill out with friends and have dinner not just because of its great food and drinks, but also because of the atmosphere and ambiance of the alfresco dining area at night. I am certain that you will love the place.

You might also like to visit:
Creating memories at One Tagaytay Place
Enjoying Tagaytay at One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites